The way grief was narrated in this book was moving, I liked the exquisite way they are portrayed. I eagerly await what comes next from Ova Ceren.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a beautiful read. A book that evokes nearly every possible emotion. Would love to read more from this author in the future!

I was excited to read the first novel by Ova Ceren having followed her garden library life on Instagram and I was keen to see what sort of novel could be produced from such a fabulous environment.
The book looks closely at how love can bring both happiness and pain. This idea is a big part of the story, making you think about how being close to someone also means you might feel sadness later on.
The characters are well-crafted and engaging and I loved the development of the characters of Sare and her companion Munu. They feel relatable . The plot is twisty and unpredictable adding an extra layer of intrigue, ensuring that The Book of Heartbreak is more than just a straightforward tale of young love and loss. It’s a journey filled with unexpected turns that will leave you contemplating its themes long after you've turned the final page.

There is loads to like about this book, the setting is fabulous and a little different from the usual locations, the folklore is fascinating, and the ‘otherlife’ setup is original and cleverly hilarious. However, I did struggle with the characters a little and felt that there wasn’t many reasons for me to care about them. We have a serious case of ‘instalove’ which always winds me up, and there are moments when I was a bit confused about what exactly was going on to whom. All this aside, the writing is great and for a debut novel there is a lot of promise here and I would definitely pick up this author’s next book.

4.5 ⭐

This was such a beautiful book, I loved how easy it was to visualise all of the little details throughout as it takes you on such a journey starting in England and then to Istanbul. I will always love a book that makes it easy to get lost in and this is what The Book of Heartbreak was for me.

Though it took me a little while to get fully into the story once I did I flew through it and found the plot so intriguing and captivating and it had all the elements I love in a fantasy book that touches on magical realism and history. While sad at some moments I just couldn't help but love this little book about hope, power of forgiveness, fated mates and self discovery.