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Heartwood Box
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A dark, romantic YA suspense novel with an SF edge and plenty of drama, layering the secrets we keep and how appearances can deceive, from the New York Times bestselling author.
In this tiny, terrifying town, the lost are never found. When Araceli Flores Harper is sent to live with her great-aunt Ottilie in her ramshackle Victorian home, the plan is simple. She'll buckle do ...more
In this tiny, terrifying town, the lost are never found. When Araceli Flores Harper is sent to live with her great-aunt Ottilie in her ramshackle Victorian home, the plan is simple. She'll buckle do ...more
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Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
July 9th 2019
by Tor Teen
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My first thought into this book was, “huh, it’s interesting, but I’m kind of picking up on some similarities with Stranger Things… is it a knockoff?” Then I got a promotional email from the author boasting “Stranger Things meets The Lake House” and had a good laugh. Who doesn’t love Stranger Things?! All that said, the story does stand pretty well on its own. You can definitely see the influence from the show, but overall it’s a very minor contribution to the overall plot.
Aguirre always has an x ...more
Aguirre always has an x ...more

I loved everything about this cover and synopsis and I’m pretty much here for everything Ann writes.
I think I liked Araceli? She’s a little rough around the edges, but for the most part I liked being in her head. She’s sarcastic and strong. There are a lot of characters in this story and I’m not sure if that’s good or not. No one really felt fleshed out...if that was on purpose to show how Araceli was an outsider, it was effective.
Plot wise, it okay. There are loads of moving parts and plot th ...more
I think I liked Araceli? She’s a little rough around the edges, but for the most part I liked being in her head. She’s sarcastic and strong. There are a lot of characters in this story and I’m not sure if that’s good or not. No one really felt fleshed out...if that was on purpose to show how Araceli was an outsider, it was effective.
Plot wise, it okay. There are loads of moving parts and plot th ...more

I will be 100% honest. I bought this book because of the cover and because the description promised some major creep-factors. The plot starts off strong, setting up a small town with way too many missing people and a seemingly haunted, aging house, but everything that comes after falls flat. The story takes a long time to get going, and it turns into more of a love story than anything else. The secret lab and time travel aspect remind me a bit of Stranger Things, but with less interesting charac
...more

Sep 14, 2020
❀ Crystal ✿ - PEACE ☮ LOVE ♥ BOOKS
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
2020-read-list,
best-ever
Have you ever been so shocked and amazed by a book you want to go back and throttle your past self for putting the book aside time after time? In retrospect the timeline perspective is actually rather comical now but to be honest for whatever reason I was more under the impression this was a creepy horror novel and was just never in the mood. Don't get me wrong the book definitely has its moments of creepiness but I had zero idea going in what the book was actually about aside from seeing a few
...more

I read Like Never and Always last year and didn't think it could get weirder than that. But Heartwood Box might have beat it for me. Ann Aguirre writes the strangest books and I really like how her mind works.
This book is such a mix of genres. It has a mystery, it's a thriller at times, there is some sci fi, some historical fiction, ghost story, and some romance. I'll do my best to write what I can without giving anything away.
Araceli moves in with her great aunt for her senior year. She us ...more
This book is such a mix of genres. It has a mystery, it's a thriller at times, there is some sci fi, some historical fiction, ghost story, and some romance. I'll do my best to write what I can without giving anything away.
Araceli moves in with her great aunt for her senior year. She us ...more

This book was most definitely a surprise. The author clearly decided to mess with her readers heads and mix more than one genre here so if it’s YA paranormal mixed with time travel and suspense that intrigues you then pick this up. The author herself has likened it to Stranger Things meets the Lake House and I couldn’t agree more.
The story revolves around Araceli a young mixed race girl staying with her aunt in a town where people keep disappearing . The mystery apparently involves strange ligh ...more
The story revolves around Araceli a young mixed race girl staying with her aunt in a town where people keep disappearing . The mystery apparently involves strange ligh ...more

Full Review on The Candid Cover
3.5 Stars
Heartwood Box by Ann Aguirre is a book that I picked up unsure of what to expect. It is thrilling and mysterious, and it blends multiple genres to create something that I have never seen before. I enjoyed the main character and her determination to makes things right in her new town, however the ending didn’t work out for me, and it impacted my enjoyment of the book. This is still a fantastic read, but I would have enjoyed a different outcome.
This book tak ...more
3.5 Stars
Heartwood Box by Ann Aguirre is a book that I picked up unsure of what to expect. It is thrilling and mysterious, and it blends multiple genres to create something that I have never seen before. I enjoyed the main character and her determination to makes things right in her new town, however the ending didn’t work out for me, and it impacted my enjoyment of the book. This is still a fantastic read, but I would have enjoyed a different outcome.
This book tak ...more

My theory is someone switched books on me. I started Sunday night and was pretty into it. I got about halfway through, put it down for bed, and picked up back up Monday night and I DIDN'T GET IT.
For one, I definitely didn't get I was supposed to be shipping (view spoiler) . And the plot got all weird. It's not really what I expected from the description. I wouldn't call it a thriller. (I'm not sure what I WOULD call it.)
Anyway, this ratin ...more
For one, I definitely didn't get I was supposed to be shipping (view spoiler) . And the plot got all weird. It's not really what I expected from the description. I wouldn't call it a thriller. (I'm not sure what I WOULD call it.)
Anyway, this ratin ...more

Originally posted on The Nerd Daily | Review by Laura Erne
“This is where hope goes to die.”
I knew after just one sentence that this book was going to be good. It kicks off with the main character, Araceli, and her perspective is hilariously pessimistic. Her clearly sarcastic observations help lighten the very dark things that seem to happen in this new yet, seemingly old town.
“I like them all more when they accept that without asking a lot of questions. If we click, I’ll tell them about my life, ...more
“This is where hope goes to die.”
I knew after just one sentence that this book was going to be good. It kicks off with the main character, Araceli, and her perspective is hilariously pessimistic. Her clearly sarcastic observations help lighten the very dark things that seem to happen in this new yet, seemingly old town.
“I like them all more when they accept that without asking a lot of questions. If we click, I’ll tell them about my life, ...more

*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Young Adult, Thriller, Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.0
*Thoughts*
Ann Aguirre's Heartwood Box is a cross between fantasy, and science fiction, and speculation. Thanks to her parents spending time in Venezuela covering a story, because why not? Araceli Flores Harper is sent to her great-Aunt Ottilie's home on Long Island to spend the summer before she attends her final year of High School. Ottilie's husband disappeared 20 years ago. She still lives in the run down Victorian ho ...more
*Genre* Young Adult, Thriller, Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.0
*Thoughts*
Ann Aguirre's Heartwood Box is a cross between fantasy, and science fiction, and speculation. Thanks to her parents spending time in Venezuela covering a story, because why not? Araceli Flores Harper is sent to her great-Aunt Ottilie's home on Long Island to spend the summer before she attends her final year of High School. Ottilie's husband disappeared 20 years ago. She still lives in the run down Victorian ho ...more

Aguirre herself tweeted that Heartwood Box is “Stranger Things meets The Lake House”. There’s really no better way to explain this book.
I previously read Aguirre’s book The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things and I believe that it was the better book that I’ve read by her. My enjoyment of that book was why I was interested in reading this one. While Heartwood Box has an interesting premise, the execution wasn’t what I had hoped for.
There were many instances when the conversational scenes were slopp ...more
I previously read Aguirre’s book The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things and I believe that it was the better book that I’ve read by her. My enjoyment of that book was why I was interested in reading this one. While Heartwood Box has an interesting premise, the execution wasn’t what I had hoped for.
There were many instances when the conversational scenes were slopp ...more

The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
I really wasn't sure what I was expecting when I began to read Heartwood Box, but I think compared to the summary I was expecting something a lot different. I also am not the biggest contemporary fan. I love fantasy and science fiction and things with heavy world building. So it was a little different reading something that takes place in the real world. Heartwood Box also takes place in New York, so I was really intrigued with that aspect. T ...more
I really wasn't sure what I was expecting when I began to read Heartwood Box, but I think compared to the summary I was expecting something a lot different. I also am not the biggest contemporary fan. I love fantasy and science fiction and things with heavy world building. So it was a little different reading something that takes place in the real world. Heartwood Box also takes place in New York, so I was really intrigued with that aspect. T ...more

I won't fully review until closer to release date but this was okay, not what I was expecting at all. I think the cover and the summary just gave me a different vibe over what the book actually is and that was a shame. There were a lot of things in here I've seen before and I didn't really like the romance either. I don't think Ann Aguirre is a terrible writer or anything, this was just a miss for me.
...more

She had me at "Lake House." That is one of my favorite movies and Araceli's letters back and forth to Oliver add such a sweet, nostalgic tone ofsetting sometimes preachy voice of Araceli and the harsh environment she finds herself in when her parents send her to live with an elderly aunt. In this "safe" town, there are many who have simply vanished with no explanation. In the racially diverse group of friends that Araceli connects with, there is a girl named Eunsoo who has already been an on-lin
...more

Have you ever encountered those stories, pieces of art, new foods, or other things that you weren’t sure about at first, but they slowly began to grow on you? This describes my experience with Heartwood Box. The weird thing is that this didn’t even happen while I was reading the book. It began to happen after I finished and thought about it. The story keeps coming back to me -- it’s the type that lingers. It’s an unusual tale and my instinct while reading it was to rate it 3 stars. When I finish
...more

This one started out slow for me. Araceli was a fish out of water as she arrived in town and knew something was up. Between the letters and the missing people things were weird. I was glad that Araceli finally started to confide in people, but that seemed to make things worse. Finally Araceli and her friends took action. It was here that things went a bit over the top, from the misfit band of teens fighting to fix things to Araceli and her falling "in love" with Oliver. I saw the twist at the en
...more

First off, huge thanks to you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for giving me an arc of the book to read
I was really excited to read this book as the mysterious and time traveling aspects were what caught my attention almost immediately when I read the synopsis. But then, I actually read it and I'm sad to say that I was disappointed. This letdown mainly stemmed from how the story was told and how it played out.
Heartwood Box Follows Araceli, A POC characters who move to A small subtly racist tone in New ...more
I was really excited to read this book as the mysterious and time traveling aspects were what caught my attention almost immediately when I read the synopsis. But then, I actually read it and I'm sad to say that I was disappointed. This letdown mainly stemmed from how the story was told and how it played out.
Heartwood Box Follows Araceli, A POC characters who move to A small subtly racist tone in New ...more

I did not finish the book.
The story line was perfectly creepy and I probably would have read the whole book, but I kind of found Arceli's obsession with Oliver's letters unnerving. And I felt extremely bad for Logan, who is just so sweet!
This book, at least as much I read, is really good. Me having a problem with love triangles does not mean that the book is bad.
Definitely recommend to people who like horror, mystery and a kind-of love triangle.
PS. I loved the aunt! ...more
The story line was perfectly creepy and I probably would have read the whole book, but I kind of found Arceli's obsession with Oliver's letters unnerving. And I felt extremely bad for Logan, who is just so sweet!
This book, at least as much I read, is really good. Me having a problem with love triangles does not mean that the book is bad.
Definitely recommend to people who like horror, mystery and a kind-of love triangle.
PS. I loved the aunt! ...more

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

3.5 stars
Thank you to MacMillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.
Heartwood Box is a mystery story that builds slowly in the beginning and packs a punch at the end with an ending that is somewhat bizarre but it works. I thought it was creative and different. My reaction was more like, what?……🤔
While reading this book, I was wondering if this was a ghost story but some things didn’t add up especially when there are people going missing in this strange town. I ...more
Thank you to MacMillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.
Heartwood Box is a mystery story that builds slowly in the beginning and packs a punch at the end with an ending that is somewhat bizarre but it works. I thought it was creative and different. My reaction was more like, what?……🤔
While reading this book, I was wondering if this was a ghost story but some things didn’t add up especially when there are people going missing in this strange town. I ...more

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for an ARC of this book!
First of all, I love Ann Aguirre. She is just a pro writer. This book is a little different than what I have been reading recently. I really don't want to give anything away, so this will be hard to write. The use of World War I makes me happy. It's not something you see a lot in YA, and it's such an important time in history to study. I am definitely checking out some of the stuff discussed in the author's note! The characters in ...more
First of all, I love Ann Aguirre. She is just a pro writer. This book is a little different than what I have been reading recently. I really don't want to give anything away, so this will be hard to write. The use of World War I makes me happy. It's not something you see a lot in YA, and it's such an important time in history to study. I am definitely checking out some of the stuff discussed in the author's note! The characters in ...more

This one is a definite favorite of 2019. HEARTWOOD BOX was not what I expected it to be in and in the best way. Aguirre's writes characters you can't help but root for and you fall into the creepy little town where everything happens so easily. If you love mysteries that will blow your mind, forbidden love and teenagers who take charge - this book is for you.
...more

Review originally posted at my blog.
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This book caught my interest with that gorgeous cover and the blurb which per the author's pitch is Stranger Things meets The Lake House. I recently binge-watched season 3 of Stranger Things, I'm a massive fan, so those vibes got me excited, and I'm old enough to have watched The Lake House when it was released 13 (!!) years ago, which makes me feel decrepit as the main character notes "If my great-aunt knows about it, then it's probably pretty old."
Unfortun ...more
--
This book caught my interest with that gorgeous cover and the blurb which per the author's pitch is Stranger Things meets The Lake House. I recently binge-watched season 3 of Stranger Things, I'm a massive fan, so those vibes got me excited, and I'm old enough to have watched The Lake House when it was released 13 (!!) years ago, which makes me feel decrepit as the main character notes "If my great-aunt knows about it, then it's probably pretty old."
Unfortun ...more

Jul 08, 2019
Liz (Quirky Cat)
added it
I received a copy of Heartwood Box through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Heartwood Box is the newest novel by Ann Aguirre, and it is an amazing blend of different genres. It's young adult, and has romance, supernatural, and science fiction elements as well. It's a time travel tale, but also a tale of a teenage girl trying to do what is right. And it's so amazingly dark and brilliant.
It's also a very introspective novel, in its own way. It makes you think. About assumptio ...more
Heartwood Box is the newest novel by Ann Aguirre, and it is an amazing blend of different genres. It's young adult, and has romance, supernatural, and science fiction elements as well. It's a time travel tale, but also a tale of a teenage girl trying to do what is right. And it's so amazingly dark and brilliant.
It's also a very introspective novel, in its own way. It makes you think. About assumptio ...more

*A big thanks to the publisher for approving my request for this book in exchange of honest review*
This book give me nerves to the ultimate emotions, unexpected twists and unexpected ending. It’s clearly good book to read, you’ll have everything to feel in this book: Creepy, Suspense, and Romance. I didn’t get bored, for real, every chapter is moving in different scenarios and getting me a bit jumpy while reading. It’s dark and romantic read, it’s already one of my favorites.
The story have so mu ...more
This book give me nerves to the ultimate emotions, unexpected twists and unexpected ending. It’s clearly good book to read, you’ll have everything to feel in this book: Creepy, Suspense, and Romance. I didn’t get bored, for real, every chapter is moving in different scenarios and getting me a bit jumpy while reading. It’s dark and romantic read, it’s already one of my favorites.
The story have so mu ...more

Heartwood Box by Ann Aguirre is a young adult novel that is part romantic mystery part science fiction thriller. This novel definitely packed the sci fi compared to Like Never and Always which was why I was kind of disappointed in that book. Heartwood Box follows the story of Araceli Flores Harper as she is sent to live with her Great Aunt in New York, while her parents are going to war torn Venezuela which they deem is too dangerous for her. Araceli has traveled all over the world but she isn’t
...more

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for the chance to read and review this book.
This was just such a bizarre story! At first it reads as a mystery. Then quickly turns to paranormal. It goes through almost all the genres you can think of! Mystery, thriller, paranormal, romance, science fiction, and even historical fiction. And somehow it all worked!
Araceil comes to stay with her great aunt for her last year in high school while her parents are working in Venezuela. They think she will be safer i ...more
This was just such a bizarre story! At first it reads as a mystery. Then quickly turns to paranormal. It goes through almost all the genres you can think of! Mystery, thriller, paranormal, romance, science fiction, and even historical fiction. And somehow it all worked!
Araceil comes to stay with her great aunt for her last year in high school while her parents are working in Venezuela. They think she will be safer i ...more
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YA Buddy Readers'...: Heartwood Box by Ann Aguirre - Starting June 7th 2019 | 1 | 7 | Jun 04, 2019 04:31PM |
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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ann Aguirre has been a clown, a clerk, a savior of stray kittens, and a voice actress, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in Mexico with her family. She writes all kinds of genre fiction, but she has an eternal soft spot for a happily ever after.
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“Maybe some way, somehow, I will be. You were my life's saving grace, and I carry you with me from this world and into the next, and I hope if there is another life for us, we'll meet again. Until then. My love always, Oliver.”
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“I like them all more when they accept that without asking a lot of questions. If we click, I’ll tell them about my life, but I hate giving personal details for no other reason than to satisfy the curiosity of strangers. Any info I divulge should come by choice.”
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