Dear Heartbreak: YA Authors and Teens on the Dark Side of Love

by Heather Demetrios

Heather Demetrios (Editor)

In this powerful collection, well-known YA authors answer real letters from teens all over the country about the dark side of love: dating violence, breakups, cheating, betrayals, and more. A no-holds-barred, raw outpouring of the wisdom these authors have culled over their years mining their own hearts for the fiction they write, their responses are autobiographical, unflinching, and filled with love and hope for the anonymous teen writers. Love may hurt - but no one should have to go through it alone.

With contributors Becky Albertalli, Nina LaCour, Adi Alsaid, Libba Bray, Kim Liggett, Sarah McCarry, Amy Ewing, A.S. King, Jasmine Warga, Sandhya Menon, Varian Johnson, Cristina Moracho, Zach Fehst, Ibi Zoboi, Corey Ann Haydu, and Gayle Forman.

• ISBN10: 1250170907
• ISBN13: 9781250170903
• Publish Date: 1 January 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 4 April 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Henry Holt & Company Inc
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

Ironically, this book is so completely full of love. But not the kind you're thinking of. The love in this book is apparent in every single letter- it's the love the authors have for the young people they write for. It's the love they've found for themselves. And the love they hope to make their readers feel.

It's nice to find people who can understand what you're going through. It's cathartic to share trials and tribulations with one another. It's that sense of camaraderie that I enjoyed about this book the most. I related to so many of the responses, and yes, the questions. I imagine that many, many others will as well. Obviously the importance of that is huge.

The thing that left it falling a bit short for me is that it kind of felt a bit repetitive after awhile. And while I, as an adult, appreciate the message the authors are trying to convey (especially the "love and care for yourself" sort), I'm not sure a teen would be game for 300+ pages of it. The thing about heartbreak and heartache is that no amount of logic and self-talk is really going to make it better. It's messy, illogical, and something we may just have to feel.

Bottom Line: The plus here is, knowing these authors have come out on the other side of their teen heartbreaks can be helpful- especially as they're often role models. The downside is, it's a lot of pages of personal stories that may not fully resonate with a young person wading through their own pool of sadness and confusion. Hell, it's a lot of pages for a 36 year-old wading through her pool, so. 🤷‍♀️