Our Chemical Hearts

Eloquently conveying the complexity of love and grief, debut novelist Sutherland creates a story filled with intriguing and memorable characters

Publishers Weekly

Irresistible, romantic and heartbreaking, Sutherland’s debut will have huge appeal to readers of John Green and Jennifer Niven

The Bookseller

This YA novel about the joys and pains of first love has captured MY heart! Henry Page has lots to learn on the love front, and it's his bad luck (?) to have to learn it from the enigmatic, self-destructive Grace Town. I love the characters, love the dialogue (it's realistic and sharp without being pretentious) - I even love the less-than-perfect ending . . . You don't need to be a love-struck teen to enjoy it, though!

IndieNext

The characters speak with a John Green-esque voice, but they are never overbearingly precocious. Narrator Henry's a smartly rendered character, a decent kid who has goals and works hard to achieve them. His new goal is Grace's affection, and the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object that is Grace's emotional unavailability provides the novel some of its sharpest moments. When the walls tumble down, the connection between the two is clearly an unhealthy one, and the author pulls no punches, devastating Henry, Grace, and readers in equal measure. An emotionally engaging and draining debut

Kirkus

The ups and downs of Henry and Grace’s relationship will give students a genuine portrait of what it is like to be drawn to someone who may not be good for you but who will teach you something about yourself and others. VERDICT Despite occasional false notes, this book delves far deeper than the typical high school romance, and its savvy wordplay and Henry’s self-deprecating charm will win over fans of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower and John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars

Sara Scribner, Athens Academy, GA, School Library Journal

Our Chemical Hearts is a love story with a difference. It's not easy, it's not typical, and it's not the sort of love story that readers will be expecting, but it will resonate. Fans of Life in Outer Space, Words in Deep Blue, and contemporary YA in general, will enjoy this cast of characters and the world in which they live.

Mands, The Bookish Manicurist

Humour and heartache are close companions in this debut young adult love story and coming-of-age tale. Key turning points in the relationship ... are dealt with sensitivity and honesty. one to recommend to John Green devotees.

Nola Allen, Magpies