I absolutely adored Our Chemical Hearts. This book isn't like your average contemporary at all. It has the common place of boy and girl meet and fall in love, but there's a lot more grit and angst in between.
This isn't a perfect romance. Both of them have issues that they're trying to sort through, and I think it is a beautiful thing that they find comfort in each other it's equally as heartbreaking when you find out why.
What I liked about this is that it doesn't glorify grief. The characters that are suffering from it are messed up. Unable to move on. Sometimes other people can't always understand, and they get angry and hurt, and feel selfish - and I like that. That's realistic. It represents the true pain of what it can be like falling in love at the wrong time, or with the wrong person, and what it can be like to be suffering with issues such as grief.
So while this acts out like a cute contemporary it is realistic. It's grounded in the reality of an every day life, and while things might not always be the stereotypical "perfect" ending it's perfect for this book. I think that is what is important - representing real life situations in a sensitive light.
This isn't a perfect romance. Both of them have issues that they're trying to sort through, and I think it is a beautiful thing that they find comfort in each other it's equally as heartbreaking when you find out why.
What I liked about this is that it doesn't glorify grief. The characters that are suffering from it are messed up. Unable to move on. Sometimes other people can't always understand, and they get angry and hurt, and feel selfish - and I like that. That's realistic. It represents the true pain of what it can be like falling in love at the wrong time, or with the wrong person, and what it can be like to be suffering with issues such as grief.
So while this acts out like a cute contemporary it is realistic. It's grounded in the reality of an every day life, and while things might not always be the stereotypical "perfect" ending it's perfect for this book. I think that is what is important - representing real life situations in a sensitive light.