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May 14, 2017FleetwoodTeenBookReviewProject rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Hearts and Other Body Parts revolves around sisters Katy, Esme, and Veronica, who are witches. Upon the arrival of two boys at school, their lives completely change. Norman is made out of mismatched body parts and towers over everyone at eight feet tall; nonetheless Esme develops feelings for him. Zach is a handsome transfer student from Europe and captures the gaze of almost every girl in school. Zach seems to have a very appealing aura, and even Esme finds herself falling for him. Esme, Katy, and Veronica soon vie over the attention of Zach, even resorting to using their magic against each other. Since the girls are busy feigning over Zach, Norman is the only one to notice that students who become close to Zach end up injured or missing altogether. Hearts and Other Body Parts is a captivating story about love, magic, and the true meaning of family. Overall, I quite enjoyed this book. Whether it was witty remarks or the unpredictability of the story, it kept me hanging until the last page. However, I felt as if the romance portrayed in the story was a bit extreme, and therefore unrelatable. I think that the author focused too much on the “romance” between Zach, Norman, and the three sisters, and as a result failed to provide proper character development. Esme and Norman were well portrayed, but Katy and Veronica were very two dimensional. I did like how relatable Esme was, as her character faced the struggles of balancing her social life, relationships, and academics. I recommend this book as a light read for those who enjoy romantic tropes with a hint of fantasy. - Arti