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Heartwood Box

Ann Aguirre (Goodreads Author)

3.69 · Rating details · 726 ratings · 182 reviews

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

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Hardcover, 336 pages

Published July 9th 2019 by Tor Teen

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· 726 ratings · 182 reviews

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Aug 07, 2019 Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller rated it liked it

Shelves: for-review

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 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-factor that keeps me invested in her books. Heartwood Box had an interesting mystery, which really kept the pages turning. Considering my less than stellar track record with YA lately, it’s saying something that I enjoyed the book all the way through. Because of that alone, I’d recommend it as a good read.

I also liked the characters – Ann Aguirre is one of my favorite authors specifically because I think she’s brilliant at creating tangible connections between characters. I always find myself completely invested. My favorite connection in this one was a friendship, but every relationship had meaning.

This book is definitely unique among its peers for its mystery, contemporary, historical, sci-fi genre blend. However, I’m not totally sure all the elements fit together seamlessly. The Lake House element felt a little forced, and the Stranger Things component was kind of a stretch, but what it lost in believability it more than made up for in fun-factor. Overall, as this is the last YA Aguirre plans to write (according to that same newsletter), I think she went out with flair and I also appreciate that it’s a stand-alone.

Recommendations: For a light summer read with great characters and a compelling hodge-podge of genres, Heartwood Box is a great choice! Ever so slightly more robust than most YA, it was outside the box and a quick read. I’d hand it to teens (or us ageless wonders who will read the genre forever) who love a bit of “weird” in their books, but who aren’t looking to invest in a full series.

Other books you might like:

The Naturals (The Naturals, #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Minimum Wage Magic (DFZ #1) by Rachel Aaron

On the Edge (The Edge, #1) by Ilona Andrews

...more

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Jul 02, 2019 Stacee rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley, read-in-2019

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

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Jul 24, 2019 Jessica rated it it was ok

Shelves: time-travel, ya-novels-2019, 2019-reads, romance

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

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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 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 tags. I did wonder to myself why it had so many sci-fi ratings but it all makes sense now lol. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I won’t say I wasn’t a little excited for some XFiles connection but that nowhere prepared me for this blend of Stranger Things and the movie Frequency. 🤯🤯🤯 If I didn’t already love Ann Aguirre after Enclave this book would have done it. I am so blown away by this book and can’t lie and say I didn’t absolutely Loooove every bit of it. Given all that happens throughout, I was thrown even more by the tearjerker ending, the turmoil, love and tumultuous mix of feelings was everything and something many books can never achieve. I imagine I will have puffy eyes at work tomorrow from crying but I couldn’t go to bed without finishing this book. While it’s not crazy dramatic or action packed the story is very intricately detailed with so many fascinating caveats. It was really a beautiul story. I loved how wonderfully AA weaves in ~~prejudice~~ racism not only in America but that the heroine and people in her small town still have to endure, in the year 2020, it still boggles my mind. On that note, maybe some truly political minded people in the US will struggle with Ann’s blunt and realistic portrayal of something like racism or heaven forbid calling out the US military for some of the horrible shit they pull. Now don’t get me wrong this book is not at all political but the heroines parents are freelance journalists who work in dangerous locales covering the real on the ground story what we call here (mainstream media) will never tell the truth about and so it is brought up at times. I don’t care how devout a patriot you are, no person with humanity can look at some of the wars/operations/invasions whatever you want to call it and say we’re (US) in the right. Perhaps that’s why I have such a strong connection to this story. The heroine coming clear with both Oliver, a soldier back in WWI, and the Dr. at the lab really puts perspective on things especially from her POV. Not only has she seen firsthand the wondrous cities of the world, she’s felt it’s prejudice and oppression. She’s lived in many countries and I thought was honestly was just a wonderful and intelligent character. I do think she jumps the gun quite a bit and doesn’t always think things through but because I like her so much I’ll let that go because.... teenagers 🤷🏼‍♀️🤣. The constant oddness of the book also drew me in. I mean who how many books have ghost balls of light wandering the forests at night, tons of mysterious local disappearances with family members who act and believe their loved ones are still lingering-can even feel them even if they won’t admit it and leave food out for them that they do magically eat, a mysterious government/medical facility, a mysterious wooden box that allows you to communicate or send materials through time and a girl new to town who mysteriously starts having dreams of real moments in the past, but are they dreams......??? There’s just so much packed into this book and I really think it all blended together seamlessly in the end even if I was sometimes lost along the way not sure where things were headed. (view spoiler)I really loved this book. I can see why it wouldn’t be for everyone but gladly I’m not one. It was as times super creepy, light bulbs were constantly turning on over my head making me think I had a inkling of what was going on, but really I was in the dark. There's just so much to unpack for this book and my review has once again turned into a brain vomit rant lol. All I can say is it’s a truly great read. One that will have the inner sci-fi geek and detective nerd inside of you taking note, until of course that it is you have your actual heart ripped up and shredded on the ground and don’t know whether to apologize, say thank you or curl up in the fetal position. <3 <3 <3 Also side note, the audio is phenomenal. ...more

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May 28, 2019 Kristi Housman Confessions of a YA Reader rated it it was amazing

Shelves: from-publisher, physical-books-i-own, advanced-reader

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

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Jun 24, 2019 Marta Cox rated it really liked it

Shelves: my-reviews, netgalley

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

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Jun 22, 2019 The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, arc, young-adult, 2019-releases, netgalley

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 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 takes place in a mysterious town in which people suddenly disappear. The main character finds a wooden box with a letter inside and decides to write back as part of a school assignment, but she ends up receiving a reply from a boy named Oliver. As it turns out, Oliver is a soldier in World War I. I enjoyed how the book is a mix of genres, from contemporary to sci fi to thriller. As well, it is fast paced, and the writing style is very suspenseful. This is such a gripping read that I had trouble putting down.

❀ CAPTIVATING MAIN CHARACTER

Araceli is an enjoyable character, and I liked how she is always willing to take action. She is brave and truly wants the best for people, and she uses her communication link to the past to help out the soldiers. For instance, she is able to send battle information which in turn saves the lives of many. As well, I found Araceli’s voice to be captivating and realistic for her age, which is an important aspect for me. Ultimately, I found her character to be likeable and believable.

❀ DRAMATIC ENDING

To me, this book would have been around 4 stars, or even 4.5, but the ending didn’t satisfy me at all. I can’t go into details without spoiling, but the way the romance works out and the whole multi-generational thing take a wild turn. I appreciate the efforts made to tie everything together, and I can see some people enjoying the end, however, I was a little bit uncomfortable with the result. Normally, the ending of a book wouldn’t influence my opinion too much, but this case was quite dramatic.

Heartwood Box is a unique story that blends multiple genres. I loved the concept as well as the main character, but the ending frustrated me and heavily impacted my overall enjoyment of the book. I would still recommend this one to those who are looking for a mysterious and fresh novel. ...more

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Jul 30, 2019 Katie rated it did not like it

Shelves: format-ebook, how-library, books-read-in-2019, books-read-in-2019-new

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

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Jul 15, 2019 The Nerd Daily rated it liked it

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

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Jul 04, 2019 Shelley rated it liked it

Shelves: arc-netgalley, 2019-release, young-adult-thriller

*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

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Jun 21, 2019 Caryn - iam.caryn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-earc, read-2019, read-ya-mystery

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

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Jul 23, 2019 Christy rated it it was amazing

Ann consistently writes stories that are unputdownable, timely, and leave me waiting for her next book. Heartwood Box has the cover from a 90s horror/thriller and one of the most unique sci-fi mystery within. Absolutely loved this.

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Oct 01, 2019 Katrina♡•• rated it did not like it

Shelves: ugh-i-hate-it-already, ya

Dnf somewhere at the beginning

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Jun 06, 2019 Amber (The Book Bratz) rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019-reads, science-fiction, netgalley, reviewed, young-adult, horror

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 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. The only thing that got me through reading Heartwood Box was the need to know what the mystery behind the town was. Other then that there wasn't much. I wasn't really invested in the story or the characters.

The biggest thing about Heartwood Box that sticks out to me that on the first page Araceli mentions how she took the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) to the small sleepy town in which her great aunt Ottilie lives. But later on in the book it is mentioned that this unnamed sleepy town is about a half hour away from Silver Lake, New York which is ALL the way upstate in New York. Which is nowhere near Long Island. 336 miles away to be exact and 6 hours away. So, you're probably like: "Amber what is the point of this?" Well, Araceli technically should be taking Amtrak to get to her aunt's town. The LIRR is strictly Long Island, it runs from Manhattan and all the way to Long Island's Eastern tip (Montauk.) Basically, there is no way that the LIRR got Araceli from JFK airport to her new home 6 hours upstate. This little bit just annoyed me because it is something that is easily looked up and over looked. But this is part of New York and how you get from point A to point B. I feel like in this aspect at least there wasn't research done. Now, you're like: "Amber, this really isn't a big deal." But it bothered me.

I couldn't connect with Araceli. I found her to be whiny and a bit selfish. I don't know if this has to do with that I don't read contemporary often so I am not use to characters who actually act their age and are still in high school. But I found her immature and only out for herself. I also feel as if as a character I didn't really know her, I knew she moved around about once a year and her parents sent her to live with her aunt while the investigated civil unrest in Venezuela. But that is about it.

The only part of the novel I really enjoyed was the mystery aspect. Why can't she go into the woods? What are the lights? Why are people dissapearing? Why are there people wearing bio-hazard suits in the woods of the town? I wanted the answers to these questions and that is why I kept reading on rather then straight up DNFing it. I hate writing negative book reviews, but I also know that I am not going to love every single book I read. I am not saying that I though Heartwood Box was horrible, but there are a lot of things that could have changed or worked differently. This book and I just didn't mesh well and that's all there is to it really. ...more

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Jun 06, 2019 Jaye Berry added it

Shelves: ebook, ya, 2019

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

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Oct 08, 2019 Darla rated it really liked it

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

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Jun 19, 2019 Kelsea rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc

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 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 finished it, I thought 3.5 stars. And now that I’m writing my review days later, I’m tempted to give it 4 stars.

Weird, right? This occasionally happens to me, but it’s pretty rare. Usually my rating holds or I want to downgrade it later (I know, I’m terrible). So as you can see, this one is a difficult one to rate and review. I think it’s because my feelings about each aspect of the book varied to such extremes.

The Good:
I enjoyed the pacing of the story, the creepy vibe, and the mystery itself, which kept me guessing throughout! Each time I had to put the book down, I looked forward to picking it back up. The MC is biracial and her inner commentary on how that affects her life, as well as her observations on how racism affected those around her, were thought-provoking. They were not the focus of the story, but they were well incorporated. As for the feeling of the book, Heartwood Box gave me Stranger Things vibes, in that it took place in a small town where weird things were happening, there were kids trying to solve larger mysteries, and the story dipped into multiple genres. This book was unusual and disconcerting, which was just what I hoped for from a creepy Tor Teen title!

The Not-so-good:
As for the parts I didn’t love… well, the romance did not work for me at all. I understood the reason the author included it in the story, but I didn’t find it believable. There were also parts of the story that felt a little too easy -- obstacles that probably should have been more difficult for the characters to overcome. And the MC’s parents felt like a vague afterthought than real people.

In the end, the story left me plenty of food for thought. It’s enjoyable and it’s different. I can completely understand why some of the other early reviewers felt lukewarm about the book - like quite a few other Tor Teen titles, it’s a tale with a really specific audience, though it would be hard for me to define precisely who that audience might be. I think it’s worth experiencing for yourself -- just know going in that there is a LOT in this story, so even if not everything clicks for you, there’s a good chance that something in it will pique your interest!

Free advanced copy provided by Tor Teen through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Jul 10, 2019 Darcy rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, 2019, ya, audio-book

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

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Jun 30, 2019 Kayley Socks rated it it was ok

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

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Feb 04, 2022 Coco rated it liked it

Shelves: did-not-finish

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

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Jul 19, 2019 Amanda rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I loved it!
Araceli is staying in a small town in upstate NY with her great aunt Ottilie. Her parents are investigative journalists who report on dangerous situations and they did not want her with them for their assignment in Venezuela. Instead Araceli is to finish high school and take her SATs - the normal American teenage experience. But...Strange things happen in this town- there's many missing people (including Ottilie's husband Archibald), ghost lights in the woods, and ghostly presences e I loved it!
Araceli is staying in a small town in upstate NY with her great aunt Ottilie. Her parents are investigative journalists who report on dangerous situations and they did not want her with them for their assignment in Venezuela. Instead Araceli is to finish high school and take her SATs - the normal American teenage experience. But...Strange things happen in this town- there's many missing people (including Ottilie's husband Archibald), ghost lights in the woods, and ghostly presences eating food and walking around in people’s houses. Also there’s Fairhaven Lab, which is surrounded by gates and guards with its staff handling highly classified experiments. She makes friends with class clown and abused neighbor Logan Reed as well as the only other students who are POCs in a mostly white school. The town as a shady history of racism and rumors of former Nazi training camps. Araceli tries to adjust to life there by joining the dance team and spending time with Logan, who has a crush on her. Araceli finds a Heartwood Box in her Great Aunt’s junk room- a box which she eventually uses to communicate with a World War I soldier named Oliver. At first, it is a fluke- she puts a homework assignment in the box and it disappears. Then a response from Oliver appears and Araceli begins to communicate with him, slowly falling in love with him while sending him treats, a necklace and information to help him survive in upcoming battles. (Around the same time, Logan is hit with ghost lights, disappears and no one remembers him, which is odd.) When her friend Eunsoo and her dad become the next ones in town to disappear, Araceli and her friends decide to investigate the lab to figure out what is going on. It turns out that everything is associated with the Heartwood Box. The Box was a prototype for a form of time travel called a "time slip." The lab has six boxes in the woods and people get caught in this time slips, so they are neither here nor in another time. With some assistance from two employees - Eunsoo's mom and Dr. Edward Perry, and using Araceli's Heartwood Box as a locator, the teenagers destroy the boxes in the woods but Araceli is captured by evil Dr. Sofia Bruner, granddaughter of the famous German spy. Dr. Bruner wants to perfect time travel so she can change the timeline. She wants Germany to win World War I thinking that it would be better for the world, not thinking of all of the damage that messing with the timeline would cause. While captured, Araceli uses her Heartwood Box to send two messages: one to Oliver to tell him to move on and be happy and to raise his children to be good people, and another to the original inventor of the Heartwood Box to tell him to destroy his prototype before people like Dr. Bruner can use it for evil purposes. Dr. Perry frees Araceli, they destroy the prototypes in the lab and she throws the Heartwood Box into the time slip. When she wakes up, everything is different - all of the missing people are back as if they had never been gone, there is no Fairhaven Lab, her best friend is now Miguel not Eunsoo, she's not on the dance team, her parents are on assignment in Antarctica, and no one remembers what happened. Dr. Perry shows up at her school - he remembers what happened but its fading. He wants her to check if she still has the Heartwood Box so that she can destroy it while he destroys the other early prototype, before it is erased from his memory. He agrees that this reality is completely different and Araceli tells him about the two last letters she sent in the Heartwood Box, which is probably the reason. Araceli goes home and the Heartwood Box is there. She has Logan take her to a junk yard to destroy it. She cries because Oliver is now lost to her and she won't know what happened to him. Logan takes her to his house, where his parents are now no longer abusive, and tells her that he likes her and that he has ever since he heard her name. It turns out that his grandpa's first love was named Araceli... and his grandpa was OLIVER!!!! AAAAAAHHHHHH! He shows Araceli a photo album and there is her Oliver - the one she had been writing to. As Logan leaves the room, Araceli finds a letter in the album addressed to her in which Oliver said that he did what she asked him to do and hoped that she too would find happiness as his love for her has never died. And here comes Logan Oliver Reed, who was meant for her. Awesome. ...more

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Jun 27, 2019 Sara (A Gingerly Review) rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019, physical-2019

What an odd, odd story.

There was so much happening, so many separate storylines that it had me confused. Was this sci fi? Was this contemporary? Was this a mystery? It felt a little all over the place...

FRTC

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Jun 17, 2019 Yolanda rated it really liked it

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

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Jul 30, 2019 Beth rated it liked it

Shelves: edelweiss-books, 7th-grade

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

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Jul 12, 2019 Rose Quinn rated it it was amazing

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

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Jul 13, 2019 Annie Deo rated it it was ok

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 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."

Unfortunately the sci-fi thriller conspiracies didn't mesh well with the time-crossed love story, with not enough attention given to either leading to both plots feeling inadequately developed in the story. The premise was excellent as I could see the bones of a great book here, which is why I kept reading even when I was tempted to give up, but it was frustrating to see the lack of sufficient follow-through on either of the main elements because it kept me from being emotionally invested.

The Lake House aspect was particularly weak - our protagonist Araceli exchanges only a couple letters with Oliver, a soldier in World War I, before she's looking forward to hearing from him as the bright spot in her day (despite being mostly convinced that this is an elaborate hoax) and after a handful more, they're suddenly in love. It was completely unconvincing, which made Araceli's reckless decision to send intel to help Oliver even more idiotic - I could see how being in love would make you disregard the possible consequences to changing the timeline, but when I didn't even believe that love story, it made me feel even more detached and irritated with Araceli.

In contrast, watching Araceli unravel the mystery of what was afflicting the town and investigating the secret lab in the woods was much more interesting and a compelling enough hook to keep me turning the page. I couldn't work the cause behind the supernatural phenomena or what exactly the shady scientists were up to and how it was all related, the author successfully bamboozled me there! I just wish that Araceli's circle of friends were more well-developed because I couldn't distinguish one from another - I normally worked out who they were from context when the group was hanging out and exchanging banter, but this obviously wasn't possible in the action sequences.

The worst part is that Araceli had a best friend that she'd been communicating with online for years before coincidentally moving to her town and this built-in friendship was left to flounder instead of being given the page-time it deserved because Araceli's interactions with Logan, the boy next door, was prioritized instead! It made no sense to me that the girls were supposedly so close and excited to meet up in real life, but then Araceli had no plans to catch up with her as soon as she arrived in town - it felt like a plot hole that Araceli turned up for her first day of school only to find out it was a public holiday because Eunsoo didn't mention this for some reason when Araceli said she'd see her at school the next day! It seemed contrived just so that Araceli could meet Logan, which seems unnecessary as he lives right across the road from her.

When it actually IS the first day of school, instead of arranging to meet at a landmark like the front gate or the library or something that stands out, Eunsoo simply tells her that she'll be wearing a black hoodie with their favorite band on it. Mobile phones DO exist in this book, but apparently not to facilitate friends catching up, even though that's the main function of a teenager's phone! It's a shame that Eunsoo was set up as a character who would be important at the start because she ended up figuring so little into the plot that she could've been removed altogether without affecting anything, which is unfortunately true for a few characters and plot elements in this book that were equally undeveloped.

Overall, this wasn't for me, but the mystery aspect was fun and quite unique. I also appreciated Araceli being a biracial character and how this was subtly incorporated with micro-aggressions from the kids at school (intentional or not, like Logan mimicking her accent) and bonding with another girl over being the few POC in a predominantly white town.

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Disclaimer: I received a digital copy free from Tor Teen via Netgalley for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more

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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 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 assumptions. About what we can do to change our presents, and how that'll affect the future. About a lot of things, really.
This tale follows Araceli Flores Harper. A teenage girl dropped off in a very remote town. Supposedly it was for her own safety, but she ends up in more danger than she could have ever expected. But her presence may be exactly what this town needed – because there is something dark going on, and nobody but Araceli seems inclined to do anything about it.

(view spoiler)[
Warnings: Heartwood Box is a brilliant story, but like any dark novel, it has some edges to it. In this case there are missing persons (including children) and implications of racism. There's also an abusive relationship within, though it technically is never confirmed.
Heartwood Box was an absolutely thrilling and chilling novel. And I'll be honest with you – it was nothing like what I expected. In a good way. It was dark and supernatural, but the description doesn't do it justice. There is so much more to this novel. And I love that.
I love how many different elements were blended together to make this piece of work. It made for something truly unique and original, while still having a lot of familiar tones. That made it oddly comforting, if that makes any sense. Though at times I think it also added to the tension – because reflexively I knew when something bad was likely to happen.
There were elements of this book that reminded me of other stories. However, I will give Heartwood Box complete credit for a few things here. For one, Ann Aguirre owned up to any of the connections by referencing them directly. And for another, she made these bits her own, doing something new with them.
I expected the tension and fear, but I was surprised by many of the other emotions that this book brought up. I certainly wasn't expecting to well up at times. Though that was a nice surprise. I love novels that get under my skin. And Heartwood Box certainly did that.
As for the main character in this novel – Araceli – I was fascinated by her. She's a well designed character, for starters. Her backstory is so unique compared to so many of us who are stuck in one place. Yet it was easy to understand why she didn't love that lifestyle, while still being fully capable of learning so much from it. I adored her conviction and willingness to put herself on the line for her friends. It made her endearing.
I love that Ann Aguirre is experimenting with her writing. And that Heartwood Box was the result of that. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!
(hide spoiler)]

For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks ...more

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Jul 08, 2019 Dani Iglesia rated it liked it

*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 *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 much going on, there are so many facts that will cease your mind but in a good way. My brain didn’t overload because of the too much information that gathered together in this book. It’s weird to think of it, because I think the story have like lined up genre. I’ve read; ghost taunting, romance, sci-fi, action, suspense and even a little bit of history – I mean, WOW, everything just goes smoothly, goes with the flow and everything is linking together. It’s just crazy how the writes this, she’s pretty smart and feeling witty about it.

The twists of the story is okay, I like the fast paced action and non-stop looking for answers thingy but it takes really long to figure out. I think it’s because of the book is jumping in two different scenarios and it’s slows down the story. When they start colliding, it’s a blast of action and a lot of things happened quickly. AND the ending, my heart drop, UNEXPECTEDLY. One of my favorite ending ever, it’s really cheesy and I tear up a little because I didn’t expect it to happen. I’m TOTALLY shocked to be honest!

Onto the characters, so we have Araceli – having that name is a legend – a girl who travels to US to finish her high school and lives with her Great-Aunt Ottilie. So Araceli is smart, loves to dance and I think always curious. She’s been always a good friend to her squad and persistent to solve any mystery around the town. Then Logan, sweet young boy and loves poking around Araceli. It’s just painful to read him in this book, I really didn’t like that the character was fading in the void but I liked her personality though. He’s nice and I think he’s trying to be loved by his parents. Lastly, Oliver, her pen pal from WWI. He’s a fighter and his love for Araceli was perfect. But I don’t really feel attached to him unlike to Logan.

Overall, this book is a journey of emotions and different people in a haunting town. It’s captivating, it’ll give you the chills when you read it, it’s a casual read but I really liked it. This is my first time to read her book and might not be the last, I’m impressed to her writing and I cannot wait to read more! ...more

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Jul 07, 2019 Kristie Elston rated it really liked it

Shelves: dft-reviews

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 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 quite ready for what awaits her in a remote town in New York State. The first thing she notices are all the posters of people who have gone missing from the town. Then she starts to receive mysterious messages in a box that appear to be coming from the past, while Araceli’s Great Aunt leaves out food for the husband that disappeared twenty years ago. Araceli begins to believe that the mysterious lights in the forest and the creepy laboratory close to town have something to do with the disappearances.

The story has a lot going on and it’s pulling Araceli in different directions in order to solve the rash of disappearances. She decides to use her parents’ journalistic traits in order to investigate. It begins to get real personal when the one person Araceli knew before coming to town disappears. She does what no one else in town has done, actually investigate (thanks to a corrupt cop).

Araceli is an opinionated teenager and she has no problem telling it like it is especially when it comes to racism, as a Mexican American who has mainly grown up outside of the United States so she has definitely seen some things. She acts like she is proud but when someone tries to inquire about her accent or heritage she gets super defensive and refuses to answer. I get not wanting to tell people about yourself but I didn’t like how she handles those situations.

I didn’t quite get the romance aspect at first, especially since she thought someone was messing with her but then she abruptly falls in love. It just seemed to happen very fast. Then a bunch of timey whimey science things happen. I found the ending to be quite satisfying. The science didn’t have to be fully detailed to understand what was happening in the context of the story. I loved the writing and the mystery. I kept me intrigued with what was happening and kept me enthralled with the story. I didn’t want to put this book down until I knew exactly what was happening to this town.

FTC Advisory: Tor Teen provided me with a copy of Heartwood Box. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
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Jul 06, 2019 Justine rated it it was amazing

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 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 in this small town. When she arrives she see this wall full of missing posters. How could so many be missing from this small town? That is part of the mystery.

Her first night she hears weird sounds in the next room that she aunt has filled with junk. Araceli goes in there to investigate. Once in there she sees nothing. Not even an animal. But she sees this wooden box. Her aunt did say she could use anything in that room. So she takes it to put her small things in. Once safely in her room she inspects the box. Finds a old letter and reads it. And puts it back.

On her first day of school she is told to write a letter to someone. Anyone. After school she sees a poster for the dance team try outs. And she goes home. Once home she asks her aunt if there was a place for her to use for dance practice. Her aunt tells her as long as she doesn't do it late at night she can use the attic. But she will have to clean it up. She goes up to look at it. She sees the cord to turn the light bulb on, pull down and turn the light on by itself. Calmly she walks to turn it off and runs to her room. There is the paranormal.

Knowing that a letter to her parents would be too personal to read to the class, she writes back to Oliver. Once done she puts it back in the box and goes to eat and then bed. In the morning she goes to get the letter and both it and the original are gone. There is another mystery.

When she gets back from school she finds another, new letter in her box. From Oliver. How did it there? Is someone playing a joke on her? But she writes back. And she keeps getting letters and sending them back to Oliver. Soon she falls in love. There is the romance.

How is it historical fiction? Oliver is serving in War World One. And the science fiction come with the heartwood box. And it all seems to work! I never would have thought a book like this would work as well as it does. I recommend this book to anyone that likes any or all of these genres. ...more

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About Ann Aguirre

Ann Aguirre

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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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Talia Hibbert is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. A lifelong bookworm, she’s known for haunting the local library,...

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Quotes from Heartwood Box

“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.” — 0 likes

“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.” — 0 likes

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