3.5 stars

Headlines:
Lots of heart
Chaotic but endearing banter
Body image

This rompy ya gay rom-com was a lot of fun, with a slice of chaos and heart. The main character had health problems, a huge surgery to face and lots of uncertainty floating around in the atmosphere. This was all set in the backdrop of a friendship group making a zombie movie and a budding romance.

Behind the facade of the quips and verbose dialogue from Jesse were hidden depths of fear and anxiety, mixed with some living in the now. I appreciated how the characters would move away from the tough stuff when it got to much for them and find release in the fun they could make. There were some elements of dialogue that ended up a bit much for me but overall I had a soft spot for most of the characters.

This read does make me interested in trying some of Hussey's darker reads.

Thank you to Usbourne Publishing for the review copy.

I love William Husseys books anyway but I think I loved this one even more because it's such a personal story. I loved the characters and I love a good friends to lovers trope. Jesse is such a typical messy teenager and I was here for it. I also loved how the topic of body image came up, in respect to both Jesse and Morgan. I can't wait to read more from William

"Go be happy, Jesse. You deserve it more than anyone I know."

This amazing book is out today I the UK and Ireland and I am so so grateful that I was given an eArc to read in exchange for my honest review. William Hussey is definitely one of my favourite and go-to authors to read, always leaving me filled with emotions after each book, and this one was no different! This is genuinely a must-read!

Jesse Sparks, the main character of this story, is preparing to go through a life-changing surgery regarding his heart. And he is terrified.

Before his surgery date, he wants to do one, well two, last things before that happens.

One, he wants his movie ZomHom to be fully produced with his best friend Cas and Morgan by his side.

And two, he wants his first and possibly only summer romance.

Jesse is afraid of the scar that the surgery will leave behind. how it will change him, and how people will look at him after. He's never had a boyfriend before and he's afraid that the future scar will lead him to never have one at all.

He hasn't told anyone else about this fear, not his friends or his mother. Instead, he keeps those thoughts hidden and focuses on making the best movie possible. With his second, secret, plan being slow and hesitant.

But what happens when trouble arises between the trio making them feel more separated than ever before? Will Zomhom be their last big project together? Or will it all turn up okay in the end?

Well, I guess you'll have to read this 'Big-Gay-Zom-Rom-Com' to find out!

The author, William Hussey, has said on multiple occasions while promoting his book how much this book meant to him. Having had heart surgery himself, he was able to put some of his thoughts and worries into his character.

Heart surgery is a daunting and scary thing to think about and I think it was really well presented in this book with how Jesse deals with the weeks coming up to it. And surgery scars should not be as feared as they are. Hussey demonstrates this through his brilliant writing and his own personal experiences.

This book while dealing with the serious topic of a life-changing surgery also has so many funny and sweet moments that kept me smiling and wanting to read more. I fell in love with the characters and wanted nothing more than to hug every single one of them, yes... even Bree.

Thank you so much to the publishers for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for my review. I am so grateful and excited to see Broken Hearts & Zombie Parts out in the world, and to hear everyone raving about it for being the wonderful book that it is.

After reading a couple of grim Womens Prize novels, I wanted something to cheer me up. I had faith in Hussey - even in his first two somewhat bleak YA novels (one noir thriller and the other dystopian) there were moments of humour and a lightness of touch in his work, so I had faith he would produce an excellent rom-com.

And I was right. So there.

Jesse is a protagonist from the Simon James Green stable - warm, funny, empathetic and a tendency to not know when to close his mouth. By the end of Chapter 1 you will be in love enough to forgive the very teenage decisions he makes later. Jesse’s best friends Cas and Morgan are complex with really interesting stories weaved around the main thread.

Hussey captures a very real period as a teen where most of your problems could be solved by just talking - but unlike lesser entries in the genre - here you understand the motivations behind their decisions.

Is it predictable? Sure, but if you read a romantic comedy for plot twists, well then it must be your first. Hussey follows formula to allow the reader to comfortably enjoy the plot which is emotional, resonant and sensitively handles the past trauma, and current flaws of the characters.

The final success is in the meta details, like naming characters in homage to horror movies and songs in tribute to fellow authors, this is the final piece of making you ‘in on’ the story, subconsciously reinforcing the fact that it’s a story and it will all be alright in the end.

Safe hands indeed - and after his upcoming shift into adult crime, I’m fascinated to see which YA lane Hussey switches to next.

Well Broken Hearts & Zombie Parts is pretty darn good!

Jesse Spark is a brilliant character who is on a mission to get two things done before he has major heart surgery, he's going to shoot his zombie film and he's going to fall in love!

This story was full of love and humour whilst tackling some sensitive subjects along the way with a great, diverse range of characters that all bring so much to the story.

Obviously I'm not the age group this is advertised at but I really enjoyed it and I think young adults would love it too, the characters felt real and relatable and their journey is bound to spark conversations.

Huge thanks to Net Galley and Usborne for the early copy!

Okay, this book floored me. Did not expect to be finishing it at 02:37am but I couldn’t put it down and I cried all through the ending and the acknowledgments.

The writing was perfect, the characters were “messy” in the way only WELL written teenagers can be, making daft decisions that make you wanna shout at your book because you now know better from making them yourself. I also haven’t wanted to punch someone as much as you know who in the scene with the script, my goodness my blood was boiling. A really great cast of characters and an amazing plot idea that was super unique and fun to read. And Tiny?! ICONIC. He went and melted my heart. “Pasty-faced gobshite” reigns supreme.

Hussey has to be commended for writing about procedures such as Jesse’s because so many kids will go through the same/similar and will now have somewhere to read a “light hearted” take on it where they can find joy and laugher in amongst the serious stuff they’re going through in their heads. Hopefully, they’ll see themselves on these pages and be reassured they’ll be okay.

I loved the nod to other YA books in the titles of Caleb’s songs, such a great lil Easter egg to have in there. Wonder if anyone will get what the song on here is a nod to🥲

Overall, what an amazing introduction to Hussey’s work, I’ll definitely be picking up more of his books in the future!

Another incredible book by the fabulous @WHusseyAuthor
I was promised I wouldn’t cry at this one but I still had a couple of happy tears at the end
I really want to watch the film that was made and eat at the restaurant in the book
Loved this book out 11th May
❤️🧡💚💙💜

I liked Broken Hearts & Zombie Parts but I have to admit I struggled to finish it.
I just didn't really like any of the characters.
I did really like the writing and the story which was the reason why I did still like this book.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This really is a gay rom-com with heart! I loved the story with its relatable feelings on a unique situation, realistic characters, and mystery running throughout that kept me turning pages!

A really heartwarming read. Loved all the characters.

A lot of interrupted moments that were funny to begin with but then started to grate on me just a lil as overuse of tropes often do.

Scars are beautiful badges of survival and I'm glad Jesse learnt this.
Wish I could see Zombie honeymoon. It seems really cool

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I've got to say - I LOVED this book! From the first few pages, I already knew I was going to love it. The writing is witty and hooks you in from the start. Jesse Spark is such a humorous character and you'd think he'd be confident but it turns out he's just like us! His insecurities are portrayed so beautifully and they are SO understandable. The plot was so well-thought out--from the inciting incident to the twist--and the characters are ones you grow to love (even when they irritate you).

I want MORE!

I loved everything about this book. It’s not really about a movie, it’s about friendship and love and seeing ourselves as other people see us. More like this please!

Thanks to NetGalley and Usborne Publishing for the advance reader copy.

This is a beautiful coming of age story which will break your heart but also mend it.
The main character Jesse is the perfect portrayal of how we see ourselves and what we think we deserve in life.
Although there are trials, heartbreaks and deceptions; the overall story is a great read and of course ends happily.

A great addition to the YA book genre.

Thank you to the publishers for giving me early access to this book!

I am a long time fan of William Hussey and tend to instantly by all of his books as soon as I see them on the shelves at my local bookstore, I was beyond excited to get read Broken Hearts and Zombie parts before it’s official release date.

It started off a little slow for me, I almost found the MC a little annoying, a little too juvenile but the more I read the more I felt for Jesse and it wasn’t long before I was rooting for him to get his happy ever after. I loved the whole film making aspect and thought it brought more to the book than just being a typical falling in love romance read. Jesse had so much on his shoulders with his impending operation and it was so inspiring that even though he had it hanging over his head the whole time he still made time for his passion. For his friends.

It was a winner for me. Can’t wait to buy the physical copy to add it to my book shelf!

In this book we follow Jesse, an avid film addict who dreams of becoming a top director. However, after an unfortunate incident Jesse discovers that he'll be undergoing heart surgery in a few months time and decides that he wants to complete filming the movie that he and his best friends, Cas and Morgan, have been planning - all before the surgery happens. Cue a lot of fun movie antics, new friends and dreams coming true.

This book was more lovely than I was expecting and it tackled so many issues about body image and conformity. I haven't read such a solid LGBTQ+ book in a while, and this one gave me all those feelings that I'd been missing! Jesse is a clumsy, somewhat ridiculous character and I loved him more and more with the passing of each chapter. The friendships written into this book were beautiful and I loved Cas and Morgan with my whole heart.

It's a wonderful young adult book that I honestly wish I had been able to read when I was a teenager - the positive messages about self confidence and appearance were fantastic and there truly is so much pressure to be someone else when really we should all just be who we are.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Broken Hearts and Zombie Parts appears to have it all - romance, action and (fake) zombies. But unfortunately, its promise and potential is not held throughout the text.

Jesse, at first, is an enjoyably chaotic character and his story appears to be engaging. But as the tale wears on, the story seems to unravel. Characters are added unnecessarily, with little plot or point, offering no development or meaning and many of the twists are predictable.

The adult characters in this story are so unbelievable that it’s difficult to suspend disbelief to enjoy the plot and, at many stages, it’s impossible to tell whether the novel is set in America or Britain.

Unfortunately this isn’t a novel I’d recommend.

I really enjoyed this! I loved the characters, Jesse was a little awkward but very charming and Cas and Morgan were great and kept me invested with all their secretive chats and arguments.
Unlike most romances this one actually kept me guessing who the love interest was going to be for a lot longer than normal, I had my suspicions about what was going to happen because there were so many secretive moments between Cas and Morgan, so for a good half of the book I though it was gonna be one person then I changed my mind when love interest number two entered stage left and then I changed it back again!
I thought it ended up being very sweet and I’m glad it was the person I wanted it to be.

This was a great story of friendship, falling in love and body image and I loved every page!

I loved this book. I'd read Hideous Beauty before so was familiar with the author, and Broken Hearts & Zombie Parts lived up to my expectations.

This is a real character driven story, I'm not usually one for crying over books but this got me right in the feels.

I'd recommend this - even if Zombies aren't your thing, this is a really good book. Perfect to get lost in.

How dare you make me cry and over this beautiful, funny, heartbreaking, heartwarming story. Jesse, Cas and Morgan are more than best friends, they’re soulmates, even better they’re all masters of their crafts - directing, filming, acting. Jesses film proposal “zombie honeymoon” is the biggest project they’ve done so far, but things do not go smoothly. Before filming even begins Jesse has heart complications after witnessing his best friend Cas kissing someone that isn’t his girlfriend, being caught and then threatened by the girlfriends brother. Cue Jesses hospital visit and diagnosis, heart surgery is imminent but first, the movie must be filmed - and that’s just mission one, mission two is to have a love connection before the surgery and recovery period. Secrets are threatening to break the trio of friends up and the further into filming they get the tenser the situation gets. Add in equipment problems and a cousin who’s hiding his own secrets and this is one of the greatest gay ya books I’ve read this year

If you are looking for the perfect summer LGBTQ+ story about self love and being happy no matter what, this is the one for you. Hussey's best YA so far!!