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Heart-Shaped
Written with sensitivity, humour and a lightness of touch, HEART-SHAPED is a companion to Siobhan Parkinson's highly-acclaimed novel, BRUISED - for fans of Meg Rosoff, Aidan Chambers and David Levithan. Annie makes a startling discovery one day - and everything changes. She fears for the safety of her boyfriend Jonno, who has vanished, knowing he is in desperate trouble. Feeling alone, she clings to her dad, her only parent, but he can't fill in all the gaps in the puzzle that is Annie's life. Nor can her best friend. To do that, Annie has to look into her past and understand who her mother was, what happened to her and why. So the truth behind Jonno's disappearance - which is the story in BRUISED - becomes a mirror for what's happening in Annie's own life. The reader is desperate for him to come back, so that Annie can fully fit the pieces of her existence back together.
208 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2013
4 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Siobhán Parkinson
52 books27 followersSiobhán Parkinson is an Irish writer for both children and adults. Siobhán grew up in Galway and Donegal. Her books have won numerous awards and have been translated into several languages. She is currently a co-editor of Bookbird, the magazine of international children's literature organsation IBBY. She resides in The Republic of Ireland with her husband Roger Bennett and son Matthew.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 22, 2019
This book was pretty meh. There was some pretty writing, especially in context of the therapy sessions, but the story felt quite unrealistic for a YA novel. It felt more middle grade, even though the content was not appropriate for that age. I also felt like the story was leading to some dramatic scene or conclusion that never really came to fruition. But maybe that's just life? So it was more realistic as a YA book. Maybe, who knows. I didn't love it but I can see how other people would, especially slightly younger teens.
December 29, 2020
I loved this book, it made me feel so many different emotions all in one. The story itself is amazing and I feel like I can kind of relate to the millions of emotions going round her head. Not only the story itself but the words the author uses are amazing. This is my favourite book I have read in years!!
January 28, 2022
I may have taken some time to complete this book because of my forgetfulness but overall best book yet!
March 21, 2022
i didn’t find the plot that interesting :/
January 23, 2021
I'm torn on giving a rating for this. The first half of the book felt really muddled and not great, but the second half felt a lot more coherent and made a lot more sense to me.
September 13, 2021
The first half of the book seemed really muddled, whereas the second half seemed more well written and well thought out. I think that's the way it was supposed to be though, because the girl is going through therapy and dealing with traumas so naturally not everything makes sense at first.
As the story progresses, the girl opens up more and starts dealing with the traumas, making the book naturally flow into a sad and understanding end.
Overall a good easy read if you can deal with a young girls jumbled thoughts along the way. I couldn't relate to the character particularly so the book didn't pull me in much; that's the reason for 3 stars.
As the story progresses, the girl opens up more and starts dealing with the traumas, making the book naturally flow into a sad and understanding end.
Overall a good easy read if you can deal with a young girls jumbled thoughts along the way. I couldn't relate to the character particularly so the book didn't pull me in much; that's the reason for 3 stars.
June 17, 2013
Heart Shaped. The title instantly reminded me of Heart Shaped Bruise so naturally I was on the look out for any similarities between the books and whilst there were many difference I did seem to find one major; whether I was looking to hard or not, a lot of this book is Annie telling her head doctor her story... which is nearly identical to what happened in Heart Shaped Bruise. However that's beside the point. Overall it was a good story, well written and evoking a lot of emotion, but it just wasn't for me. I felt that even though it was a very small book some parts dragged a little and I'm not saying this is a bad book; it's really not, I'm just sort of showing the negatives I found before moving onto the positives.
For starters this is one of those books that although sad it's rather positive and keeps you feeling good inside. The story was fairly simple as far as it went and had a mix of sub genres focusing around one genre. I like the use of death but in a way that it wasn't so much a negative things in this. I mean the story really touched on parental death for youngsters and what would happen and I really feel like Parkinson hit the nail on the head with portraying that and the emotions of how they would all feel.
The writing was nice. Annie had a very distinct voice and although some characters seemed to blend in my mind Annie stayed strong and clear as the main characters. Her narrative was good and I liked the way the book was a little more mentally focused, because if someone close has died you going to mentally close in a little more and talk less and I like how we glimpsed into Annie's mind a lot.
I have mixed opinions on the characters. Although some were a little samey I felt as though each one was likeable and well formed with enough information to make them real in my mind. I just felt like sometimes characters would drop out for a while and then reappear for a long time before disappearing again. However the main characters did have distinctive voices that held me tight and I definitely wanted to know Annies story from when she first started to talk.
Overall I though the book was a little confusing but once you reach that ending it all makes sense and quite honestly: this book will leaving feeling warm inside.
February 12, 2015
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REVIEW: Heart Shaped is Parkinson's companion novel which takes place in the same time frame as Bruised. Although the books are linked, you do not have to have read Bruised before reading this which is good as it has been many many years since I last read Bruised and I still enjoyed this novel.
This novel centres around Annie, an Irish teenager whose life is a little up and down lately. Firstly she has to deal with the troubles of secondary school, secondly she is dealing with the passing of her mum and living with just her father as a parent and lastly, she discovered her boyfriends mothers dead body. So you could say Annie has a lot on her plate!
One of the aspects I enjoyed the most about this novel was the really well written relationships that were key to the plot and story of the novel. Annie has suffered a lot of stress over a short period of time and is seeing a psychiatrist doctor who she goes to to talk and get things off her chest. I really enjoyed the humorous interactions she had with this doctor and often found myself chucking away at the things she would come out with!
I also enjoyed the relationship between Annie and her best friend and also the important relationship Annie has with her father and enjoyed reading about the father daughter bonding.
The writing style was good, but not wholly memorable. I did enjoy reading the Irish slang and such in the book and could hear the characters Irish accents carry across the page.
Although I found some of the writing style to be a little too direct and non descriptive, and found the book somewhat slow at times, I would definitely recommend this novel and Bruised to boys and girls between the ages of 13 - 16 . With lots of humorous, sad and touching scenes, younger teens will love this novel.
Rating:
3 Stars
REVIEW: Heart Shaped is Parkinson's companion novel which takes place in the same time frame as Bruised. Although the books are linked, you do not have to have read Bruised before reading this which is good as it has been many many years since I last read Bruised and I still enjoyed this novel.
This novel centres around Annie, an Irish teenager whose life is a little up and down lately. Firstly she has to deal with the troubles of secondary school, secondly she is dealing with the passing of her mum and living with just her father as a parent and lastly, she discovered her boyfriends mothers dead body. So you could say Annie has a lot on her plate!
One of the aspects I enjoyed the most about this novel was the really well written relationships that were key to the plot and story of the novel. Annie has suffered a lot of stress over a short period of time and is seeing a psychiatrist doctor who she goes to to talk and get things off her chest. I really enjoyed the humorous interactions she had with this doctor and often found myself chucking away at the things she would come out with!
I also enjoyed the relationship between Annie and her best friend and also the important relationship Annie has with her father and enjoyed reading about the father daughter bonding.
The writing style was good, but not wholly memorable. I did enjoy reading the Irish slang and such in the book and could hear the characters Irish accents carry across the page.
Although I found some of the writing style to be a little too direct and non descriptive, and found the book somewhat slow at times, I would definitely recommend this novel and Bruised to boys and girls between the ages of 13 - 16 . With lots of humorous, sad and touching scenes, younger teens will love this novel.
Rating:
3 Stars
June 11, 2013
Heart Shaped is an emotional and passionate insight into a fourteen year old girl's mind as she tries to negotiate love, death, school, her relationship with her father and her friends. Annie is the book's narrator and the prose could be said to be erratic, but I like the style which is authentic to her thoughts which are constantly changing.
Despite the trauma Annie has experienced the reader still witnesses a side of Annie which is witty and unselfish. She is like a butterfly who the reader sees metamorphosising before their eyes, and though I thought Siobhan Parkinson's portrayal of Annie was engaging at the beginning of Heart Shaped, the strength, maturity and emotion she shows as the book progresses prove her to be a much more of a beautiful human being than I could have predicted.
Heart Shaped works so well as Siobhan Parkinson bases her story on the reader's assumption in the beginning chapters. Her narrative is constructed intelligently, and I felt I could never assume the next event.
The book tackles unexpected and delicate and issues but at no point did I feel that Siobhan Parkinson was dealing with sensationalism for the sake of her story. She writes with tact, sensitivity and very human emotions that I felt able to empathise with and share. I am now about to read Heart Shaped's companion novel Bruised.
Heart Shaped is definitely one to read.
Despite the trauma Annie has experienced the reader still witnesses a side of Annie which is witty and unselfish. She is like a butterfly who the reader sees metamorphosising before their eyes, and though I thought Siobhan Parkinson's portrayal of Annie was engaging at the beginning of Heart Shaped, the strength, maturity and emotion she shows as the book progresses prove her to be a much more of a beautiful human being than I could have predicted.
Heart Shaped works so well as Siobhan Parkinson bases her story on the reader's assumption in the beginning chapters. Her narrative is constructed intelligently, and I felt I could never assume the next event.
The book tackles unexpected and delicate and issues but at no point did I feel that Siobhan Parkinson was dealing with sensationalism for the sake of her story. She writes with tact, sensitivity and very human emotions that I felt able to empathise with and share. I am now about to read Heart Shaped's companion novel Bruised.
Heart Shaped is definitely one to read.
August 10, 2013
I haven’t read Bruised but that hasn’t affected my reading experience of Heart Shaped.
Narrated by 14 year old Annie, we get to experience the hell that her life becomes after stumbling on something that traumatises her and brings up unhealed emotional wounds from her own childhood.
The people in her life – best friend Emma, her father, her brother Jaimie, the psychiatrist and teacher Mr O’Connell all have a part to play in supporting her. The anguish she feels over Jono’s disappearance feels very real. Peer Keith Butler brings conflict and is your typical bully.
Annie is such a fabulous character. I identified with her random thought processes and enjoyed her dry humour. The lists show just how the changes have affected her – from the starting point through to the healing and the final list. The letter to her mum brought tears to my eyes as did the time she spent with Julie.
Heart Shaped will give comfort to other teens who have been through a similar experience. The painstaking look at emotions and comparing them to the reality of the situation is something we all need to do in our lives … an important message to everyone!
I would like to thank the publishers for providing a proof copy in exchange for an honest review.
Narrated by 14 year old Annie, we get to experience the hell that her life becomes after stumbling on something that traumatises her and brings up unhealed emotional wounds from her own childhood.
The people in her life – best friend Emma, her father, her brother Jaimie, the psychiatrist and teacher Mr O’Connell all have a part to play in supporting her. The anguish she feels over Jono’s disappearance feels very real. Peer Keith Butler brings conflict and is your typical bully.
Annie is such a fabulous character. I identified with her random thought processes and enjoyed her dry humour. The lists show just how the changes have affected her – from the starting point through to the healing and the final list. The letter to her mum brought tears to my eyes as did the time she spent with Julie.
Heart Shaped will give comfort to other teens who have been through a similar experience. The painstaking look at emotions and comparing them to the reality of the situation is something we all need to do in our lives … an important message to everyone!
I would like to thank the publishers for providing a proof copy in exchange for an honest review.
December 26, 2016
Heart Shaped reminds me of We Were Liars and not in a good way. It is narrated by 14-year-old Annie, and talks about topics like sexual harassment, depression, and death. It's not what you expect. Since the blurb I read wasn't that good, I read the first chapter, and that's not like the main book at all. It was very confusing (like We We Liars) and I'm not sure I like that.
November 9, 2013
Loved the cover but unfortunately this just wasn't for me! I didn't particularly like Annie as a protagonist and I just found the disjointed storyline confusing more than anything.
Parkinson is clearly a talented author though, so others may still enjoy it. Just not my thing!
Parkinson is clearly a talented author though, so others may still enjoy it. Just not my thing!
February 19, 2016
Pretty depressing to start with, very confusing halfway through, rather sweet at the end. I found that this book could've had a great, moving, meaningful message to it, but it was all so rushed.
A quick read, though I won't say easy because of the confusing bits.
A quick read, though I won't say easy because of the confusing bits.
October 11, 2015
I enjoyed this book and the concept but I felt like there wasn't much going on and the whole process of finding her best friend/true love was a bit to rushed and could have been portrayed a bit better but overall it was a good book!
July 10, 2014
'Love is very powerful, Annie. But it can't cure cancer or stop a train. It doesn't work like that. '
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April 1, 2021Actual rating: 3.5 - very good but there were a few niggling issues here and there.
April 19, 2014
I had to remind me myself that the.main character is a teen... And that are complex beings!
April 4, 2015
interesting. I look forward to reading the other side of the story.....
May 8, 2015
It was a really great story , I would read it 500 times if I had time
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October 18, 2017I loved. It has love, excitement, sadness etc.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews