Fierce Fragile Hearts is a YA novel which stands alone but is much enriched by a reading of Beautiful Broken Things which features Caddy's story and Suzanne and Caddy's mutual friend Rosie. This second book is set two years later than BBT and focuses on Suzanne's struggle to leave the past behind and forge a new future for herself. We come to understand her experience more fully and the inner conflicts she battles with. Her journey is not comfortable and is at times heartbreakingly honest but ultimately we are rewarded with an inspiring, hopeful portrayal of the power of friendship and the possibility of reinventing oneself. I do so hope that a book three is in the offing! Beautifully written with compassion and humour, sensitivity and tolerance, this book is highly recommended.

Another great installment from Sara Barnard. I'd imagine its a rewarding sequel for those who have read Beautiful Broken Things. however I have yet to read the first outing. It didn't stop me being fully invested in this emotive book. Now I just need to dig out Beautiful Broken Things from one of my moving boxes.

It was so great to get to see Caddy, Rosie and Suzanne again, especially from Suzanne's view point, because I find Suzanne an amazing character. I love how perfectly she's written, a screwed up survivor coping with PTSD and her crappy family, who still, after everything she went to, defend her father and see her as being dramatic.

I felt so much for Suzanne. She's been through so much and now she's out in the world having to live on her own. Though at some points it's frustrating (ask for help, Suze!!!) you can't help rooting for her. It's like she's a friend. You can definitely see how Caddy and Rosie feel trying to support her. She's such a sweet person but her life is so hard and she has some bad habits when she gets triggered.

I just really really loved seeing it all from Suzanne's viewpoint. It worked perfectly, in the same way that the first book worked really well from Caddy's point of view. I just want so much more from these characters.

And it has a dog in it! What more can you ask for?

I loved Beautiful Broken Things so was very excited to be approved for this and for the opportunity to spend more time with and delve deeper into these characters and their relationships.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

When I first requested this book from Netgalley, I had no idea it was the second in a series and when I realised, I was a little worried in case I didn't understand certain plotlines of the story. However, I found this wasn't an issue and that there were enough references to Suzanne's past for me to know what was going on in her life.

Although the book is also a YA book, I was attracted to the cover and description and still enjoyed it, despite being 30!

The lead character, Suzanne, has left the care system and is finding her way in the world in a new bedsit in Brighton after a few years away from the town. She also has to contend with learning to be an independent adult, managing her money, the troubles of teenage friendships and relationships, and the fact that her best friends are about to go to university.

As well as all of this, Suzanne battles depression, has attempted suicide in the past and has suffered childhood phyical abuse, so this book could be a trigger for some readers. Despite this, I personally felt that Sara Barnard wrote about this topics in a sensitive manner - just the right amount of details were described, without it being too much, though it could still be a trigger for some readers.

The characters felt real. Sometimes, teenage girl friendships in books can be portrayed as a bit annoying but the mixture of tears, laughter and drama was portrayed just as many will remember. I really warmed to Suzanne from the start.

Due to the topics covered, it can be an intense book at times with lots of emotions in the air, but it's still a great read!

A well written book that really targets what modern day teenagers are going through. Although I'm not a teenager I could certainly resonate with some of the problems. A lovely light hearted read.

Beautifully written. This story is told with thought and empathy and is heartbreaking in places. It shows how friendships matter and that people can go through unimaginable pain. I was close to tears so many times reading this wonderful story. The characters felt so real and their pain was evident.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Well, Sara Barnard's done it again.

And by "it" I mean "made me cry repeatedly".

The thing with all of Sara Barnard's books is that her characters are rarely in situations I recognise from my own life, but at the same time I recognise their FEELINGS. Their circumstances may be utterly different, but there's a kind of truth about those emotions that transcends the specifics of the plot, and resonates regardless of whether or not I have a similar background.

Having said that, this one did hit particularly hard for me. Maybe it's because the characters are a little older and it's that brink-of-adulthood anxiety that I feel myself (even if I'm 23 and doing it with considerably more parental support than Suzanne, at 18). Maybe it's because there's a character in this who used to be a musician and no longer is and apparently that's a sore spot for me, because whenever that comes up I'm just crying immediately. I don't know. But it did make me cry, repeatedly.

I love the way Sara Barnard writes about friendship. I love that her characters explore romance and so on, but it's never all-consuming, and it doesn't detract from their other super important interpersonal relationships. I was so proud of how maturely Suzanne handled the romantic subplot in this book, too, and how she recognised her own needs.

Speaking of which: I am just so proud of Suzanne, in a way that is probably silly because she's fictional. But like. I got to the end of the book and I was just crying because she'd made so much PROGRESS and come SO FAR from where she was in Beautiful Broken Things, and it wasn't easy or neat -- it was messy and she had bad moments and it wasn't without a cost, but she did it and I love her.

Anyway.

I had to go buy this one in paperback, because I knew I'd want to read it lots of times and yell about it to people, because... feelings.

Also, can we have more of these kinds of books -- friendship-focused books about older teens and people entering adulthood? There aren't enough of them. I'd love more books about 18-24-year-olds, especially ones without a strong romance element.

(Real rating: 4.5*s)

Fierce Fragile Hearts is the second/companion novel to Sara Barnard's YA bestseller Beautiful Broken Things. It takes place two years after we left the three friends Rosie, Caddy and Suzanne. This novel is written from Suzanne’s point of view. Suzanne is starting again. She moves back to Brighton, a place she loves and feels she belongs, back with her best friends Caddy and Rosie. But they didn’t ‘lose’ a year of their lives. They are about to leave for university. Suzanne however is still very emotional and troubled, but has been provided with the independence she desires, yet the support in place should she need it. She does. But does she take it? To the reader, it is obvious what Suzanne should do when she gets herself into all sorts of situations she finds are attracted to her like a magnet. But it wouldn’t be real life if young adults didn’t make bad decisions. Sara Bernard charts Suzanne’s progress through trying to navigate her own love/sex life and that of her friends. We meet Matt and Dilys and fall in love with both of them. I found myself shouting at Suzanne, just like her friends. For those YA who have suffered similar traumas to Suzanne I hope this book helps show they are not alone. For those of us who have never been unfortunate enough to do so, this book can only vaguely suggest that we can never understand what it feels like, but must attempt to support and do the right thing for those who do need help. This is realism at its best, not sugar coated for a good story, and because of that it is immensely powerful.
Music plays a huge part in the book and the playlist at the beginning of each chapter offers a way for the reader to immerse themselves further into Suzanne’s story.
This novel is about accepting the past is the past and moving forward, but above all as a best friend to those you love.
Please, we now need a third instalment from Rosie’s point of view.

Please note: this book is the companion novel to Beautiful Broken Things and maybe therefore contains spoilers for that book
Trigger Warnings: This book does deal with an abusive history as well as talk about suicide attempts.
I think I’ll start this review with a bit of backstory of when I read Beautiful Broken Things. I read Beautiful Broken Things about a year and a half ago and it was the first Sara Barnard book I’d picked up. It wasn’t my favourite book, but I loved Barnard’s writing style and there were definitely aspects of it that made me want to pick up Fierce Fragile Hearts.

I went into Fierce Fragile Hearts knowing practically nothing. I don’t think I even realised it was told from Suzanne’s perspective. I just knew it was to do with Caddy, Rosie and Suzanne from Beautiful Broken Things. But despite knowing nothing about it, I still really enjoyed it.

I’d say this book is definitely more character driven than it is plot driven but it deals with so many different and important aspects that I don’t feel it really needed a plot to keep it going. It done well enough without some sort of mission. There were perhaps a couple of moments I felt slightly bored but nothing too dramatic, especially since I knew if I kept reading through the parts that didn’t interest me as much, there would definitely be something that was about to come up that was more interesting and intense and kept me on the edge of my seat.

This book deals with lots of different and important points. One for example is the fact Suzanne is coming out of care having to live by herself and not following the path of her friends Caddy and Rosie, who both go to University. I think both the fact Suzanne is living independently without the help of any parents and the fact she isn’t going to Uni is important because there are going to be young adults out there, whether they have a similar history to Suzanne or not, who are going to be having to live independently or aren’t going to Uni. I think these points show it’s okay to not be doing what everyone else is doing. It was also rather refreshing to read about a character who wasn’t doing the whole A-level business and I really feel it shows your well being comes first.

Sara Barnard really seems to capture intense relationships perfectly. There is no sugarcoating it, it is what it is. She really shows the ins and outs of a friendship and no relationship is easy, whether that’s platonic or romantic. Caddy and Rosie appear so early on in the book which is so lovely to see. I was kind of hoping this would set the friendship tone for this book which I suppose it did do, but I think I was expecting a bit more happy side of the friendship when there was actually a lot of tension. That being said, it was so good to see Caddy and Rosie supporting Suzanne. I also really enjoyed seeing Rosie have more of a role in Suzanne’s social life.

What I also really enjoyed about these characters was that they were all completely different from each other. I just admire Caddy’s honestly, Suzanne’s perseverance and Rosie, well, I just really loved Rosie. There are also some new characters which I don’t want to say too much about in case I spoil anything but it was certainly great to have some new faces thrown in there too as new people can also put strains on relationships and is something that is going to happen in people’s lives.

Suzanne is definitely a character who grows throughout the book and there’s moments when you want to help Suzanne and then moments where she helps herself and you’re just so proud of all the thing she’s achieved. I think I remember not really liking Suzanne that much in Beautiful Broken Things, not that I hated her but rather she wasn’t a favourite character, but in this book, I just really began to love her and like I said, felt proud of her for the things she achieves.

I don’t think I realised how important Suzanne’s story was until I read this because of literally everything that Suzanne is going through, whether that’s dealing with her family, her friendship struggles or the fact she is living on her own and slightly separated from her friends. I think there is something everyone will relate to whether that’s now or at another point in there life.

Overall, it’s a book definitely worth picking up if you’ve read Beautiful Broken Things!

I loved it and couldn't put it down. I wasn't sure I would like it from the first couple of pages. I hadn't read the first book and thought the first couple of pages were a bit strange. Once past that, it didn't matter that I hadn't read the first book as there was a good synopsis of what had gone on to bring Suzanne, the main character to where she is now.
Suzanne has been physically and mentally abused by her stepfather in the past, leading to therapy, foster families and care from her Auntie and she is finally ready to stand on her own two feet.
The book is the story of how she manages having her own bedsit and her relationships with her friends and the old lady downstairs, Dilys, who was, in the past, a well known violinist.
The relationship between Suzanne and Dilys is very poignant as are the episodes of Suzanne's struggle to come with everyday life.
The book enthralled me once I continued reading and I felt like I travelled the journey with Suzanne. I would definitely recommend.

Sara Barnard is a new author to me. I had not read Beautiful Broken Things so downloaded that from Amazon and read that first so I had a true picture of the dynamics of the characters. I felt very sad for Suzie in the first book and was concerned that the hole she had dug for herself would be ongoing but I thought the story was told really well. I have just finished Fierce Fragile Hearts and loved the way the book went. I especially liked Matt and wonder how many of these type of kind souls there are in the world. I also thought that Caddy and Rosie complemented each other throughout both books. I was so concerned that Suzie would not make the best of any chance she may have as her past was difficult but I was delighted the way things turned out. I have not read books before along this theme and loved them especially as I can relate to the subject family wise. I thought it was written with sensitivity but gave an insight to the problems that can arise in a family especially for a teenager. I loved both books.

Okay, so yesterday I spent the day reading Pretty Broken Things in anticipation of reading Fierce Fragile Hearts, and I am glad I did.

What a touching, often heart-wrenching story, told, this time, from the viewpoint of Suzanne, a victim of childhood abuse.

We experience the maturing of a friendship between three girls growing into women, and share with Suzanne the slow acceptance of what happened, and how she learns to deal with the cards life dealt her, all the time, an inner strength growing within her.

I really enjoyed reading this book and devoured it in a few hours.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for providing me with an Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a blubbering mess. The tears were held back for so long but now I've reached the end they are flowing!!

I was so excited to get to this book. I remember reading Beautiful Broken Things in my tent at VFest, 2016 and that was an emotional roller coaster, so I was hoping this companion novel would not disappoint.

This is one of those books I just couldn't help skipping ahead to see what happens and then running back to see how it built up, yet on the contrary to that, it also got to the point where I didn't want to know what happened because my heart couldn't take it. This was mostly down to Suze's self sabotage when all I could think was "you deserve this, please believe it. Please let people in", which I totally understand was easier said than done.

So of course, seeing Suze, Caddy and Rosie grown more had me so conflicted; there were times when I loved them and times when I thought they were selfish, made stupid choices and were irritating and then it clicked that they're so realistic. They're flawed in different ways and it was just me, adjusting to seeing them as adults and how they handled life, that was the struggle. They are relatable and feel so real and raw and they did things that made my heart race and made me laugh along and it honestly felt like I was with them on this journey. The fact that I'm typically weary of books set a few years later is enough to emphasise how well I believe this was done, overall.

We are seeing this whole book from Suzanne's perspective so I actually looked at some of the older characters differently than I think I did in the first book. Especially when Rosie and/or Caddy we're concerned. There were times where I thought they were going to argue and I realised it was just teasing, but all I could think of is how that would annoy me if someone spoke to me like that xD But to be fair, I feel during these times there was a level of tension. I also found it a little strange to see how Caddy's personality developed once she started uni. She came across unsettingly hardfaced at times, which I mean is completely justifiable in relation to how Suze pushes people sometimes. Nevertheless, all their growth was amazing and fascinating to explore and the new characters had so many layers too.

I loved that music had such a big theme in it, different kinds, both in the form of Dilys and Matt and of course Suze. I think this was in the first book too, with playlists etc. It just made me happy and learning more about it from Suze's perspective gave even more depth to her character. I didnt think we could get any deeper but she is so complex, as is the whole story. I actually wish I had listened to the chapter songs as they came, but I'm going to have an amazing time listening through them all, especially hearing some of the songs I've not heard before.
And also the underlying respect the nurses and carers got was such an amazing theme here too.
The amount of times my throat got so tight with emotion, trying not to cry, I'm surprised I still have a throat left!

I only ended up highlighting one quote, but I would highlight the whole book if I could. Barnard is a writing genius. There were multiple times where I just couldnt help smiling for Suze, but there was a specific scene which I felt was too listed. I thought at first it was an intentional writing style, which I still think it was, but I still would have preferred to have been living it more than feeling like "we did this, after we did that, then this". I totally understood that perhaps this was Suze's voice as she was spiralling into turmoil and panic and the build up to bad things, which is a very interesting tool and I do like it, I just felt like it was a bit overused in that one chapter and so offhandedly felt a little lazy, which I know it wasn't.
However, despite that, Barnard isn't flowery, or poetic necessarily (all good things in small doses for me), but she doesn't need to be. She's raw and blunt with her writing and how her characters voice themselves and it's honestly beautiful and hits me harder than a lot of the other writing styles can.

Near the end it started to hit me, these books have made me feel some slight nostalgia. It reminds me of how I felt when I read books like Kiss and My Sister Jodie by Jacqueline Wilson. I realise now that I briefly mentioned this for the first book too. So that, mixed in with all the emotions this novel has made me feel again is why I must say that Barnard is a phenomenal author.

This is the follow up to Beautiful Broken Things, a book I read a couple of years ago and really enjoyed. I really appreciated this companion novel as it is told from the point of view of Suzanne, who was the focus of the first book but not the narrator.

Suzanne has faced a lot of hardship in her life and has been blessed with two best friends in Caddy and Rosie. This book follows Suzanne as she faces problems with friends, family and boys. This is exacerbated by her friends moving away to university just as she is facing living alone for the first time.

This initially seems like a light, fluffy story but it deals with a lot of difficult issues such as abuse and self-harm. Although I appreciate the story and feel it was very well written, I unfortunately didn't find it as interesting as the first book. I seem to be in the minority here though as so far it has been getting brilliant reviews. I certainly understand why people love it but it unfortunately wasn't for me.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for providing me with an Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've read some very disappointing contemporary YA novels lately, but I knew from the start that this book was going to be different. I haven’t read the author’s previous novel which concerns some of the same characters, but I don’t feel like I had to in order to appreciate this one.

The story follows Suzanne, an 18-year-old girl who has recently left the care system. Suzanne suffered from physical abuse in her childhood which continues to affect her life. At the beginning of the novel she has moved back to Brighton to start a new life for herself. There are lots of changes for Suzanne to deal with including living and managing by herself for the first time, her close friends leaving to go to university and a potential new relationship.

The novel does a really great job of portraying the reality of Suzanne’s life and the issues she experiences. Her struggle with her finances and the loneliness she experiences in her tiny bedsit are all too real to anyone who has been in a similar position. One thing that stuck out for me in particular was when she is too poor to buy food in bulk. This is something that people in real life rather patronisingly say to struggling people so that struck a chord to me. This novel examines the realities of living a minimum wage existence and the hand to mouth existence that is a reality for many. Loneliness, poverty and abuse are all explored and it’s hard not to feel genuine sadness and frustration at Suzanne’s experiences and the mistakes she makes.

The characters all felt incredibly real. Suzanne, Rosie and Caddy were all utterly believable as young girls on the very cusp of adulthood and their experiences and friendships will be familiar to many young women at this point in their lives. The laughter, the tears, the drama, the angst...it’s all here. The relationship between Suzanne and her elderly neighbour Dilys is also very touching and sweet. The relationships in this book are mature and complex, this isn’t fairy tale land. It’s the real world and the author has captured this brilliantly.

As a main character, Suzanne is sometimes a difficult person to like, and some of her choices will frustrate you as the reader but she feels very real. If anything, Matt was perhaps a little too good to be true, but I could also argue it’s nice to have a male character in a contemporary YA novel who isn’t a complete and utter git.

There were moments of humour too, I couldn’t help having a little laugh at quotes like:

"I feel instantly terrible for judging her for wearing Converse even though she's in her forties"

As someone pushing 40, I did feel ever so slightly personally attacked but I let it slide. No one is ever going to stop me wearing my Converse.

This novel had all you would want from a contemporary YA novel. It explores real issues; the voices are credible and the problems and issues the characters experience are all utterly believable. Highly recommended.

I read this as a stand-alone book and wish I'd read Pretty Broken Things first as I felt that I missed a lot of the character background, I've since added PBT to my TBR list and will read it soon!

That being said, Beautiful Broken Things was an absolutely wonderful book. I felt like I was riding a wave of emotions and I've never felt so choked up whilst reading a book. I very rarely cry when reading books but this story was so gutwrenching it was inevitable! I loved the touch of having a song title at the beginning of every chapter, it was a thoughtful touch that made for a heightened reading experience.

I don't want to write in too much detail so I don't want to spoil the book but I cannot recommend it highly enough. I can't wait to read Pretty Broken Things and then reread Beautiful Broken Things so I can really understand the background of this story.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Okay so I read Beautiful Broken Things yesterday and today I decided to carry on the series whilst it was still fresh in my mind and it was a very good decision!

Beautiful Broken Thing’s was done from Caddy’s point of view whereas this one is done from Suzanne’s point of view and I have to say I loved it even more, I gave Beautiful Broken Things four stars out of five but I just had to rate this one higher because it actually made me go through a major rollercoaster of emotions, I’ve been a mess all day guys!!

I had to stop reading multiple times because I was becoming a blubbering mess! Books rarely make me cry and I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I was welling up or full on crying throughout this.

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.’

The book is based two years after the events that happened in Beautiful Broken Things where Suzanne has decided to move back to Brighton where she has felt much more at home. We see her character develop a lot since the events two years previous and we get to see how she is dealing with being independent and learning how to help herself.

At the beginning of each chapter there is a title with a song so if you wanted to you could listen to the music whilst reading along as we learnt in the first book that Suzanne likes to have playlists which makes sense for the author to have done this.

There were scenes in the book with a character named Dilys who Suzanne visits a lot and the moments with her are the main cause of my sobbing, I find it hard to put into words because the parts I was crying at weren’t actually all sad but there were moments where I was just like 😭😭😭

I would really like a third book in this series to be done from Rosie’s point of view, I’m not sure if this has been mentioned or not but it would be interesting to read as I feel we don’t get to see her much in this one or really in the first book compared to Suzanne and Caddy!

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Ugly epic sobbing. Truly ugly. 😂

I sort of accidentally pulled an all nighter reading this, which basically tells you all you need to know. It is like all of Sara Bandard’s books, beautiful, thought provoking, and will make you cry like a baby.

I would say that you should definitely read Beautiful Broken Thjngs first, as FFH references a lot of things that happen throughout that. And this is such a perfect follow up because it shows that you don’t just magically become okay following treatment for trauma. Suze is a mess, but taking HUGE steps to lead her own life and I was so proud of her throughout the book. She owns her trauma, but tries not to let it get in her way.

I loved her and Rosie in this, but I am sad about Caddy - I liked her before, but the changes here were tough. I like that they’re included because you need to see that people change and grow, but it’s hard to read for me.

Talking of hard to read. Her relationship with Dilys. Oh god. I adored Dilys. And the care home reminded me so strongly of my grandma, that while all of the book made me teary, it was these scenes that have turned me into a sobbing mess. So beautiful. I need more teen and old lady friendships in my YA apparently! 😂

Anyway, this was everything I hoped it would be, and more. Obviously it is heavy on the triggers for abuse and trauma, but it is really well handled as always. Highly recommended.



This will be going live on my blog on 28th jan.

Ok, so this book is gorgeous. As far as YA goes, it's perfect. It's everything you want from a YA novel, it's about a young woman finding herself, the complexities of relationships between families and friends and about discovering love when you don't love yourself. And you finish this book so so proud of Suz. Beautiful - read it.