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Only Love Can Break Your Heart
A grieving girl. An unexpected boy. A perfect love story . . . until it isn't perfect at all.
Sometimes a broken heart is all you need to set you free...
Reiko loves the endless sky and electric colors of the Californian desert. It is a refuge from an increasingly claustrophobic life of family pressures and her own secrets. Then she meets Seth, a boy who shares a love of the desert and her yearning for a different kind of life. But Reiko and Seth both want something the other can't give them. As summer ends, things begin to fall apart. But the end of love can sometimes be the beginning of you...
Sometimes a broken heart is all you need to set you free...
Reiko loves the endless sky and electric colors of the Californian desert. It is a refuge from an increasingly claustrophobic life of family pressures and her own secrets. Then she meets Seth, a boy who shares a love of the desert and her yearning for a different kind of life. But Reiko and Seth both want something the other can't give them. As summer ends, things begin to fall apart. But the end of love can sometimes be the beginning of you...
352 pages, Hardcover
First published August 2, 2018
33 people are currently reading
3151 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Webber
11 books692 followersKatherine Webber was born in Southern California in 1987. She has lived in Hong Kong, Hawaii, and Atlanta. She currently lives in London with her husband, Kevin, and their young daughter. In addition to her YA, Katherine also co-writes young fiction, as Katie Tsang, with Kevin.
Katherine studied Comparative Literature at the University of California, Davis and Chinese literature and language at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She has worked at an international translation company, a technology startup, and a reading charity. She now writes full time.
She loves an adventure, whether it is found in a book or in real life and has travelled to over 45 countries. Travel, books, and eating out are her favourite indulgences.
Katherine studied Comparative Literature at the University of California, Davis and Chinese literature and language at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She has worked at an international translation company, a technology startup, and a reading charity. She now writes full time.
She loves an adventure, whether it is found in a book or in real life and has travelled to over 45 countries. Travel, books, and eating out are her favourite indulgences.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews
January 14, 2019
”It’s easy to break an already broken heart”
Fun fact: the one and only Patrick Ness came up with the title for this book. If that had happened to me, I would cry forever.
Only Love Can Break Your Heart is a tender and complex story about loss and self-discovery. Reiko is a Japanese-American teenager. I immediately fell in love with her. She is a character with a lot of depth and many layers. It was fun to get to know her more and more throughout the story. On one hand, she is this is the smart, devoted, vulnerable, almost introverted teenager, on the other hand, she is a confident, passionate, flawed, headstrong young woman. My favourite characters are relatable, even though they're not always likeable. They're interesting, they make you curious. Reiko falls into that category. There were moments when I was in awe of her, there were moments when I was annoyed by her, and sometimes I was both things at once.
The beginning of the book was magical. Rock-climbing and picnics in the desert, sandstorms, the night sky, the tender blossoms of a romance. Until - spoilers ahead - it wasn't magical or romantic anymore. The relationship dynamics between Reiko and Seth grew into something unhealthy and toxic. And it took both of them sooo long to realise it, which bugged me more than just a little. They often acted out of selfishness. Even when their relationship was anything but harmonic, they would not let go of one another. And afterwards, they kept acting like idiots. I'm glad that Reiko went through some long-awaited character development. Not only because it took her a long time to recognise her own worth but also because she seemed unable to commit to any other relationship. She was so focused on herself and on Seth that her family and friends suffered from it.
But I don't want to speak too badly of Reiko. As I said, I admire her strength and passion. I'm glad she found the power to talk about why she was hurting and to find a way to open up to the people close to her. I wish more time was spent on Reiko's character development than on her desperate attempts to rescue and reanimate her relationship with Seth. It would have meant that I had less to nag and more to talk about how awesome Reiko is. Moreover, I admire Dre, her best friend, for never leaving Reiko's side, even though Reiko was self-centred and often inconsiderate. True friendship means so much, no matter how old you are, and cannot be taken for granted. Everybody deserves to have someone like Dre by their side.
At this stage, I need to issue a trigger warning. The book depicts a very intense scene of sexual assault. It was painful to read. In this scene, Reiko is kissing and making out with Seth, but when she starts to feel uncomfortable and wants him to stop, he ignores her until Reiko shoves him off. I am really glad that after that, Reiko writes Seth off forever. She tells him that he had no right to violate her the way he did, tells him that when someone says "stop", they mean it. And when she doubts and blames herself, her best friend tells her that it was never her fault, that she shouldn't blame herself - which, of course, is often easier said than done. But what remains true is that it was that bad and that it is never the victim's fault. Whenever I read young adult literature that discusses such essential topics, that is so openly feminist, I am proud of what YA literature can do. And I want to show both my middle fingers to every single person that dares to underestimate YA.
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Fun fact: the one and only Patrick Ness came up with the title for this book. If that had happened to me, I would cry forever.
Only Love Can Break Your Heart is a tender and complex story about loss and self-discovery. Reiko is a Japanese-American teenager. I immediately fell in love with her. She is a character with a lot of depth and many layers. It was fun to get to know her more and more throughout the story. On one hand, she is this is the smart, devoted, vulnerable, almost introverted teenager, on the other hand, she is a confident, passionate, flawed, headstrong young woman. My favourite characters are relatable, even though they're not always likeable. They're interesting, they make you curious. Reiko falls into that category. There were moments when I was in awe of her, there were moments when I was annoyed by her, and sometimes I was both things at once.
The beginning of the book was magical. Rock-climbing and picnics in the desert, sandstorms, the night sky, the tender blossoms of a romance. Until - spoilers ahead - it wasn't magical or romantic anymore. The relationship dynamics between Reiko and Seth grew into something unhealthy and toxic. And it took both of them sooo long to realise it, which bugged me more than just a little. They often acted out of selfishness. Even when their relationship was anything but harmonic, they would not let go of one another. And afterwards, they kept acting like idiots. I'm glad that Reiko went through some long-awaited character development. Not only because it took her a long time to recognise her own worth but also because she seemed unable to commit to any other relationship. She was so focused on herself and on Seth that her family and friends suffered from it.
But I don't want to speak too badly of Reiko. As I said, I admire her strength and passion. I'm glad she found the power to talk about why she was hurting and to find a way to open up to the people close to her. I wish more time was spent on Reiko's character development than on her desperate attempts to rescue and reanimate her relationship with Seth. It would have meant that I had less to nag and more to talk about how awesome Reiko is. Moreover, I admire Dre, her best friend, for never leaving Reiko's side, even though Reiko was self-centred and often inconsiderate. True friendship means so much, no matter how old you are, and cannot be taken for granted. Everybody deserves to have someone like Dre by their side.
At this stage, I need to issue a trigger warning. The book depicts a very intense scene of sexual assault. It was painful to read. In this scene, Reiko is kissing and making out with Seth, but when she starts to feel uncomfortable and wants him to stop, he ignores her until Reiko shoves him off. I am really glad that after that, Reiko writes Seth off forever. She tells him that he had no right to violate her the way he did, tells him that when someone says "stop", they mean it. And when she doubts and blames herself, her best friend tells her that it was never her fault, that she shouldn't blame herself - which, of course, is often easier said than done. But what remains true is that it was that bad and that it is never the victim's fault. Whenever I read young adult literature that discusses such essential topics, that is so openly feminist, I am proud of what YA literature can do. And I want to show both my middle fingers to every single person that dares to underestimate YA.
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May 21, 2018
I've not read a YA book like it, but teens REALLY need more novels as nuanced and brilliant as this one. It sends such a great message that true love starts from within. Not to be missed.
dnf
September 18, 2018DNF at page 155.
We’re gonna have to cut this bookish relationship short, book.
I’ve been reading this book since yesterday and from the beginning, I’ve had issues with the characters, the writing and how quickly the friendship/relationship was developing.
It wasn’t insta-lovey. Just felt forced. As did the writing for me. I wasn’t feeling any kind of connection towards our main character, even though she just lost her sister and is grieving. Her friendship with Seth just came out of nowhere and all of a sudden she feels connected to him, but also suffocated, because she knows she’ll get judged for hanging around with someone like him. And he seems to be pinning his well-being to her, almost.
Then there’s the issue with the fact that she still sees her sister and the grief aspect not feeling substantial. It was just there, lurking in the background and crept into the story just for the sake of it.
The pacing felt off to me and I wasn’t convinced by the story in no way.
And if I’m not connecting to a story 155 pages in, I don’t see the point in continuing. Especially when at the back of my head, I kept thinking I wanted to DNF it. As well as me being reluctant to pick it up.
It’s a no from me.
We’re gonna have to cut this bookish relationship short, book.
I’ve been reading this book since yesterday and from the beginning, I’ve had issues with the characters, the writing and how quickly the friendship/relationship was developing.
It wasn’t insta-lovey. Just felt forced. As did the writing for me. I wasn’t feeling any kind of connection towards our main character, even though she just lost her sister and is grieving. Her friendship with Seth just came out of nowhere and all of a sudden she feels connected to him, but also suffocated, because she knows she’ll get judged for hanging around with someone like him. And he seems to be pinning his well-being to her, almost.
Then there’s the issue with the fact that she still sees her sister and the grief aspect not feeling substantial. It was just there, lurking in the background and crept into the story just for the sake of it.
The pacing felt off to me and I wasn’t convinced by the story in no way.
And if I’m not connecting to a story 155 pages in, I don’t see the point in continuing. Especially when at the back of my head, I kept thinking I wanted to DNF it. As well as me being reluctant to pick it up.
It’s a no from me.
November 8, 2019
Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com
Teenager Reiko lives in California with her American mother, Japanese father and younger brother Koji. She also has a relationship with her deceased sister Mika whom only she can see. She is one of the popular girls at school along with her friends Andrea (Dre) and Libby.
She has a love for the desert and likes to climb and watch the sun rise and fall. It is on one of her climbs in the desert that she meets Seth, although he goes to the same school and attends some of the same classes, she’s just never noticed him before. Whilst at school Reiko finds that she has to act like someone she isn’t, be one of the ‘in-crowd’ but around Seth, she suddenly feels like she can be herself, there is a real connection between the two.
With the summer holidays upon them before they start their last year at school, Reiko and Seth find that they are spending more and more time together. They can be free when it is just the two of them but they are both heading down different paths. As the holiday’s come to an end will their love survive or is it time to head off on their own journeys?
Only Love Can Break Your Heart is a powerful YA novel that deals with grief, friendship, toxic relationships, family life and the coming of age. I really loved both Reiko and Seth’s characters they were both lost souls for different reasons, both trying to find their place in the world and coming to terms with events that happened to them in their past.
The story begins with a real tear-jerker of a chapter. Reiko and her sister are getting up early to watch the sunrise together, they laugh and joke together, then we learn that Mika isn’t really there as she died a couple of years ago but Reiko can’t let go of her.
I adored the book and the connection that Reiko and Seth had, especially as they were from very different backgrounds and lifestyles, yet they fitted together perfectly. It was enjoyable to watch them both grow and to understand the world around them better. There were times when I was a little shocked at their actions and the way they were with one another or their behaviour but this made the book more realistic to me.
Overall it is an adorable book which I enjoyed from cover to cover and I was glad their story ended the way it did.
Teenager Reiko lives in California with her American mother, Japanese father and younger brother Koji. She also has a relationship with her deceased sister Mika whom only she can see. She is one of the popular girls at school along with her friends Andrea (Dre) and Libby.
She has a love for the desert and likes to climb and watch the sun rise and fall. It is on one of her climbs in the desert that she meets Seth, although he goes to the same school and attends some of the same classes, she’s just never noticed him before. Whilst at school Reiko finds that she has to act like someone she isn’t, be one of the ‘in-crowd’ but around Seth, she suddenly feels like she can be herself, there is a real connection between the two.
With the summer holidays upon them before they start their last year at school, Reiko and Seth find that they are spending more and more time together. They can be free when it is just the two of them but they are both heading down different paths. As the holiday’s come to an end will their love survive or is it time to head off on their own journeys?
Only Love Can Break Your Heart is a powerful YA novel that deals with grief, friendship, toxic relationships, family life and the coming of age. I really loved both Reiko and Seth’s characters they were both lost souls for different reasons, both trying to find their place in the world and coming to terms with events that happened to them in their past.
The story begins with a real tear-jerker of a chapter. Reiko and her sister are getting up early to watch the sunrise together, they laugh and joke together, then we learn that Mika isn’t really there as she died a couple of years ago but Reiko can’t let go of her.
I adored the book and the connection that Reiko and Seth had, especially as they were from very different backgrounds and lifestyles, yet they fitted together perfectly. It was enjoyable to watch them both grow and to understand the world around them better. There were times when I was a little shocked at their actions and the way they were with one another or their behaviour but this made the book more realistic to me.
Overall it is an adorable book which I enjoyed from cover to cover and I was glad their story ended the way it did.
February 16, 2019
book #4 done for the contemporary-a-thon under the challenge of: a book with “blurple” on the cover ✔
i read katherine webber's debut novel, Wing Jones and REALLY enjoyed it, so going into this book, my expectations were already pretty high
but i just found myself so detached while reading it. the story has a lot of potential and i can see why it is such a loved book but i mainly had issues with reiko, our main character. she's (somewhat) conceited, her character is flat, and she's part of this ~mean girls squad~ (which is FINE, i dont fault books that use that trope if it's done well, BUT i didnt think it was done particularity well)
i liked the grief aspect with her sister but i just wished the book explored that more instead of the romance. the romance was NOT my thing at all.
from the beginning, it was kinda insta love-y and then it got toxic real quick. both of them did some really awful stuff and the ending was a nice conclusion and all but i was just left very,,,,,perplexed
eh, i guess it just wasn't my cup of tea
i read katherine webber's debut novel, Wing Jones and REALLY enjoyed it, so going into this book, my expectations were already pretty high
but i just found myself so detached while reading it. the story has a lot of potential and i can see why it is such a loved book but i mainly had issues with reiko, our main character. she's (somewhat) conceited, her character is flat, and she's part of this ~mean girls squad~ (which is FINE, i dont fault books that use that trope if it's done well, BUT i didnt think it was done particularity well)
i liked the grief aspect with her sister but i just wished the book explored that more instead of the romance. the romance was NOT my thing at all.
from the beginning, it was kinda insta love-y and then it got toxic real quick. both of them did some really awful stuff and the ending was a nice conclusion and all but i was just left very,,,,,perplexed
eh, i guess it just wasn't my cup of tea
August 9, 2018
Beautifully written. I treasured every minute. My full review www.bookread2day.wordpress.com
September 7, 2018
This YA standalone contemporary romance novel caught my interest a while back, but sadly fell a little flat for me. The main character Reiko is Japanese-American and struggling to come to terms with her sister's death. The storyline takes place over the course of a school year in California. Reiko is adventurous and decides to spend time with a fellow classmate called Seth. Their lives change over the course of the year, including applying to Colleges and friendship fall-outs. The pacing at times was a little slow, I disliked Seth as a character. I found some of his actions towards Reiko to be quite toxic. The romance I also wasn't a huge fan of with one scene in particular quite uncomfortable for me to read.
April 30, 2018
This book! THIS BOOK!
Seriously you guys, this is one of my favourite books I've read so far this year. I've come to love the characters with a fierceness because of how achingly human they are. And that is what makes this book so special, so relatable. Even though Reiko, our MC, has bad traits/habits, you cannot help but love her, because you see how she learns. a.k.a.: the character development is wonderfully well done.
The writing is beautiful, heartbreakingly beautiful. It made me cry, it made me happy... It was if I were right there. It made me storm through this book like a train. I could not put it down.
Please read this when it releases. Trust me.
Seriously you guys, this is one of my favourite books I've read so far this year. I've come to love the characters with a fierceness because of how achingly human they are. And that is what makes this book so special, so relatable. Even though Reiko, our MC, has bad traits/habits, you cannot help but love her, because you see how she learns. a.k.a.: the character development is wonderfully well done.
The writing is beautiful, heartbreakingly beautiful. It made me cry, it made me happy... It was if I were right there. It made me storm through this book like a train. I could not put it down.
Please read this when it releases. Trust me.
August 14, 2018
There are no words to articulate how amazing this book is. You MUST pick this up when it's out.
Reiko is a force to be reckoned with and her story is one everyone needs to read.
RE-READ:
Just as amazing. Katie Webber can do no wrong
Reiko is a force to be reckoned with and her story is one everyone needs to read.
RE-READ:
Just as amazing. Katie Webber can do no wrong
March 31, 2018
Katherine Webber is a master at capturing the subtle nuances of changing social interactions. I am in awe of her characterisations. (Also, I now reaaaaally want to visit a desert. The tortoises! The moon flowers!)
July 8, 2018
When I first saw the cover of this book I knew I had to request it. I already bought a book by this author last year – Wing Jones – and while I hadn’t gotten around to reading it myself, I had heard the most wonderful things about it from people I trust, so I was sure this book was probably going to be wonderful as well. And it was.
The writing in this book is very atmospheric and pulls you into the book from the first page on, and doesn’t release you until you’ve finished the whole thing. That’s how I ended up reading the whole evening instead of studying for my finals, which might not have been the best decision but I don’t regret any of it. And no matter how heavy the subjects you read about are, the writing still feels so incredibly comforting. It’s almost like a big, warm hug.
The plot is very multi-layered and deals with a whole bunch of different things like social hierachy, grief, romance, heartbreak and it does it in an incredibly powerful, yet nuanced way. I especially loved how it dealt with the romance, since oftentimes in YA romance is treated a little like a beautiful fairy tale and the most magical thing you can experience, while the reality often doesn’t reflect this. The book definitely has a more realistic take on this, which I really appreciated.
The characters are very well-rounded and feel human. They don’t always make the best decisions and definitely have their flaws, but you still root for them and love them because you can recognize this bit of imperfection. And you might even be able to relate to it. I definitely found this hard in the beginning and felt very frustrated with the characters, but there’s a lot of character growth and self-realization in the book, which really turned this around for me.
I have to admit that this book made me feel a lot. The first chapter already gave me chills, and I cried a lot at the ending. This book definitely makes your heart feel heavy, but also gives you hope. And it’s wonderful.
The book is very heavy and if it’s hard for you to deal with topics like grief/loss of a sibling, please be careful with it, but otherwise I would 100% recommend this book. And I’m definitely going to pick up that unread copy of Wing Jones from my TBR shelf very very soon, because I can’t get enough of Katherine Webber’s writing.
The writing in this book is very atmospheric and pulls you into the book from the first page on, and doesn’t release you until you’ve finished the whole thing. That’s how I ended up reading the whole evening instead of studying for my finals, which might not have been the best decision but I don’t regret any of it. And no matter how heavy the subjects you read about are, the writing still feels so incredibly comforting. It’s almost like a big, warm hug.
The plot is very multi-layered and deals with a whole bunch of different things like social hierachy, grief, romance, heartbreak and it does it in an incredibly powerful, yet nuanced way. I especially loved how it dealt with the romance, since oftentimes in YA romance is treated a little like a beautiful fairy tale and the most magical thing you can experience, while the reality often doesn’t reflect this. The book definitely has a more realistic take on this, which I really appreciated.
The characters are very well-rounded and feel human. They don’t always make the best decisions and definitely have their flaws, but you still root for them and love them because you can recognize this bit of imperfection. And you might even be able to relate to it. I definitely found this hard in the beginning and felt very frustrated with the characters, but there’s a lot of character growth and self-realization in the book, which really turned this around for me.
I have to admit that this book made me feel a lot. The first chapter already gave me chills, and I cried a lot at the ending. This book definitely makes your heart feel heavy, but also gives you hope. And it’s wonderful.
The book is very heavy and if it’s hard for you to deal with topics like grief/loss of a sibling, please be careful with it, but otherwise I would 100% recommend this book. And I’m definitely going to pick up that unread copy of Wing Jones from my TBR shelf very very soon, because I can’t get enough of Katherine Webber’s writing.
July 1, 2018
3 stars
Look I really enjoy this book. But I don’t know why I just couldn’t feel connected with her character. Like it didn’t do much as much as I hoped for. There are so much emotional thing and I feel bad for a lot of times. Especially knowing what she has to go through. But yeap... maybe it’s just didn’t work for me sadly :(
However the whole story was pretty good. I am pretty sure a lot of you will enjoy it more than I do.
* Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy :)
Look I really enjoy this book. But I don’t know why I just couldn’t feel connected with her character. Like it didn’t do much as much as I hoped for. There are so much emotional thing and I feel bad for a lot of times. Especially knowing what she has to go through. But yeap... maybe it’s just didn’t work for me sadly :(
However the whole story was pretty good. I am pretty sure a lot of you will enjoy it more than I do.
* Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy :)
August 20, 2018
This review was originally published on Blogs of a Bookaholic.
Oh my god guys. Oh. My. God. This book, SLAYED MY HEART. It squidged and bruised and punched it, and then turned it into joy confetti. WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?! Thank you universe for putting this little miracle of a book in my path. This is 100% the best book I've read this year, and I have a feeling a lot of people will be talking about it (in between uncontrollable sobbing). The thing is, it looks like such a sweet little unassuming book, BUT DON’T BE FOOLED. Inside is hidden treasure folks, shiny awesome desert treasure.
When I read Webber’s debut novel Wing Jones I was impressed. It was so polished I couldn’t believe that it was her first novel. However, Only Love Can Break Your Heart raises the bar to a whole other level. The writing is slick and smooth, and so unbelievably emotive. Webber’s writing shines as bright as the desert stars she depicts and is as hopeful as the morning sunrise over the rocky sand. It’s also got an almost dreamy/surreal quality to it – it sucks you in and the rest of the world fades away. This is also helped by the short manageable chapters that make it difficult to put down, and when I did put it down, I still couldn’t stop thinking about the story. I honestly haven’t read a book that has made me feel this emotional in a long time!
Only Love Can Break Your Heart isn’t so much a love story, as a story about love in all its different forms.
*This story is about love and grief.*
As we enter the story, our wonderful protagonist Reiko (pronounced Ray-Koh) is struggling to process the unexpected death of her older sister. While the world continues on, and her family seems to be coping, Reiko is unable to let go. Her every step and breath aches. She is so vulnerable and fragile, and when no one is looking, she still confides in the ghost of her dead sister.
To cope, Reiko is determined to be the best she can be, she has to live her life for two people now. She must keep her grades up and go to university because her sister is unable to; she must be popular and hang out with the right people, be seen at all the parties, date the cutest boys, and be prom queen – because her sister has been robbed, stolen too soon. While Reiko’s character initially seems arrogant and self-centered, and she doesn’t always treat people well, we soon learn that this comes from a very deep place. Reiko is fighting against the person she feels she should be, and the person she really is – and I’m gonna be honest with y’all, while she’s figuring it out, she’s going to be a bit of a b***.
*This story is about love and wanderlust.*
When no one is looking in the dead of night, Reiko regularly sneaks out into the desert. She looks up at the stars and wonders at the beauty of nature. She rock climbs in the moonlight. In the desert, Reiko can be free and alone with her own thoughts. No pressure, no persona to keep up. But that all changes when one warm night she bumps into another lone soul in the desert’s wide expanse.
*This is a story about romantic love. Why do we seek it? When is it real?*
The romance in this story is so realistic and complex. When Reiko and Seth meet in the desert they seem to be kindred souls. Both feel lost and alone, both unable to be who they feel they want to be. They spend their time exploring, and they’re just cute enough to make the readers heart do that little squeezey flip flop thing. Yet there’s just something, some small niggle that doesn’t feel quite right, and that’s because Webber digs deeper – because do we ever truly know another person or what’s in their mind? When we fall in love or lust, do we fall for the actual person or for the idea of them? Or maybe because of how they make us feel? Maybe they can provide something we don’t have, or help us escape from something? Also, what do you do when one person in the relationship has more power than the other?
I loved watching this complex relationship develop, and in some ways, I wish we could also have a separate version of the book where we see Seth’s point of view because both these characters have their own story to tell. There is also a really poignant scene on consent which was sensitively done, and made me automatically reward the author with 10 bonus points!
*This story is about love and family.*
Throughout her grief, Reiko has spent a lot of time shutting her family out, and as the story progresses we slowly see them chipping at Reiko’s exterior and finding a way in. I’m kind of in love with Reiko’s family and how caring and considerate they are. I want to hang out with them because they are all kinds of ice cream with sprinkles and chocolate sauce on top. Reiko’s dad is Japanese and Reiko’s mum is American – they are both all kinds of awesome. I also need to squidge Reiko’s cute younger brother up in a bear hug because he was just so adorable and he was one of my favourite parts of the novel!
*Most importantly, this story is about learning to love yourself.*
Reiko goes on one heck of an emotional journey in this novel. She thinks she’s whole, she thinks she’s got everything figured out, but it is only when she falls to pieces and loses everything she previously thought was important that she understands who she really is, and no matter how many coming of age YA novels I read, there is something truly beautiful about that.
Overall, Only Love Can Break Your Heart is a stunningly emotionally charged tale of grief, family, strength and self-discovery with one of the most realistic romantic relationships I have ever read. This review feels so inadequate at expressing how exceptional this book was. But ultimately, I feel no number of words in a review could do this book justice!
July 14, 2018
I absolutely loved this book. Wing Jones was one of the best debuts I've ever come across, with its compelling voice and powerful message about believing in yourself, and Only Love Can Break Your Heart is even better. Katherine has a real gift for creating nuanced characters and unravelling their reactions to complicated, and often painful, real-life situations. Her books lift a mirror to how messy we all are, and you'll always feel better about yourself for seeing it. Reiko isn't perfect, and I loved that about her – I was rooting for her all the way through.
Get your hands on Only Love Can Break Your Heart this summer and treat your soul to stunning descriptions of the desert, a star-bright voice, and a gloriously tangled story of healing, family, grief, and love – not with a boy, but with a place, and with yourself.
Get your hands on Only Love Can Break Your Heart this summer and treat your soul to stunning descriptions of the desert, a star-bright voice, and a gloriously tangled story of healing, family, grief, and love – not with a boy, but with a place, and with yourself.
April 6, 2021
I really did not enjoy the relationship in this book. I disliked Seth since the beginning and it was just such a toxic relationship. The relationship also wasn't really well written in my opinion, I couldn't make a connection with Reiko nor Seth.
What I do love about this book is Reiko's family. They kinda kept the story together and made me emotional while reading. But not thát good because it's still a two star read for me.
It's great that Reiko got to know herself a lot better, but I just didn't really care for it throughout reading this book.
What I do love about this book is Reiko's family. They kinda kept the story together and made me emotional while reading. But not thát good because it's still a two star read for me.
It's great that Reiko got to know herself a lot better, but I just didn't really care for it throughout reading this book.
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June 4, 2021An absolutely stunning read that has you casting your mind back to teenage heartbreak. Katie’s prose is so natural and smooth, like a comforting hot chocolate by a campfire. It’s a great contemporary read and somehow manages to be even better than the fabulous Wing Jones. Brava, Katie, brava!
March 2, 2020
I was not a fan. The main character is very shallow and doesn't improve much throughout the story and then the romance in here is just bad. It starts off sweet but then just turns cringy. I was not a fan.
January 15, 2018
Stunning.
July 26, 2019
2 stars.
I might go into more detail at a later point on why I didn’t like Only Love Can Break Your Heart (spoilers: I will probably never come back to this review, so don’t let me lie to you), but at the moment, I’m going to keep it short. This book had a lot of potential, especially when it came to Reiko’s mental health and her grief, but it fell short in so many ways. I really didn’t like Reiko, and even though I understand where the author was trying to go with this character, she just felt really shallow and flat. And instead of focusing on her grief, we focus more on a relationship that was kind of unhealthy and full of instalove. There was just a lot about it that I didn’t like, even if there was so much potential for me to love it.
”I hold my head high under an invisible crown as I glide from class to class, still smiling all the while, and when I feel myself about to stumble, I remind myself who I am. I’m Reiko Smith-Mori. I shine the brightest. But sometimes I wonder if it will ever be enough, if I'll ever be enough.”
I might go into more detail at a later point on why I didn’t like Only Love Can Break Your Heart (spoilers: I will probably never come back to this review, so don’t let me lie to you), but at the moment, I’m going to keep it short. This book had a lot of potential, especially when it came to Reiko’s mental health and her grief, but it fell short in so many ways. I really didn’t like Reiko, and even though I understand where the author was trying to go with this character, she just felt really shallow and flat. And instead of focusing on her grief, we focus more on a relationship that was kind of unhealthy and full of instalove. There was just a lot about it that I didn’t like, even if there was so much potential for me to love it.
May 22, 2020
4,5/10
Думала изначально, что поставлю звёзды четыре, но потом просто герои начали раздражать, сначала один, потом другой. И книга показалась немного затянутой.
Думала изначально, что поставлю звёзды четыре, но потом просто герои начали раздражать, сначала один, потом другой. И книга показалась немного затянутой.
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May 15, 2018Beautifully written, about love and heartbreak in a gorgeous desert setting. Will make you nostalgic for that magical feeling you get during school summers.
September 16, 2018
So I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, the story line following Reiko’s grief and how she learned to cope with it was perfect. I loved her friendship with Dre and her need to live up to a certain standard at school for her sister Mika’s sake - all of this was written so well.
What I couldn’t stand was the romance. Even at the beginning when Seth was meant to be the nice guy, I couldn’t stand him and saw right through his act - that boy was always toxic. Perhaps Reiko was using him in her own way, but Seth was so clingy and pushy and I hate how he tried to guilt trip her for wanting to see her friends when she’d spent the whole summer driving him round the desert. I honestly spent a lot of the first half of the book waiting for the moment when the two would undoubtedly break up so I didn’t have to read about Seth anymore. I think this would have been a stronger story without the romance, just focusing on Reiko’s grief and loneliness, her dreams of Japan and her family expectations.
What I couldn’t stand was the romance. Even at the beginning when Seth was meant to be the nice guy, I couldn’t stand him and saw right through his act - that boy was always toxic. Perhaps Reiko was using him in her own way, but Seth was so clingy and pushy and I hate how he tried to guilt trip her for wanting to see her friends when she’d spent the whole summer driving him round the desert. I honestly spent a lot of the first half of the book waiting for the moment when the two would undoubtedly break up so I didn’t have to read about Seth anymore. I think this would have been a stronger story without the romance, just focusing on Reiko’s grief and loneliness, her dreams of Japan and her family expectations.
November 28, 2019
3.5 stars? EDIT I think 4?
Yeah idk, the first part with Seth was instalovey but there wasn't a real spark. They would have been better as friends, but okay. It got toxic real quick and that was sad honestly, because I expected a good romance... The toxic romance first annoyed me but later on I understood it better, the main characters both needed something from the other. Seth was a character I didn't like and Reiko is one I'm not really have a big opinion on. The last part of the book was more focused on grief and A LOT BETTER. So yeah the romance hell no, the last hundred pages made me tear up a little, so much better. I expected more from this book but oh well, maybe next time more luck :)
Yeah idk, the first part with Seth was instalovey but there wasn't a real spark. They would have been better as friends, but okay. It got toxic real quick and that was sad honestly, because I expected a good romance... The toxic romance first annoyed me but later on I understood it better, the main characters both needed something from the other. Seth was a character I didn't like and Reiko is one I'm not really have a big opinion on. The last part of the book was more focused on grief and A LOT BETTER. So yeah the romance hell no, the last hundred pages made me tear up a little, so much better. I expected more from this book but oh well, maybe next time more luck :)
April 7, 2020
What a lovely book. The characters are flawed and real and unreliable and I adore that. The whole story is just so beautiful and my emotions were all over the place while I was reading it.
Katherine Webber's writing is somehow both gritty and lyrical while also being quick, smart and to the point, I've not really read any writing quite like it. She really knows how to pull at your heart strings and capture you in a story. And regarding the character arc's, they were stunningly well woven together and I really enjoyed the fact that the growth was realistic. As a whole it wasn't pleasant to read at times but I feel like it was a necessary tale to tell.
Katherine Webber's writing is somehow both gritty and lyrical while also being quick, smart and to the point, I've not really read any writing quite like it. She really knows how to pull at your heart strings and capture you in a story. And regarding the character arc's, they were stunningly well woven together and I really enjoyed the fact that the growth was realistic. As a whole it wasn't pleasant to read at times but I feel like it was a necessary tale to tell.
August 8, 2018
I read almost all of Only Love Can Break Your Heart on hot tube journeys this past Sunday. The thick dry air was as close to the desert as I could get in London.
Reiko longs for adventure, for escape from her feelings, to find beautiful things in the desert at night. When a chance encounter brings loner Seth Rogers into her orbit, they embark on a series of night time adventures into the dark. Anything to keep her mind from her grieving. But as it becomes clear that neither Reiko nor Seth can be what the other person needs, their bond begins to crumble.
I absolutely loved the second novel from @kwebberwanders. She has captured the particular pain of falling for the wrong person so eloquently, how complicated a heartbreak can be when there’s so much confusion about your feelings. I’m also a sucker for a complex protagonist and Reiko is spiky, complicated and oftentimes unlikeable, but always a compelling character to follow. Katherine Webber’s narrative voice remains as strong as in her debut, with otherworldly elements tied in once again, this time through Reiko’s dead sister Mika.
Webber continues to be a shining voice in young adult literature today and I look forward to reading more of her work.
Reiko longs for adventure, for escape from her feelings, to find beautiful things in the desert at night. When a chance encounter brings loner Seth Rogers into her orbit, they embark on a series of night time adventures into the dark. Anything to keep her mind from her grieving. But as it becomes clear that neither Reiko nor Seth can be what the other person needs, their bond begins to crumble.
I absolutely loved the second novel from @kwebberwanders. She has captured the particular pain of falling for the wrong person so eloquently, how complicated a heartbreak can be when there’s so much confusion about your feelings. I’m also a sucker for a complex protagonist and Reiko is spiky, complicated and oftentimes unlikeable, but always a compelling character to follow. Katherine Webber’s narrative voice remains as strong as in her debut, with otherworldly elements tied in once again, this time through Reiko’s dead sister Mika.
Webber continues to be a shining voice in young adult literature today and I look forward to reading more of her work.
December 28, 2018
Only Love Can Break Your Heart is the second novel by my friend and UKYA-er Katie Webber, who also wrote Wing Jones. Reiko's older sister died a few years ago and she's still struggling to come to terms with it – especially as she rarely talks about her sister, and certainly doesn't tell people that she can still see and speak to her. When she becomes unlikely friends with Seth, she learns that there's more than one way to break a heart.
Continue reading this review over on Pretty Books.
Thank you to the publisher for providing this book for review!
Continue reading this review over on Pretty Books.
Thank you to the publisher for providing this book for review!
February 1, 2023
"Nobody knows about the holes inside of me.
I put on concealer, hiding the dark circles. I paint on bright lipstick.
And I smile.
All day long."
dang this book felt like a slap. ngl it wasn't the great but i enjoyed reading it so yeah
I put on concealer, hiding the dark circles. I paint on bright lipstick.
And I smile.
All day long."
dang this book felt like a slap. ngl it wasn't the great but i enjoyed reading it so yeah
May 31, 2018
Loved this. Quite a few moments when tears threatened to spill over!
August 22, 2018
Gorgeous. Will break your heart then put it back together again.
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