A Field Guide for Heartbreakers

May 02, 2011

Samantha rated it

Shelves: ya

Unsatisfying book. Not so horrible that I stopped after 50 pages (I usually force myself through at least 50 pages), but by the end I regretted wasting my time. Two stars because the writing was at times laugh out loud funny. But that wasn't enough to prompt me to give a hoot about the two main characters. I was particularly put off by Veronica, the sassy best friend of the narrator who I assume we are supposed to love for her uninhibited, boy-crazy charms. To me, though, she was just a jer...more

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Sep 05, 2010

Adele rated it

The book gods taught me a lesson for being shallow on this one. One shouldn't judge a book by its cover and boy did I take something away from this experience. A Field Guide to Heartbreakers was the single most frustrating reading experience I have had since being made to read The Mayor of Casterbridge in the eleventh grade. But at least I could see the literary merit in Hardy's work even I was ruing the day he was born. This...the bright side is that it is pretty.

In attempting t...moreThe book gods taught me a lesson for being shallow on this one. One shouldn't judge a book by its cover and boy did I take something away from this experience. A Field Guide to Heartbreakers was the single most frustrating reading experience I have had since being made to read The Mayor of Casterbridge in the eleventh grade. But at least I could see the literary merit in Hardy's work even I was ruing the day he was born. This...the bright side is that it is pretty.

In attempting to be hysterically quirky with her non-stop, possible deranged character creation, Vanessa, Tracy has constructed one of the most frustratingly annoying supporting characters in YA of recent times. In contrast, the benign (and horribly monikered) Dessie Gherkin is our protagonist. You wouldn't really know it as the best friend, Vanessa, swamps the book with so much heinousness that you begin to resent Dessie for having this headcase in her life in the first place. Dessie has moments of meta-like awareness that build the audience's resentment of her passiveness even more. Having a friend that is as manipulative, deceitful, selfish and horrid makes Dessie less and less relatable as the basis of her friendship and loyalty to the basket case is never established.

At no moment is there a character beat or scenario that engaged me - entertaining or emotionally - and ultimately the book was a hollow read. Dessie's heartbreak over the bird fixated Hamilton didn't particularly ring true, neither did the horrific way in which he chose to break up with her. There was very little emotionally follow through as we were pushed from Vanessa's multiple boy crushes, Prague sights and then a vastly underwhelming and frankly ridiculous homicidal dorm mate. At most points I was hoping said manic would be successful by putting both the audience and Dessie out of our respective miseries by killing Vanessa.

While moaning about Vanessa is a joyless but easy task, all of the characters lack a much needed dimension and emotional centre. Even when characters had interesting backstories they were dismissed as a conveniently placed 'learning moment' for our protagonist. The plotting is by the book, a cliched mess, with wackiness abounding in a less than polished attempt to create a lightness and quirkiness to the story. In the end it felt both clumsy and manipulative. The conclusion, particularly the way in which the Dessie/Vanessa relationship is written showed that the protagonist has made very little growth throughout the narrative except for a segment of ten pages where she became full formed and then backtracked into two dimensional hell again.

What is most frustrating is that Tracy can write. But this story wasn't one that needed to be told and to be very harsh, I didn't feel that she cared that much about the characters or plot either. There was a significant emotional disconnect that was camouflaged by the rapid fire, nonsensical dialogue that succeeded in give me a headache and getting me in touch with my inner Dexter. If plotting took place here then it was a series of stops in Prague interspersed with annoying Vanessa incidents. There is also a subplot about the writing school element, for which the girls are in Prague in the first place, and it felt self-indulgent and unsuccessful. It was a therapy group masquerading as a (apparently gifted, no evidence to the contrary) writing group. The group is overseen by Vanessa's mother, an unnecessary plot device that only managed to make Vanessa more loathsome.

Tracy doesn't seem to know what she wants this story to be. There are a zillion story lines, none of which make much of an impact, that are told in a stop start manner that takes the reader out of the book. The flow is non-existent as we jump from Vanessa's careless dates to Dessie's crush on Waller to Corky's blog to Mrs Knox's weird marriage. The story lack direction and wants to be many things at once resulting in a chaotic mess of half-formed characters and empty dialogue. The conclusion is rushed, formulaic and makes you wonder why you bothered in the first place.

The setting is a dorm slap bang in the middle of Prague. A Prague that we see intermittently in terms of some sightseeing but it failed to put me in Prague. To make me feel that I was with Dessie in a strange new land with a foreign language and interesting architecture. There were glimpses of this when Dessie was off on her own, seeing the city sans Vanessa, and I responded to those scenes that established the foreign beauty of the place.

A failed attempted at fun and frothy.
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Jul 20, 2010

Tiger Holland (All-Consuming Books) rated it

Dessy and her best friend Veronica are high school students headed to Prague for a month-long college level writing seminar taught by Veronica's mom. Both girls are suffering from the aftermath of breakups: Dessy was dumped by her nerdy boyfriend Hamilton, and Veronica broke up with her guy after some allegations of cheating on his part. Dessy is content to write stories and miss her ex while she's in Prague, but Veronica decides that they both need to meet as many handsome guys as possible, to ...moreDessy and her best friend Veronica are high school students headed to Prague for a month-long college level writing seminar taught by Veronica's mom. Both girls are suffering from the aftermath of breakups: Dessy was dumped by her nerdy boyfriend Hamilton, and Veronica broke up with her guy after some allegations of cheating on his part. Dessy is content to write stories and miss her ex while she's in Prague, but Veronica decides that they both need to meet as many handsome guys as possible, to really enjoy their trip.

Dessy's an okay character, but she's traumatized by losing Hamilton, a guy whose defining quality was his passion for birds—he even wrote his college app essay on the woodland duck. Every time Dessy sees a bird, she thinks longingly of Hamilton, including the time she spies some mallard earrings that would be ideal for her to wear to their reunification dinner, if they ever do reunify. Dessy is serious about her writing, though, and she's a good friend and calming influence on wild child Veronica.

It's difficult to sympathize with Veronica, because she's such a compilation of characteristics. She's supposed to be the fun man-crazy friend, but she's also simultaneously book-dumb and incredibly book-smart. For example, she misremembers the name of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne as The Scarlet Number, but she later says she hopes they'll get to read some of Hemingway's fiction in class, and she's familiar with Jacques Derrida, the founder of deconstructionist literary theory! You basically have to take undergrad senior or masters level English courses to even know who this guy is. Veronica also shows a surprising familiarity with comic book culture when she tells Dessy that guys are really into “superhero chicks...Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Zatanna, et cetera, et cetera” (pg 97). Unusual knowledge for a girl who decides to create the “man-wall,” a space covered in paper cutouts that represent every “hot-dude” she meets in Prague. Veronica even has a seven step master plan about how she and Dessy can optimize their meetings with attractive men. When introducing Step 4 in the plan she says, “We need to befriend the janitorial staff. If we're lucky, we can gain access to more than one hot-dude's private living area...I anticipate finding boatloads of useful information” (pg 56). That's...not good.

Then there's Waller, the guy Dessy starts crushing on in Prague. His early description states: “he was walking around in a T-shirt with a stain on it, and flip-flops. He even had a little bit of B.O. And it didn't seem to affect his interpersonal skills at all. I'd just encountered a new species of guy. Maybe Veronica was right. Maybe college men were the answer” (pg 50). The stain and flip-flops don't sound like a problem. But talking about the smell like it's a positive thing just puzzles me. It's also a longish sort of book, and there's a plot twist with a potentially homicidal suitemate which doesn't seem to jive with the light tone of the rest of the story.

There are some positives: the parts about Prague itself were really interesting, and the sightseeing and touring scenes made the most of their unique settings. The writer's workshop scenes very accurately depict the reality of college writing workshops. There are quite a few laughs to be found in these scenes.(less)

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Jul 01, 2010

Kerleisha rated it

When reading the summary of this novel, I became really interested in it. It seemed like a great summer read and really original I will admit while it is that, I was somewhat disappointed in the novel as a whole. While Tracy did present an interesting plot, there was just something missing within the characters. I couldn't connect- even with the Veronica and her "man-wall" (which wasn't played out as much as I had expected), I just couldn't get into it. Maybe it was because there wasn'...more

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Jun 13, 2010

Kari rated it

Filled with outrageous, hilarious situations, sprightly and quirky characters, and a new setting, Field Guide for Heartbreakers is a cute, lively read. Two invigorating and vastly different main characters help add to the hilarity and endearment of this book. Stylistic writing and talented mindset help tie everything together.

Dessy is practiced and logical, not one to immediately throw caution to the wind. Still hung up on her ex and fault focused, she is a mix of damaged and n...more
Filled with outrageous, hilarious situations, sprightly and quirky characters, and a new setting, Field Guide for Heartbreakers is a cute, lively read. Two invigorating and vastly different main characters help add to the hilarity and endearment of this book. Stylistic writing and talented mindset help tie everything together.

Dessy is practiced and logical, not one to immediately throw caution to the wind. Still hung up on her ex and fault focused, she is a mix of damaged and naïve. She is a well designed character, her quirks, attributes and flaws coming across strongly. She complements Veronica and though she finds herself in some awkward and obnoxious situations on account of her friend, she is, in the end, a great friend. She starts out strongly developed but grows further and the way Tracy plays this out adds spark into the book. Both through her interactions with Veronica and her classmates in Prague as well as her analysis of both her own writing and others in her class help brings things together.

Veronica is rambunctious, boy crazy, blunt and apt to do stupid things. She is overdramatic and exaggerates yet through Dessy’s eyes, the reader can understand the affection and appreciation. As with Dessy, Veronica starts out with much of her personality exposed but she grows and changes as the book progresses. Despite this, she still holds many of the same quirks including her penchant for using euphemisms and sayings wrong. The banter between her and Dessy is engaging and amusing, cropping up at unexpected moments.

The "hot dudes" the girls meet and go after make up a large part of the characters, coming in a variety of personalities. Some are in their same program- college guys- while others are locals or visiting the area. The way they handle the situations is vastly different and even when things heat up and turn dramatic, the way they care for each other remains the same.

The plot is a tangle of love and betrayal and the addition of Corky, their roommate bent on tormenting and maybe killing them, adds another level. As things heat up, the reader is forced to choose which friend their feelings most relate to. Tracy handles this area beautifully, not forcing the reader to side with Dessy simply because it’s in her perspective. Dessy’s emotions come through the pages to the reader but so do Veronica’s. Their interactions with males is comical but the desire for love and attention is palpable. Much of their driving forces are understandable, lurking even in the simplest of places.

Rapt with Prague culture and scenery, the setting alone is a fantastic element of the story. The descriptions are beautiful and the reader can get a sense of being there with each place the girls visit. In character narrative, spunk and manner of speaking help bring this book to life as well, from the “hot dudes” to the many other adjunct words and phrases thrown in. Tracy ’s writing style is a bold one, exceeding the usual boundaries and spurring the life into her characters.

A fantastic take on a love based premise, a unique setting and colorful characters meld together to make Field Guide for Heartbreakers a fantastic, fun read. The plot is paced steadily with plenty of comedy to break up the emotion and keep the reader from growing bored. The writing class adds another element as its writing within a book, rather than art or photography that seems to crop up often in novels. Tracy tests her limits and handles it beautifully in execution.(less)

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Jan 15, 2012

Nae Ayson rated it

a A Field Guide for Heartbreakers kinda disappointed me.

Don't get me wrong. I liked the book. It's just that... well, for a book with an awesome blurb, amazing cover and an even more AMAAAZING title, I expected it to be really good. But it turned out to be... okay.

First, the structure of the novel. The title implied (to me, anyway) that there's some kind of list of rules at the start of every chapter. It goes well with the theme of field guides and stuff. But the author simpl...more

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Feb 01, 2011

Jenny rated it

For me, this book was a pleasant surprise. It seemed like a simple concept- two girls work on getting the boys, but it wasn’t at all just that. This book is a sweet story about learning to love yourself and others, friendship, and growing up. Getting down to business…

1. The whole writing aspect of it was incredibly fascinating for me. Dessy’s friend Veronica turns out to be a daughter of an author, and her perspective of an author was incredible. Considering it was her mom and Ve...moreFor me, this book was a pleasant surprise. It seemed like a simple concept- two girls work on getting the boys, but it wasn’t at all just that. This book is a sweet story about learning to love yourself and others, friendship, and growing up. Getting down to business…

1. The whole writing aspect of it was incredibly fascinating for me. Dessy’s friend Veronica turns out to be a daughter of an author, and her perspective of an author was incredible. Considering it was her mom and Veronica is a teenager she gets pretty harsh, but it got me thinking. To be a successful writer, how selfish do you have to be?

2. I love how important friendship is in this book. Regardless of how many boys come and go and how much “air time” they got, the important thing was the girl’s friendship. What is the girl version of that “bros before hos” saying? “Sisters before misters”…? Well regardless of the saying this book is totally all sisters before misters.

3. The contrast between the two friends is extreme. Personally, Veronica started to get on my nerves because she’s very ACTION ALL THE TIME, DO THIS!! However, I like how Kristen Tracy doesn’t just stick Miss Veronica in that extreme characterization, but instead gives her some hidden depth (that becomes unhidden:D).

4. Some of the stuff is kind of ridiculous and unrealistic, but I LOVE that it was included in. I’ve always been a stickler about realism in contemporary YA. I always end up being that snotty girl yelling, “YEA RIGHT, like that’d happen.” However, recently I’ve been enjoying ridiculous things going on in contemporary YA. It’s interesting and fun, because yea. The likelihood of that happening in real life is slim, which is one of the reasons it’s cool to read about!

5. I really liked Dessy in general. Kristen Tracy did a good job of capturing “Teenage Girl” with all of her insecurities, hopes, and thoughts. It was really nice to see her grow, to see Veronica’s affect on her and read her thoughts on writing. It was refreshing to read a character who is naive, but not stupid. Also, to see her own flaws as well as her strengths.

Ultimate Review: This is a good read. Simple as that!

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Sep 19, 2010

Erin rated it

I struggled with this book to say the least. It's been a long time since I had to force myself to keep reading a book. Normally, I would stop reading, but I am proud to say that I finished this book. It wasn't a terrible book.
I actually liked some of the plot and a few of the characters, but unforunately most of the plot felt like it was thrown together and the chracters that I did enjoy like Roger and Boz weren't around all that much. I liked seeing Dessy mature, and I definetly felt ever...more

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Jun 07, 2010

John rated it

Title: A Field Guide for Heartbreakers

Author: Kristen Tracy

Publisher: Disney/Hyperion

Kristen Tracy's second novel, Crimes of the Sarahs, was one of the first books I reviewed. I'm not going to link to it, because even in the span of one month, my reviews got better. Seriously, looking at that thing makes me cringe. Doesn't change the fact Tracy is kick-ass with witty dialogue, and I was so looking forward to that in a release that seemed more easy-going ...moreTitle: A Field Guide for Heartbreakers

Author: Kristen Tracy

Publisher: Disney/Hyperion

Kristen Tracy's second novel, Crimes of the Sarahs, was one of the first books I reviewed. I'm not going to link to it, because even in the span of one month, my reviews got better. Seriously, looking at that thing makes me cringe. Doesn't change the fact Tracy is kick-ass with witty dialogue, and I was so looking forward to that in a release that seemed more easy-going and modern. But then the Naughty Book Kitties comment about not being able to finish it made me scared. I did finish it. It was not that bad. It was actually very good. Not the best book of its type, but it stuck to Tracy's style quite well.

Dessy has been best friends with Veronica since fourth grade. They've been through it all, including Dessy's intense break-up with Ivy League bound boyfriend Hamilton. Veronica's mother, a well-known author of short fiction, is hosting a writer's workshop in Prague for a select few that can get in, along with other writers. Veronica decides to enter herself and Dessy, and before they know it, they have accepted submissions and an around-trip ticket to a historical city where anything can happen...especially if that 'anything' is boys.

Veronica makes a plan, in order to get back at her own boyfriend, and pulls Dessy in. Together they are going to flirt, flounce, and tackle any and every available hot-dude they can get at in Prague. But Dessy's too hung up on Hamilton, and wants to focus on writing the perfect short story for their writing group, instead. Especially because there's a cute guy in the class that she is just itching to impress. Throw in a bunch of wacky short-stories and a look a new look at writing's symbolism, and you have a trip to Prague unlike any other.

Kristen Tracy has one of the best type of characterization, because she manages to make every character realistic, and in Heartbreakers she continues on in the same vein...maybe a little bit too close, in fact. Dessy is an interesting character; her odd friendship with Veronica being one of the most confusing, if understandable, ones I've read recently. Her hang-ups are understandable, and I like that she doesn't try to be anything special. Veronica is obviously the more dynamic of the two - always getting into situations and throwing around words, all the while trying to keep up a brittle relationship with her parents, dealing with the stress in a very boy-crazy way. While I liked Veronica a lot, she showed a lot of the same tendencies as Sarah A in Crimes of the Sarahs, enough so that I wondered why Tracy wrote about these types of characters. It was also improved from Crimes, however, in the sense that Veronica has more motivation, she actually listens and responds to Dessy, and she has decidedly more closure and change, all of which I enjoyed. The secondaries were all fun and amusing, especially Corky. She was just a *bit* too crazy to be real, but she was so much fun.

The plot and writing are very intertwined, and the idea of entangling them along with the concept of writing short stories was so well done. While it isn't anything that is action-y, I felt compelled to read on because everything the characters did was in some way interesting. Of the various scenes, Tracy's skill is best seen during the workshops. The snippets of the various characters' stories are so different, and I love the sharp dialogue the characters end up using to break down the stories to their possibly-nonexistent skeletons. Veronica's obsession with relating every story to a base metaphor of sex was hilarious, and I love how that was used as a way to say that not every story has to be ridiculously complex. The one thing I dislike about this book - and Tracy's writing in general - is that the dialogue and introspection is extremely heavy, and the description is nearly non-existent in some areas. I can get past it, but a lot of readers are going to find fault with it.

A Field Guide for Heartbreakers wasn't Tracy's best work. At times it felt like she brought other aspects of her second novel in for a repackaging, and her writing style didn't really fit with a plot and setting that would have been helped by more description. However, her underlying points were just as well done, and her characters still had good breaths of originality. And for a fan of well-done dialogue, I enjoyed it. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but if you like a certain type of book, or are a fan of Crimes of the Sarahs or Lost It, then I would definitely steer you towards reading it. If you haven't tried Tracy yet, this would be a good place to start as well.

Cover Comments: Meh. At least the ice cream was important to the story. Nothing I'd get excited over.

Rating: 4.0 Stars
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May 19, 2010

Cleverly added it

Dessy and Veronica were the perfect duo. Dessy was heartbroken after her first love laminated all of her flaws. That's right Laminated! While Dessy is trying to mend her heart, Veronica is on a mission to be a crazy hormonal teen(boy crazy).I did feel Veronica out shined Dessy's character. I thought this was going to be just a simple book of friendship and how to deal with life. Boy was I wrong. The turn in the plot was wonderful and unpredicted. Down right entertaining. The book kept at a great...more

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May 14, 2010

Shanyn (Chick Loves Lit) rated it

I was really looking forward to reading this book - the cover and title seem to fit my reading tastes perfectly. When it arrived in the mail, I was very surprised at the length (352 pages) because I apparently imagined it as a smaller book.

I began to read and immediately detested Veronica. She is a spoiled girl with a bad attitude, and I got tired of reading what she had to say after ten pages. And I got tired of how much drama she was - which made me feel bad for Dessy, who was gett...more

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Aug 13, 2010

Trisha (Trisha's Book Blog) rated it

Shelves: my-books

I thought this was a cute book. Not a favorite of mine. I didn't really feel any sort of connection with the characters. Especially Veronica, I actually found her quit annoying. She was always interrupting people and making people do what she wanted to do. If I seen her in real life she would be one of those girls I roll my eyes at and try to avoid at all costs.
The character of Dessy wasn't too bad. I thought how she kept worrying about her ex Hamilton instead of having a good time while ...more

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Jun 26, 2010

laaaaames rated it

You know, this book made me furious. You know why? Veronica is terrible. TERRIBLE. She is terrible in a fairly realistic manner, but, who cares? If I had to spend as much time with Veronica in real life as I did in this way-too-effing-long book (Hi editors, Make cuts! xoxo laaaames) I would throw myself out the window of a bone arthouse.

I'm not saying Dessy was the perfect friend, but holy effing godDAMN did I want her to just punch Veronica in the face.

Often.

...more

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May 17, 2010

Christina (Reading Extensively) rated it

Shelves: read2010, romance, ya

The title makes it look like this is mainly a romance but that is misleading. While Dessy does pine over her relationship with her ex and develop a new crush, the focus of the story is her friendship with Veronica and her beliefs about herself. I thought Dessy was a likeable main character. I love how much she cares about Veronica and how she tries to be there for her friend. She is not without flaws however. I did find her whining over her breakup to be annoying after awhile but it was her firs...moreThe title makes it look like this is mainly a romance but that is misleading. While Dessy does pine over her relationship with her ex and develop a new crush, the focus of the story is her friendship with Veronica and her beliefs about herself. I thought Dessy was a likeable main character. I love how much she cares about Veronica and how she tries to be there for her friend. She is not without flaws however. I did find her whining over her breakup to be annoying after awhile but it was her first major relationship. I also thought she was a bit of a doormat but thankfully she realizes this and she really grows over the course of the novel. Veronica is very boy crazy and pretty much the opposite of Dessy. Dessy is more reserved and introverted and Veronica is a complete extrovert. I thought she could be really annoying and at some parts really hated her character but I found that there is more to her than a loud mouthed, spoiled flirt.

For being teenagers, Dessy and Veronica had a lot of freedom to roam around Prague on their own but I guess that it works well with the storyline even if it wasn't very realistic. Veronica can't exactly meet all those guys if she is with her mom all the time and it wouldn't have been such a fun book. Since Veronica is working so hard on her "man-wall" there are a number of male characters in the book, including a love interest for Dessy. I won't say any more because I don't want to give anything away but I am very happy about the ending and who Dessy ends up with. Veronica's mom is another important character as she is the instructor of the class the girls are taking but she also has a very complicated relationship with her daughter. I did wish that this was explored more in the book but since Dessy is the main character I can understand why it wasn't fully developed. The other major characters are Veronica and Dessy's suitemates in their dorm. Annie Earl is really sweet but it is crazy suitemate Corky Tina Baker who steals the show.

The setting is probably my favorite part of the book. Since Veronica and Dessy are taking a writing seminar in Prague we get to read about some of the really neat tourist spots like The Old Town Hall Astronomical Clock, The Dancing House, and the Spanish Synagogue. I wish there had been more descriptions of Prague and more details of things like the cuisine and other cultural experiences. I also enjoyed the excerpts of short stories throughout the book that the different characters are working on. Corky's story is truly disturbing but I enjoyed the other characters' "stories" and I thought that added something unique to the book.

Overall I found The Field Guide to Heartbreakers to be a really fun reading experience. I would suggest this to fans of Maureen Johnson, E. Lockhart, and YA chick lit in general. It would be a great book for summer reading.
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Jan 23, 2012

Claire Hennessy rated it

Dessy and Veronica, best friends and aspiring writers, are off to Prague for a writers’ seminar. Even though they’ve applied for a non-fiction seminar, they end up in the short story section that Veronica’s mother is teaching. Both of them have recently had break-ups – Dessy, the narrator, quieter than Veronica, still misses her boyfriend (who gave her a laminated list of her faults) a lot, while Veronica’s determined to flirt and possibly more with as many Hot Dudes as possible during their tim...more

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Jul 28, 2010

April rated it

Shelves: for-review, ya, own

Getting dumped by a bird-obsessed guy named Hamilton not only sucks, it's humiliating. Dessy, the dumpee and main character of A Field Guide For Heartbreakers by Kristen Tracy, is a quintessential good girl, about to embark on a summer writing trip to Prague with her screwball bestie, Veronica. The girls decide to throw caution to the wind and meet all sorts of cute boys in Europe.

After Italy, Prague is the number one European destination that I want to visit! I liked this as a backd...more

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Dec 16, 2011

Emily rated it

The story was a bit slow in the beginning, and I wasn't really fond of the two main characters at first. Then after a few more chapters I really loved all the weird adventures that Dessy and Veronica had. When I was finished with the book I couldn't shake the feeling that the book was missing some details. It felt kind of empty, I thought Dessy didn't really have much personality, but I Iiked that Tracy wrote the story from her point of view other than Veronica whom to everyone else in the book ...more

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Aug 05, 2010

McKenzie rated it

Dessy and Veronica are off to Prague for a summer of writing and boys. Both girls have recently broken up with, or been broken up with, their boyfriends. Dessy wants to work on her writing. Veronica, however, is set to create a "man wall" - a collection of every hot guy she meets. What ensues is chaos, first of all, and madness.

What I hoped to be a light, fun summer read unfortunately didn't turn out well for me. The concept initially interested me, but I felt it lacked sym...more

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Aug 19, 2010

Jennifer Wardrip rated it

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Breanna F. for TeensReadToo.com

Best friends Dessy and Veronica get into a college writer's workshop that Veronica's mother is teaching at during the summer in Prague. They will be there for a month, and both girls have different plans for their time.

Dessy wants to mend her recently broken heart after her first love, Hamilton, smashed it. Veronica wants to make her newly ex-boyfriend, Boz, jealous by encountering all the guys she possibly can in one month. Once...more

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Aug 19, 2010

Lauren rated it

Shelves: own

I'll admit it now that this just was not the book for me one bit. Going into this, I was expecting a cute and funny romance, something similar to the greatness contained in Elizabeth Rudnick's Tweet Heart, but sadly enough, this summer YA read just fell short for me in the cute and funny scales. Instead it measured quite high on the boring and blah ones. Though, don't get me wrong, I didn't HATE it necessarily, but I didn't find it all that great either, but before I get to that, let me tell you...moreI'll admit it now that this just was not the book for me one bit. Going into this, I was expecting a cute and funny romance, something similar to the greatness contained in Elizabeth Rudnick's Tweet Heart, but sadly enough, this summer YA read just fell short for me in the cute and funny scales. Instead it measured quite high on the boring and blah ones. Though, don't get me wrong, I didn't HATE it necessarily, but I didn't find it all that great either, but before I get to that, let me tell you what it's about...

It's been a couple of weeks since Dessy got her heart broken by her college-bound and now ex-boyfriend, and while everyone's telling her she should get over it and hunt for more fishes in the sea, she just can't. She wants him back more than ever, actually, even though he was a huge jerk to her in many areas.

Her best friend Veronica is facing similar problems involving a break-up, but instead of viewing this as a set back, Veronica's taking everything she can get and doing everything she can to get back in the game of dating. Which involves conquering all the hot, young, and eligible guy's of Prague and creating a man wall of them during her and Dessy's one month writing retreat, and before Dessy can say no, she's recruited as well into this scheme of hot guys, but when Dessy meets two guys who she finds adorable, will she be able to tell which one is the one for her deep down? But with her ex-boyfriend calling, will she say no to both and settle for him? Only time and more pages will tell in A Field Guide for Heartbreakrs by Kristin Tracey.

Let's start with Dessy, our lovely main character. Dessy is one of those girls who has a problem of not speaking up to herself when it comes to her parents, Veronica, ex-boyfriend, and basically everyone in her life, and that annoyed me and tarnished my other feelings for her right of the bat. I mean, she was okay, but that quality of her just bothered me to no end, as it would with any character in a book, no matter who the author is or how great the plot is. Making this even worse, I just couldn't relate to her, which was just the icing on the cake for me. I did like Veronica for most of the better half of the beginning and the last couple of chapters because I found her to be funny and interesting. But in the middle I lost interest in her because she provided to be one messed-up emotionally teenage girl who was a just a bit too manipulative and made one too many stupid decisions involving guys. Though, I did really like some of the other characters for the whole book, including Veronica's mother and the boys, especially Roger.

The one thing that did save A Field Guide for Heartbreakers a bit in my eyes was the setting. I loved Prague and the way the reader got to see it and learn about its history right along with the characters. I also enjoyed the fact that Dessy and Veronica's writing class was a big part of the book as well. Because the stories and situations provided always were interesting and funny.

Lastly, while Tracy's writing was decent and enjoyable, I often felt she didn't dig deep enough into her characters, and that left for dragged on periods of time in the story.

In all, A Field Guide for Heartbreakers is a decent story, and one that you may possibly love, but it just wasn't the right read for me at this time. And the biggest question of all: Will I be reading more by Tracy? I'm not sure yet. I mean, I do I have anther one of her books in my TBR pile and her 2011 release does sound pretty snazzy, so maybe I will give her books another chance.

Grade: C-(less)

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Dec 03, 2011

Farii rated it

The reason I gave this book one star is because I've wasted my time and energy in reading this crap stuff !! it was a complete waste of time !

The characters are so unbelievably flawed and dont even get me started about Dessy !!! aarrghhhh !!

I'm not even gonna waste any more of my time writing a review !!

DO NOT READ THIS BOOK !!!

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Jul 24, 2010

Jordan rated it

I randomly picked this book up in the book store and started reading it, once I started I got hooked and bought it and didn't put it down until 4 am when I finished it.
I loved this book and the characters. It made me want to apply to a college writing conference, go to Prague, be adventurous, and have a 'guy wall'. I also loved the ending!

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Jun 09, 2010

Jessica rated it

Shelves: 2010

I enjoyed this book more than other people might because Dessy is JUST LIKE ME. Her flaws, the way she deals with her best friend, all of it = me. So I really got into this book. Veronica is a VERY annoying character, and that's hard to get past sometimes, but I really enjoyed this story of dysfunctional friendship, since it's something I am very familiar with.

I don't really get what the title or the cover has to do with this book.

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Sep 15, 2011

Reb rated it

Shelves: young-adult, romance

The characters in this book were some of the most annoying I've come across, especially the best friend. I'm not totally sure why I read it the whole way through but I sorta wish I hadn't because it just made me feel irritated the whole way through.

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Jul 23, 2010

Ashley rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 27, 2011

Louisa rated it

Shelves: girly-as-shit, i-love-awkward-teenagers-in-fiction, ya

Bad. Really bad. Dessy is fine--kind of needy and devoid of much personality but whatever. Everyone else though is horrible. Like everyone. And the plot featuring the bizarre and completely unbelievable antics of Corky, the pychopathic room-mate, inane to say the least.

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Mar 26, 2010

Bridget R. Wilson rated it

Shelves: ya-fiction

Way too much drama in this book. I read it all on the chance that it would improve. It didn't. Fans of Gossip Girl and The Clique might like this book. I can't be sure because I haven't read either of those series.

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May 27, 2010

Cory rated it

Kristen is a friend of mine, but that's not the only reason I liked this book. A good depiction of friendship that soldiers on in spite of the flaws of both parties.

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Jan 27, 2012

Ruth Parada rated it

I really didn't like this book at all. I don't know, everyone really annoyed me. Plus, it felt like a chore to finish reading and that's not what I look for in a book.

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Nov 17, 2011

Katie rated it

Shelves: read-in-2011

Meh.

At least it made me laugh, even if it was incredibly annoying.

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