This is the follow up to Beautiful Broken Things, a book I read a couple of years ago and really enjoyed. I really appreciated this companion novel as it is told from the point of view of Suzanne, who was the focus of the first book but not the narrator.

Suzanne has faced a lot of hardship in her life and has been blessed with two best friends in Caddy and Rosie. This book follows Suzanne as she faces problems with friends, family and boys. This is exacerbated by her friends moving away to university just as she is facing living alone for the first time.

This initially seems like a light, fluffy story but it deals with a lot of difficult issues such as abuse and self-harm. Although I appreciate the story and feel it was very well written, I unfortunately didn't find it as interesting as the first book. I seem to be in the minority here though as so far it has been getting brilliant reviews. I certainly understand why people love it but it unfortunately wasn't for me.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for providing me with an Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've read some very disappointing contemporary YA novels lately, but I knew from the start that this book was going to be different. I haven’t read the author’s previous novel which concerns some of the same characters, but I don’t feel like I had to in order to appreciate this one.

The story follows Suzanne, an 18-year-old girl who has recently left the care system. Suzanne suffered from physical abuse in her childhood which continues to affect her life. At the beginning of the novel she has moved back to Brighton to start a new life for herself. There are lots of changes for Suzanne to deal with including living and managing by herself for the first time, her close friends leaving to go to university and a potential new relationship.

The novel does a really great job of portraying the reality of Suzanne’s life and the issues she experiences. Her struggle with her finances and the loneliness she experiences in her tiny bedsit are all too real to anyone who has been in a similar position. One thing that stuck out for me in particular was when she is too poor to buy food in bulk. This is something that people in real life rather patronisingly say to struggling people so that struck a chord to me. This novel examines the realities of living a minimum wage existence and the hand to mouth existence that is a reality for many. Loneliness, poverty and abuse are all explored and it’s hard not to feel genuine sadness and frustration at Suzanne’s experiences and the mistakes she makes.

The characters all felt incredibly real. Suzanne, Rosie and Caddy were all utterly believable as young girls on the very cusp of adulthood and their experiences and friendships will be familiar to many young women at this point in their lives. The laughter, the tears, the drama, the angst...it’s all here. The relationship between Suzanne and her elderly neighbour Dilys is also very touching and sweet. The relationships in this book are mature and complex, this isn’t fairy tale land. It’s the real world and the author has captured this brilliantly.

As a main character, Suzanne is sometimes a difficult person to like, and some of her choices will frustrate you as the reader but she feels very real. If anything, Matt was perhaps a little too good to be true, but I could also argue it’s nice to have a male character in a contemporary YA novel who isn’t a complete and utter git.

There were moments of humour too, I couldn’t help having a little laugh at quotes like:

"I feel instantly terrible for judging her for wearing Converse even though she's in her forties"

As someone pushing 40, I did feel ever so slightly personally attacked but I let it slide. No one is ever going to stop me wearing my Converse.

This novel had all you would want from a contemporary YA novel. It explores real issues; the voices are credible and the problems and issues the characters experience are all utterly believable. Highly recommended.

I read this as a stand-alone book and wish I'd read Pretty Broken Things first as I felt that I missed a lot of the character background, I've since added PBT to my TBR list and will read it soon!

That being said, Beautiful Broken Things was an absolutely wonderful book. I felt like I was riding a wave of emotions and I've never felt so choked up whilst reading a book. I very rarely cry when reading books but this story was so gutwrenching it was inevitable! I loved the touch of having a song title at the beginning of every chapter, it was a thoughtful touch that made for a heightened reading experience.

I don't want to write in too much detail so I don't want to spoil the book but I cannot recommend it highly enough. I can't wait to read Pretty Broken Things and then reread Beautiful Broken Things so I can really understand the background of this story.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Okay so I read Beautiful Broken Things yesterday and today I decided to carry on the series whilst it was still fresh in my mind and it was a very good decision!

Beautiful Broken Thing’s was done from Caddy’s point of view whereas this one is done from Suzanne’s point of view and I have to say I loved it even more, I gave Beautiful Broken Things four stars out of five but I just had to rate this one higher because it actually made me go through a major rollercoaster of emotions, I’ve been a mess all day guys!!

I had to stop reading multiple times because I was becoming a blubbering mess! Books rarely make me cry and I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I was welling up or full on crying throughout this.

This time around, I’m going to be so much better, I’m going to prove to them that it was worth waiting on me.’

The book is based two years after the events that happened in Beautiful Broken Things where Suzanne has decided to move back to Brighton where she has felt much more at home. We see her character develop a lot since the events two years previous and we get to see how she is dealing with being independent and learning how to help herself.

At the beginning of each chapter there is a title with a song so if you wanted to you could listen to the music whilst reading along as we learnt in the first book that Suzanne likes to have playlists which makes sense for the author to have done this.

There were scenes in the book with a character named Dilys who Suzanne visits a lot and the moments with her are the main cause of my sobbing, I find it hard to put into words because the parts I was crying at weren’t actually all sad but there were moments where I was just like 😭😭😭

I would really like a third book in this series to be done from Rosie’s point of view, I’m not sure if this has been mentioned or not but it would be interesting to read as I feel we don’t get to see her much in this one or really in the first book compared to Suzanne and Caddy!

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Ugly epic sobbing. Truly ugly. 😂

I sort of accidentally pulled an all nighter reading this, which basically tells you all you need to know. It is like all of Sara Bandard’s books, beautiful, thought provoking, and will make you cry like a baby.

I would say that you should definitely read Beautiful Broken Thjngs first, as FFH references a lot of things that happen throughout that. And this is such a perfect follow up because it shows that you don’t just magically become okay following treatment for trauma. Suze is a mess, but taking HUGE steps to lead her own life and I was so proud of her throughout the book. She owns her trauma, but tries not to let it get in her way.

I loved her and Rosie in this, but I am sad about Caddy - I liked her before, but the changes here were tough. I like that they’re included because you need to see that people change and grow, but it’s hard to read for me.

Talking of hard to read. Her relationship with Dilys. Oh god. I adored Dilys. And the care home reminded me so strongly of my grandma, that while all of the book made me teary, it was these scenes that have turned me into a sobbing mess. So beautiful. I need more teen and old lady friendships in my YA apparently! 😂

Anyway, this was everything I hoped it would be, and more. Obviously it is heavy on the triggers for abuse and trauma, but it is really well handled as always. Highly recommended.



This will be going live on my blog on 28th jan.

Ok, so this book is gorgeous. As far as YA goes, it's perfect. It's everything you want from a YA novel, it's about a young woman finding herself, the complexities of relationships between families and friends and about discovering love when you don't love yourself. And you finish this book so so proud of Suz. Beautiful - read it.

5 stars

This book is a follow up to Beautiful broken things, so please read that book before this one and this review.

I had no idea that a follow up was being written, so discovering this book was a wonderful surprise and I knew straight away that I needed to read it.

Fierce, fragile hearts is a very apt title for this emotional rollercoaster of a book. We rejoin Caddy, Rosie and Suzanne 3 years on, this book is written from Suzanne's POV.

It was like catching up with old friends and I settled into the book straight away. As the girls are a little older, the dynamic has changed slightly and their are love interests in this book too.

I loved Matt and Dilys, two of the new characters. They are both very important people in Suzanne's life and bring so much to the story.

This book delves deeper into Suzanne, which was welcomed after how Beautiful Broken things ended. Perhaps the author will write a book about Rosie as well. I would love to read that.

I would definitely recommend this book if you have read the first one as it is a stunning follow up. I loved every page.

Thoroughly enjoyable story about friendship and factors that affect it alongside peoples own struggles with life. This is a very believable story and heart wrenching, reducing me to tears in places.

When I first started reading Fierce Fragile Hearts, the characters felt really familiar, but it wasn't until after I finished that I realised it was a companion novel to Beautiful Broken Things (which I'd read a few years back), so this completely works as a stand-alone novel.

Fierce Fragile Hearts follows the story of Suzanne, a few years after BBT, and just as she leaves care and moves back to Brighton. It was a beautifully told, but also an incredibly emotional story following Suzanne's struggles as she learns to live on her own and make a life for herself, despite her traumatic past.

Reading this was an emotional rollercoaster, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I laughed and I cried. It was perfect.

Fierce Fragile Hearts is a sequel novel, but it can be read alone, although the lack of backstory can be quite frustrating.. the story follows the life of Suze, a troubled young woman who is trying to rebuild her life after a childhood of trauma. She learns about living alone, building relationships, and ends the novel having become truly independent sorting out some pretty difficult issues along the way. She was a character that I willed to succeed. I enjoyed the book for what it was = a young adult novel. Think it would appeal to girls more than boys in the classroom if I were to use it as part of the curriculum. But lots of good ‘problems’ for young people to think about.
Thanks to Netgalley and The publisher for a chance to read in exchange for an honest, independent review.

I thought I might struggle with this book as I hadn't read the companion title, but I needn't have worried. Beautifully told story of Suzie who is finding her way in the world after leaving the care system and making a future for herself in Brighton.
It was easy to get completely invested in the characters, each one bringing something different to the story. I loved the relationship between Suzie and Dilys, I wished that could have gone further, but that's life I guess!
Nice easy read and I felt it was well researched having known people in the care system, in a similar area too.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2659830355

It's not often that you get a sequel to a YA book that works, but this one really did.

Fierce Fragile Hearts is described as the companion novel to Beautiful Broken Things and all I can say is that it compliments it perfectly.

The same characters are back. Caddy and Rosie are off to university just as Suzie makes her way back to Brighton.

Will the girls manage to stay friends as they each navigate their way through a tricky part of the journey into adulthood?

I really like how Sara writes. You get the feeling that there is a main protagonist but the supporting cast are just as good/important. All providing much needed detail and content to the story itself.

The ending was very fitting and I could easily see a third book being written to go alongside this duet.

This is the second book in a series but would work perfectly as a stand alone. Suzanne has suffered abused at the hands of her father and been in care as a teenager. Now she's 18 and living independently in Brighton. I feel like this book is really important because of the light it shines on family estrangement. While Suzanne longs for a family she recognises that her family are toxic to her. This is a stunning book and it's so well written, hard to put down and I'd highly recommend it.

I was super stoked for this book before I even saw the cover or the plot summary. Beautiful Broken Things was one of my best reads of 2018, so finding out that Sara Barnard was returning to those three beautiful girls was like Christmas coming early for me. Once I was approved for FFH on NetGalley, I knew the book deserved my attention, so I saved it until I had the time to properly appreciate it, and wouldn't read it in snatches. This actually meant, bizarrely, that it waited until I was back home after Christmas, but having finished it, I know I made the right decision.
Fierce Fragile Hearts is a thing of beauty. Returning to the story of Caddy, Rosie, and Suze, three years after they first met, Suze is leaving care, and returning to Brighton, while Caddy and Rosie are heading off to uni. taking place over about six months, the book follows the three girls as they transition into this new stage of their lives.
While BBT was told from Caddy's perspective, FFH is from Suze's, and this transition really marks a change in tone between the two. Suze is almost nineteen, leaving care, striking out on her own, and trying to forge her own path in a world which is much more difficult for her than many other girls her age.
This book was beautiful. Gorgeously written, thoughtfully structured, interestingly developed, and so heartbreakingly real. Suze as a care leaver is struggling with complex PTSD, on top of the normal issues that nineteen year old girls have, and she really is the focus of this book. Her growth over the course of the book is so realistic, so frustrating at times, but so heartbreakingly true is wonderfully done.
I absolutely love Barnard as an author. I think she writes brilliantly. It was really interesting for this book to be about girls who are a little older - they're eighteen and nineteen, and facing very different issues to the protagonists in her other books. But this step out of her normal zone isn't a bad thing. It was brilliant to see how these three main characters have developed, and shows the breadth of Barnard's skill. The older sisters in her other books have been really well-drawn, and having older girls as main characters was a great experience here.
There are old characters returning here, notably the three girls and Suze's family, but also some new faces. I particularly liked Kel, who played a bigger role than I expected, and Clarence was really lovely. Plus, Clarence highlighted Suze's naivete in her experience, and how the odds are stacked against girls like her.
Lots of this book explored Suze's relationship with her family and her friends in relation to her being a care leaver and abuse victim, and it was really well-drawn. Suze's natural reluctance to let others in is drawn out and explained, and although there are no perfect solutions in this book (there never are), it was really gratifying to see her growth as a person both from who she was in BBT, and who she was at the beginning of FFH.
I LOVE these three girls, and seeing how they grew and changed from when we met them first in Beautiful Broken Things to the young women they've become by the end of Fierce Fragile Hearts was a hugely valuable experience. Ten days into the year and I've already read what I know is going to be one of the best books of 2019.

In this sequel following Suze and her tumultuous life, Caddy and Rosie head off to university leaving her behind. As she struggles with adapting to not only living alone but feeling lonely away from her best friends, Caddy's boyfriend Kel introduces her to Matt a musician from London he knows who gigs around their area at times.


She also makes a friend in Dilys who lives in a flat below hers with her dog.


Then just as her friends, relationship with Matt and even a new goal career for the future look to happen possibly, her abusive father reappears just as life starts to get going good again throwing everything up in the air...


I really enjoyed this sequel more than the first book, raising awareness of abuse, stroke and the signs as well as effects of one, this book hits all the health points for mental and physical head on and shows how they can seriously effect our lives long term and that there's never a quick or simple solution instead showing how complex an issue it can be. The dramas are all real life, heart breaking and raw emotional issues all hitting at one time colliding. Realistic and dramatic another great read by Sara!

This is the sequel that I NEEDED. Sara Barnard is honestly one of my favourite authors and when I found out she was writing a sequel to Beautiful Broken Things I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible. Luckily, I saw it become available on NetGalley and when it got approved I was squealing!
My favourite thing about Sara Barnard's books is the emphasis on friendship; there aren't that many YA books that focus primarily on friendship so to have an author who does this consistently and who does it well is always a bonus.
It is amazing to see how much Suzanne has grown up; she has more of a firm grip on her mental health now and even when she spirals, she knows what she should be doing to help herself. The fact that she didn't want to move back in with her Aunt but instead be independent is a step I think she needed to take, even if it doesn't necessarily go to plan.
Caddy has also developed as a character; I believe she is a real representation of how university can change people and I believe it has been done in a realistic way. The same can be said about Rosie but in a slightly different way. While Caddy seemed to become a lot more outgoing at university, I think Rosie realised how much her friends back home had an impact on her life and suffered a bit more homesickness. That said, the three girls still remain friends and show how distance doesn't have to affect relationships.
And then there is Matt. He's the kind of guy you can't help but melt over; just his entire personality is enough to see why Suzanne could fall for him. Even though he has his own issues, he's pretty open about them and was willing to work on them to be with Suzanne. All this being said, I'm glad that Suzanne knew she needed to concentrate on herself rather than letting herself get lost in a relationship she wasn't ready for.
Another character we need to talk about is Dilys. She sounds like the most adorable old lady that you would love to sit and chat to for hours on end. The friendship that develops between Dilys and Suzanne is amazing; it shows how there doesn't have to be a divide between the generations and they can help one another in unexpected ways. I couldn't help but love Dilys which meant that my heart inevitably got broken (spoilers-ish?).
Overall, this sequel definitely did not disappoint and I would urge everyone to read this series. YA needs more friendship focused books, and this is one of the best ones there is.

I have not read the previous book, Beautiful Broken Things, but picked up enough of the backstory as I read.
This was such a descriptive book, following the 'new' life of Suzanne as she sets off on her own independent life in Brighton after years of being in care. What she went through with her abusive stepfather was so very heartwrenching, and I have to admit that I found some of the story sad and depressing.
The interaction between Suzanne and her two friends, Caddy and Rosie was funny, sharp and emotive all at the same time.
I wish we had seen more of Dilys, she was such a strength and yet there wasnt enough of her.
Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy of the book.

I really enjoyed this second instalment of the story of Suzanne, Caddy and Rosie. Suzanne returns to Brighton - still restless and troubled - but ready to start life independently. Her past still haunts her but we see her come to terms with it and face the future positively. Her friendship with Dilys is beautifully portrayed and through her Suzanne appreciates what friendship really means.

A lovely book - heartbreaking to read at times as she recognises the implications of her father’s abusive relationship towards her and it’s impact on all her future relationships.

One I will be recommending.

When I requested this on netgalley, I just thought it was another book from Sara Barnard, but upon looking closer, it’s actually a sequel to one of her books, Beautiful Broken Things and I loved that book. We basically follow Suzanne two years after the events of Beautiful Broken Things and she is trying to get her life back together again, to start over and all the other cliché’s you can say. But this time her friends are about to leave for university, which means going their separate ways. This means going out into the big wide world and fearing that she would be left behind. It would be very daunting for somebody who has mental health issues. I mean, when I went to university, it was and it caused my anxiety to skyrocket through the roof but I got through it. We get to see Suzanne and how she deals with the struggles of it all.

3 out of 5 stars.

Actual rating 3.5/5 stars. This is the second instalment in the Beautiful Broken Things series.

Beautiful Broken Things is the story of best friends Caddy and Rosie and what happens to their friendship when their ranks are infiltrated by new girl Suzanne. She is rebellious and restless. She is erratic and emotional. She is trouble and troubled. She promises the lives and friendships of all those around her will never be the same again.

Fierce Fragile Hearts takes place two years after Suzanne has left. She is set to return to Brighton, and the best friends she left there, but she knows she also must face all of the trials from her past, as she does so.

Whilst the first book was told from Caddy's perspective, this latter instalment is told from Suzanne's. I'm so glad the reader was provided with a chance to hear of her story, in her own voice, as I felt there was so much left to learn about her character, after Beautiful Broken Things concluded.

Whilst this provided the same levels of teary-eyed heartache and laughter-filled bellyache as the first book, I did find that I missed some of the best friend magic, of the former. The relationship between the three did form the crux of this novel but romantic relationships were blossoming and detracted some of the focus from the trio, somewhat. That is not to say that Barnard created some badly-made Lotharios, it is merely a case of my personal preference being for books that remain primarily romance free, which is what I so appreciated in BBT.

At its centre, however, this is a novel about Suzanne, best friends and potential boyfriends aside. Her traumatic past still haunts her and the reader continues along with her journey as she attempts to come to terms with this. Every section that featured her alone had me hooked on every word and Barnard did her terrible story true justice. Suzanne really proved herself as bearing a fierce, fragile heart and almost broke mine as she came to realise this.

Also, Dilys is the best fictional character in creation!