Our Chemical Hearts

By: Krystal Sutherland

Narrated by: Robbie Daymond

Length: 8 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

John Green meets Rainbow Rowell in this irresistible story of first love, broken hearts, and the golden seams that put them back together again.

Henry Page has never been in love. He fancies himself a hopeless romantic, but the slo-mo, heart palpitating, can't-eat-can't-sleep kind of love that he's been hoping for just hasn't been in the cards for him - at least not yet. Instead he's been happy to focus on his grades, on getting into a semi-decent college, and finally becoming editor of his school newspaper. Then Grace Town walks into his first period class on the third Tuesday of senior year, and he knows everything's about to change.

Grace isn't whom Henry pictured as his dream girl - she walks with a cane, wears oversized boys' clothes, and rarely seems to shower. But when Grace and Henry are both chosen to edit the school paper, he quickly finds himself falling for her. It's obvious there's something broken about Grace, but it seems to make her even more beautiful to Henry, and he wants nothing more than to help her put the pieces back together again. And yet, this isn't your average story of boy meets girl. Krystal Sutherland's brilliant debut is equal parts wit and heartbreak, a potent reminder of the bittersweet bliss that is first love.

©2016 Krystal Sutherland (P)2016 Listening Library

Critic reviews

“The author pulls no punches…emotionally engaging.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“The most romantic read of the season is an arguably anti-YA story.... It’s the complex chemistry between Henry and Grace that touches the heart and doesn’t let go.” (USA Today)

“Eloquently conveying the complexity of love and grief, debut novelist Sutherland creates a story filled with intriguing and memorable characters.” (Publishers Weekly)

wonderful story but it was definitely a tearjerker

I experienced a lot of the same emotions that Henry did and am ashamed to admit that I never handled myself nearly as well as he did. but I have peace knowing i wasn't the only one who never got a true resolution.

Sometimes it tries too hard, but then it hits you

It sometimes was such a mish mash of hipster culture and angst that it threatened to overtake the beautiful themes. It didn't, however, and by the end I was satisfied and introspective the way a good book usually leaves me.

Ahh the infamous MPDG

I loved this book, honestly I did. Even though at times I started to get fed up with how stereotypically "teenager" the relationship between the main characters was, I still really liked it. **Mild Spoilers***It's a heartwarming, that really dives into what it's like after you lose someone you love, and how people deal with those feeling differently. Even though I'm all for stereotypical happy endings, I really appreciated how realistically this book ended.

Oh and side note, I'm literally in love with Robbie Daymond's voice 😂😂. He didn't have quite enough differentiation between characters, but he was great nonetheless. Definitely my favorite YA guy voice lol.

Awesome YA fiction, love story for the ages

Yep if you like books like The fault in our stars, Everything everything, Eleanor and Park, this one is for you!
Witty teen angst with pop culture references. I really like that it was written by a woman from the perspective of the teen guy. Narrator did a fabulous job. Somewhat predictable with some good surprises too. I can’t wait for the movie!
Also I’d you’ve ever seen the work of Johnny Joo architectural afterlife and loved it, you will enjoy some scenes in the book!

is fresh, heartwarming

found it a bit cliché but in a good way I guess? some common places but is a nice reading

Heartfelt

This was a refreshingly raw book. I enjoyed every minute of it. It's been a while since I've listened/read a book that really connects the reader with the characters.

Good book

I really enjoyed listening to this been. The narrator portrayed enthusiasm in the story and kept me intrigued as well as better showed the emotions of the characters. This to me makes all the difference when listening to a book. It’s a good book too and a good story line. Worth a listen.

Great story -authentic and awe-inspiring

I love how the author weaves you into a tale and uses beautiful language yet it still feels fresh and perfect for teenagers. The only drawback would be that the narrator doesn't distinguish his voice enough between characters as I sometimes got confused who was speaking. Recommend highly!

Beautiful

Beautiful story which tugs starts your heat for both the main characters as you sympathize with their sides of the stories.

A wonderful, aching treatise on grief & love.

This is not a happy story but, for all the grief and ache that is so perfectly portrayed within, it is a hopeful story. And that's sometimes the best we can ask for. This is a compelling, aching story. One that hurts dearly, and one that you hope will end better than it does. It's very real to life in that way. Absolutely beautiful characters. Ones that you wish were real. Ones that you wish you could follow through the rest of their lives, to make sure that they're okay. And so many brilliant portrayals of love: romantic, familial, platonic; enduring and ending. But never forever.