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Heart: A Romantic Short Story Collection
These are stories about first kisses, near death experiences, adventures in indie clubs, and European bucket lists.
These are stories about wanting love, searching for it, finding it, losing it, and beginning again.
These are stories about finding yourself and learning to be brave.
These characters are bonded together by the things they want, the things they’re afraid of, and the things they’re still trying to figure out.
This is about growing up but staying young. This is about HEART.
In this collection are 5 romantic short stories and a special preview of the author’s upcoming novel How to Get Your Heart Broken.
These are stories about wanting love, searching for it, finding it, losing it, and beginning again.
These are stories about finding yourself and learning to be brave.
These characters are bonded together by the things they want, the things they’re afraid of, and the things they’re still trying to figure out.
This is about growing up but staying young. This is about HEART.
In this collection are 5 romantic short stories and a special preview of the author’s upcoming novel How to Get Your Heart Broken.
143 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 10, 2015
4 people want to read
About the author
Rose Fall
3 books26 followersRose Fall was born in New York City to Senegalese immigrant parents. She is currently studying Communication and Global Studies at UNC Chapel Hill. Her debut novel "How to Get Your Heart Broken" is set to be released Spring 2016. You can find her at her blog on rosesarecool.wordpress.com
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 11, 2016
Alright, I received an email from the author of this book asking me if I'd like to review it. Pretty exciting!
Buuuuut.. I did not really care for this book. Besides the fact that I'm not a giant contemporary fan, this book felt to me like it still needs a lot of work. It didn't feel done at all. I was left feeling really confused or totally lost at some parts and I have a lot of unanswered questions.
This book consists of five really short stories about love in different stages of life pretty much.
The first story was called The European Boy. This 16-year-old girl is in Germany (I think?) hanging out in a bar with some boys, one of which she has a big crush on. The girl struck me as kind of dumb. Basically this story is just them leaving the bar and going back to their hostel and it truly felt kind of pointless to me. I felt like it just plummets headfirst into the story with no introduction or background information. I had a lot of questions after reading this story.
The second story was Loveless. I felt like this story just jumps around and abruptly changes scenes. The main character, Mae, felt to me like she had a superiority complex and treated the other girl in the story like she was just below her. And says they're not friends, but then goes to a party with this girl and asks her about boys like they're friends. And it felt like it just ended.
The third story is Seven Seconds in Heaven. This story felt the most complete and least confusing for me! So it was probably my favorite of the five. The main character runs into the girl he lost his V-Card to at a college laundromat/cafe and they get a second chance. The main character kinda seemed like a douchebag.
*THIS PARAGRAPH ESSENTIALLY SUMS UP WHAT HAPPENS IN THE 4TH STORY SO YEAH SPOILER ALERT*
The fourth story is We Met At Target. Basically this chick trips over herself at Target and gets caught by some totally gorgeous dude and they don't speak, but she thought he was SO charming and she thought about him for months afterward. Then she miraculously trips over herself again at Target and the SAME dude catches her and he starts walking away until she asks him if that's the part where he asks her out and they just start kissing in Target... And then some confusing stuff happens and she's freaking out on everyone at his funeral and throws his urn into a pond.... I couldn't deal with this story.
The final story is What Scares You. It's about a girl on a date with some incredibly boring guy, but after the date he saves her from getting turned into roadkill by a taxi and has a sudden change of heart and wants to get to know him. And I didn't really like her either.
I liked that the stories were nice and short. It's got a really lovely cover. I really wanted to like it, but it just didn't work for me. I think if it had a little more work, it would have been a LOT better. The author seemed nice. I really wanted to like it.
Buuuuut.. I did not really care for this book. Besides the fact that I'm not a giant contemporary fan, this book felt to me like it still needs a lot of work. It didn't feel done at all. I was left feeling really confused or totally lost at some parts and I have a lot of unanswered questions.
This book consists of five really short stories about love in different stages of life pretty much.
The first story was called The European Boy. This 16-year-old girl is in Germany (I think?) hanging out in a bar with some boys, one of which she has a big crush on. The girl struck me as kind of dumb. Basically this story is just them leaving the bar and going back to their hostel and it truly felt kind of pointless to me. I felt like it just plummets headfirst into the story with no introduction or background information. I had a lot of questions after reading this story.
The second story was Loveless. I felt like this story just jumps around and abruptly changes scenes. The main character, Mae, felt to me like she had a superiority complex and treated the other girl in the story like she was just below her. And says they're not friends, but then goes to a party with this girl and asks her about boys like they're friends. And it felt like it just ended.
The third story is Seven Seconds in Heaven. This story felt the most complete and least confusing for me! So it was probably my favorite of the five. The main character runs into the girl he lost his V-Card to at a college laundromat/cafe and they get a second chance. The main character kinda seemed like a douchebag.
*THIS PARAGRAPH ESSENTIALLY SUMS UP WHAT HAPPENS IN THE 4TH STORY SO YEAH SPOILER ALERT*
The fourth story is We Met At Target. Basically this chick trips over herself at Target and gets caught by some totally gorgeous dude and they don't speak, but she thought he was SO charming and she thought about him for months afterward. Then she miraculously trips over herself again at Target and the SAME dude catches her and he starts walking away until she asks him if that's the part where he asks her out and they just start kissing in Target... And then some confusing stuff happens and she's freaking out on everyone at his funeral and throws his urn into a pond.... I couldn't deal with this story.
The final story is What Scares You. It's about a girl on a date with some incredibly boring guy, but after the date he saves her from getting turned into roadkill by a taxi and has a sudden change of heart and wants to get to know him. And I didn't really like her either.
I liked that the stories were nice and short. It's got a really lovely cover. I really wanted to like it, but it just didn't work for me. I think if it had a little more work, it would have been a LOT better. The author seemed nice. I really wanted to like it.
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August 28, 2015This review can also be found on my blog: Adventure Under the Stairs.
Reason for Reading: I was asked by the author if I would be willing to read her collection and write a review. The summary got me interested and I agreed. My review is completely honest, I am not receiving any sort of compensation for reviewing.
First, let me say thank you to Rose for giving me the chance to read her collection of short stories. I really appreciate it!
Review
I am a sucker for teen romance novels. I love romance stories in general. Heart is not just teen romances though. There are a few college-years-and-older stories too, which had me delighted. The length of each story was perfect for reading during my breaks at work as well.
While there are 5 stories plus an excerpt from her upcoming novel How to Get Your Heart Broken, I will only discuss my top 2.
STORY #5 WHAT SCARES YOU
This one definitely had me glued to the book. It's about a man and a woman going on a first date that wasn't going so well, and then the unexpected happens (which I won't reveal, so you'll have to read to find out!).
The story is dialogue focused as it's all about the couple's conversations. I love that it starts out with the woman wanting the date to end and then the man. Their voices were strong and entertaining, and I wasn't sure if this was going to have a happy or neutral sort of ending. In the end (ha!), I wasn't a fan of how the story came to a close. Everything was great until the final paragraph.
STORY #3 SEVEN SECONDS IN HEAVEN
The play on the title was unexpected as the characters are Jake and Heaven. Do you see where this is going? *wiggle of the eyebrows* This one was different from the others because the main character was the guy. So that was pretty refreshing. Personality wise, I didn't like Jake but the author wrote him well and in a way that had me keep reading.
The story's about Jake and Heaven meeting again during their college years. Jake was the jock type and Heaven was the loner who was a bit heavier. Now she has grown into an attractive girl with curves.
While I'm not a fan of the ugly duckling becoming a beautiful swan part, I did find this story entertaining. Again, I liked the dialogue between the two, and it had a good resolution.
Reason for Reading: I was asked by the author if I would be willing to read her collection and write a review. The summary got me interested and I agreed. My review is completely honest, I am not receiving any sort of compensation for reviewing.
First, let me say thank you to Rose for giving me the chance to read her collection of short stories. I really appreciate it!
Review
I am a sucker for teen romance novels. I love romance stories in general. Heart is not just teen romances though. There are a few college-years-and-older stories too, which had me delighted. The length of each story was perfect for reading during my breaks at work as well.
While there are 5 stories plus an excerpt from her upcoming novel How to Get Your Heart Broken, I will only discuss my top 2.
STORY #5 WHAT SCARES YOU
This one definitely had me glued to the book. It's about a man and a woman going on a first date that wasn't going so well, and then the unexpected happens (which I won't reveal, so you'll have to read to find out!).
The story is dialogue focused as it's all about the couple's conversations. I love that it starts out with the woman wanting the date to end and then the man. Their voices were strong and entertaining, and I wasn't sure if this was going to have a happy or neutral sort of ending. In the end (ha!), I wasn't a fan of how the story came to a close. Everything was great until the final paragraph.
STORY #3 SEVEN SECONDS IN HEAVEN
The play on the title was unexpected as the characters are Jake and Heaven. Do you see where this is going? *wiggle of the eyebrows* This one was different from the others because the main character was the guy. So that was pretty refreshing. Personality wise, I didn't like Jake but the author wrote him well and in a way that had me keep reading.
The story's about Jake and Heaven meeting again during their college years. Jake was the jock type and Heaven was the loner who was a bit heavier. Now she has grown into an attractive girl with curves.
While I'm not a fan of the ugly duckling becoming a beautiful swan part, I did find this story entertaining. Again, I liked the dialogue between the two, and it had a good resolution.
July 9, 2015
A quick, light read. Enjoyable for the most part, even if it's not my usual genre.
As someone who has had her heart broken once too many, a pessimist when it comes to love and relationships, I found some of these stories were very relatable. The optimistic whim of a teenage girl exploring life, the distraught accusations of a woman who loved and lost, the rekindling of a flame, if even for one night only... All experiences I've had in my own way.
Some of the stories were told quite well, others just seemed rushed and incomplete... Like someone just spewed their thoughts onto paper and didn't take a second glance.
I loved the idea of the playlist for each story. It was nice to hear the author's thoughts and feelings through a secondary medium. It added something to the story telling.
My favourite of the stories was the first, European Boy, it reminded me of a time when I too was carefree filled with innocent wonder at the world. A time when I wanted the world to stand still so I could live in the moment.
I enjoyed the excerpt of Fall's soon to be released novel, How to Get Your Heart Broken. For me this one seemed to have the most care and though put into it, I look forward to picking up a copy when it's released later this year.
As someone who has had her heart broken once too many, a pessimist when it comes to love and relationships, I found some of these stories were very relatable. The optimistic whim of a teenage girl exploring life, the distraught accusations of a woman who loved and lost, the rekindling of a flame, if even for one night only... All experiences I've had in my own way.
Some of the stories were told quite well, others just seemed rushed and incomplete... Like someone just spewed their thoughts onto paper and didn't take a second glance.
I loved the idea of the playlist for each story. It was nice to hear the author's thoughts and feelings through a secondary medium. It added something to the story telling.
My favourite of the stories was the first, European Boy, it reminded me of a time when I too was carefree filled with innocent wonder at the world. A time when I wanted the world to stand still so I could live in the moment.
I enjoyed the excerpt of Fall's soon to be released novel, How to Get Your Heart Broken. For me this one seemed to have the most care and though put into it, I look forward to picking up a copy when it's released later this year.
September 8, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews