Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Heart with Joy

4.27 of 5 stars 4.27 · rating details · 37 ratings · 22 reviews

Fifteen-year-old Julian Hales life is turned upside down when his mother suddenly moves from North Carolina to Venice, Florida. Julian is forced to stay with his father until the end of the school year. Heart with Joy is a literary coming of age novel that explores how sometimes the things you need most in life have been there, right beside you, all along.

Paperback, 182 pages

Published September 1st 2010 by John F. Blair Publisher

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Great Lesser-known Books!

93rd out of 389 books — 361 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 76)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Dec 13, 2010 Violet Crush rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own

Heart with Joy is about a 17-year-old boy Julian whose mom left him and his father because she said she wanted to help her parents with their motel and complete writing her book. But Julian knows it’s more than that. He plans on going to Florida to his mother for the summer, and possibly to settle there. He is not as close to his father as he was with his mother, so staying with his father is not really appealing to him.

Julian takes up cooking and other household activities after his mother goes...more

like · see review

Nov 19, 2010 Cindy Hudson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Julian’s always been closer to his mother than his father. So when she leaves their home in North Carolina to manage a hotel in Florida for her parents, he knows there’s more to the story. Stuck at home until summer so he can finish 10th grade, Julian slowly starts to spend more time with his dad. As he gets to know his dad, he also forges a bond with the elderly woman next door, and a young cashier at the grocery store. With his world expanding, Julian begins to find what’s most important to hi...more

like · see review

Nov 02, 2010 Lydia Presley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, cozy, fiction

Do you have something that fills your heart with joy? This is the ultimate question that Julian sets out to figure out while developing relationships with those around him.

This book started out with a bit of a sad story, but when I thought I had it figured out and knew which direction the story was going to head... things started to change. Steve Cushman did a beautiful job of laying out the normally commonplace things around his characters, making them feel as if they were right there... just o...more

like · see review

Oct 04, 2010 Christy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fifteen-year-old Julian Hale is not the typical teenage male. Instead of playing sports or actively dating, Julian loves spending time cooking with his mother. Julian’s world is upended when his mother unexpectedly moves to Florida and suspects her reason, to manage her parents’ motel, is just an excuse. Julian, who rarely interacts with his father, blames him but remains behind, determined to move to Florida after the school year ends. When an elderly neighbor befriends Julian, he begins to enj...more

like · see review

Sep 16, 2010 Tiffany rated it 3 of 5 stars

Win this book on my blog giveaway! Contest ends 9/30/10
http://acozyreaderscorner.blogspot.com

Heart With Joy is a coming of age novel about a young man named Julian Hale. In this novel the reader is presented with a young man who is different from most of his male friends. He enjoys spending time with his mom and cooking, he is helpful to neighbor, “Old Lady Peters”, and isn’t interested in dating a different girl every night. Julian is a shy and quiet boy who is confronted with the time in his l...more Win this book on my blog giveaway! Contest ends 9/30/10
http://acozyreaderscorner.blogspot.com

Heart With Joy is a coming of age novel about a young man named Julian Hale. In this novel the reader is presented with a young man who is different from most of his male friends. He enjoys spending time with his mom and cooking, he is helpful to neighbor, “Old Lady Peters”, and isn’t interested in dating a different girl every night. Julian is a shy and quiet boy who is confronted with the time in his life where he will transition into manhood. When Julian’s mom leaves home to care for her parents’ hotel in Florida, Julian is left alone with his dad, whom he has rarely seen or talked to. Over the course of this separation Julian meets key people who will shape and mold his life. He learns about love, purpose and true joy. Julian forms a relationship with his dad brought about by his moms’ departure. He learns that you never truly know a person until you spend time with them. It is a coming of age novel with a focus on filling your heart with one thing that gives you true joy and letting life happen around it, living a more purposeful life.

Heart With Joy was an easy and quick read. The book is written in a journalistic style in that it has fifty-two chapters and is 182 pages. This initially was a lot of chapters for me considering the length of the book. Mentally it threw me off that I was reading chapter five and still had 47 chapters left. Once I got into the novel this small issued disappeared. The story flowed easily and each chapter was short, preparing for the next. I enjoyed reading about a young man with a great character. He was respectful and honest. The novel was more about him learning to find something meaningful to him in life, something that would always give him joy no matter what else was happening. Julian learns about himself, about others and about love. He builds a relationship with his father that previously did not exist, realizing his assumptions and thoughts about his father were incorrect and based on judgment without knowledge. Julian learns important life lessons from his neighbor Mrs. Peters. His summer changes his life and Julian is left to choose what direction he wants his life to follow.

This novel was very uplifting and wholesome. It gives the reader a sense of pride to watch Julian grow into his own. It leaves the reader with reflection and thought about their own life and what makes them joyful or happy. The novel doesn’t end with every situation being happy, fixed or figured out. It ends with Julian’s self discovery and positive assurance about who he is and what makes him happy. Although it was short for me, this book is a wonderful young adult read. I would recommend it for readers age 12 and up. The novel is also a wonderful laid back afternoon read for adults.

reviewed for bookpleasures.com(less)

like · see review

Mar 03, 2011 Carol rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

This is a tender, poignant and fast paced coming of age novel. The main character, Julian Harris’s mother moved out of state and he is left with a non-communicative dad. It seems that his world is falling apart at the age of fifteen.

Even though this book was set in North Carolina and I grew up in Indiana, I felt very at home with this book. With simple and direct words, the author, Steve Cushman builds Julian’s world.

Very slowly, his dad starts to open up, Julian forms a friendship with an elde...more

like · see review

Dec 29, 2010 Staci rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Staci by: Jan von Harz

Shelves: 2010-reads

Why I wanted to read this book: I read a wonderful review of this book on Jan's blog, Eating Y.A. Books,and just knew that I wanted to get my hands on this one. A week later I received an email from the author asking if I would like to review a copy and I had to say yes. I love YA books where the main character is a young man...just not enough of those out there!!!

What worked for me:

* I absolutely adored Julian. This is a kid who came out of nowhere and just stole my heart. I wanted to protect...more Why I wanted to read this book: I read a wonderful review of this book on Jan's blog, Eating Y.A. Books,and just knew that I wanted to get my hands on this one. A week later I received an email from the author asking if I would like to review a copy and I had to say yes. I love YA books where the main character is a young man...just not enough of those out there!!!

What worked for me:

* I absolutely adored Julian. This is a kid who came out of nowhere and just stole my heart. I wanted to protect him, feed him, shelter him, listen to him, and tuck him under my wing to keep him safe from hurt.
* I liked Julian's dad...at first though I wasn't so sure. he does come across as someone who doesn't have time for others. But as Julian gets to know his dad better, so does the reader. I understood him as a parent and rejoiced when he finally decided to let his son know who he really was as a person, not just as a parent. It's not often that an author highlights and delves into the complexities of a father/son relationship. I found this to be one of my favorite aspects of the story.
* I've known many women like Julian's mom. Those that think they need to get away from it all and find themselves. She didn't mean to break her husband and son's hearts, and even though I honestly felt that she didn't see any other options for herself at the moment, I'm still on the fence with how I feel about her.
* Julian's next door neighbor was an absolute godsend. She was exactly what Julian needed in his life and I love the relationship that developed between the two of them. Julian became a much wiser and more thoughtful young man under Mrs. Peters' gentle guidance.
* As Julian's cooking really blossoms so did my interest in each of the recipes he tried out on his dad. I felt like I could cook also...he inspired me to try something new each day in the new year! His growing love for cooking was beautiful to watch unfold.

Recommend? YES! YES! YES! The story is all about communication and having real conversations with each other. Too many families are busy with life and nonsensical things. We've forgotten how to just be in the moment and relish the birds singing or to be really in the moment when a loved one is talking to us. Julian was able to make some "real" connections with people in this story and it touched something within me that has made me refocus my attention on my son's when they're talking to me. They deserve to have me there....really aware and fully alive. This is easily one of my favorite books of the year!(less)

1 like · like · see review

Nov 05, 2010 Nikki (Wicked Awesome Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, read-in-2010, contemporary, for-review

The story of 15 year old Julian Hale doesn’t take off at a rapid pace, full of action and adventure. His tale is real; it builds and builds as Julian grows. Julian’s relationship with his mother, father, neighbor, and even himself, evolves in the short months after his mother leaves. He learns more about himself in those months than he ever did before.

Cushman approaches Julian’s story with care and ease. This is a boy who feel s alone, who is alone. His mother left for Florida and he barely spea...more

like · see review

Nov 08, 2010 Adriana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Julian Hale is a fifteen year old boy. After his mom leaves North Carolina to manage a family motel in Florida, Julian is left behind trying to form a bond with his father, forming new friendships, and most of all figuring out what fills his heart with joy.

There was such a remarkable realness to this book. All the characters seemed like people I could actually know in real life. Julian, a fifteen year old, who wants his mom to come back home. The father who is just as lost, as the son is, now th...more Julian Hale is a fifteen year old boy. After his mom leaves North Carolina to manage a family motel in Florida, Julian is left behind trying to form a bond with his father, forming new friendships, and most of all figuring out what fills his heart with joy.

There was such a remarkable realness to this book. All the characters seemed like people I could actually know in real life. Julian, a fifteen year old, who wants his mom to come back home. The father who is just as lost, as the son is, now that his wife is gone and wants to run a marathon. The neighbor who brings comfort and teaches the teen boy to be a better more open person. The gradual bond Julian formed with his father, Mrs. Peters, and Tia was so believable it almost felt like I was reading a personal diary or journal.

Julian was charming, at times shy, and sort of closed off towards others. His passion is cooking, but never admitted it to anyone not even his close friend, Dennis. I thought it was sad that he was embarrassed about something he loved doing, especially since girls love a boy that can cook. It was nice seeing him open up and be able to share his passion for cooking as the story went along. Mrs. Peters was a huge positive influence on Julian. Julian used to know her as Old Lady Peters, that old woman who ran over his leg, but once he got the chance to know her, he was able to learn there’s so much more to people than you know. With Mrs. Peters he discovers the serene nature of birds from the different types and their distinct songs. The bond with Julian and Mrs. Peters was my favorite in the book. His relationship with his dad was a bit different. They were somewhat similar to each other, by how they weren’t really open about themselves. Together they were able to share more about who they are and what they love. Heart With Joy focused a lot on the relationships we form with others and how they shape the person we are.

In a short time, Julian had experienced loss, death, grief, love, and of course a passion for something he truly cares for. Heart With Joy is a heart warming, coming of age, story that will definitely put a smile on your face or even make you extremely hungry and wishing you knew how to cook.(less)

like · see review

Jan 28, 2011 Chelleyreads (Michelle&Leslie's Book Picks) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: z2011-review

The blurb above does a good job summarizing Heart With Joy so I'm not going to reiterate it again. The story was told in first-person perspective through 15-year-old Julian. He was very likable and you can't help but feel for him in the beginning after his mother left and he wasn't sure how to talk to or act around his dad. It was great reading how their father-son relationship changed throughout the book. I also liked that Julian's hobby is cooking and how it became more than a hobby as he gain...more The blurb above does a good job summarizing Heart With Joy so I'm not going to reiterate it again. The story was told in first-person perspective through 15-year-old Julian. He was very likable and you can't help but feel for him in the beginning after his mother left and he wasn't sure how to talk to or act around his dad. It was great reading how their father-son relationship changed throughout the book. I also liked that Julian's hobby is cooking and how it became more than a hobby as he gained more confidence in his cooking and experimented with recipes. But as much as I liked Julian, I thought he was too... perfect. I kept thinking as I was reading this book that Julian is the kind of son I want to have (you know, if I decide to have kids): sweet, understanding, thoughtful, wakes up at the crack of dawn to help little old ladies feed birds and walks the cat (yes, I said cat), would rather stay home and cook for dad than go out with friends... Hmm... maybe I'm being a cynic.

The other characters were great too, like Julian's neighbor Mrs. Peters. She was a sweet old lady whose hobby is bird watching and gave Julian milk and cookies as well as a new appreciation for birds, and Tia, Julian's love interest who shares his passion for cooking. The only character I didn't like was Julian's mom. I don't know if she's supposed to be a sympathetic character but I found her to be self-serving and selfish--I wouldn't have been as forgiving and understanding as Julian if I was in his situation especially if after finding out what she did before she left for Florida.

If you're looking for crazy twists and surprises you won't find it here. It's just a simple, straightforward story about finding that [sometimes elusive] something that makes you happy and fills your heart with joy. Besides that, it's also a story one's relationships, about family, friendship, love and forgiveness, and even death and loss. I love coming of age stories and Heart With Joy was a refreshing, feel-good kind read with wonderful characters. I thought the writing was great as well--it's understated but it will sneak up on you, grab you and make you care for the characters and leaves you satisfied after you read the last page.(less)

like · see review

Apr 08, 2011 Sheree rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Sheree by: Staci

Shelves: young-adult, own, read-in-2011, reviews

4.5 stars

After seeing Staci's glowing review of Heart with Joy on her blog; Life in the Thumb I couldn't resist ordering this one for myself. Heart With Joy is a heartwarming story; quiet, reflective and touching but at the same time fast paced and entertaining.

Julian isn't your typical 15 year old teenager, he befriends next-door-neighbour, bird-loving Mrs Peters and under her insightful, gentle guidance learns a thing or two about life and love. I really enjoyed reading a YA novel devoted to t...more

like · see review

Jan 14, 2011 Brittany rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Julian Hale is fifteen years old. His mother has recently moved to Florida to run her parent's motel and finish her novel. His father decides he will start running in order to train for a marathon. With his mother out of the picture and his father working many hours, Julian takes over a lot of the responsibilities, mostly housework and cooking. Julian loves cooking and according to his father's taste-buds he is quite good at it. Another good thing about his mother being gone, is Julian and his...more Julian Hale is fifteen years old. His mother has recently moved to Florida to run her parent's motel and finish her novel. His father decides he will start running in order to train for a marathon. With his mother out of the picture and his father working many hours, Julian takes over a lot of the responsibilities, mostly housework and cooking. Julian loves cooking and according to his father's taste-buds he is quite good at it. Another good thing about his mother being gone, is Julian and his father have a chance to form a closer relationship than they have ever had. One day an elderly neighbor calls for Julian for help with something in her yard. After this incident they form a sort of bond and Julian goes over often to visit, and help out with the birdfeeders and such.

This was a nice coming-of-age tale about a boy who's life is a little bit uprooted. Julian was a very nice boy, he seemed almost unrealistic, just because boys aren't often portrayed this way in Ya novels. They are usually either adventurous or mean or just very desirable. No one is ever nice anymore. I like the relationships in this novel and how different they were depending on which characters were involved and what their relation in general was. I loved learning little tidbits about birds, and I think Mrs. Peters backyard must have been beautiful. It was great that Julian was so passionate about cooking, it made him seem like a very interesting character, someone that you would want as a friend. Also, Julian's dad having been a potter was interesting too. It's odd to think of someone who is currently a nurse having been interested in something like pottery so deeply. This was an excellent book for everyone, though at times it had a slight Hallmark feel to it. It was funny would Julian would say "damn" it seemed to fit his character though as being one of the few bad things he would actually say. Julian's life was hard in a more typical way, that I think most teens have some trouble with. Not that everyone's mom moves to Florida to write a novel, but the trouble with forming relationships with your parents and having to re-examine not only those relationships, but also those of the ones you think are your friends. If you like sweet stories, make sure you check this one out.

First Line:
"The year after I turned fifteen two things happened that took me by surprise: my mother moved out and my father decided to run a marathon."

Favorite Line:
"But other times, I'd find her staring at the typewriter with something that could only be described as hate."

(less)

like · see review

Mar 05, 2011 Diana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

This book doesn't need any paranormal stuff to be amazing and that's something that I don't find often!

Julian is trying to cope with his mother leaving to Florida. His mother refused to take him and said she had to help with the motel her family owned and to finish her fifth unpublished novel. Julian knows there's more to it than his mother tells him and when he asks her he finally gets his answer that he may not like. Throughout the book Julian makes a connection with his father that he never t...more

like · see review

Mar 16, 2012 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

Heart with Joy by Steve Cushman is the perfect example of why you should never judge a book by its cover. Prior to reading this one, it had been sitting in my TBR pile for a couple of months, because while it looked interesting enough, I wasn't sure if I would totally adore. However, just at it would happen, Heart with Joy ended up rocking my world. Not only was it a sweet and honest coming of age but it also contained some pretty amazing characters! Julian is a character any teen will be able t...more

like · see review

Oct 18, 2010 Tara (Fiction Folio) rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is truly a great story about a teenager dealing with difficult issues in his life. I definitely related to Julian in the way that he was really close to his mother but not particularly close with his father. His mother leaving, although painful, really turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it allowed Julian and his father to reconnect and establish a relationship.

I really enjoyed how the author incorporated bird watching and cooking into the book. I’ll admit, I am not a huge fan o...more

like · see review

Nov 28, 2012 Inspired Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

I won a copy of this book 2 years ago and finally got around to reading it this summer and am finally get a quick review put up. Seems like that's about how far behind I am on getting things reviewed lately.

Heart with Joy is a realistic young adult coming of age story with a male narrator. Not the norm for me. I read a lot of young adult books but rarely with a male narrator unless it is something in the fantasy genre. Julian was far from the stereotypical teenage boy your would expect to find i...more

like · see review

Jan 11, 2011 Holly (2 Kids and Tired) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Julian is a thoughtful, introspective teenage boy and reading Heart with Joy, is like reading his journal. He's conflicted about his mother leaving and open about missing her. He loves to cook and is quite the budding gourmet chef and Food Network aficionado. He likes a girl, but is shy about admitting it and following through. He enjoys a developing friendship with his elderly neighbor even when his best friend makes fun of him.

What should be a story about teenage angst, is instead a sweet narr...more

like · see review

Sep 12, 2010 Bridget rated it 5 of 5 stars

It's amazing how a book can make it's way into your heart and change you forever. This is one of those books. Julian is an extremely likable character who you can't help but fall in love with. Steve captured the meaning of family with Heart With Joy. When you're in the mood for a feel-good book, this is your best option.

like · see review

Oct 03, 2010 Briana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, great-lesser-known-books

More like 4.5! Rounded up with this one. :D

Excerpt from review below. You can read my full review here: http://thebookpixie.blogspot.com/2010...

"Heart with Joy was a lovely, refreshing, and very realistic debut YA novel from Steve Cushman! While it was amazing, it wasn't in the sense that it automatically blew me away; it was something much more subtle that gradually sunk in the more I thought about it. I would highly recommend this novel to both teens and adults looking for a quick, heartwarmin...more

like · see review

May 24, 2012 Isla McKetta rated it 4 of 5 stars

Though slow to start, this is a charming story about being a teenager and includes rich characters of many ages.

like · see review

Dec 30, 2010 Roxanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

I enjoyed this little YA novel by Steve Cushman. The story was a bit predictable at times, and at times it felt like the voice slipped a bit out of what a 15-year-old would sound like. Also, the editing could have been much better--I caught typos and punctuation errors, as well as places where the language could have been tightened just a little bit, and a better editor would have caught those sorts of things. Overall, though, it's a sweet book with a likable protagonist: seeing Julian navigate...more

like · see review

Oct 22, 2010 Sharyla rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved it. Check out my full review at
http://bookishwonderland.blogspot.com

like · see review

May 05, 2013 Nicole Reynolds marked it as to-read

Mar 04, 2013 Melissa marked it as to-read

Feb 06, 2013 Trupti Dorge rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own

Jan 04, 2013 Becca marked it as to-read

Oct 29, 2012 Deborah Bishop marked it as to-read

Shelves: books-to-buy

Sep 21, 2012 Makena marked it as to-read

Sep 08, 2012 Margaret rated it 5 of 5 stars

Aug 15, 2012 Adele symonds marked it as to-read

« previous 1 2 3 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions

Genres

Young Adult

4 users

See top shelves...

About Steve Cushman

Steve Cushman is the author of the novels Heart With Joy and Portisville, as well as Fracture City, a collection of short stories. His book reviews have appeared in the Greensboro News & Record, Winston-Salem Journal, and Our State magazine. Steve Currently works in the IT department at Moses Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina. www.stevecushman.net"

More about Steve Cushman...

Books by Steve Cushman

XX Eccentric: Stories About the Eccentricities of Woman

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Heart with Joy

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Heart with Joy

“But other times, I'd find her staring at the typewriter with something that could only be described as hate.” — 1 person liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Heart with Joy
avg rating	preview: Heart with Joy Goodreads rating: 4.27 (37 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8650177-heart-with-joy?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349048444l/8650177.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8650177-heart-with-joy?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Heart with Joy by Steve Cushman[/url]

Heart with Joy

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website