The Anatomical Shape of a Heart

by Jenn Bennett

Artist Beatrix Adams knows exactly how she's spending the summer before her senior year. Determined to follow in Da Vinci's footsteps, she's ready to tackle the one thing that will give her an advantage in a museum-sponsored scholarship contest: drawing actual cadavers. But when she tries to sneak her way into the hospital's Willed Body program and misses the last metro train home, she meets a boy who turns her summer plans upside down.

• ISBN10: 125006645X
• ISBN13: 9781250066459
• Publish Date: 3 November 2015
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 17 November 2021
• Imprint: Feiwel & Friends
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Leigha]

Bex meets a mysterious graffiti artist on a late night bus in this utterly charming young adult contemporary romance.

The first Jenn Bennett book I read was last year’s Alex, Approximately. I devoured it within days, falling in love with the characters, setting, and plot. I’ve since read her follow up book, Starry Eyes, but I’ve been holding back on reading her first foray into the genre. I wanted to save it for a day when I desperately wanted something good to read. I finally caved during a quiet weekend in October, and it was just as amazing as I knew it would be.

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart is everything I want in the genre. Bex and Jack are complex characters with vibrant personalities and interesting motives. Their journey from friends to lovers is the perfect blend of emotions – lust, confusion, excitement, fear, joy, etc. Their relationship captured the very essence and experience of first love. Not only did I fall in love with them, but I fell in love with their story. The secondary characters are enjoyable, but it’s truly the two leads that shine best here.

My one minor – super, super, super minor – complaint is the cover. I want to immediately go buy a print copy of this book, but the cover does not do it enough justice. There are so many interesting and/or cute young adult graffiti covers out now – where were they all in 2015? I’m hoping this book will be released with a more vibrant or interesting cover in the future.

tl;dr A charming romance exploring the complexities of falling in love for the first time.

[Sam@WLABB]

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times - Jenn Bennett books are the best!

Full review to follow.

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[whisperingchapters]

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews

How perfect is this book?!! I mean, seriously. I cannot stop gushing over it. While I had requested this because I wanted to read it, I was unsure of whether I would like it and boy, I was in for a surprise because I ended up adoring it! It even made it into my 2015 faves!!

Beatrix wants to draw actual cadavers not only because she's very interested in doing so but because she will have an advantage to win a scholarship. One night, Beatrix meets Jack and her world is about to change. She wants to get to know Jack because he is so fun and caring but Jack has scars that go so deep, they cannot be seen.

This book was an adventure, an experience, a journey. I fell head-first into it and I was attached to the story and to the characters right from the start. I haven't read many books when it comes to art so this was a pleasant surprise seeing as I enjoyed it a lot! I loved how the author was so descriptive with the drawings that were talked about and I could vividly imagine them in my head. The Anatomical Shape of a Heart taught me something, a kind of art I had no idea even existed! I knew that people would draw cadavers for images and whatnot but for it to be something like a profession in life? This was new information to me. I love when books teach me something completely new because it expands my knowledge and makes me want to keep on searching for more on this subject.

This story is so different from what I've ever read seeing as the main character is a little bit of complex when it comes to her hobby or what she wants to do in her life, which is to draw cadavers. I was creeped out by this factor but it didn't stop me from reading once I started. Beatrix was a joy to read about. She was so full of life even with everything she had gone through in her life with her family. Beatrix is the kind of character many will look up to. She knew what she wanted out of life and if she had to do it on her own to reach that goal, she would do it and she did.

When Jack gets introduced, I immediately needed to know more about him. He's a mysterious characters with secrets of his own that no one really knows. Aside from that secret, he also hides that he does graffiti and is actually the most wanted one in their area. Jack's life is far from perfect yet he continues to smile and to have fun, to continue enjoying life. And did I like Jack and Beatrix's relationship? YES! It was so much fun! I definitely wanted more of their fun and witty banter and I definitely wanted to read more of their relationship.

Seeing as the relationship wasn't the big aspect, I will tell you the two major aspects I found in this story. The first important aspect is family is extremely important. We have two different families (Bex's and Jack's). Bex's family is very close and united whereas Jack's is kind of drifted. This is very important to the story because of Jack's secret and let me tell you I got tears in my eyes because I was not expecting that at all.

The second important aspect I had mentioned before is actually the want to fight for what you know you want out of life and if along the way you get obstacles, to give it your all and overcome those obstacles and ultimately achieve exactly what you thrived for. With that being said, I think this book is very empowering to teens, especially Senior high school teens. This book shows a new take on various things of life and while it is Young Adult, it does have its complexity but it's what makes this story so real and makes it come to live.

Jenn Bennett is a new author to me even though she has written other genres before. I hope she goes more in-depth with the YA genre because I certainly want more from her.

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews

[jnikkir]

This review can also be found at my blog, There were books involved...

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I am very hard to please when it comes to contemporaries, and I'll be the first to admit that. Contemporaries usually don't get 5 stars from me -- they can be fluffy and fun or heartfelt or whatever, but for me, they often just lack that lksdaldsfasomg feeling (yes that is the scientific term) that I need in order to rate a book 5 stars.

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart gave me that feeling.

In short: I adored this book. I think I adored this book from the moment I read the synopsis, honestly, because how can you not read that synopsis and not want a book that fulfills all that potential?! I loved that potential book -- and that potential book turned out to be real.

I love it when that happens.

From the very beginning, Bex is wonderful. The Anatomical Shape of a Heart is written in first-person from her POV, and she is amazing. She describes herself as "pleasantly dour and serious," which is pretty much spot-on. Her humor is fantastic (not over-the-top, just real), and she's not perfect (not nearly -- she can be not-nice, and she's got her weaknesses). But I think my favorite thing about her was that she's an incredibly driven character -- she knows what she wants and she's not afraid to fight for it, whether it's an art scholarship, or, eventually, a relationship...

But it wasn't just anyone. It was a boy.

A boy about my age.

A really hot boy about my age.

Loose-limbed and slim, he slouched against the telephone pole, pushing away an unruly slash of dark hair that fell over one eye. He was dressed from head to toe in black, as if he'd landed a starring role in some Italian caper movie and was ready to break into a bank: jeans, snug jacket, knit hat pulled low. Tight black gloves covered his hands, and a scuffed backpack (probably filled with explosive devices for the bank safe) sat on the sidewalk against his leg.

[...] "Too much black?"

"Not if you're planning a heist. Then it's the perfect amount, especially if you have a Hamburglar mask in your pocket."

"Damn," he said, patting his jacket. "Knew I forgot something."

Jack is literally everything I wanted out of his character after reading the synopsis -- and so much more. He's an amazing mix of genuine and mysterious; very open about some things, but very secretive about other parts of his life, because he's dealing with a lot. More than anything, Jack is one of those characters who's real and good (but not too good -- notorious graffiti artist here) and he just gives me all the feels omg.

And speaking of 'omg'... Bex and Jack together? O. M. G. That snippet above is a very small sample of their initial meeting, and from then on, their rapport and banter are flawless. They can be hilariously, adorably cute; their chemistry is off the charts; and their relationship progresses so beautifully and realistically. It's not love-at-first-sight -- Bex is a bit abrasive the first few times she and Jack hang out, even though the attraction is mutual 'at-first-sight.' But as they get to know one another, their relationship just happens, and I loved that.

I also loved that their character growth wasn't all about their relationship. Their lives independent from one another are so complex and heart-wrenching, and they're both going through a lot. But they're there for each other, and the two of them together are just... I believed them. I believed in them. The two of them, even with their shared artistic interest, were so different -- but they fit together so perfectly.

Bex and Jack are probably my favorite contemporary couple since Sky and Josh in Heather Demetrios's I'll Meet You There. This book isn't as dramatic, but it had the same feeling of realness, for me, which is so hard for me to find in contemporaries -- and that's what gives me that aslkdjfalsdkomg feeling I mentioned earlier.

The secondary characters -- especially Bex's and Jack's families -- were so well done. I adored Bex's brother. Jack's family is just... well, spoilers, but there are many feels involved where his family is concerned. And both Bex's and Jack's parents were (gasp!) present and attentive to their children's lives! How novel! But that shouldn't surprise you about this book, because everything is treated so realistically.

Finally, I have to touch on the ending. (Very slight spoilers-but-not-really, but I'm paranoid so you get a spoiler cut anyway...) I often have a hard time dealing with both the overly-tied-up YA contemps, and the super-realistic-but-very-open-ended ones. I get that a lot of endings just can't be tied up with a bow, but gosh darn it I want some real closure!! Thankfully, the ending to this book took a middle road that I really, really liked.

 
In conclusion...

I really, truly believe that this book is the best of ALL worlds when it comes to the YA contemporary genre. Do you like your YA contemps to be funny and cute? This book is for you. Do you like them to deal with some more serious topics? This book is for you, too. Do you have trouble with a lot of contemps, like me? Do you find them overly fluffy? Or too serious? Or unrealistic? Guess what -- this book is for you, too. (I feel like Oprah -- YOU GET A BOOK YOU'LL LOVE, YOU GET A BOOK YOU'LL LOVE, EVERYONE GETS A BOOK THEY'LL LOVE!!!)

Seriously though. The Anatomical Shape of a Heart has it all -- honesty, humor, heartfelt emotion, a wonderful romance... girls who sneak into hospitals to draw cadavers, and guys who dress all in black to spraypaint graffiti at night... ;) What's not to love?!

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There were books involved...