Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers, by Lynn Weingarten

Lucy is so excited about her boyfriend's return from his summer trip; she has a surprise for him.  Instead, it is she who gets a surprise, when he breaks up with her.  Heartbroken and devastated, Lucy finds herself desperate to get him back.  When Lucy is approached by three mysterious girls, and recruited to join their group of heartbreakers, she wonders to what lengths will she go in order to get what she wants?

When I first read the book description, I thought the concept sounded a little hokey and immature, particularly since this is a young adult novel.  I doubted it would hold my attention, but decided to give it a shot.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I found the characters and plot both well developed and deftly executed.

This is a story with which so many teens can relate; how many of us suffered a heartbreak in high school?  What would we have done if someone promised us we would never feel that kind of pain again?  Teenage heartbreak is the worst, and I can certainly see the appeal of this story.  I did feel like the book was a bit darker than I thought it would be, and the language was a bit rough, but neither of these things is unusual in mainstream young adult fiction.  

I am sure there will be discussion on both sides about how this book is empowering to women and young girls, allowing them to own their sexual power.  Similarly, the book can be seen as objectifying men a bit, using them as a means to an end.  But I am choosing to not look quite so deeply for a sinister motive, or a voice of the female gender.  Instead, I see this as sort of a young adult fairy tale, with a complex ending neither all happy for all sad.  

The book will clearly appeal to young adult readers, particularly females, and anyone who remembers their first broken heart.

I received a review copy courtesy of the Amazon Vine program.



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