Leo Martino Steals Back His Heart

by Eric Geron

Leo Anthony Martino loves love. But his hunt for love has been unsuccessful, as evidenced by the crushes—seven in all—who walked away with ease, leaving him baffled and broken. But that’s the thing about he has a resilient heart. So after every heartbreak, he’s always managed to pick up the pieces…until senior year, when Leo concludes he must be utterly unlovable. After all, he’s gone this long with never having a boyfriend. 
 
However, when a new crush steps into his crosshairs, Leo seizes the chance to change things about himself in order to keep his crush from running away. With the help of a trusty new checklist for how to become boyfriend material, Leo just may end senior year with a boyfriend of his own…but will he take things too far in his quest for true love? Or will he come to realize that sometimes true love comes from the most unexpected places?

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, LGBT, Contemporary, Queer, Fiction, Audiobook

432 pages, Hardcover

First published January 14, 2025

About the author

Eric Geron is a #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Reviews

[Marieke (mariekes_mesmerizing_books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5 stars.

Leo Martino Steals Back his Love is a pretty lighthearted written story with some Leo Martino Steals Back His Love is a lighthearted story with some heavier themes. It is recommended for readers of Simon James Green and Brian D. Kennedy.

I really liked the start of this book, and a smile danced on my face so many times. Leo has been in love a lot, but no one has loved him back. But maybe love is closer than he expects.

What I loved most in this story was the friendship between Leo, Varsha, and Dillon. The rest of the story fell a little flat to me, though. It was pretty obvious who Leo would end up with in the end, and sometimes, I wanted the lightheartedness to be a little darker.

But that is a personal preference, and I believe that fans of the authors mentioned above will love Leo and his crushes and the boy who finally loves him back.

Thank you, HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

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[Bethany Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so I read this as an audiobook and I liked it SO much more than my first read through. Pete Cross is my fave narrator for a reason - but he crushed this audio. So perfect. Loved.

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all have a little Leo Martino in us. I know I do. He falls in love way too fast with too many boys (boy crazy, if you will) and then obsesses over them until he himself scares them off. If that isn’t teen gay boy coded, I don’t know what is.

The best and most important part of this story was the friendships we kept along the way. While Leo was off galavanting and trying to find his first boyfriend, Varsha and Dillon were there for him… every step of the way. That is a great friendship. ***SPOILER*** Now half of them would eventually fall in love, so was there ulterior motives in the getting strung along? Or maybe it was just emotions. Keep your friends close and so on.

This was a really cute story about not seeing what (or who) is right in front of you all along until it’s almost too late. And I’m glad he would eventually realize that his bestie is the perfect guy. Because the fact that he couldn’t see it was killing me!!!!!

[Lisa Mandina · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this was another fun contemporary romance with some family issues in the background, although not quite as much a part of the story as the last similar book I read. It’s kind of sad to say that I understood Leo’s problem of mistaking niceness for someone being interested. And usually thinking when someone was interested I just thought they were being nice, not to mention how I developed crushes that never worked out. Afraid to say that has happened even at my age still!

There were actually similarities in this book and the last one I read because once again the main character is trying to become the best partner he can. Only as his list is created from his exes telling him what they didn’t like about him, I can see the ways he puts into motion what they say taking so many bad turns. Not to mention how much it sucks to see him let the things they say cause him to change himself. But again, he’s a teen, so definitely makes sense. It also was so hard to read as he said and did things that were so wrong to the wonderful friends he had. Even knowing he was just trying to follow his plan. It took a few times, but he did realize what he was doing at the end and try to stop himself.

And it made me so mad how much he let his big crush that turned into his first boyfriend be such a dick to him. Yeah, I know people have problems with that, and it’s understandable with how his romantic life or lack of one had been so far at his age. Everyone else kind of noticed or knew who Leo was missing that would be his perfect boyfriend. Almost that person themselves didn’t quite maybe see it or understand at first from the way we get his story. Leo had such great friends though, especially in how they handled him through this without letting him completely run them over and ignore them. But not giving up on him either.

The family aspect of this story was sadder than with the other book I just read. I hated Leo’s dad so much. And honestly I’m still not sure how much I like his brother. In the end I like the way things worked out, how his mother realized she needed to work on some things too. And I loved his whole scrapbooking hobby/lifestyle. I remember making a scrapbook for my sorority memories when I was in college. We even got a little scrapbook type thing when I graduated from high school that we could order from Jostens. I still have both of those. I also made a scrapbook for my dinosaur dig trip after college. These days I enjoy making them on sites like Shutterfly, even though I can’t help but go in afterwards and add in things, like the ones I made for the Book Bonanza conventions.

A fun romance, another one I’ll be sure to have for my students to enjoy!

Lisa Loves Literature.

[Kathyj · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is like a PG 2024 version of The To Do List (2013) i’m happy leo found his footing at the end despite all his hardships bc girl! changing everything ab yourself to get a boyfriend isn’t the way

[Jeffrey G · Rating 1 out of 5]

At over 400 pages, this book has a lot of padding. It reads like an English class essay by a struggling students trying to write the minimum required 500 words. Understand before anything else, this is boring. The book lacks incident. The exact same scenes repeat over and over, such as the scene where Leo meets up with Lincoln: the setting changes, but the scene hits the same notes every time. Same with the scenes with the two best friends, the scenes with the brother, the scenes with the dad, the scenes at work, the scenes with the mom, etc.

But this goes way deeper than just repetition and extreme boredom. This book is truly despicable. The author piles indignities upon the mc, one humiliation after another. It reads like he is bullying his own mc. And because this comes on as a comedy, we are apparently expected to laugh at the bullying and thereby become part of it. Where is the joy? Where are the little victories for this character among the setbacks and the humiliations? Everything is excruciatingly predictable. You know exactly what is going to happen when Leo goes on stage in the high school play on opening night, don't you?

It's more than just the terrible treatment of the mc. The book heaps contempt on gays who are interested in looking good, in fashion, dressing well, doing their hair, wearing make-up, etc. Loving fashion or hairstyling is just like loving anything else that is beautiful, like a beautiful painting or sculpture. There is nothing inherently morally bankrupt or shallow about it. And I say this as someone who has no interest in any of these things. But I object to the way Lincoln is written, and also the guy Leo works with (can't remember his name, maybe Vincent?) and others. The reality is that every single male in this book is gay and there is a lot of contempt directed at every one of these characters. Hey, us gay guys actually aren't so bad. But it's actually just bad writing that does not give any of the secondary characters any kind of inner life. Lincoln is a huge part of this book, but one has no idea what is going on with him or what is motivating his strange actions. It seems that he simply does whatever the author needs him to do for the plot at any given moment, whether it makes any sense or not. And the book drips with contempt for Lincoln. Can you really write any character well if you don't in some way empathize with them and like them? It's distasteful to read page after page of this.

I won't start of the sad character of the best friend, Dillon. We don't need gay characters written this way any more.

There is also an overarching problem of tone. This comes on as a romantic comedy, but then introduces an abusive father and an alcoholic mother and as a reader, it is really hard to know how to process the story. The narrative is also weighed down with work bullshit about self-care, etc. when it would be far better served by having the characters boldly go after what they want and then let's see what wacky highjinx result.

Before I wrap this up, I want to mention one of my major problems with Leo. He gets the best-looking guy in the school to ask him to be his boyfriend. This guy has the face of a supermodel and the body of an underwear model. They kiss and the guy asks Leo to go further. We never hear another word about it. I get that we are supposed to think Lincoln is a shitty person (questionable) but why can't Leo just enjoy getting naked and rolling around with this beautiful creature? On top of everything else annoying about Leo, he seems to be totally sexless. Not exactly how I remember being 17.

I have no idea if this author is straight, gay, or something else entirely, and it doesn't matter. Gay stories and gay boys should not be written so gray and glum and hopeless and bland and passive and shallow.

Don't read this. Try an older but very charming book called "Date Me, Bryson Keller" if you haven't read it yet. You will see what this type of thing can be. On the serious or dramatic side, a wonderful book that deals with some of these themes, including abusive/alcoholic parents is "They Hate Each Other" by Amanda Woody. She also has her novel come on like a romantic comedy, but she just nails it, and she doesn't forget the joy in life even as she writes about gay characters who experience tremendous sadness.

[Ri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn't have pushed through and finished this book if it wasn't a buddy read. I struggled with the single, first person POV choice because it was frustrating being in Leo's thoughts most of the time. Plus, his lying was over the top and (of course) backfired on him tenfold.

I didn't give this one star because I adore his cat, Miss Tiramisu. Additionally, his love of scrapbooking connected him to his deceased grandma and grandpa. I think that was heartwarming.

By the end of the book, I'm convinced Leo is undeserving of Dillon. It's an odd feeling since friends to lovers can be super sweet. Plus, I like to root for the main character and love interest. But I felt their friendship-turned-relationship will always be uneven in an uncomfortable way. I can easily picture different scenarios where Leo will steamroll Dillon to get his way. (Especially since it was a pervasive theme when Leo prioritized his crushes and relationship with Lincoln.) Not a fan.

CW/TW the book deals with some "darker" themes, such as alcohol abuse by a side character, past child neglect, and emotional abuse. (I had to re-read a part of the book where Leo mentioned his dad spat gum in his face in the past. It was so unexpected and saddening.) I didn't expect such themes after looking at the book cover and reading the synopsis.

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3.75 stars

I wasn’t as thrilled with this story as I wanted to be. First off, I was expecting more of a rom-com and this wasn’t one. Leo felt so adrift and hungry for love that I really empathized with him. As such, it was even harder feeling his pain over his disintegrating family, as well as his callous treatment by selfish, materialistic, clout-chasing dudes of his acquaintance.

Mostly, I had trouble with the pacing. So much page time was devoted to Leo tracking down guy after guy, figuring out how to change himself, how to up his social cred. His descent into refashioning himself into a troubling individual felt unending.

In all, this is an interesting queer YA novel, which had a lot of promise. However, there were a lot of troubling overtones, some of which had to be resolved unsatisfactorily quickly to make the story end in a reasonable page count.

Read Veronica’s review in its entirety here.

[TC Rittenhouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to HarperCollins for my review copy. My opinions are my own

Leo Martino may love love, but he’s a try hard, a mess, invisible, not a good kisser, and too clingy for his ex-crushes. So he tries to reinvent himself, with some disastrous results.

I enjoyed aspects of the story, but cringed hard at others. Leo is going through some things and I know that plays a part, Leo is supposed to be 17, but reads younger. The side characters (not the crushes) of Dillon and Varsha and their friendship with Leo was the best part of the story. This is a lighthearted story of a teen trying to become someone he’s not, and getting lost for a while. When you let everyone else define you, who are you? This is also a very YA level book, there’s kissing and that is it.

Read if you like these kind of tropes:
- make overs
- checklists
- faking it to make it
- normalized queerness
- scrapbooking
- Mean Girls vibes

Other stories with similar vibes: Jay’s Gay Agenda, My Fair Brady, and Mismatched.

[Kj]

DNF 41%

Nothing wrong here, just thought at 41% that the story's climax and denouement was approaching but realized there was still more than halfway to go. By that point there wasn't enough carrying me through to put in the time to reach the finish.

It's a fairly predictable—and likable—scenario: a boy in search of a boyfriend defaults to making external changes to attract others while his friends tell him he shouldn't and doesn't need to change. Since the ultimate ending is broadcast quite clearly from the start, I didn't feel the need to keep going. Perhaps the ending carries unexpected twists and lessons and the many readers who will enjoy the whole journey will get that reward. All good.

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

my second hand embarrassment while reading this was bad
really bad. . .

[nyakhakhu_]

DNF @ 30%

I just don’t feel the need to keep going.

[Emily Bayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little bit cringey, and Leo is mad desperate…and it’s a little painful, but if he’s got a good arch, it’ll be worth it.
-Me 4 chapters in

A coming of age in the midst of cringey high school romance cliches, Leo Martino Steals Back His Heart made me cringe and giggle and pulled on my heart strings. Leo makes so many mistakes and has all the wrong priorities. It’s hard to watch sometimes. And so relatable.
As someone who struggled my whole teenage existence with constantly trying to be who everyone around me wanted me to be, instead of just being who I was, I loved reading about Leo’s self-love journey.
The ending was so satisfying. I even teared up.
If you’ve ever lost yourself to an inauthentic version of who you really are-you’ll be feeling all the feels by the end of this book.
Leo’s friends are fantastic, and I love his relationship with them and how they evolve throughout the story.
His family dynamic adds a relatable element of going through tough changes at home while juggling the all-too-real struggle of figuring out who he wants to be.

PS. If you haven’t figured it out by now-it was worth it.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for sending me this audiobook ARC. I Thoroughly enjoyed listening to it. The narrator’s voices fit the characters well, and I heard and felt the emotions of the MC. I definitely recommend listening to this one.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh goodness this one was a little challenging for me. As much as I like an unlikable narrator, it's hard for me to have any sympathy for white cis gay men right now and I just struggled. I think the second half of this book is better than the first and genuinely feel like if the first half of the book had been the first quarter and then that energy was spent giving us more in that last quarter of the book I would have liked it a lot more. I needed less time of Leo being really self hating and pushing his friends away and more time of him accepting himself as he truly is and discovering what a romance can look like for him. I think Lincoln is given entirely too much page time on this book. Varsha and Dillon are not given enough.

That being said, I do appreciate when a book is able to incorporate multiple storylines and I like seeing some of that family dynamic as well. I do think it could have been explored more and better but it was a good element to give us some insight into why Leo is the way he is.

I also love when we have secondary aromantic characters. I think it's really important for obviously books to get aromantic main characters but for also a romantic characters to be secondary characters and be part of these queer friend groups. A lot of queer people have no idea about aromanticism and/or asexuality and so having some secondary characters who use the label on page and talk about it is really important for representation. People might not pick up a book if they know it has an aromantic main character but they will pick up a book if it has a gay main character and they don't know at the time it has an aro secondary character.

Overall, this one was mid for me. Not one I'd read again but I think it definitely has its audience, I just wasn't it.

[Blaque Ace · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited when I got an ALC for this book but from the moment I pressed play, I was sorely disappointed. I soldiered on, hoping it would get better but it didn't.


Leonardo Martino is a high school senior who's never had a boyfriend and is obsessed with getting one but every one of his crushes always ditch him for reasons unknown. The premise wasn't bad but the writing and the info dumping and the lack of character growth for Leo made this audiobook insufferable. Leo spends the entire book obsessed with falling in love that he neglects his friends, his family, his studies, his job and his dignity. You would think that means he suffered a great loss and had to figure out how to love by himself or make it up to his loved ones or something?

No, it means nothing. Because Leo spends mich of the book in love with a douche who is so obviously a douche he himself called it at the start of the book. So why did Leo fall in love with him? Simple, he's pathetic and has low self-esteem.

Instead of the book diving into that or giving us a reason why Leo's so laser focused on being in a relationship (they could have done that with his parents' divorce but no), the book just have him stop feeling in love with the guy at about 90%. Enough time to have him fall in love with his best friend who has always been in love and whose life we barely get to see. We weren't even told if this friend was gay or straight or bi or whatever. He was just there to reassure Leo that he's perfect or whatever. Their relationship was not developed whatsoever. He just confessed his love to Leo who reciprocated it after two pages and no indication of ever seeing him that way. Another win for the gays.

This was such a disappointment.

[Nick Artrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested and received an eARC of Leo Martino Steals Back His Heart by Eric Geron via NetGalley. I haven’t read much YA this year, but when I saw this title and the adorable cover, I had to investigate! Leo Martino loves the idea of love, but it doesn’t seem to love him. He keeps a scrapbook of all his former crushes even though all of them have ghosted him. Although Leo has always remained hopeful, as his senior year begins that hope begins to crumble. Maybe he’s the problem. Determined to find his first boyfriend by the end of high school, Leo composes a checklist of things to improve about himself based on his disappointing experiences with his crushes. With a new personality made from a check list, will he lose sight of the real Leo?

This book did many things well! I think what I appreciated the most about this book is the way that Geron addresses heavy issues without sacrificing any of the lightness of the novel. The relationship between Leo’s parents was handled very well. My parents divorced when I was much younger than Leo, but so many things still felt really familiar to me. The distant relationship between Leo and his father also really resonated with me. It’s no secret that many queer men have to cope with difficult relationships with their fathers and it is especially difficult as a teenager. I think the same can be applied to the relationship between Leo and his brother, that sort of difficulty in understanding one another (but still loving each other.)

I honestly this story was so cute. Teenage me could relate to Leo Martino so hard. There were so many wonderful things about this book and I really appreciated the rich history between Leo and all of his failed crushes. I think where this book really succeeds is in the depiction of the friendship between Leo, Varsha, and Dillon. What a great group of kids. I found the way they showed up for another to be really special. Leo is a great protagonist to share space with, he's easy to sympathize with and root for, even when you're frustrated with him! With this YA novel, Geron is able to tell a story that is both sweet and often humorous with really great messaging about loving yourself the way that you are.

[Kate Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leo Martino Steals Back His Heart is a heartfelt and relatable coming-of-age story that will resonate with many readers, particularly those navigating the complexities of love and self-acceptance in their teenage years. Leo Anthony Martino is a lovable, earnest character who is desperately searching for love, only to be met with disappointment after each failed crush. By the time senior year rolls around, Leo feels like he’s unlovable and that his chances of finding a meaningful relationship are slim.

What makes this book stand out is Leo’s vulnerability and the growth he undergoes. He creates a checklist of things to change about himself to become "boyfriend material" for his newest crush, but in doing so, he loses sight of the important truth: he doesn’t need to change for anyone. His journey is not just about finding love, but about learning to love himself and recognizing the value of the relationships he already has with friends and family.

The theme of self-acceptance is skillfully woven throughout the narrative. Leo’s realization that he is worthy of love exactly as he is provides a powerful message for readers. There’s also a deeper exploration of how friendship can offer support in times of heartbreak, and how genuine connections are built on authenticity rather than trying to fit into someone else’s idea of who you should be.

The pacing is solid, with a good balance between humorous moments and emotional depth. While some may find Leo’s initial attempts to change himself a little frustrating (as he goes a bit overboard with his list), his growth and eventual realization feel earned and satisfying.

Overall, Leo Martino Steals Back His Heart is a delightful and thoughtful story that emphasizes the importance of being true to oneself and the power of personal growth. It’s an engaging read for anyone who’s ever felt the pressure to change to fit someone else’s idea of what they should be. With lovable characters and a meaningful message, this book is a wonderful addition to the coming-of-age genre.

[Hilary Fudge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book the cover was very deceptive for me, I was expecting more of a rom-com and it wasn’t.
Leo was dealing with so many different things throughout the book, and while sometimes the way he spoke had some humor to it, overall the book isn't meant to be funny.

The biggest issue I had with the book was how much time Leo spent trying to change himself, and all for the wrong reasons. There is nothing wrong with wanting to improve yourself, that's actually a wonderful thing if you look at yourself and feel like there are things you should change for the better or so you can have more confidence. However, when you start to change so others like you, if they do like you it's for fake reasons. I just think overall too much time was spent on him focusing on things that don't matter.

I understand we need conflict in books, but he had so many other things going on in his life I think....by the time we get to where he figures it out, it almost feels too late. I will give props to the friendship though, that was one of the more enjoyable aspect of the book.

Thanks to #netgalley for an e-copy of Leo Martino Steals Back His Heart by Eric Geron to read and review.

[Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you at HarperCollins and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Such a sweet story! Leo Martino had been unlucky with his crushes. Time and time again they have rejected him. Is there something wrong with him? According to his best friends Dillon and Varsha no. But then why does this keep happening? Then he realizes he just needs to make a list of how to make himself the perfect boyfriend material. To do this he’ll get feedback from his crushes on why they stopped being interested in him. All except Lincoln Chan, he’s the crush that first broke Leo’s heart and the worst one. But as he changes himself, he’ll find himself being in close proximity to Lincoln again. And does he seem interested? Could this be a second chance? But as Leo changes will he find what he was looking for? Or will he learn it was right in front of him all along? Cute, touching, funny, and endearing! Leo will have you both wanting to hug him and yell at him! Highly recommend if you want the feel goods!!

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the perfect way to kick off summer! Leo Martino is a hopeless romantic who hopes to find a boyfriend before he graduates from high school. In his earnest attempt to figure out what has gone wrong in the past with previous crushes, Leo does the unthinkable and reaches out (think High Fidelity) to those young men to see how he can improve. Even though his stalwart friends Varsha and Dillon repeatedly tell him that he's fine the way he is and that these other guys just weren't The One, Leo is undeterred and with this eye-opening info, completely changes the way he acts, dresses, and treats others all to attract someone's eye. And not just anyone, the boy he has never gotten over, Lincoln Chan. But what happens when the dog finally catches the car? That is the predicament Leo finds himself in all while applying to college, auditioning for the school play, and surviving his parents nasty divorce.

Geron is a talented writer and there are some hilarious moments along with cringe-worthy ones too worthy of a John Hughes film. A great beach read.

[JT Milam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, so Leo Martino Steals Back His Heart by Eric Geron… I gave it 2 stars, but honestly, I think that’s more of a me thing than the book’s fault. Like, it’s not bad—there’s charm, there’s wit, there’s plenty of rom-com energy—but I’ve just come to the conclusion that romance as the main event doesn’t really do it for me. I need a little more plot-meat to chew on, something twisty or high-stakes that makes me forget what time it is and keeps me flipping pages at 2am.

That said, Leo as a character was fun, and the whole revenge-love-heist premise had potential. I think if romance is your thing, you’d probably have a way better time with it. But for me, once I clocked the direction the story was going, I just kinda… coasted. No real urgency to find out what happened next, you know?

So yeah, not mad I read it, but also not racing to read another like it. 2 out of 5 stars, but with the very clear caveat that I’m just not the target audience.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leo Martino is a sweet likable guy who keeps making the same mistakes. I like him, but he also drives me crazy for this. One of the problems with a first person YA narrator is it runs the risk of the supporting characters becoming underdeveloped, because you only hear things and see things through Leo. I think you get that a little here. I want more fleshing out of his friends, and of why his brother is feeling and behaving the way he is.

That said, I think there's a lot of good message here about discovering who you are in high school, And the writing is a breeze, easy and fun to read. Definitely recommend.

*I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute and fun read. I was in the mood for something lighthearted and “Leo Martino Steals Back His Heart” fit. I haven’t read YA in a long time, and this was a perfect “get back into the mood” book. It was a fast read but still packed the emotional punch I love (and we expect) in the YA genre. There are some sad/maddening moments, so it’s not all fun and games, but it is an overall net positive book. The ups and downs through changes is fun to read and I can imagine this would make a cute streaming movie. I might have to look into the audiobook as some reviews have mentioned it’s great.

Thank you to #NetGalley for a review copy of #LeoMartinoStealsBackHisHeart. All feedback is my unbiased opinion, not paid, and simply for the love of books.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leo Martino is desperate to fall in love. Every boy he has had a crush on has rejected him and left him heartbroken. Leo's scrapbook depicts his heartbreak in painstaking detail. After talking with his past crushes and getting feedback on their criticisms, Leo builds a checklist to turn himself into the best potential boyfriend. But will a dramatic makeover and personality change give Leo the love he desires?

I wanted to love this book but I just found Leo's character to be annoying. He felt very whiney, and I didn't like the messaging around having him change everything about himself, even if it improves by the end. I also felt like the ending wrapped up a little too nicely.

I read an ARC from NetGalley.

[Sebastian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the eARC I received of this.

I had a difficult time connecting with this one. The concept is cute and fun, but I don't think it necessarily landed very well. I felt very little chemistry between anyone and the love interest, though predictable with the formula of these things, felt shoehorned in. The pacing was also not my favorite and the last third of the book felt like it rushed through many critical moments in favor of drawing out a too long build up in the first bit of the book.

Overall, I didn't hate this and I'm sure some people will love it, but it just wasn't for me.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The bad: It's too long. The writing is very tell don't show. Everybody outside of Leo is super one-dimensional. The bad guys are real tools and often so is Leo. One character in particular's behavior and motivations are confusing and never explained. All the characters feel like they should be 15 instead of 17.

The good: Despite all that, there is a kind of emotional truth to Leo's journey that resonated with me. In most books, even "messy" protagonists tend to have at least some instincts for navigating romantic relationships. But Leo's confusion about it all seemed deep and genuine, and I found that refreshing.

[sprouty · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars; this was super cute!

I just know I would've loved this if I had read this in high school. The characters are immediately easy to like but they aren't annoying caricatures of people. The only reason I've docked a star is that the plot was pretty predictable, but considering this is a YA novel I can't be too mad at that.

Overall, a fun and lighthearted read! I can see this being something that the young adult demographic can connect with easily and liking.

Oh, and having a cat named Tiramisu is one of the cutest things ever, too.

[Claudiaslibrarycard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leo Martino Steals Back His Heart is a true YA coming of age romance. In this novel that is truly appropriate for young adult readers, Leo is on a mission to get a boyfriend and decides to use a checklist for himself to be likeable. I enjoyed that Leo found himself in this process and learned about how he deserves to be treated in return. With just some kissing and no drug use, this is the kind of book that I would happily put in the hands of a teenage reader in my life.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS Overall this was a really cute story. Making yourself over to get a boyfriend is a tale as old as time. For that reason it was a little clichéd, but I loved the queer retelling. Leo is a relatable character and his group of friends are the type you'd want to have for yourself. In this story Leo learns the meaning of love and discovers his sense of self.

[Fablefern Bookshop · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. This was a fun and quirky book about finding yourself. This book was heavy on the vibes. Leo was a lot of fun to read about, and I flew through the audiobook. If you enjoyed To All The Boys I Loved Before, I'd absolutely recommend this one.