Book review: Another Little Piece of My Heart by Tracey Martin

Summary:

What if your devastating break-up became this summer’s hit single? In this rock-and-roll retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, music can either bring you together or tear you apart.
At her dying mother’s request, Claire dumps Jared, the only boy she’s ever loved. Left with a broken family and a broken heart, Claire is furious when she discovers that her biggest regret became Jared’s big break. While Jared is catapulted into rock-star status, another piece of Claire’s heart crumbles every time his song plays on the radio.

The summer after her senior year, it’s been months since the big break-up, and Claire is just trying to keep her head down and make it through a tense trip to the beach with her family. But when Jared shows up, and old feelings reignite, can Claire and Jared let go of the past? Or will they be stuck singing the same old refrain?

NOTE: I received the eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

When picking up this book, I didn't believe I'd end up liking it so much. At the time I felt like reading a contemporary romance, and this novel was my choice. Surprise, surprise! Another Little Piece of My Heart came to be a page-turner!

Writing style:
Intriguing, captivating, realistically written. Incredible fresh and out of the cliche zone.
There were a lot of scenes told as memories, as a fill-in-the-blanks kind of thing. I liked that.

Story line:
A year ago, Claire met Jared. They fell for each other, just as madly as a couple of teenagers can. They were happy together, until Claire's parents decided to step in between them. In present day, Claire tries to suppress her still lingering feelings as Jared enters her life again.

Themes:
- Sacrifice should be very well thought out, not decided on the spur of the moment.
- Usually, things are not as they seem.
- Everyone makes mistakes. Moreover, everyone is entitled to make mistakes.

Characters:
Claire is a very realistic, very vivid character who makes you think about the important things in life, just as they become more real for her. She grows a lot in the pages of this novel - from a girl who has everything - to a girl who thinks she has nothing - to a wise young woman who realizes that nothing in life is easy, but you still have to fight for it.

Jared is a character we barely see, but we know a lot about through Claire's thoughts and memories. Still, he feels real, His words, his actions remind me of how a real boy would be have out there in the real world.

April, Claire's little sister, was stubborn and selfish and most of the time tried to bend the rules so they fit her desires. Yet, in rare moments, she was also considerate and helpful. I suspect this is the kind of relationships a lot of sisters have.

Hannah and Lea, Claire's cousins, were weird and not really friendly. I couldn't believe Lea withheld a very important piece of information from Claire.

Claire & April's dad struck me as a selfish parent in the beginning. I was left with the impression that he couldn't care less about his daughters. But towards the end things changed, and I think I actually respected him.

In conclusion:
Another Little Piece of My Heart is a coming-of-age novel that deals with all those problems an adolescent girl goes through - parental issues, love troubles, finding out who you are in the world. It's a very good read and I can easily recommend it.

My rating is: