Book Review: My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga (4/5)

Title: My Heart and Other Black Holes

Author: Jasmine Warga

Publisher: Harper Collins/ Balzer + Bray

Pages: 320

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Realistic Fiction

Rating: 4/5

Goodreads Blurb:

Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.

There’s only one problem: she’s not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel’s convinced she’s found her solution: a teen boy with the username FrozenRobot (aka Roman) who’s haunted by a family tragedy is looking for a partner. 

Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other’s broken lives. But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together. Except that Roman may not be so easy to convince.

‘My Heart and Other Black Holes’ can be broken down into 2 main parts – the romance plot and the suicide plot. While the romance plot was adorable there were parts of it that seemed a bit off. It was like a drawing – two-dimensional. It just didn’t really go above and beyond. And while it was still satisfactory, it wasn’t the best it could have been.

Then there was the suicide plot. This was better than the romance plot. For one, it definitely had more spin and luster.  Reading about the struggles both Aysel and Roman faced was incredibly interesting. Both the characters brought something special to the plot. Their own personal situations and feelings developed the problems they were facing. I loved the details Ms. Jasmine Warga provided. There was a clear path that the Reader could take to see exactly what Aysel was thinking.

Aysel was a stunning character. Her sadness and her depression was clearly expressed – it wasn’t something that was hidden in the shadows of the book. But the best part about Aysel was the way her character developed into someone who not only accepted her own flaws but also loved them. Her newfound maturity was a change that was marvelous to read about. But even though I loved reading about Aysel, I feel that Roman was the better character. His emotions were stronger. Aysel’s were clearly expressed, but his were the ones that seemed the most relatable. The strength of his emotions was unquestionably beautiful.

Overall, this was a pretty good book. It wasn’t absolutely perfect, but it was also better than most other books. The romance plot was a bit simplistic, but it was really cute. The characters were sensational and the suicide plot was interesting. I definitely recommend this book to those who like young adult or romance literature. If you liked ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ and ‘All the Bright Places’ this is a book you’ll want to try.