YA book review: Our Chemical Hearts by

Our chemical hearts by Krystal Sutherland

Henry Page has finally been named editor of his school’s newspaper. That’s been his goal for years, and he takes his role as editor very seriously. He’s wanting to bolster his resume to get into a decent college, and between those obligations and hanging out with his friends Lola and Murray, he doesn’t have time for a girlfriend.

Until he starts falling for his mysterious co-editor.

Grace Town isn’t the sort of girl Henry would typically fall for. She wears oversize baggy boy’s clothes, she has some body odor issues, and she usually walks with the help of a cain. But she is also hiding deep secrets, and Henry finds himself mesmerized by the mystery of Grace Town as she takes him on a number of unusual outings.

As their friendship grows, Henry’s responsibilities to his former goals keep slipping -- including being editor of the newspaper, getting into college, and even playing video games with his friends.

As Henry seeks out more of Grace’s attention, he realizes she is still attached to someone else -- someone she can’t have.

Our Chemical Hearts is a heartbreaking tale of first love gone wrong.  First-time author Krystal Sutherland offers a little more substance in the realm of high school romance than most YA novels. Henry’s sister, a neuroscientist, offers sage advice from which the book’s title emerges. This is a dark romance and readers will predict (correctly) very early that the two young lovers are destined for failure. The redemptive value in the novel is that despite the inevitable romantic crash and heartbreak, the two find that the other can teach them something deeper about themselves and relationships with others.