Fierce Fragile Hearts is an emotionally-charged story of friendship, heartache, and navigating the complexities of life.

Sara Barnard has been a favourite author if mine for a while because her books always make me feel so much. They're usually centred on multifaceted characters who are flawed and human and make you root for them so much, and Fierce Fragile Hearts is no different. I loved getting insight into a character we only knew a little bit about in Beautiful Broken Things, and the book spreads the message that I love to see above all in YA fiction: that friendship conquers all.

I obsessed over Beautiful Broken Things for a long time after reading it, I think it's a gorgeous example of a YA book that illustrates the complex life of teenagers, and Fierce Fragile Hearts continues this story in the most perfect way. I read it the month after giving birth to my daughter in 2019 so didn't review it immediately and have only now realised that I didn't do so, but to leave it without a review would do it an injustice! Told from another character's perspective a little further down the line, it was still relatable and very realistic, moving more into the New Adult genre. I liked how it showed the changing of relationships, how things don't always stay the same or go as you expect them to at the end of a story.

I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

I am a big fan of Sara Bernard's YA books as they are always beautifully written and keep me hooked from the beginning, and Fierce Fragile Hearts was no exception!

How do you piece yourself back together when you've been broken?

Fierce Fragile Hearts is the second book in the Beautiful Broken Things duology. The first book focused mainly on Caddy, while this sequel picks up the narrative in order to tell Suzanne's story. I think you would struggle to understand a lot of what happens in this book if you haven't previously read Beautiful Broken Things. It's largely focused on Suzanne's recovery and what happens next to the trio of friends, much of which would have little meaning without the necessary context applied from book one.

Suzanne is a rich, complex character with plenty of hidden depths. She is a walking contradiction - she loves to put on a mask and excels in company, yet she is also afraid of showing her true self to anyone new. She is fiercely protective of her two best friends, Caddy and Rosie, yet can't help but lapse back into her old destructive behaviours when they leave for university.

Suzanne is certainly an interesting character to read about, yet despite this, I still found the book somewhat lacking compared to Beautiful Broken Things. Maybe it was the naivety of Caddy's narration, or the coming-of-age storyline just bore more weight, but either way, I definitely preferred Beautiful Broken Things to Fierce Fragile Hearts. This book is great if you enjoyed the first book and want to find out what happens next, but I do think it would be a struggle for a new reader to make the most of the story.

That being said, it was a joy to read a book that focused on friendship above romance. So much YA lit is focused on love interests, and while there is an element of romance in this book, it certainly isn't the main plot. The friendship that Suzanne, Caddy, and Rosie share really is something special - they are simply each other's people. Another highlight is the unlikely friendship that develops between Suzanne and Dilys. It's endearing, heartwarming, and just so sweet.

Fierce Fragile Hearts has a strong sense of place running throughout the book. In this story, we return once again to Brighton, where the girls' story began. Brighton acts almost like an anchor for a character like Suzanne who drifts through life, never staying in one place long enough to settle down and grow roots. Brighton is the anomaly, the one place she feels like she truly belongs.

Fierce Fragile Hearts is an emotionally-charged story of friendship, heartache, and navigating the complexities of life.

Sensitively written story delving into some complex issues. The main protagonist can come off as selfish at times, but because her character is so deeply explored, the reader has the information to understand her choices. Trauma is explored in this book, but done in such a sensitive way. The title is truest apt, Fierce Fragile Hearts is perfect.

I have read all of Sara Barnards works and when I learnt there was going to be a sequel to Beautiful Broken Things I knew I had to read it! It was everything I expected from a Sara Barnard novel and although I hadn't thought a sequel was needed when I finished the first book, it was the perfect addition to the novel.

Wish I had read Beautiful Broken Things first. A beautiful story. Will definitely recommend these to our school library

This book is a lot, it is beautiful and well written but it will have you feeling all the emotions just as the first book did. I love this author and can't wait to read more by them.

Beautiful Broken Things was one of my favourite books of 2016 and its sequel did not disappoint. Sara Barnard has an incredible talent for making you truly feel how her characters are feeling. Fierce Fragile Hearts is a beautiful read, full of wisdom and compassion and friendship.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Suzanne Watts has gone through a lot in her life. Moving to Brighton at 15, to escape an abusive father, she finds her very best friends in Caddy and Rosie. Fast forward 3 years, and she is now on the other side of a suicide attempt, recovery, and leaving the care system. Returning to Brighton is her biggest wish, but being alone, in a rundown bedsit, when her friends will be moving away for uni, may just prove to be too much. Can Suzanne overcome her loneliness, and deal with her past in order to have a future.

I'd just finished Beautiful Broken Things when I started this one, and was happy to see that there was a change of view this time around. Now the whole story was from Suzanne's perspective, and we learn so much about her. She doesn't sugar coat what happened to her with her family, nor her recovery at Gwillim or in Southampton. I will admit, there were times she got on my nerves with the repetitive self-sabotage, but I enjoyed seeing her grow from scared teen to a young adult, finding her place in the world, and looking towards the future. We do meet some new characters, like Matt (a potential boyfriend) and Dilys (a grandmother-like figure who takes Suze under her wing). Rosie, again, was sort of an afterthought, where I felt like there wasn't much to her, except for being the bold and brassy lesbian friend, who swoops in from time to time, but doesn't have her own story line. Caddy is less naive than she was, but I didn't like her changes in the two years that had passed. She now has a boyfriend (they were good together), but once she moved to Warwick she changed a lot, and was rude and not a very good friend. I'm glad I've read it, and learnt more about Suze, but this isn't a series I reckon I'd re-read.

I wish I had read Beautiful Broken Things before reading this as it may have given me a different view of the characters but starting with this one, I didn't warm to Suzanne and felt a lot of actions were selfish, making her a bit unlikeable. I did really enjoy the writing though and liked the setting of Brighton. I was hooked on the story and will read more by this author.

Few writers can convey what it's like to be a teenager like Sara Barnard. I really enjoyed being back in this world again and seeing the characters from Beautiful Broken Things. It's like I can hear the dialogue in Sara Barnard's writing, and the characters are distinctive and developed well. It was great to see Suzanne's perspective, and this book took me through so many emotions! It's a fantastic contemporary.

This is the first book I have read by this author, and to be honest when I started it I wasn’t really sure it was for me. But the book is exceptionally well written and the main character Suzanne, is very well portrayed. The subject of abuse and depression isn’t something I know much about, but I now feel I have a small insight thanks to Suzanne. The book is emotional and heartwarming.

I am a huge fan of Sara Barnard's gritty, no-holds-barred YA contemporaries and this one was no different. As the sequel to Beautiful Broken Things, I was excited to get back to these girls and see how Suzanne had been since the first book. My heart broke and mended several times and I was once again so invested in them. It's both dark, poignant, touching and in some places, uplifting. A real celebration of friendship, loyalty and finding your own inner strength.

This time around, I'm going to be so much better. I'm going to prove to them that it was worth waiting on me.'

You must read Pretty Broken Things first to get the full benefit of this book! Returning to familiar characters was beautiful and definitely needed. This was a great emotional read.

A lovely book of being a young adult and having to deal with all of the crap that you don't think about when you're young and wishing your lift away.

I enjoyed this very much.

The perfect example of older YA/New adult fiction. Sara is a master of her craft. I love that this included stuff like dealing with a leaking pipe, trying to survive in your first flat - all the skills they don't teach in school, but are so important!

A worthy follow up to the author's debut novel Beautiful Broken Things. This book covers important topics with sensitivity.