Heartstrings: Book 3 in the Sensational Young Adult Romance Series

by Ali Novak

Genres: Romance

416 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

Ali Novak is a Wisconsin native and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s creative writing program. She started writing her debut novel My Life with the Walter Boys when she was only fifteen. Her work has received more than 150 million reads online.

When she isn’t writing, Ali enjoys Netflix marathons, traveling with her husband Jared, and reading any type of fantasy novel she can get her hands on. You can follow her on Wattpad, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat @fallzswimmer.

Please note that I don't answer messages on Goodreads. Please feel free to contact me on Twitter or Instagram.

Reviews

[Sophie Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

No comment. I love these boys so much.

[yasmin⭑.ᐟ (God's Version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars 💟

i'm kinda lazy to write a review, so bear w/ me hahahaha.

anyways, i'll rlly liked the plot of this book, it has it all! boyband shenanigans, comic con as a meet-cute, discussion of family relationships, and a cute + clean relationship between the FMC & MMC!!!!

and i forgot to mention that he plays GUITAR!!!! and he's a blonde w/ GLASSES!?!?!? 😍

all in all, 100% recommend!!!! 💕

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pre-read ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ🎥་༘࿐
yes, yes, i said i was gonna start my brs when i finished "bad blood," but my school librarian had books that weren't catalogued yet! so, yours truly saw this book's cover, and caught my eye! 😌

[Rachel Meinke 🎀 (knightsrachel) · Rating 5 out of 5]

ever read a book about your favorite Heartbreakers boy band member to then discover your name is in the acknowledgments as his biggest fangirl? just me?

hi I’m Rachel, AKA credited in the acknowledgments as Xander’s biggest fan. and nothing could be truer than that statement.

give me a nerdy, shy, quiet, geeky, allergen-friendly boy who plays archery and writes country music. my man, my man, my
man.

obviously, I loved Indie. talk about a multi-talented queen. a Julliard application, a special FX makeup star, and a Comic Con nerd. otherwise known as Xander’s perfect match.

the thing about Xander is that I will protect him with my life. but I think I’m okay passing that torch to Indie, she’d probably be able to roundhouse kick better in her combat boots anyways.

I loved this story. it was such a fun, cute read. and I am so happy we got a Xander installment.

have I mentioned I love Xander yet?

[Halie Washburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love this series. I love a Boyband, so I Boyband romance is perfect for me. Plus it’s YA so it’s cute and quirky which is even better.
I also love that they can be read separately and you don’t have to read them all together. Each book is one member at a time.
I really enjoyed this one (3 of 4). I liked that this one wasn’t fully focused on the band as much and let the characters shine in other ways. This one was about dating a Boyband member yes but it was also about family. Family dynamics and how we should always forgive because family is the most important thing.

I really enjoyed Indie’s character. She was a little immature at times but that is what made me like her more because she learns from her mistakes. Xander is so sweet!!
Of course I loved the cameos of the main characters from the first two books and all the band members. I laughed and I cried and I can’t wait for book 4 to come out in a few months.

[Trinity · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had the same feeling and light hearted vibes as the first two! I do wish we got more romance in this, as I feel like alot of this book was more about Indigo and her sister. And even that, the entire premise was kinda eye roll worthy, but I can say I loved the character progression for her and her sister and how they both owned up to their faults. Wish I got more backstory on Xander! I feel like we don’t get to know him as much as when we got to know Oliver and Alec in their books. Still such a fun read and these books will forever be nostalgic for me! 3.75 stars ⭐️

[Grace Egan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt the need to read this since I've been following Ali Novak's career for a while. it was fine, not much to write home about.

Had some pacing issues, didnt really care what the main character did since she was bratty, and overall I think this is below my reading level. I think smut has ruined my reading comprehension and made this book mid in my head.

Will probably read the next one when it comes out, hopefully she doesn't take as lonf this time.

[Mflukie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the other two in this series and still love all the characters so I was excited to see her continue the series. I didn’t love this one as much as the others. I felt like Indie and Xander’s story was overshadowed by Indie and Violet’s story.
I was entertained by the story but kinda sad how it all played out.

[Annie Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been waiting for literal years for this one to be published!! This outs me as a Wattpad girl but I just adore these books and this author!! This was such an easy read and there’s nothing I love more than a flawed fmc who realizes her flaws and resolves them at the end. I do wish there was just a little bit more chemistry between Indie and Xander, but 10/10 will re-read!

[brynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay so more like a 3.5:
i absolutely adore this series, but this book was just super slow to me. i felt like it took ages to actually start and then the main character endlessly annoyed me. i will however be awaiting with nail biting excitement for jj’s the last book in the series, to be released !!!

[Kerry Rivera · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ This one almost lost me in the beginning with all the nerd talk, but I really enjoyed the last half! I hope there’s a plan for a 4th book to look into the last band member. 🥹

[Marcella · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty good, but I was having a hard time to connect with the FMC. I like the idea and I think things got resolved pretty nicely in the end. Cute story.

[Annie Bledsoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah Indie lowkey sucked, but everything else was cute! 3.5⭐️

[Brooke Van Pelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this multiple times when it was on wattpad and I had to revisit it for the sake of nostalgia

[Keshlyn 🍿 · Rating 4 out of 5]

i realllllly loved this series for literally no reason

[Avery Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heartstrings by Ali Novak was a solid read, but not my favorite in the series. I still enjoyed the characters, but the story didn’t hit me as strongly as the earlier books. Some parts felt a bit slower, and I didn’t connect to everything the same way I usually do with her writing. That said, it was still easy to read and had moments I really liked. Fans of the series will probably still want to continue, and I’m definitely curious to see where the next book goes.