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Reiko is the popular girl at school. Everyone wants to be her and she is destined to be the next prom queen, but she has a heartbreaking history which she never talks about.
Seth is quiet, disappears into the crowd and would never be considered for prom king.
One night they meet by chance in the desert, beginning a friendship neither of them expected. A wonderful summer quickly falls apart once they start back at high school, though. They both become very different people, and neither what the other expected.
Bottling up emotions and who we are meant to be doesn’t help anyone, and by the end of the school year, Reiko and Seth’s journeys have changed beyond what they expected when they started out.
Shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2019, Only Love Can Break Your Heart is Katherine Webber’s second novel for young adults. I loved her first novel, Wing Jones, so couldn’t wait to get my hands on this!
This is a story of first love, heartbreaking tragedy and, above all, hope for the future, with the message that it is better to speak out and tell someone how you feel rather than keeping it all bottled up inside.
Family and friendship are at the heart of this novel. The characters realise how much their relatives and friends have their backs and learn to make their own decisions, instead of going along with what other people want for them.
Only Love Can Break Your Heart is a quick and enjoyable read that will keep you hooked to the last page. I look forward reading more from Katherine Webber in the future.