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

The blurb for Jack of Hearts sounded really good to me, so I was excited to be granted a Galley for it - and I’m so glad I was! It’s one of those books I may not have picked up otherwise (cause it’s not fantasy lol and there’s just so many books on my tbr) and that would have been a shame.

At first the stalker element is downplayed, and it’s a little bit shock factor as you get introduced to Jack and his friends and their lives. But as it goes on I just loved it more and more. Firstly Jack’s column is amazing. Truly brilliant advice. Sex positive, personality positive (if that makes sense!), for gay or straight (or any other orientation!), boys or girls, and a lot on safety and consent. That was so good to see. It is very graphically sexual in places, but I don’t think it’s in an erotica way, just in a way that demonstrates both how an advice column about arc would be and how a promiscuous teen lives their life. And I think that we should be able to give these books to teens and expect that they recognise that - I think I would have.

And the fear Jack feels, the hopelessness, really shines through more and more as the book progresses. I just wanted to hug jack and protect him! Ironically I don’t think we’d be friends in real life, but I do love his character and how much he owns who he wants to be right now. And I love Jenna and Ben. I hope Ben is happy 😍

I did want a little more on the why’s of it all at the end, but I actually like that in real life that may not happen. The stalking was properly scary, and makes you realise how you don’t always know people and it really could be anyone for any reason. It felt well written.

4.5 stars and I’d definitely recommend this book as something that is both serious and light hearted and great for people who want to come out feeling positive about Jacks view on the world - be yourself and be safe, do what you want as long as everyone involved is happy about it, stop to talk about things (not just sex!), and generally have a positive view.

I began reading this book and quickly realised that it was not for me. I did not like the style or content.

When Jack decides to write an advice column answering anonymous questions about love and dating and being gay, he doesn't expect to start getting stalked and receiving threatening origami paper notes. The answers to these questions were great - full of safe sex advice, telling young people not to feel pressures, to take no shit, to stand up for themselves and be respected, coming through for feminism and the LGBT community and some shit that they always go through. But at times it felt like it was trying too hard to be funny, I guessed the end from quite early on, and there was no explanation as to why that person was doing what they were doing? Some really good parts, but it fell flat in others. I liked the friendship between the three in the main group, like how there was so many representations of what gay can be, and how unapologetic Jack was about who he was, what he liked, and what he did, but the characters voice was often a little boring and unrelatable, and as I've said, trying too hard to be funny, but also controversial.

What I Have to Say
This book was so filthy! I probably should have expected it more, but I didn't expect it to be quite so filled with sex. The sex advice column was really good though and a great resource for people look for advice about all sorts of sex things. It sucks that kids, especially gay kids, have to hunt so hard for this sort of information, but now there's a handy book complete with an addictingly creepy stalker plot to make it a good read. The only thing missing was advice for lesbians, maybe in the sequel one of the gay girls in the background could take over the column for a couple of weeks and dispense wisdom about being safe with other girls.

But as useful as it was, this wasn't for me. I'm just not a big fan of sex and it didn't just stay in the columns and necessary sex scenes. It made it hard to get into the book. When the stalker plot started up that got me into it and I liked the rest of the book fine, but it's not going to be one that I reread. I don't want to put you off though. I really liked the characters and the plot.

Definitely a must read for gay guys and for anyone who needs the sort of sex ed that's harder to find, but otherwise I'd probably give it a miss.

Jack of Hearts and other parts – Lev A. C. Rosen

I feel cheated. Why did I miss out on having Jack Rothman as being my sex education teacher? This is exactly the kind of book that we need – one that doesn’t shy away from sex, drugs and alcohol among teenagers. That being said… If you are in anyway offended by the idea teenagers doing the sex, you should put this book down and back away. There is also a stalker story line, which might be triggering for some of you, so take care if that is something that is difficult for you to read about.

My first time getting it in the butt was kind of weird. I think it’s going to be weird for everyone’s first time, though.
Meet Jack Rothman. He’s seventeen and loves partying, makeup and boys – sometimes all at the same time. His sex life makes him the hot topic for the high school gossip machine. But who cares? Like Jack always says, ‘it could be worse’.
He doesn’t actually expect that to come true.
But after Jack starts writing an online sex advice column, the mysterious love letters he’s been getting take a turn for the creepy. Jack’s secret admirer knows everything: where he’s hanging out, who he’s sleeping with, who his mum is dating. They claim they love Jack, but not his unashamedly queer lifestyle. They need him to curb his sexuality, or they’ll force him.
As the pressure mounts, Jack must unmask his stalker before their obsession becomes genuinely dangerous…

Guys, this was so good to read!
I know I am 30 and therefore should know a thing or two about the sex by now, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t wish I had books like this when I was growing up.

This is the story of Jack, he’s a teenage boy who is out and proud, he has a super supportive and accepting mum, some fabulous friends and is pretty fabulous himself. Seriously, this is a pretty cool set of kids. Jenna and Ben, the two bffs, are just as awesome and strong as characters as our main man. Jenna is the daughter of a high flying journalist, who wants to be an award-winning reporter herself and Ben is a whiz with fashion, creating some amazing outfits, not just for himself but anyone who wants them. Jack knows exactly who he is and what he wants. He likes boys, he likes sex and he likes practicing safe sex as much as possible. Which is why his best friend asks if he’ll write a sex advice article for her website and he does. The advice he gives is exactly the sort of thing I would have wanted to know – seriously, this kid knows his stuff. However, while most of his classmates find his column helpful and waste no time in sending him questions, he gains the attention of someone who likes to leave him threatening messages and this stalker story line is the main arc in the book.

I think the stalker aspect of this book started out well, it was creepy and as the stakes got higher, it got ore and ore addictive as we try to figure out who is doing this to Jack and why. The problem is that the actual reveal fell a bit flat for me and that did kind of take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. That aside though, I did really love the sex positive attitude of the story and the great representation for gay and bisexual teens. The whole idea of gay stereotypes is also examined in this and that was appreciated! The only other thing I will say is that this isn’t everyone’s story – Jack and his friends are very rich, they go to private school and live in luxurious apartments and brown stones in a very expensive part of New York. Like seriously, there are talks of ‘pre drinks’ in this book, which for me as a working class British person is sipping on very cheap, nasty super market booze before going to a party/bar/whatever. In this universe, the kids hang out in an apartment building drinking champagne before hitting the party. Like, how many people actually do that!?

Overall – this is such an enjoyable read – so get on it!

3,5/5 stars.

Jack of Hearts is one of those books that you need to start with an open mind, a liking for its cover and a very vague idea of what it is about. That’s how I started this book and I’m SO glad I did it this way.

This book is about Jack, a gay teen, that is very open about his sexuality which has led him to have the reputation of a slut at school. But he doesn’t really care and just lives his life the way he wants. However, after starting a sex colum on his best friend’s website, Jack starts getting small pink origami messages in his locker and from there, things take a sudden, unexpected turn for Jack.

I can’t and won’t tell you more as otherwise it would ruin the plotline and all its twists - the very ones that caught me by surprise regarding what kind of story you’re getting.

Jack of Hearts is an important read that openly deals with gay sex, sex in general, stereotypes and the fetishisation of gay men by straight people - especially girls. The author doesn’t shy away from the details and from the very truth at the heart of our society. It was a true breath of fresh air to read about these topics in such an open manner.

When it comes to the characters, I can happily say that I absolutely loved them - especially Jack. They were funny, honest, sassy and real. Our MC is the true star of this book - obviously. He is absolutely fabulous in the sense that he is who he wants to be without any care in the world about what people might say. I truly admired that about him. And he is so blunt about sex, it’s amazing and refreshing. It’s not everyday that you come across such a character in a YA book.

The plotline was alright and like I said previously, took me by surprise more than once. However, I got a bit disappointed by the ending and how fast everything got resolved. It was still a very good ending with a big surprising reveal.

To conclude, I can say that Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) is a very interesting and honest book with really amazing characters that you will grow attached to, especially Jack. It’s also a very important book by its diversity and topics. I am sure fans of Becky Albertalli, Adam Silvera and Emily M. Danforth will love it.

This is an excellent LGBT YA novel revolving around the unfortunate events Jack faces when he falls into the clutches of an obsessive stalker.

The discusses in the advice column, not only on sex in general but specifically safe sex for homosexuals is incredibly important and well managed. The novels target audience is of an age of individuals entering this new phase of life, and whilst dressed within a stalker-mystery narrative, it comes as priceless advice.


The ending was completely unbelievable and I would definitely recommend this book

This book is very honest and graphically describes the sexual encounters between Jack and his partners. For a young, gay adult I think this would be a really enjoyable read and one which they would identify with. Personally, I didn't like it. I didn't take to any of the characters and was only mildly interested in the plot. I skip read most of it.

This was such a different read for me. I read M/M, I read YA and I read mysteries but I've never read a book that ticks all three boxes before.

Jack is an out and proud young man. He's unapologetically single and ready to mix and mingle with any other men with the same thoughts around sex and relationships - ie he wants one and isn't interested in the second. Wild stories around Jack's exploits do the rounds at school. With strong relationships with his best friends Jack has a seemingly idyllic life.

But someone isn't happy with the way Jack lives his life. What seem like harmless little notes left for him gradually become a threat to Jack and those around him.

Here is a clever way of showing how any person's life can be turned around and how pressure can depress even the strongest of characters.

The only thing I really found was a little disappointing was the reveal of who the author of the notes was. The whole reveal was just such a let down after the entire build up to this moment. I was expecting something explosive like a firework and in the end I had a sparkler that didn't light.

Still the build up to this moment and the fleshing out of the characters throughout the rest of the story was enough for this to still be a really enjoyable read.

It's refreshing to hear a young voice that is open and honest about their sexual experiences and I'm immensely happy to read a book where a large part of the story relates to the honest experiences of the main character. Alongside the honest sexual experiences is a mature voice that talks about the emotional side and impact of all of this and gives rise to a young but experienced voice.

I think this was a bold statement from the author and the publisher to include this in what is by and large a YA book but it's well overdue. Teens are out there having sex so why not give a voice to the thoughts of their peers.

Jack of Hearts (& Other Parts) is not what I expected.

High school dramas are exactly what they say on the tin. They’re high school dramas. They’re fluffy, cute, hilarious with a lot of serious elements that may or may not have a moral of the story.

It’s fine if they don’t. I’m not always looking for a story to teach me a lesson. Sometimes it’s nice when they do, but if I constantly wanted that from a book, I’d just read textbooks all the time.

I requested Jack of Hearts (& Other Parts) on Netgalley because of all the things I enjoy about contemporary high school dramas. I love romance, the characters who still haven’t figured out who they want to be yet, the stories about finding yourself and navigating the world you don’t quite understand yet (and maybe never will). But Jack of Hearts surprised me in a lot of ways and was actually both a lesson and a fun read.

For starters, let’s talk about the setup.jack of hearts and other parts

Jack is an out gay teenage boy attending a private school in Manhattan. He’s flirtatious with an active sex life. Everyone talks about it. When his friend suggests he take up a sex advice column, he thinks well, everyone’s already talking about it, might as well.

Already, there’s so much to unpack here.

Gay fetishization is such a prominent thing on the internet. Sometimes it’s hard to spot. Some might say a lot of fan fic is a product of gay fetishization. But then others (me included) may say queer fanfic is the result of queer viewers/readers not seeing themselves represented in the canon. Fanfic is the least of our problems, but it’s interesting how gay fetishization has wormed it’s way into fandom and sometimes dominates entire spaces.

Jack of Hearts is a self aware version of that. You have your gay character, and instead of the reader becoming obsessed with his sex life, his school is. If people can fetishize fictional gay people, and famous gay (and straight but thinking they’re gay) people, would they end up doing the same to their peers?

It’s an interesting topic to read about, but not one that many people talk about. There’s straight allyship, but then there’s making people’s sexuality a fetish, and I rarely see it shown within LGBTQ+ novels. Maybe because a lot of LGBTQ+ novels are written by straight people? *sips tea*

I think Jack of Hearts is a very poignant and unapologetic novel about sex and the LGBTQ+ community. It’s that PSHE/Sex Ed lesson you should have got growing up. It’s a frank discussion about the (literal) ins and out of sex without getting too boring and technical. It’s still a fun story, after all!

This is the sex positive novel that we need in our lives.

This novel follows the story of Jack who is an out and proud gay boy who has a reputation as the school slut. Jacks’ friend persuades him to stat a sex advice column on her online newsletter. Jack soon starts to find notes in his locker from a secret admirer. These start of as innocent but soon turn threatening and it’s up to Jack and his friends to find out who is behind them before someone gets hurt.

I really loved the character of Jack, he is not afraid to be himself. He also likes sex and is not ashamed of this and is very outspoken about the fact that he is not ready to get into a committed relationship. We definitely need more characters like Jack in YA literature.
I also really liked Jack’s friends. Jenna can be quite blunt at times but she genially cares about Jack and wants to protect him. Ben is a sweetheart who is also gay but unlike Jack he is a virgin and is waiting for the right guy.

This novel is very sex positive. The novel promotes the message that sex is normal and not something that you should be ashamed of. You should be able to do what you want with your own body as long as it is safe, legal and consensual. That whether you decide to have lots of sex or no sex it’s completely normal and you should not be judged for it. It also promotes the importance of safe sex and explores non heterosexual sex.
There is also discussion around homosexual stereotypes.

Trigger warning for homophobia, stalking, slut shaming. There is also talk of sex.

Overall, I really loved this novel and we need more sex positive stories like this in YA. I gave it 5 out of 5 stars.

I think the best part about this book is how profoundly honest it is. Many could have taken this exact story and written something that only had half the information in it. It could have been patronising or self-censored and it just wouldn't have worked. This character is worth reading because he is so totally authentic, and so are his friends. I won't go so far as to say it's true to every teenager, but it's true to a fair few that I've met, and it's far more true than some of the other portrayals I've come across, particularly in YA contemporary. 

It's a book that I think some school librarians are going to struggle with, particularly in more conservative schools, but that's their problem frankly, and this is a book that young people need. We need places where people can get honest, accurate, helpful sex advice,  particularly since sex-ed in schools is just awful (at my school it was called 'relationships day'). I can see this book helping people, particularly young people, and that's so important. 

The thriller/mystery portion of the plot is quite difficult to read at times. I don't mean that it is badly written, I just mean that it's an uncomfortable topic to engage with and could be quite triggering for anyone who has gone through a similar stalking/harassment experience. The way that the issue escalates from something that just feels a bit odd, that could even be the start of a 2000s rom-com, to something truly horrifying so quickly is a powerful thing to read. 

Which brings me to my one criticism, I won't spoil the ending because obviously, it's quite an important thing to keep quiet, but it is dealt with so quickly. It felt very much like a tv episode that had run out of time and had to rush to get the plot tied off. It was a shame because the earlier portions of the book were so well-paced that this felt very strange, and left me feeling rather flat. 

Now, obviously, I'm not a gay man, so I can't speak to the accuracy of that representation, but it did feel as though it came from a place of truth, and that I can respect. 

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Quick recap: my 16 year old son recently “came out” loud and proud and having seen Love, Simon at the cinema with him earlier this year I jumped at the chance to read this book when it appeared on Netgalley. He’s NOT a reader like me (I would consider disowning him just for that (joke)), but I never shy away from a challenge and may have mentioned this book to him 5 or 10 times, even getting in contact with the publisher to arrange for a paperback copy as he doesn’t read on a kindle. Eventually he took the bait and said “why don’t we read it together on your kindle until my paperback copy arrives?”. Cue some very awkward bedtime reading and I dread to think what my neighbours thought if they could hear my 16 year old reading out loud some of this book to his middle aged mum.

Once the paperback copy (with stunning matching fan) arrived my son decided he was going to go and read it alone and left me to finish the book on my kindle so here are my thoughts:

Jack Rothman is a fascinating character. He’s confident, sassy, intelligent, loyal to his friends, popular and very sure of himself. He’s a credit to his single, working mum, a sensitive and caring friend and let’s not forget his sense of style, great sense of humour and love for all things glittery. He is also really, really, really into casual sex and doesn’t care who gossips about him.

When his best friend Jenna asks him to write an anonymous sexual advice column on her website he, begrudgingly at first, agrees and using his frank and often brutally honest replies elevates his status to “super star” within the school. This, however, brings the unwanted and scary attention of a stalker who initially appears harmless but then starts threatening Jack, his family and friends. Now Jack is on a mission to catch his stalker and get back to partying.

This book is aimed primarily at the LGBTQIA Teen market and I am pretty sure this will appeal to both boys and girls, straight or gay as there are so many important messages within this book. However, it is also bound to get a lot of negative reviews and possibly upset a few people because it’s so graphic in places and as a mum I found it both “eye opening” and “eye watering” at the amount of casual sex Jack has.

To sum up my feelings here; this book is OUTRAGEOUSLY open, FANTASTICALLY frank, GLORIOUSLY gay, EFFERVESCENTLY educational, HEARTWARMINGLY honest and BREATHTAKINGLY bold.

Really enjoyed this book. It was funny, surprising and heartfelt, chock full of safe (LGBTQ+) sex advice that schools these days are sadly lacking.

This is a book I have been waiting for. It is so unapologetic in so many ways. It normalises what people like and that you don't have to be ashamed of being gay, of liking sex, or maybe not liking it at all. Jack was a very real main character and I understood many of the choices he made. Sure, maybe some parts aren't that real, but that might just be because it's not real in your living environment. What I really appreciated were the advice columns where the questions that are asked are real, and the answers are as well. There are questions that real life people have and are sometimes too scared to ask. It was nice to read this book, and to see how things should be in life.

A warning though, it is a real sexual book, not of the sexual acts are actually described, but no one is apologetic aboout it. If you don't want to read something like that, this book is not for you. But if you are interested in reading a story about a struggling teenage boy, who won't say sorry for who he is, and who just wants to be himself without anyone judging him. Read. This. Book.

Really enjoyed this. It's one which will not appeal to everyone because of the topic, and yes, there are some shocking bits (promiscuity etc) but it's written with quite a real voice. Not a book I would read again, but enjoyable nonetheless, and definitely one which would trigger conversation with older teens.

Well what drew me to this book initially was the description of it being a cross between Simon Vs and Riverdale. Normally I don’t pay attention to stuff like that (because it can be wrong) but as they are two of my favourite things I thought why not. I could definitely see the Riverdale undertones with the stalker thing (very black hood) and the overall storyline was gripping - I needed to find out who was doing that to Jack. Overall it wasn’t a bad book, it was well written and engaging and I did devour it but I don’t think I would read it again anytime soon.

Jack is a high school student who is asked by a friend to write a column for an online blog. He becomes known unofficially as Jack of hearts (and other parts). He's a gay teen who isn't interested in settling down. He loves listening to the girls gossiping about him, even if some of the comments are outrageous. Unfortunately for him, he's gained a stalker secret admirer and things are about to get a little tricky. Jack uses his life experiences to help others through his blog posts. Luckily for him, his witty writing and cheeky stories are helping him get laid.

This is a fun light-hearted read intended for an adult audience. It's written from Jacks point of view and includes the letters/responses for his column.

I really like Jack. He gets on with his life and tries not to annoy people. He's a lover of sex and not looking for the one. The writing is comical and Jack overshares his dating life. It's a fun read with a creepy twist.

4 stars out of 5.

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing me with a copy for review.

Jack Rothman is an out gay high school student who begins writing an advice column to help his friend who is running a publication for the school. He uses this column to give advice on, and to educate people about, sex, but begins to question himself when he starts to receive anonymous letters from a stalker who disapproves of Jack's lifestyle and openness.

I was first drawn to Jack of Hearts because it gave me a similar vibe to The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, something that I have been searching for since I read it last year. It was definitely a good novel and the humour and internal monologues especially reminded me of Gentleman's Guide. The actual similarities between the two novels are small, but both are brilliant in their own regard and can definitely be appreciated for what they add to YA and queer literature.

One of the things that I like most about Jack of Hearts is how open and educational it is about topics that are often taboo, especially for queer individuals. It didn't shy away from being honest which is something that young people need, especially young queer people who will find it hard to experience and obtain this anywhere else.

This was fucking fabulous.

I have to admit-- going into Jack of Hearts I thought it might be one of those books that's IMPORTANT™ but a fairly average reading experience. I love the idea of fabulously gay, but fabulously gay doesn't sound like much of a plot. Turns out it might be!

Okay, I'm seriously underselling this. It's actually a book about queer stereotypes, sex positivity, and how straight women's fetishization of gay men can have extreme and far-reaching consequences.

Jack Rothman is out and proud and he loves casual sex. He has a reputation for being a slut (reclaiming; not shaming) but only most of it's true. After he starts to write a sex advice column on his friend's blog, Jack receives a mysterious note from a secret admirer. However, as more notes arrive, the tone of the messages becomes darker and more threatening, forcing Jack to make some tough decisions about his self in order to protect the people he cares about.

Let's just say it right now: This book contains graphic, unapologetic gay sex. I mean, with all the icky bits left in. And hell, if you ask me, it is so refreshing.

Jack's frank approach to sex and sexuality offers a much-needed voice in YA. The narrative is carried by his charisma and humour, which I absolutely loved. He’s hilarious and doesn’t take himself too seriously, but he never allows the joke to be on him-- or his sexuality. The book is a mixture of funny, moving, and informative. I think it could be really helpful for confused/questioning/closeted teens who need answers. It covers everything from consent to asexuality to BDSM.

There's some great discussion about gay culture, tops and bottoms, and a critique of het people's insistence on figuring out who is who in a gay relationship, enforcing their worldview that someone has to be the "man" and someone the "woman". If it sounds heavy-handed, though, it just doesn't come across that way. Jack is fun, and his tone is open and conversational.

The characters are diverse, with Jack's two closest friends being the Latinx Jenna and Ben who is black, gay and fat (reclaiming; not shaming), plus a whole array of queer characters of all shapes and skin colors. They do all have quite a bit of economic privilege and live in the very liberal NYC, but Jack is quick to acknowledge this. Also: quick shout-out for Jack's super badass and supportive mom.

My one real complaint is the resolution of the central mystery with the love notes. It's not hard to guess who it is and the oddly-timed unveiling of the culprit has a touch of deus ex machina about it. That was the only weak point of the book for me. And the smoking (lol) because I've become such a mum.

I know Jack of Hearts is guaranteed to cause a stir and get banned a million times over. Not just by homophobes either (because, duh), but by people who believe there is something dirty and shameful in enjoying casual sex, especially sex that goes beyond the vanilla norm. I know already that some folks think this book has crossed a line.

But, honestly, I find it so heartwarming. Is it a little crass and gross at times? Sure. But it's cute and sweet and empowering, too. It doesn't promote sex; it promotes self-worth and individuality. Jack says outright that not having sex, waiting for the right person, never finding a right person, having lots of safe sex with lots of people... all those things are okay if that's who you are and what you want. I am not a gay man but I seriously wish I'd had Jack to tell me that when I was a teenager.

CW: Homophobia; alcohol abuse; stalking; graphic sex.