I really love Ova's social media accounts and I have rooted for her journey as a writer, so it pains me to say that this book wasn't for me. I think my main issue was the prose - it really failed to engage me or to keep me interested and invested in the story of the characters. The book reminded me of Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura, if you liked that, this might work for you.

3.5⭐️ This is an atmospheric, imaginative and engaging debut, with a brilliant premise. A girl cursed to die if her heart gets broken, falling for a boy doomed to madness should he fall in love with said cursed girl. Throw in Turkish folklore, a couple of quirky angels, the chance of breaking the curse and some great twists and you’ve got yourself The Book of Heartbreak 💔 An absolute joy to read, made even more special by the fact I’ve followed the author’s bookish content for the longest time - Congratulations Ova, I just know so many people are going to love your book! 📖✨

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐

The Book of Heartbreak by Ova Ceren is set in the heart of Istanbul and follows Sare, a cursed girl who dies every time her heart breaks. If she experiences five heartbreaks before turning eighteen, her death will be permanent. I went into this one unsure of what to expect after receiving such a stunning proof at work, but from the very first page, it completely swept me away.

This novel was an absolute delight—both comforting and exhilarating at the same time. It’s like curling up with a warm cup of tea on a rainy afternoon, only to be carried off on an emotional, fast-paced, and wholly magical adventure. Sare is an instantly endearing heroine, with a sharp wit that makes her banter with Leon sparkle. I also adored her complex, slightly thorny friendship with her spirit guide, Munu. The angelic corporate hierarchy, complete with clever email exchanges, was a particularly witty and inventive touch. Add in the twists, tangled family secrets, and heartfelt emotion, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. This story is truly enchanting from start to finish.

The prose is fluid and atmospheric, keeping a brisk pace while still leaving a lingering emotional impact. It’s cozy yet poignant, fantastical yet firmly rooted in themes of love, loss, and self-discovery. I especially loved the snippets from books that opened each chapter—they added an extra layer of charm to an already captivating read.

Overall, The Book of Heartbreak is a beautifully crafted tale that immerses you in Istanbul’s rich culture and folklore. Perfect for readers who love character-driven stories where the emotional journey is just as compelling as the plot, this book is fast-moving yet soul-soothing, familiar yet refreshingly original, heart-wrenching yet ultimately healing. I adored every moment of it—and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

i sadly had to soft dnf this book for now. i was really struggling to get into this book, i couldn’t connect with the writing or the characters. it’s not necessarily bad writing or bad book in general i just couldn’t connect to it. the formatting for the e book arc was also just so difficult to read at times that it played part on me feeling like not picking the book back up. i will probably give this another chance one day with a physical copy but maybe it just also wasn’t for me which is okay :)

The mythology, Turkish culture and magical lore of this book set for rich and interesting world building. From the start it was brilliantly immersion and built a fascinating world to explore with fresh and well developed characters.

Sare dies each time her heart is broken and is brought back by a small, mysterious spirit companion. If this happens five times before she turns eighteen, she will be unable to revive. Once she reaches eighteen, the curse will lift but her heart will be lost and she’ll be unable to love. At the start of the novel, 17-year-old Sare is facing her fourth heartbreak, so she is now on thin ice. Reuniting with a family member she thought was long deceased, she travels to a new country and meets a teen called Leon. He could hold the key to helping break her curse but she has to be careful not to develop feelings for him as he could be the end of her.

The Book of Heartbreak is an intriguing YA romantasy injected with Turkish culture and mythology, curses, angels, and seers. There are emails and book extracts peppered throughout the book, which I really enjoyed reading. Ceren’s writing style is beautiful and the words seem to flow until you’ve read long into the night. This bittersweet tale of love and loss, heartbreak and healing had me gripped.

The Book of Heartbreak is a dazzling and emotional fantasy romance that blends mythology, mystery and love with a beautifully unique premise. Sare Silverbirch has lived her entire life under a cruel curse: with every heartbreak, her fragile heart weakens, and a fifth will stop it forever. When the death of her mother delivers her fourth heartbreak, Sare begins a desperate search for answers, determined to uncover the origins of her curse and to fight back against a fate she refuses to accept.

Her journey takes her to Istanbul, where she meets Leon, a seer whose connection to her mother’s past proves vital to the truth. Their romance is tender yet fraught with risk, as each stolen moment brings Sare closer to the possibility of her final heartbreak. With celestial forces interfering in her destiny, the stakes are both intimate and cosmic, creating a story that is as haunting as it is romantic.

Ova Ceren’s writing is rich, witty and atmospheric. The story is filled with tension, humour and heartfelt emotion, moving between moments of darkness and glimmers of hope. The diverse cast of characters adds depth and texture, and the themes of loss, resilience and love’s dangerous power resonate strongly throughout.

This is an impressive and memorable debut. The Book of Heartbreak will captivate readers with its blend of fantasy and romance, while leaving them both heartbroken and uplifted.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

The Book of Heartbreak follows Sare Silverbirch, a teenage girl who carries a curse; if her heart breaks five times, it will stop forever. After her mother dies, Sare travels to Istanbul to uncover the mysteries of her mother’s past and investigate her curse. She is helped by Leon, a seer, and their blossoming relationship poses a great risk to Sare’s fragile heart. Will Sare unravel the secrets of the past before the curse claims her forever?

This book has a great premise, and the author’s love of Turkish culture really shines through. However, I wish there were more descriptions of Istanbul, such as the foods Sare ate, the places she visited etc, which would have added some richness to the setting. There is Byzantine and Ottoman folklore woven into the story, which I found so fascinating. I was immersed in the mystery of the curse and Sare’s mother, and once it unravelled, it revealed some clever twists.

I found the writing style to be quite simple, which made for an easy read, but I wish it had been a little more lyrical. There are lots of different names to remember and some people went by multiple names, so they did get a little jumbled in my head. I also found the dialogue quite wooden.

The chapters are interspersed with excerpts from an ancient book of secrets and emails sent between the corporate chain of angels. These added depth to the story, and I found the squabbles between the angels hilarious!

The characters were fine, but for some reason I didn’t connect with them as much as I would have liked. While there is romance in this book, it is definitely more of a subplot. I found the romance to very insta-lovey, and I wish it had been more of a slow burn. Saying that, it was a sweet “first love” type of relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books/Hot Key Books for providing me with an eARC. This review is being left voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

his romantic fantasy fictional book really captured my attention right away! This is also in the multicultural interest genre. It made me feel a lot of emotions! I was sad, happy, hopeful and heartbroken while reading this. It is dark, mysterious, reflective, sad and tense. It also came with some humor and romance. It is well written, flows well and is a medium paced read. It comes with a diverse cast of characters, both likable and unlikable. The book cover is absolutely stunning! I found this book to be a hidden gem. With this being the author’s debut novel, I was pleasantly surprised and greatly impressed!

This book is absolutely beautiful, but had I known how much the end would destroy me I probably wouldn't have picked it up. The writing is lyrical and captivating but the story itself will leave you broken and uplifted at the same time. A real gift of a story!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

4 stars - YA fantasy romance.

17 year old Sare is cursed to die if she experiences 5 heartbreaks before she turns 18. Her fourth occurs with the death of her mother, and her mysterious guardian Manu warns her to lock away her heart, as when she turns 18 she will lose the ability to love. Her estranged grandfather appears and invites Sare to live with him in Istanbul and there she meets Leon. Leon is revealed to be a seer in contact with the Angels who suspect Manu is hiding something.

I really enjoyed this read and found it quite unique with the curses and Angel element. I found the emails between the Angels amusing although cryptic and they broke up the chapters nicely. I found Sare easy to connect to - the death of her mother in the first chapter found it hard not to! I enjoyed the relationship between her and Leon and felt her indecision as she took the risk to her heart.

The thing I found most enjoyable about the story was the complicated family dynamics throughout the generations and the variation of heartbreaks. The origin of the curse and finding out what restarted it had me hooked throughout and it led to a shocking revelation.

The Book Of Heartbreak is a wonderfully crafted YA story about loss, navigating emotions, mixed into a fantasy world. It was funny, compelling, and endearing to read, with great characters and an amazing plot.

I really enjoyed this book. Although I finished it about three weeks ago, it remains fresh in my memory – it has just taken me a while to process my thoughts into a review.
When I first started the book, I was a little annoyed at the main character, 17 year old Sare, who seemed rather melodramatic, claiming that she died from heartbreak – not once (which may have been just believable, if she were older), but four times!!! Then, I paid attention – this was not supposed to be realistic, it was an excellent fantasy. The give-away was Munu – an ethereal (‘cos heaven didn’t have a spare angel), who had been tasked with keeping Sare safe. Munu is tiny (even tinier when upset!) and flies. And Sare – like all the women in her line – is cursed to never have a successful relationship with anyone.
If Sare can make it to her 18th birthday – she will lose her heart (and ability to love) but the curse will disappear, and she will live. Before that, Munu has set out rules to prevent heartache:
“Rule number one: no tears shall fall. Rule number two: channel sorrow into rage. Rule three: death is not an option.”
So, Sare must go through her young life, never getting close to anyone – no close friends, no boyfriend, … only Munu. A teenager with a very old, frozen heart – and a constant craving for sweets (see below).
Then Sare’s mother dies. Though they were not close, her death hits Sare badly. DON’T CRY!!! A grandfather she never knew existed comes to invite her to live with him in Istanbul, her mother’s original home. As she was under eighteen – it was either that or a foster home. A grandfather who is almost as unemotional as Sare has trained herself to be. There is nothing to keep her in London, so she goes.
In Istanbul she meets Leon, a gorgeous boy (DON’T GET INVOVLED!) – who can actually see Munu as he is a trainee seer with “the pure eye”, and specialises in curses. He wants to emulate the seer, Sufi Chelabi, in removing curses. But first he has to find the lost writings of the great mystic.
Could Leon be interested in Sare as a female – she knows she is plain and unlovable – or is he just interested in her curse to further his studies?
We don’t know what triggered the curse until right near the end – or if Sare can possibly survive with her heart intact. And is Leon destined to fall in love with a cursed woman and die like his idol?
Each chapter starts either with an excerpt from Sufi Chelabi’s writings, offering good advice:
“Your ancestors don’t have to be your legacy. Have the courage to honour their memory, but reserve greater courage to walk your own path. Only the brave accept themselves for who they truly are.
Excerpt from The Book of Betrayal, Müneccimbaşı Sufi Chelebi’s Journals of Mystical Phenomena”
or a celestial ‘email’ exchange relating to the management of Sare or of Leon:
“Suggested ways to distract the mortal: – Physical confrontation – Culinary temptation (e.g. sugar) – Provoking their wrath – Mathematics (could be simple counting or differential equations if subject has an aptitude for advanced maths)”
Yes, heaven is bureaucracy on steroids!
Leon’s mother also offers advice:
“When the time comes to make a decision: choose love and not hate. Choose hope, not despair. Choose life, not death. Choose courage, Sare Silverbirch.”
Will she – can she – chose love?
This is a beautifully crafted book, with a unique setting – part real life, part heaven, part fantasy, even a bit of crime/mystery thrown in – all quite compelling.
A few reviewers give it a low rating (most high ratings) – having given up too quickly. Stay the course! Slow start, but it grows and grows to a momentous ending, that you won’t have seen coming.
Highly recommended.

what an intriguing book this was, i don’t know what i was expecting but it wasn’t this and i loved it!
it’s such a unusual concept but it had me hooked, a curse, love and angels…. it works so well! a great read

This book truly moved me. Inspired by the author’s grandmother’s fear of death and faith, Ceren imagined a unique afterlife—quirky, bureaucratic, but ultimately hopeful. I was hooked from the start and couldn’t put it down. Sare Sila Silverbirch is such a beautifully crafted character, and her story — especially the romance — is so genuine and heartfelt. Ceren’s storytelling is creative and heartfelt—I can’t wait to read more from her!

I initally struggled to get stuck into this book which I think was mainly due to the characters. I found it hard to connect and relate to them on a deaper level however once I got into the plot of the story i found it an enjoyable read. Overall its a beauifully written book which provokes many emotions, its about young love and loss with unpredictable twists and turns - a book about power and hope.

This book brings a beautiful setting, a cast of intriguing characters, and a heartwarming storyline. A really great enjoyable read!

This was unlike anything I’ve read, the storyline was beautiful and emotiona, a really interesting concept. The writing was beautiful

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!