Review by footfeet10 -- Heartaches by H.M. Irwing

[footfeet10]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Heartaches" by H.M. Irwing.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Heartaches is a story from the two protagonists’ perspectives, Anna and Rafe. Each have been through their fair share of strife and trauma and are very much still learning to cope and face their demons. The two meet when they arguably need each other the most and have to figure out not only how to deal with each other and the world again, but most importantly with themselves. I think their story is about finding how to ask for help as well as receive it, recognizing when It’s time to move on and let go, and finally how to keep living. Their internal struggles are different but still so similar; each has been through severe familial hardships and manipulations, as well as the guilt, shame, and a lack of self-acceptance after the fact. Anna and Rafe are forced to face their abusers and their own sometimes self-destructive behaviors, but they have one incredible advantage to utilize: each other.

Something I liked the most about this book is the wide coverage of emotions that the characters experience. Each person reacts to trauma in different ways, and I think the author really showed that in their writing. People with different personalities and past experiences cope and process in different ways and must then learn to heal with different methods. This allows for the story to be unpredictable as well as serving as a different perspective and understanding for many readers. The characters as well as their backgrounds are original and don’t conform to average stereotypes. The vocabulary is advanced and refreshing compared to some Young Adult books, but sometimes the descriptions are too lengthy or unnecessary.
What I liked the least about this book is the progression of the story. While the basic ideas and events were good, they seemed unrealistic and too extreme. It’s fine if maybe something extreme happens, but when multiple things happen that are too far out there it just can’t be coincidental anymore. This really took me out of the book. The events and character development transpired too quickly, leaving a lack of lead up to more emotional connections and seeming unrealistic. This is my biggest complaint because if the author can make the reader feel first, all the other properties can easily be worked on and come after.

The other issue is that some character’s stories are stressed but then have nothing to do with the rest of the story. Anna’s stepbrother is important in the beginning of the book and is made a main point, but then he seems to disappear. This is just odd because his arc was given many details to never have anything done with them. For the most part, there aren’t many grammatical errors. Most of the issues were comma placements and run-on sentences.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I didn’t rate it a 1 because the basics for a great story are there and I feel that real effort was put into its creation. I didn’t rate it a 3 because I feel that there is still a lot of work to be done with giving the characters more dimension, more character development and event lead up, and some grammatical editing. I think this book more appeals to fans of a higher reading level because of the nice literary element-the descriptions are well-phrased and complex, but sometimes too lengthy. It might also appeal to slightly more immature audiences because they might not see the unrealistic elements and may appreciate the quick dramatic quality. Avid readers may have more of an issue getting into this story because of the issues listed above. Overall, I appreciated the book and it’s coverage of issues and viewpoints; I think with more work this could be an emotionally hard-hitting book that will hook any reader.

Here are the first ten errors I noticed: “appoint” should be “a point” on page 4. “His soothing murmur, calmed her” should be “His soothing murmur calmed her” on page 26. “ones ills” should be “one’s ills” on page 26. “Would hear if it” should be “would hear of it” on page 29. “He made for kitchen” should be “he made for the kitchen” on page 37. “That hasn’t already” should be “that hadn’t already” on page 37. “Then they felt” should be “then they fell” on page 45. “Shinny as a” should be “Shiny as a” on page 49. “Woollen skirt” should be “woolen skirt” on page 55. “All has come” should be “all had come” on page 55.

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Heartaches
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[BriennaiJ]

I've seen mixed ratings of this book on this site. I also wish that there were fewer errors, along with 3-dimensional characters to match the heavy plot topics.