Once Upon a Broken Heart series by Stephanie Garber -> Starting April 4th, 2025

[Brittni]

Still planning to come back for number 2!

[Grace]

Number 2 is probably the best book in all the ones we read Brittni! You must!

I'm coming for book 3 around the 2nd week of June

[Brittni]

Love that! I'll try to join!

[Kim]

i need to finish before jumping into book 2 of this. i really need to plan by BR more thoughtfully. 4 series reads in 1 month is unrealistic

[Haley]

I'm in the same boat Kim! I don't know how I thought I would manage multiple series at once lol

[Brittni]

Ok! Finished and coming back for the comments shortly.

Jumped into today!

[Brittni]

Chapter 4

(view spoiler)[Ok well, screw Apollo. That's obvious, but really, he's not great.

I'm excited to get into this one! I have no idea how everything is going to go with Jacks right now and her memory. He took so much from her! He will be furious when he finds out! Apollo is also telling everyone that Jacks is at at fault for everything.

I didn't know that we were getting some Apollo chapters in this one. That's interesting! (hide spoiler)]

[Brittni]

Grace wrote: "so I've been told that is the best book in the series and ever written by her, and I kind of want to agree!

such a page turner! had to force myself t..."

(view spoiler)[Ah! I loved Jacks in this one so much!

Also, at the beginning I felt soooo lost haha. It had been quite a long time since I read the first one. I think it would have been beneficial to reread it before jumping into the second. It really took me a bit to remember what in the world was happening. (hide spoiler)]

[Brittni]

Grace wrote: "I need you to read and finish The Ballad of Never After because I need to start book 3 IMMEDIATELY.

Like right now, I am in these states:
SHUT THE F UP
GET OUT OF HERE
NO WAY
My ..."

YES! This was a wild read!

[Grace]

Started yesterday

[Grace]

Brittni wrote: "
Chapter 4

Ok well, screw Apollo. That's obvious, but really, he's not great.

I'm excited to get into this one! I have no idea how everything is going ..."

(view spoiler)[I saw someone say we hate Apollo but realised that we do only when I started this.

Damn.

Also, I am rethinking. Was it the Valor dad who took her memories and not Apollo at the end of Ballad of never after? I might have assumed it was Apollo but kept asking myself how would he get the magic for it. Now it makes more sense.

And where is Jacks??? (hide spoiler)]

[Grace]

I'm crying wayy too much in book 3 😭
Been doing so since chp 26, now in chp 30

Will share updates tomorrow

[Brittni]

Chapter 26

(view spoiler)[OK so I absolutely despise Apollo. I'm not sure he can get any worse at this point but I'm afraid he does. Him killing the last family member just to be able to blame everything on Jacks was horrendous.

The "little fox" almost broke me and then she realized that she was also living within his best day. Ugh, I'm obsessed with this book right now. I'm loving Jacks even more than I did before which is impressive.

That said, I'm listening to this one as I have the other ones, and the addition of a male narrator for the Apollo and Jacks chapters is horrible. He destroys Jacks for me and I'm left wishing that Rebecca was narrating the entire thing. Jacks sounds almost creepy in it and there are multiple missed opportunities for him to sound sooooo much better. (hide spoiler)]

[Grace]

Absolutely agree, I hate the male narrator. I really wish Rebecca Soler is doing this alone

[Grace]

=> Chp 31
Okay I have so much to actually catch up to in updating here ughhh I'm just reading for now and my thoughts are somewhere else

But

(view spoiler)[I'm wondering if the cuff Jacks put on her is Vengeance Slaughtwoord's cuff, and if it stops her magic, so that way no one can use her anymore, and there's no way to remove it?

I am terrified of Apollo actually managing to turn immortal ughhhh.
And, is the Phoenix tree the same as the tree of souls? Is that why it's forbidden to pick any leaves? Just another myth and story curse? (hide spoiler)]

[Haley]

finally started

reading your thoughts brittni & grace ch 4
(view spoiler)[

it's weird having different POVs but I'm finding it's not all that terrible. oh man Apollo is a real piece of work...

I'm liking how Evangeline's character seems a bit more strong willed and confident compared to the previous books!! (hide spoiler)]

[Haley]

Brittni wrote: "
Chapter 26

OK so I absolutely despise Apollo. I'm not sure he can get any worse at this point but I'm afraid he does. Him killing the last family member..."

(view spoiler)[ to think that Apollo "can't be nice" makes absolutely no sense. scaring Evangeline into the well and framing the guards?? then killing that poor boy to frame Jacks yet again.

I truly thought Evangeline was going to remember SOMETHING with the "little fox" ugh, Jacks heart was broken after & mine was a bit too.

the narrator is *okay* for the males.. it's iffy.. (hide spoiler)]