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Heartwood Box
A dark, romantic YA suspense novel with an SF edge and plenty of drama, layering the secrets we keep and how appearances can deceive, from the New York Times bestselling author.
In this tiny, terrifying town, the lost are never found. When Araceli Flores Harper is sent to live with her great-aunt Ottilie in her ramshackle Victorian home, the plan is simple. She'll buckle down and get ready for college. Life won't be exciting, but she'll cope, right?
Wrong. From the start, things are very, very wrong. Her great-aunt still leaves food for the husband who went missing twenty years ago, and local businesses are plastered with MISSING posters. There are unexplained lights in the woods and a mysterious lab just beyond the city limits that the locals don't talk about. Ever. When she starts receiving mysterious letters that seem to be coming from the past, she suspects someone of pranking her or trying to drive her out of her mind. To solve these riddles and bring the lost home again, Araceli must delve into a truly diabolical conspiracy, but some secrets fight to stay buried...
In this tiny, terrifying town, the lost are never found. When Araceli Flores Harper is sent to live with her great-aunt Ottilie in her ramshackle Victorian home, the plan is simple. She'll buckle down and get ready for college. Life won't be exciting, but she'll cope, right?
Wrong. From the start, things are very, very wrong. Her great-aunt still leaves food for the husband who went missing twenty years ago, and local businesses are plastered with MISSING posters. There are unexplained lights in the woods and a mysterious lab just beyond the city limits that the locals don't talk about. Ever. When she starts receiving mysterious letters that seem to be coming from the past, she suspects someone of pranking her or trying to drive her out of her mind. To solve these riddles and bring the lost home again, Araceli must delve into a truly diabolical conspiracy, but some secrets fight to stay buried...
336 pages, Hardcover
First published July 9, 2019
51 people are currently reading
2129 people want to read
About the author
Ann Aguirre
82 books7,069 followersNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ann Aguirre has been a clown, a clerk, a savior of stray kittens, and a voice actress, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in Mexico with her family. She writes all kinds of genre fiction, but she has an eternal soft spot for a happily ever after.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 231 reviews
August 7, 2019
My first thought into this book was, “huh, it’s interesting, but I’m kind of picking up on some similarities with Stranger Things… is it a knockoff?” Then I got a promotional email from the author boasting “Stranger Things meets The Lake House” and had a good laugh. Who doesn’t love Stranger Things?! All that said, the story does stand pretty well on its own. You can definitely see the influence from the show, but overall it’s a very minor contribution to the overall plot.
Aguirre always has an x-factor that keeps me invested in her books. Heartwood Box had an interesting mystery, which really kept the pages turning. Considering my less than stellar track record with YA lately, it’s saying something that I enjoyed the book all the way through. Because of that alone, I’d recommend it as a good read.
I also liked the characters – Ann Aguirre is one of my favorite authors specifically because I think she’s brilliant at creating tangible connections between characters. I always find myself completely invested. My favorite connection in this one was a friendship, but every relationship had meaning.
This book is definitely unique among its peers for its mystery, contemporary, historical, sci-fi genre blend. However, I’m not totally sure all the elements fit together seamlessly. The Lake House element felt a little forced, and the Stranger Things component was kind of a stretch, but what it lost in believability it more than made up for in fun-factor. Overall, as this is the last YA Aguirre plans to write (according to that same newsletter), I think she went out with flair and I also appreciate that it’s a stand-alone.
Recommendations: For a light summer read with great characters and a compelling hodge-podge of genres, Heartwood Box is a great choice! Ever so slightly more robust than most YA, it was outside the box and a quick read. I’d hand it to teens (or us ageless wonders who will read the genre forever) who love a bit of “weird” in their books, but who aren’t looking to invest in a full series.
Other books you might like:
Aguirre always has an x-factor that keeps me invested in her books. Heartwood Box had an interesting mystery, which really kept the pages turning. Considering my less than stellar track record with YA lately, it’s saying something that I enjoyed the book all the way through. Because of that alone, I’d recommend it as a good read.
I also liked the characters – Ann Aguirre is one of my favorite authors specifically because I think she’s brilliant at creating tangible connections between characters. I always find myself completely invested. My favorite connection in this one was a friendship, but every relationship had meaning.
This book is definitely unique among its peers for its mystery, contemporary, historical, sci-fi genre blend. However, I’m not totally sure all the elements fit together seamlessly. The Lake House element felt a little forced, and the Stranger Things component was kind of a stretch, but what it lost in believability it more than made up for in fun-factor. Overall, as this is the last YA Aguirre plans to write (according to that same newsletter), I think she went out with flair and I also appreciate that it’s a stand-alone.
Recommendations: For a light summer read with great characters and a compelling hodge-podge of genres, Heartwood Box is a great choice! Ever so slightly more robust than most YA, it was outside the box and a quick read. I’d hand it to teens (or us ageless wonders who will read the genre forever) who love a bit of “weird” in their books, but who aren’t looking to invest in a full series.
Other books you might like:
April 6, 2022
Have you ever been so shocked and amazed by a book you want to go back and throttle your past self for putting the book aside time after time? In retrospect the timeline perspective is actually rather comical now but to be honest for whatever reason I was more under the impression this was a creepy horror novel and was just never in the mood. Don't get me wrong the book definitely has its moments of creepiness but I had zero idea going in what the book was actually about aside from seeing a few tags. I did wonder to myself why it had so many sci-fi ratings but it all makes sense now lol. 🤷🏼♀️ I won’t say I wasn’t a little excited for some XFiles connection but that nowhere prepared me for this blend of Stranger Things and the movie Frequency. 🤯🤯🤯 If I didn’t already love Ann Aguirre after Enclave this book would have done it. I am so blown away by this book and can’t lie and say I didn’t absolutely Loooove every bit of it. Given all that happens throughout, I was thrown even more by the tearjerker ending, the turmoil, love and tumultuous mix of feelings was everything and something many books can never achieve. I imagine I will have puffy eyes at work tomorrow from crying but I couldn’t go to bed without finishing this book. While it’s not crazy dramatic or action packed the story is very intricately detailed with so many fascinating caveats. It was really a beautiul story. I loved how wonderfully AA weaves in prejudice racism not only in America but that the heroine and people in her small town still have to endure, in the year 2020, it still boggles my mind. On that note, maybe some truly political minded people in the US will struggle with Ann’s blunt and realistic portrayal of something like racism or heaven forbid calling out the US military for some of the horrible shit they pull. Now don’t get me wrong this book is not at all political but the heroines parents are freelance journalists who work in dangerous locales covering the real on the ground story what we call here (mainstream media) will never tell the truth about and so it is brought up at times. I don’t care how devout a patriot you are, no person with humanity can look at some of the wars/operations/invasions whatever you want to call it and say we’re (US) in the right. Perhaps that’s why I have such a strong connection to this story. The heroine coming clear with both Oliver, a soldier back in WWI, and the Dr. at the lab really puts perspective on things especially from her POV. Not only has she seen firsthand the wondrous cities of the world, she’s felt it’s prejudice and oppression. She’s lived in many countries and I thought was honestly was just a wonderful and intelligent character. I do think she jumps the gun quite a bit and doesn’t always think things through but because I like her so much I’ll let that go because.... teenagers 🤷🏼♀️🤣. The constant oddness of the book also drew me in. I mean who how many books have ghost balls of light wandering the forests at night, tons of mysterious local disappearances with family members who act and believe their loved ones are still lingering-can even feel them even if they won’t admit it and leave food out for them that they do magically eat, a mysterious government/medical facility, a mysterious wooden box that allows you to communicate or send materials through time and a girl new to town who mysteriously starts having dreams of real moments in the past, but are they dreams......??? There’s just so much packed into this book and I really think it all blended together seamlessly in the end even if I was sometimes lost along the way not sure where things were headed. I really loved this book. I can see why it wouldn’t be for everyone but gladly I’m not one. It was as times super creepy, light bulbs were constantly turning on over my head making me think I had a inkling of what was going on, but really I was in the dark. There's just so much to unpack for this book and my review has once again turned into a brain vomit rant lol. All I can say is it’s a truly great read. One that will have the inner sci-fi geek and detective nerd inside of you taking note, until of course that it is you have your actual heart ripped up and shredded on the ground and don’t know whether to apologize, say thank you or curl up in the fetal position. <3 <3 <3 Also side note, the audio is phenomenal.
July 24, 2019
I will be 100% honest. I bought this book because of the cover and because the description promised some major creep-factors. The plot starts off strong, setting up a small town with way too many missing people and a seemingly haunted, aging house, but everything that comes after falls flat. The story takes a long time to get going, and it turns into more of a love story than anything else. The secret lab and time travel aspect remind me a bit of Stranger Things, but with less interesting characters and stakes. It is also hard to get onboard with these teens because a lot of what they say sounds scripted - like the characters have been told what to say... Two stars for trying to do something out of the ordinary, but not quite reaching the fullest potential.
Side note: One of my biggest pet peeves is when covers do not accurately represent the book, and I feel totally duped by the cover.
Side note: One of my biggest pet peeves is when covers do not accurately represent the book, and I feel totally duped by the cover.
July 3, 2019
I loved everything about this cover and synopsis and I’m pretty much here for everything Ann writes.
I think I liked Araceli? She’s a little rough around the edges, but for the most part I liked being in her head. She’s sarcastic and strong. There are a lot of characters in this story and I’m not sure if that’s good or not. No one really felt fleshed out...if that was on purpose to show how Araceli was an outsider, it was effective.
Plot wise, it okay. There are loads of moving parts and plot threads and it was overwhelming and a little boring at the same time. I was intrigued by the story, but never really captivated.
Overall, it was an interesting idea, but it felt like there was too much of something and not enough of something else.
**Huge thanks to Tor Teen for providing the arc free of charge**
I think I liked Araceli? She’s a little rough around the edges, but for the most part I liked being in her head. She’s sarcastic and strong. There are a lot of characters in this story and I’m not sure if that’s good or not. No one really felt fleshed out...if that was on purpose to show how Araceli was an outsider, it was effective.
Plot wise, it okay. There are loads of moving parts and plot threads and it was overwhelming and a little boring at the same time. I was intrigued by the story, but never really captivated.
Overall, it was an interesting idea, but it felt like there was too much of something and not enough of something else.
**Huge thanks to Tor Teen for providing the arc free of charge**
May 28, 2019
I read Like Never and Always last year and didn't think it could get weirder than that. But Heartwood Box might have beat it for me. Ann Aguirre writes the strangest books and I really like how her mind works.
This book is such a mix of genres. It has a mystery, it's a thriller at times, there is some sci fi, some historical fiction, ghost story, and some romance. I'll do my best to write what I can without giving anything away.
Araceli moves in with her great aunt for her senior year. She usually travels with her parents, but they're going to Venezuela and they want Araceli safe. They also think it will help her to go to college in the US. Things are odd right away. Araceli's aunt, Ottilie, is living in a very old fashioned house. Stepping into it felt like stepping back in time. Everything is old and a bit run down. Ottilie's husband disappeared twenty years earlier. She stays with the hopes that he'll come home. Ottilie feels like he's near and even leaves food out for him every night. Araceli quickly realizes that the house is strange and may be haunted. There are cold spots and a light turns on by itself.
It turns out that the town is full of missing posters. People have been disappearing for about twenty years, never to be seen again. The warning is to stay away from the ghost lights in the woods. Never follow them or you won't come back.
Araceli finds a box at her Aunt's with an old letter hidden in the bottom. It was written pre world one by a boy named Oliver. On her first day of school, Araceli is given an assignment to write a letter to someone. She decides to write to Oliver and places the letter in the box. When she goes to get it out in the morning, it's gone. Later, a new letter appears from Oliver. He replied to her. At first, Araceli thinks someone is playing a joke. But she starts having weird dreams of a boy she knows is Oliver. He is the only one that can see her in the dreams. Araceli and Oliver continue to write while Araceli decides to research more about WW1.
When Araceli's friend disappears, she decides to take action. Araceli believes this research compound is involved, but she needs to find a way in. Her friend and neighbor, Logan, helps her get close and she sees how secure it is. In fact, they are chased away by security. This is when Araceli realizes that these people will kill to keep their secrets.
I loved the group of friends and Araceli's aunt. Logan was a favorite of mine. So much happens after this that I can't mention, but it was fast paced and hard to put down. While there were some issues with the older communication (it didn't always feel authentic), the author explains why she used less slang in the author's note.
I gave this book 4 1/2 stars (rounded up to 5). Thank you to Tor Teen for sending me a copy for review.
Warnings for parental abuse, racism, and unknown disappearances, even of young children.
This book is such a mix of genres. It has a mystery, it's a thriller at times, there is some sci fi, some historical fiction, ghost story, and some romance. I'll do my best to write what I can without giving anything away.
Araceli moves in with her great aunt for her senior year. She usually travels with her parents, but they're going to Venezuela and they want Araceli safe. They also think it will help her to go to college in the US. Things are odd right away. Araceli's aunt, Ottilie, is living in a very old fashioned house. Stepping into it felt like stepping back in time. Everything is old and a bit run down. Ottilie's husband disappeared twenty years earlier. She stays with the hopes that he'll come home. Ottilie feels like he's near and even leaves food out for him every night. Araceli quickly realizes that the house is strange and may be haunted. There are cold spots and a light turns on by itself.
It turns out that the town is full of missing posters. People have been disappearing for about twenty years, never to be seen again. The warning is to stay away from the ghost lights in the woods. Never follow them or you won't come back.
Araceli finds a box at her Aunt's with an old letter hidden in the bottom. It was written pre world one by a boy named Oliver. On her first day of school, Araceli is given an assignment to write a letter to someone. She decides to write to Oliver and places the letter in the box. When she goes to get it out in the morning, it's gone. Later, a new letter appears from Oliver. He replied to her. At first, Araceli thinks someone is playing a joke. But she starts having weird dreams of a boy she knows is Oliver. He is the only one that can see her in the dreams. Araceli and Oliver continue to write while Araceli decides to research more about WW1.
When Araceli's friend disappears, she decides to take action. Araceli believes this research compound is involved, but she needs to find a way in. Her friend and neighbor, Logan, helps her get close and she sees how secure it is. In fact, they are chased away by security. This is when Araceli realizes that these people will kill to keep their secrets.
I loved the group of friends and Araceli's aunt. Logan was a favorite of mine. So much happens after this that I can't mention, but it was fast paced and hard to put down. While there were some issues with the older communication (it didn't always feel authentic), the author explains why she used less slang in the author's note.
I gave this book 4 1/2 stars (rounded up to 5). Thank you to Tor Teen for sending me a copy for review.
Warnings for parental abuse, racism, and unknown disappearances, even of young children.
June 25, 2019
This book was most definitely a surprise. The author clearly decided to mess with her readers heads and mix more than one genre here so if it’s YA paranormal mixed with time travel and suspense that intrigues you then pick this up. The author herself has likened it to Stranger Things meets the Lake House and I couldn’t agree more.
The story revolves around Araceli a young mixed race girl staying with her aunt in a town where people keep disappearing . The mystery apparently involves strange lights in the woods but there’s also a creepy vibe in the aunts house so when a friend is ‘taken’ Araceli isn’t going to ignore it . Now here is when the author tricks us as she has also introduced a mysterious box that enables Araceli to communicate with a First World War soldier. See what I mean ? This book is a puzzle for the reader to solve with elements of the Philadelphia experiment alongside our intrepid heroine pitting herself against secretive and dangerous military types. Araceli most definitely leads the charge but the supporting characters just never really felt fleshed out to me. Plus the surprise at the end didn’t really feel right to my mind but I did like that everything got wrapped up neatly.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
The story revolves around Araceli a young mixed race girl staying with her aunt in a town where people keep disappearing . The mystery apparently involves strange lights in the woods but there’s also a creepy vibe in the aunts house so when a friend is ‘taken’ Araceli isn’t going to ignore it . Now here is when the author tricks us as she has also introduced a mysterious box that enables Araceli to communicate with a First World War soldier. See what I mean ? This book is a puzzle for the reader to solve with elements of the Philadelphia experiment alongside our intrepid heroine pitting herself against secretive and dangerous military types. Araceli most definitely leads the charge but the supporting characters just never really felt fleshed out to me. Plus the surprise at the end didn’t really feel right to my mind but I did like that everything got wrapped up neatly.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
November 26, 2020
My theory is someone switched books on me. I started Sunday night and was pretty into it. I got about halfway through, put it down for bed, and picked up back up Monday night and I DIDN'T GET IT.
For one, I definitely didn't get I was supposed to be shipping . And the plot got all weird. It's not really what I expected from the description. I wouldn't call it a thriller. (I'm not sure what I WOULD call it.)
Anyway, this rating is probably too low, but I LIKED THE BOOK I WAS READING SUNDAY NIGHT. WHAT HAPPENED TO IT?
For one, I definitely didn't get I was supposed to be shipping . And the plot got all weird. It's not really what I expected from the description. I wouldn't call it a thriller. (I'm not sure what I WOULD call it.)
Anyway, this rating is probably too low, but I LIKED THE BOOK I WAS READING SUNDAY NIGHT. WHAT HAPPENED TO IT?
July 8, 2019
Full Review on The Candid Cover
3.5 Stars
Heartwood Box by Ann Aguirre is a book that I picked up unsure of what to expect. It is thrilling and mysterious, and it blends multiple genres to create something that I have never seen before. I enjoyed the main character and her determination to makes things right in her new town, however the ending didn’t work out for me, and it impacted my enjoyment of the book. This is still a fantastic read, but I would have enjoyed a different outcome.
This book takes place in a mysterious town in which people suddenly disappear. The main character finds a wooden box with a letter inside and decides to write back as part of a school assignment, but she ends up receiving a reply from a boy named Oliver. As it turns out, Oliver is a soldier in World War I. I enjoyed how the book is a mix of genres, from contemporary to sci fi to thriller. As well, it is fast paced, and the writing style is very suspenseful. This is such a gripping read that I had trouble putting down.
❀ CAPTIVATING MAIN CHARACTER
Araceli is an enjoyable character, and I liked how she is always willing to take action. She is brave and truly wants the best for people, and she uses her communication link to the past to help out the soldiers. For instance, she is able to send battle information which in turn saves the lives of many. As well, I found Araceli’s voice to be captivating and realistic for her age, which is an important aspect for me. Ultimately, I found her character to be likeable and believable.
❀ DRAMATIC ENDING
To me, this book would have been around 4 stars, or even 4.5, but the ending didn’t satisfy me at all. I can’t go into details without spoiling, but the way the romance works out and the whole multi-generational thing take a wild turn. I appreciate the efforts made to tie everything together, and I can see some people enjoying the end, however, I was a little bit uncomfortable with the result. Normally, the ending of a book wouldn’t influence my opinion too much, but this case was quite dramatic.
Heartwood Box is a unique story that blends multiple genres. I loved the concept as well as the main character, but the ending frustrated me and heavily impacted my overall enjoyment of the book. I would still recommend this one to those who are looking for a mysterious and fresh novel.
3.5 Stars
Heartwood Box by Ann Aguirre is a book that I picked up unsure of what to expect. It is thrilling and mysterious, and it blends multiple genres to create something that I have never seen before. I enjoyed the main character and her determination to makes things right in her new town, however the ending didn’t work out for me, and it impacted my enjoyment of the book. This is still a fantastic read, but I would have enjoyed a different outcome.
This book takes place in a mysterious town in which people suddenly disappear. The main character finds a wooden box with a letter inside and decides to write back as part of a school assignment, but she ends up receiving a reply from a boy named Oliver. As it turns out, Oliver is a soldier in World War I. I enjoyed how the book is a mix of genres, from contemporary to sci fi to thriller. As well, it is fast paced, and the writing style is very suspenseful. This is such a gripping read that I had trouble putting down.
❀ CAPTIVATING MAIN CHARACTER
Araceli is an enjoyable character, and I liked how she is always willing to take action. She is brave and truly wants the best for people, and she uses her communication link to the past to help out the soldiers. For instance, she is able to send battle information which in turn saves the lives of many. As well, I found Araceli’s voice to be captivating and realistic for her age, which is an important aspect for me. Ultimately, I found her character to be likeable and believable.
❀ DRAMATIC ENDING
To me, this book would have been around 4 stars, or even 4.5, but the ending didn’t satisfy me at all. I can’t go into details without spoiling, but the way the romance works out and the whole multi-generational thing take a wild turn. I appreciate the efforts made to tie everything together, and I can see some people enjoying the end, however, I was a little bit uncomfortable with the result. Normally, the ending of a book wouldn’t influence my opinion too much, but this case was quite dramatic.
Heartwood Box is a unique story that blends multiple genres. I loved the concept as well as the main character, but the ending frustrated me and heavily impacted my overall enjoyment of the book. I would still recommend this one to those who are looking for a mysterious and fresh novel.
July 15, 2019
Originally posted on The Nerd Daily | Review by Laura Erne
“This is where hope goes to die.”
I knew after just one sentence that this book was going to be good. It kicks off with the main character, Araceli, and her perspective is hilariously pessimistic. Her clearly sarcastic observations help lighten the very dark things that seem to happen in this new yet, seemingly old town.
“I like them all more when they accept that without asking a lot of questions. If we click, I’ll tell them about my life, but I hate giving personal details for no other reason than to satisfy the curiosity of strangers. Any info I divulge should come by choice.”
This is coming from a teenager and sometimes I seemed to forget that while I was reading because she’s so grown up. She thinks with years of experience that she can’t possibly have, which makes her wise and smart. Both Araceli’s thoughts and dialogue seemed to suit that of a teenager, but in her case, she lacked the naiveté usually associated with someone young. She was hilarious to read and everything seemed to flow very naturally. Her nature and demeanour seemed really relatable too which is always a great quality in a main character as it helps incorporate yourself as the reader in their story. Brilliant!
This girl swears like a sailor too. Cliché I know, but it worked since she’s a teenager and most swear. Ann Aguirre used it to create extremely impressive, conversational tones in the main character. I think this really elevated something that could have been just mediocre to something great with substance! I like how she wasn’t afraid to add swear words because it is a YA novel. I found it more genuine because she swore and it added to the authenticity of the whole piece. They weren’t thrown in there just to be edgy either, they had a purpose and that helped establish the main character. Bravo!
I am a history buff so when I found out that Aguirre incorporated elements that included a cute and nervous soldier who doubles as a love interest from WWI, she had me sold. I kept reading on and on just to find out what would happen. It got quite addictive! And, if I must say, his scenes and nervous flirting were adorable! The way they spoke in the early 1900’s was definitely a swoon-worthy touch.
For the longest time I thought the romance in here was flat. It seemed like the main character wasn’t interested in any entanglement, which made sense as her life was just upheaved and chucked into a new environment. But then the romance seemed to come to her making it feel a little unlikely. First with the Heartwood box, transporting her to Oliver in the amidst of World War I and then again with the prankster schoolmate, Logan, who she meets at her new school. I hated how much she brushed off Logan with disinterest and I didn’t really get it because her fixation on Oliver seemed really unrealistic (which it was) but it didn’t stop her falling head over heels for him. I came to like him too and didn’t care that it wouldn’t make for a happy ending but that did make me dread finishing the book because now I was hooked on a relationship that couldn’t work.
All that being said, I finished the book having not thrown it across the room in anger or left it damp with tears. I think with the concept Ann Aguirre posed for this story set her up for a hard finish and I think all things considered, she did a marvellous job. It kept fans for both love interests (in my opinion) happy and the mix of mystery and science fiction came to a satisfying conclusion where all your questions seemed to be answered.
“I’ll end up as a legendary cat lady with twenty-seven felines who eat me after I die.”
Oops, did I forget that this was also filled with hilarious one liners like this one?
This is definitely a book to get you out of a reading slump, the unfortunate downside to reading. I was worried at first about not liking this, but I think the very addition of the sci-fi-esque elements created an illusion to the mystery behind the town that fit with the plot. It didn’t leave the story with words I couldn’t pronounce or the heaviness of knowledge associated with science that would leave you confused and then feeling stupid. It was a light, fluffy novel that took a multitude of genres that entice a variety of readers and I think it was executed very well!
I give it a 7/10 only because the romance made me a bit angry at times and the predictability of the town and the strange occurrences was a little disappointing in terms of a wow factor. Don’t get me wrong though, this was a great book and I look forward to reading more by Ann Aguirre because her writing and ability to create incredible thought and dialogue to her main character made this book flow well and that’s a good thing. There were hints of Outlander, dashes of Wayward Pines and creepy, eerie feelings that remind me of the movies, Boy and Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Us.
I definitely recommend this to anyone who has an interest in history, lovers of romance, geeks who love science fiction, and of course to all you scaredy cats who love all things thriller/horror. This book had it all and I think there’s something for everyone here, so try it out! It might just be the thing to help you out of your slump!
“This is where hope goes to die.”
I knew after just one sentence that this book was going to be good. It kicks off with the main character, Araceli, and her perspective is hilariously pessimistic. Her clearly sarcastic observations help lighten the very dark things that seem to happen in this new yet, seemingly old town.
“I like them all more when they accept that without asking a lot of questions. If we click, I’ll tell them about my life, but I hate giving personal details for no other reason than to satisfy the curiosity of strangers. Any info I divulge should come by choice.”
This is coming from a teenager and sometimes I seemed to forget that while I was reading because she’s so grown up. She thinks with years of experience that she can’t possibly have, which makes her wise and smart. Both Araceli’s thoughts and dialogue seemed to suit that of a teenager, but in her case, she lacked the naiveté usually associated with someone young. She was hilarious to read and everything seemed to flow very naturally. Her nature and demeanour seemed really relatable too which is always a great quality in a main character as it helps incorporate yourself as the reader in their story. Brilliant!
This girl swears like a sailor too. Cliché I know, but it worked since she’s a teenager and most swear. Ann Aguirre used it to create extremely impressive, conversational tones in the main character. I think this really elevated something that could have been just mediocre to something great with substance! I like how she wasn’t afraid to add swear words because it is a YA novel. I found it more genuine because she swore and it added to the authenticity of the whole piece. They weren’t thrown in there just to be edgy either, they had a purpose and that helped establish the main character. Bravo!
I am a history buff so when I found out that Aguirre incorporated elements that included a cute and nervous soldier who doubles as a love interest from WWI, she had me sold. I kept reading on and on just to find out what would happen. It got quite addictive! And, if I must say, his scenes and nervous flirting were adorable! The way they spoke in the early 1900’s was definitely a swoon-worthy touch.
For the longest time I thought the romance in here was flat. It seemed like the main character wasn’t interested in any entanglement, which made sense as her life was just upheaved and chucked into a new environment. But then the romance seemed to come to her making it feel a little unlikely. First with the Heartwood box, transporting her to Oliver in the amidst of World War I and then again with the prankster schoolmate, Logan, who she meets at her new school. I hated how much she brushed off Logan with disinterest and I didn’t really get it because her fixation on Oliver seemed really unrealistic (which it was) but it didn’t stop her falling head over heels for him. I came to like him too and didn’t care that it wouldn’t make for a happy ending but that did make me dread finishing the book because now I was hooked on a relationship that couldn’t work.
All that being said, I finished the book having not thrown it across the room in anger or left it damp with tears. I think with the concept Ann Aguirre posed for this story set her up for a hard finish and I think all things considered, she did a marvellous job. It kept fans for both love interests (in my opinion) happy and the mix of mystery and science fiction came to a satisfying conclusion where all your questions seemed to be answered.
“I’ll end up as a legendary cat lady with twenty-seven felines who eat me after I die.”
Oops, did I forget that this was also filled with hilarious one liners like this one?
This is definitely a book to get you out of a reading slump, the unfortunate downside to reading. I was worried at first about not liking this, but I think the very addition of the sci-fi-esque elements created an illusion to the mystery behind the town that fit with the plot. It didn’t leave the story with words I couldn’t pronounce or the heaviness of knowledge associated with science that would leave you confused and then feeling stupid. It was a light, fluffy novel that took a multitude of genres that entice a variety of readers and I think it was executed very well!
I give it a 7/10 only because the romance made me a bit angry at times and the predictability of the town and the strange occurrences was a little disappointing in terms of a wow factor. Don’t get me wrong though, this was a great book and I look forward to reading more by Ann Aguirre because her writing and ability to create incredible thought and dialogue to her main character made this book flow well and that’s a good thing. There were hints of Outlander, dashes of Wayward Pines and creepy, eerie feelings that remind me of the movies, Boy and Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Us.
I definitely recommend this to anyone who has an interest in history, lovers of romance, geeks who love science fiction, and of course to all you scaredy cats who love all things thriller/horror. This book had it all and I think there’s something for everyone here, so try it out! It might just be the thing to help you out of your slump!
July 12, 2019
*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Young Adult, Thriller, Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.0
*Thoughts*
Ann Aguirre's Heartwood Box is a cross between fantasy, and science fiction, and speculation. Thanks to her parents spending time in Venezuela covering a story, because why not? Araceli Flores Harper is sent to her great-Aunt Ottilie's home on Long Island to spend the summer before she attends her final year of High School. Ottilie's husband disappeared 20 years ago. She still lives in the run down Victorian home she's always lived in. But, that's not the real story.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
*Genre* Young Adult, Thriller, Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.0
*Thoughts*
Ann Aguirre's Heartwood Box is a cross between fantasy, and science fiction, and speculation. Thanks to her parents spending time in Venezuela covering a story, because why not? Araceli Flores Harper is sent to her great-Aunt Ottilie's home on Long Island to spend the summer before she attends her final year of High School. Ottilie's husband disappeared 20 years ago. She still lives in the run down Victorian home she's always lived in. But, that's not the real story.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
June 21, 2019
Aguirre herself tweeted that Heartwood Box is “Stranger Things meets The Lake House”. There’s really no better way to explain this book.
I previously read Aguirre’s book The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things and I believe that it was the better book that I’ve read by her. My enjoyment of that book was why I was interested in reading this one. While Heartwood Box has an interesting premise, the execution wasn’t what I had hoped for.
There were many instances when the conversational scenes were sloppy and lacked depth and connection. I’ll be honest, if this had just been a regular contemporary I would have DNFed it. But the mystery and the weirdness had me hooked enough that I had to find out what was going on.
But even saying that, all of the different oddities left the story feeling diffuse. Is it a contemporary book? Is it a sci-fi book? Is it a time travel book? Is it a mystery book? Sometimes having your book consist of so many different aspects can make it wonderful and wildly entertaining. But it just didn’t work here. It left me feeling disjointed by the lack of flow for 75% of the book.
But the last 25% was where the book got good. Lots of action, explanations and heart. All of the oddness finally came together to fit and make sense. It was what I had been expecting and made me wish the whole book had been that enjoyable. It was the saving grace of the book really, and made it worth the read after all.
I previously read Aguirre’s book The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things and I believe that it was the better book that I’ve read by her. My enjoyment of that book was why I was interested in reading this one. While Heartwood Box has an interesting premise, the execution wasn’t what I had hoped for.
There were many instances when the conversational scenes were sloppy and lacked depth and connection. I’ll be honest, if this had just been a regular contemporary I would have DNFed it. But the mystery and the weirdness had me hooked enough that I had to find out what was going on.
But even saying that, all of the different oddities left the story feeling diffuse. Is it a contemporary book? Is it a sci-fi book? Is it a time travel book? Is it a mystery book? Sometimes having your book consist of so many different aspects can make it wonderful and wildly entertaining. But it just didn’t work here. It left me feeling disjointed by the lack of flow for 75% of the book.
But the last 25% was where the book got good. Lots of action, explanations and heart. All of the oddness finally came together to fit and make sense. It was what I had been expecting and made me wish the whole book had been that enjoyable. It was the saving grace of the book really, and made it worth the read after all.
October 8, 2019
She had me at "Lake House." That is one of my favorite movies and Araceli's letters back and forth to Oliver add such a sweet, nostalgic tone ofsetting sometimes preachy voice of Araceli and the harsh environment she finds herself in when her parents send her to live with an elderly aunt. In this "safe" town, there are many who have simply vanished with no explanation. In the racially diverse group of friends that Araceli connects with, there is a girl named Eunsoo who has already been an on-line friend due to their shared love of KPop. When Eunsoo disappears the group of friends begins to mobilize and learn more about Project Paradox--an ominous endeavor being implemented in the mysterious lab outside of town. This is a true genre mixer with romance, thriller and sci-fi included. The ending is on the fairytale side, but we are also left with a sense of unease and the opportunity to draw some of our own conclusions.
July 12, 2024
The first half of the book is more interesting than the last half, maybe because there’s more creepy intrigue ahead of the main character figuring out what’s going on. The insta-love between Araceli and Oliver was a bit much. I think I honestly would have preferred (and the storyline would have still worked out perfectly) if they had just been platonic pen pals - a scared & lonely young soldier, and a girl trying her best to keep him safe. It would have been more impactful that way than having Araceli so utterly heartbroken, but seemingly willing to settle with/for Oliver’s descendant. Things also got a little bit far-fetched towards the end, but overall this is a solid 4 star read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2019
Dnf somewhere at the beginning
July 23, 2019
Ann consistently writes stories that are unputdownable, timely, and leave me waiting for her next book. Heartwood Box has the cover from a 90s horror/thriller and one of the most unique sci-fi mystery within. Absolutely loved this.
June 8, 2019
The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
I really wasn't sure what I was expecting when I began to read Heartwood Box, but I think compared to the summary I was expecting something a lot different. I also am not the biggest contemporary fan. I love fantasy and science fiction and things with heavy world building. So it was a little different reading something that takes place in the real world. Heartwood Box also takes place in New York, so I was really intrigued with that aspect. The only thing that got me through reading Heartwood Box was the need to know what the mystery behind the town was. Other then that there wasn't much. I wasn't really invested in the story or the characters.
The biggest thing about Heartwood Box that sticks out to me that on the first page Araceli mentions how she took the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) to the small sleepy town in which her great aunt Ottilie lives. But later on in the book it is mentioned that this unnamed sleepy town is about a half hour away from Silver Lake, New York which is ALL the way upstate in New York. Which is nowhere near Long Island. 336 miles away to be exact and 6 hours away. So, you're probably like: "Amber what is the point of this?" Well, Araceli technically should be taking Amtrak to get to her aunt's town. The LIRR is strictly Long Island, it runs from Manhattan and all the way to Long Island's Eastern tip (Montauk.) Basically, there is no way that the LIRR got Araceli from JFK airport to her new home 6 hours upstate. This little bit just annoyed me because it is something that is easily looked up and over looked. But this is part of New York and how you get from point A to point B. I feel like in this aspect at least there wasn't research done. Now, you're like: "Amber, this really isn't a big deal." But it bothered me.
I couldn't connect with Araceli. I found her to be whiny and a bit selfish. I don't know if this has to do with that I don't read contemporary often so I am not use to characters who actually act their age and are still in high school. But I found her immature and only out for herself. I also feel as if as a character I didn't really know her, I knew she moved around about once a year and her parents sent her to live with her aunt while the investigated civil unrest in Venezuela. But that is about it.
The only part of the novel I really enjoyed was the mystery aspect. Why can't she go into the woods? What are the lights? Why are people dissapearing? Why are there people wearing bio-hazard suits in the woods of the town? I wanted the answers to these questions and that is why I kept reading on rather then straight up DNFing it. I hate writing negative book reviews, but I also know that I am not going to love every single book I read. I am not saying that I though Heartwood Box was horrible, but there are a lot of things that could have changed or worked differently. This book and I just didn't mesh well and that's all there is to it really.
I really wasn't sure what I was expecting when I began to read Heartwood Box, but I think compared to the summary I was expecting something a lot different. I also am not the biggest contemporary fan. I love fantasy and science fiction and things with heavy world building. So it was a little different reading something that takes place in the real world. Heartwood Box also takes place in New York, so I was really intrigued with that aspect. The only thing that got me through reading Heartwood Box was the need to know what the mystery behind the town was. Other then that there wasn't much. I wasn't really invested in the story or the characters.
The biggest thing about Heartwood Box that sticks out to me that on the first page Araceli mentions how she took the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) to the small sleepy town in which her great aunt Ottilie lives. But later on in the book it is mentioned that this unnamed sleepy town is about a half hour away from Silver Lake, New York which is ALL the way upstate in New York. Which is nowhere near Long Island. 336 miles away to be exact and 6 hours away. So, you're probably like: "Amber what is the point of this?" Well, Araceli technically should be taking Amtrak to get to her aunt's town. The LIRR is strictly Long Island, it runs from Manhattan and all the way to Long Island's Eastern tip (Montauk.) Basically, there is no way that the LIRR got Araceli from JFK airport to her new home 6 hours upstate. This little bit just annoyed me because it is something that is easily looked up and over looked. But this is part of New York and how you get from point A to point B. I feel like in this aspect at least there wasn't research done. Now, you're like: "Amber, this really isn't a big deal." But it bothered me.
I couldn't connect with Araceli. I found her to be whiny and a bit selfish. I don't know if this has to do with that I don't read contemporary often so I am not use to characters who actually act their age and are still in high school. But I found her immature and only out for herself. I also feel as if as a character I didn't really know her, I knew she moved around about once a year and her parents sent her to live with her aunt while the investigated civil unrest in Venezuela. But that is about it.
The only part of the novel I really enjoyed was the mystery aspect. Why can't she go into the woods? What are the lights? Why are people dissapearing? Why are there people wearing bio-hazard suits in the woods of the town? I wanted the answers to these questions and that is why I kept reading on rather then straight up DNFing it. I hate writing negative book reviews, but I also know that I am not going to love every single book I read. I am not saying that I though Heartwood Box was horrible, but there are a lot of things that could have changed or worked differently. This book and I just didn't mesh well and that's all there is to it really.
Read
June 7, 2019I won't fully review until closer to release date but this was okay, not what I was expecting at all. I think the cover and the summary just gave me a different vibe over what the book actually is and that was a shame. There were a lot of things in here I've seen before and I didn't really like the romance either. I don't think Ann Aguirre is a terrible writer or anything, this was just a miss for me.
June 25, 2019
Have you ever encountered those stories, pieces of art, new foods, or other things that you weren’t sure about at first, but they slowly began to grow on you? This describes my experience with Heartwood Box. The weird thing is that this didn’t even happen while I was reading the book. It began to happen after I finished and thought about it. The story keeps coming back to me -- it’s the type that lingers. It’s an unusual tale and my instinct while reading it was to rate it 3 stars. When I finished it, I thought 3.5 stars. And now that I’m writing my review days later, I’m tempted to give it 4 stars.
Weird, right? This occasionally happens to me, but it’s pretty rare. Usually my rating holds or I want to downgrade it later (I know, I’m terrible). So as you can see, this one is a difficult one to rate and review. I think it’s because my feelings about each aspect of the book varied to such extremes.
The Good:
I enjoyed the pacing of the story, the creepy vibe, and the mystery itself, which kept me guessing throughout! Each time I had to put the book down, I looked forward to picking it back up. The MC is biracial and her inner commentary on how that affects her life, as well as her observations on how racism affected those around her, were thought-provoking. They were not the focus of the story, but they were well incorporated. As for the feeling of the book, Heartwood Box gave me Stranger Things vibes, in that it took place in a small town where weird things were happening, there were kids trying to solve larger mysteries, and the story dipped into multiple genres. This book was unusual and disconcerting, which was just what I hoped for from a creepy Tor Teen title!
The Not-so-good:
As for the parts I didn’t love… well, the romance did not work for me at all. I understood the reason the author included it in the story, but I didn’t find it believable. There were also parts of the story that felt a little too easy -- obstacles that probably should have been more difficult for the characters to overcome. And the MC’s parents felt like a vague afterthought than real people.
In the end, the story left me plenty of food for thought. It’s enjoyable and it’s different. I can completely understand why some of the other early reviewers felt lukewarm about the book - like quite a few other Tor Teen titles, it’s a tale with a really specific audience, though it would be hard for me to define precisely who that audience might be. I think it’s worth experiencing for yourself -- just know going in that there is a LOT in this story, so even if not everything clicks for you, there’s a good chance that something in it will pique your interest!
Free advanced copy provided by Tor Teen through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Weird, right? This occasionally happens to me, but it’s pretty rare. Usually my rating holds or I want to downgrade it later (I know, I’m terrible). So as you can see, this one is a difficult one to rate and review. I think it’s because my feelings about each aspect of the book varied to such extremes.
The Good:
I enjoyed the pacing of the story, the creepy vibe, and the mystery itself, which kept me guessing throughout! Each time I had to put the book down, I looked forward to picking it back up. The MC is biracial and her inner commentary on how that affects her life, as well as her observations on how racism affected those around her, were thought-provoking. They were not the focus of the story, but they were well incorporated. As for the feeling of the book, Heartwood Box gave me Stranger Things vibes, in that it took place in a small town where weird things were happening, there were kids trying to solve larger mysteries, and the story dipped into multiple genres. This book was unusual and disconcerting, which was just what I hoped for from a creepy Tor Teen title!
The Not-so-good:
As for the parts I didn’t love… well, the romance did not work for me at all. I understood the reason the author included it in the story, but I didn’t find it believable. There were also parts of the story that felt a little too easy -- obstacles that probably should have been more difficult for the characters to overcome. And the MC’s parents felt like a vague afterthought than real people.
In the end, the story left me plenty of food for thought. It’s enjoyable and it’s different. I can completely understand why some of the other early reviewers felt lukewarm about the book - like quite a few other Tor Teen titles, it’s a tale with a really specific audience, though it would be hard for me to define precisely who that audience might be. I think it’s worth experiencing for yourself -- just know going in that there is a LOT in this story, so even if not everything clicks for you, there’s a good chance that something in it will pique your interest!
Free advanced copy provided by Tor Teen through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 6, 2022
I did not finish the book.
The story line was perfectly creepy and I probably would have read the whole book, but I kind of found Arceli's obsession with Oliver's letters unnerving. And I felt extremely bad for Logan, who is just so sweet!
This book, at least as much I read, is really good. Me having a problem with love triangles does not mean that the book is bad.
Definitely recommend to people who like horror, mystery and a kind-of love triangle.
PS. I loved the aunt!
The story line was perfectly creepy and I probably would have read the whole book, but I kind of found Arceli's obsession with Oliver's letters unnerving. And I felt extremely bad for Logan, who is just so sweet!
This book, at least as much I read, is really good. Me having a problem with love triangles does not mean that the book is bad.
Definitely recommend to people who like horror, mystery and a kind-of love triangle.
PS. I loved the aunt!
April 13, 2025
I started this book months ago, got more than halfway thru, and put it down
I finally picked it up to finish it. it's OK. It's not a horror book, but there is a mystery and a creepy lab and bad guys. it's kind of a love story, too. Anyway, I usually love Aguirre's stories, but this one was just ok.
I finally picked it up to finish it. it's OK. It's not a horror book, but there is a mystery and a creepy lab and bad guys. it's kind of a love story, too. Anyway, I usually love Aguirre's stories, but this one was just ok.
February 2, 2023
Oh, this was such a clever and fantastic read! I loved the romance and the twists and turns, and it was a wonderful read!
July 19, 2019
I loved it!
Araceli is staying in a small town in upstate NY with her great aunt Ottilie. Her parents are investigative journalists who report on dangerous situations and they did not want her with them for their assignment in Venezuela. Instead Araceli is to finish high school and take her SATs - the normal American teenage experience. But...Strange things happen in this town- there's many missing people (including Ottilie's husband Archibald), ghost lights in the woods, and ghostly presences eating food and walking around in people’s houses. Also there’s Fairhaven Lab, which is surrounded by gates and guards with its staff handling highly classified experiments. She makes friends with class clown and abused neighbor Logan Reed as well as the only other students who are POCs in a mostly white school. The town as a shady history of racism and rumors of former Nazi training camps. Araceli tries to adjust to life there by joining the dance team and spending time with Logan, who has a crush on her. Araceli finds a Heartwood Box in her Great Aunt’s junk room- a box which she eventually uses to communicate with a World War I soldier named Oliver. At first, it is a fluke- she puts a homework assignment in the box and it disappears. Then a response from Oliver appears and Araceli begins to communicate with him, slowly falling in love with him while sending him treats, a necklace and information to help him survive in upcoming battles. (Around the same time, Logan is hit with ghost lights, disappears and no one remembers him, which is odd.) When her friend Eunsoo and her dad become the next ones in town to disappear, Araceli and her friends decide to investigate the lab to figure out what is going on. It turns out that everything is associated with the Heartwood Box. The Box was a prototype for a form of time travel called a "time slip." The lab has six boxes in the woods and people get caught in this time slips, so they are neither here nor in another time. With some assistance from two employees - Eunsoo's mom and Dr. Edward Perry, and using Araceli's Heartwood Box as a locator, the teenagers destroy the boxes in the woods but Araceli is captured by evil Dr. Sofia Bruner, granddaughter of the famous German spy. Dr. Bruner wants to perfect time travel so she can change the timeline. She wants Germany to win World War I thinking that it would be better for the world, not thinking of all of the damage that messing with the timeline would cause. While captured, Araceli uses her Heartwood Box to send two messages: one to Oliver to tell him to move on and be happy and to raise his children to be good people, and another to the original inventor of the Heartwood Box to tell him to destroy his prototype before people like Dr. Bruner can use it for evil purposes. Dr. Perry frees Araceli, they destroy the prototypes in the lab and she throws the Heartwood Box into the time slip. When she wakes up, everything is different - all of the missing people are back as if they had never been gone, there is no Fairhaven Lab, her best friend is now Miguel not Eunsoo, she's not on the dance team, her parents are on assignment in Antarctica, and no one remembers what happened. Dr. Perry shows up at her school - he remembers what happened but its fading. He wants her to check if she still has the Heartwood Box so that she can destroy it while he destroys the other early prototype, before it is erased from his memory. He agrees that this reality is completely different and Araceli tells him about the two last letters she sent in the Heartwood Box, which is probably the reason. Araceli goes home and the Heartwood Box is there. She has Logan take her to a junk yard to destroy it. She cries because Oliver is now lost to her and she won't know what happened to him. Logan takes her to his house, where his parents are now no longer abusive, and tells her that he likes her and that he has ever since he heard her name. It turns out that his grandpa's first love was named Araceli... and his grandpa was OLIVER!!!! AAAAAAHHHHHH! He shows Araceli a photo album and there is her Oliver - the one she had been writing to. As Logan leaves the room, Araceli finds a letter in the album addressed to her in which Oliver said that he did what she asked him to do and hoped that she too would find happiness as his love for her has never died. And here comes Logan Oliver Reed, who was meant for her. Awesome.
Araceli is staying in a small town in upstate NY with her great aunt Ottilie. Her parents are investigative journalists who report on dangerous situations and they did not want her with them for their assignment in Venezuela. Instead Araceli is to finish high school and take her SATs - the normal American teenage experience. But...Strange things happen in this town- there's many missing people (including Ottilie's husband Archibald), ghost lights in the woods, and ghostly presences eating food and walking around in people’s houses. Also there’s Fairhaven Lab, which is surrounded by gates and guards with its staff handling highly classified experiments. She makes friends with class clown and abused neighbor Logan Reed as well as the only other students who are POCs in a mostly white school. The town as a shady history of racism and rumors of former Nazi training camps. Araceli tries to adjust to life there by joining the dance team and spending time with Logan, who has a crush on her. Araceli finds a Heartwood Box in her Great Aunt’s junk room- a box which she eventually uses to communicate with a World War I soldier named Oliver. At first, it is a fluke- she puts a homework assignment in the box and it disappears. Then a response from Oliver appears and Araceli begins to communicate with him, slowly falling in love with him while sending him treats, a necklace and information to help him survive in upcoming battles. (Around the same time, Logan is hit with ghost lights, disappears and no one remembers him, which is odd.) When her friend Eunsoo and her dad become the next ones in town to disappear, Araceli and her friends decide to investigate the lab to figure out what is going on. It turns out that everything is associated with the Heartwood Box. The Box was a prototype for a form of time travel called a "time slip." The lab has six boxes in the woods and people get caught in this time slips, so they are neither here nor in another time. With some assistance from two employees - Eunsoo's mom and Dr. Edward Perry, and using Araceli's Heartwood Box as a locator, the teenagers destroy the boxes in the woods but Araceli is captured by evil Dr. Sofia Bruner, granddaughter of the famous German spy. Dr. Bruner wants to perfect time travel so she can change the timeline. She wants Germany to win World War I thinking that it would be better for the world, not thinking of all of the damage that messing with the timeline would cause. While captured, Araceli uses her Heartwood Box to send two messages: one to Oliver to tell him to move on and be happy and to raise his children to be good people, and another to the original inventor of the Heartwood Box to tell him to destroy his prototype before people like Dr. Bruner can use it for evil purposes. Dr. Perry frees Araceli, they destroy the prototypes in the lab and she throws the Heartwood Box into the time slip. When she wakes up, everything is different - all of the missing people are back as if they had never been gone, there is no Fairhaven Lab, her best friend is now Miguel not Eunsoo, she's not on the dance team, her parents are on assignment in Antarctica, and no one remembers what happened. Dr. Perry shows up at her school - he remembers what happened but its fading. He wants her to check if she still has the Heartwood Box so that she can destroy it while he destroys the other early prototype, before it is erased from his memory. He agrees that this reality is completely different and Araceli tells him about the two last letters she sent in the Heartwood Box, which is probably the reason. Araceli goes home and the Heartwood Box is there. She has Logan take her to a junk yard to destroy it. She cries because Oliver is now lost to her and she won't know what happened to him. Logan takes her to his house, where his parents are now no longer abusive, and tells her that he likes her and that he has ever since he heard her name. It turns out that his grandpa's first love was named Araceli... and his grandpa was OLIVER!!!! AAAAAAHHHHHH! He shows Araceli a photo album and there is her Oliver - the one she had been writing to. As Logan leaves the room, Araceli finds a letter in the album addressed to her in which Oliver said that he did what she asked him to do and hoped that she too would find happiness as his love for her has never died. And here comes Logan Oliver Reed, who was meant for her. Awesome.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2019
What an odd, odd story.
There was so much happening, so many separate storylines that it had me confused. Was this sci fi? Was this contemporary? Was this a mystery? It felt a little all over the place...
FRTC
There was so much happening, so many separate storylines that it had me confused. Was this sci fi? Was this contemporary? Was this a mystery? It felt a little all over the place...
FRTC
June 18, 2019
3.5 stars
Thank you to MacMillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.
Heartwood Box is a mystery story that builds slowly in the beginning and packs a punch at the end with an ending that is somewhat bizarre but it works. I thought it was creative and different. My reaction was more like, what?……🤔
While reading this book, I was wondering if this was a ghost story but some things didn’t add up especially when there are people going missing in this strange town. I mean if it was just haunted, why would people go missing? Also, this is the second book I’ve read this month with references to World War I! That’s pretty cool since most people are engrained in World War II history, so I like having the spotlight be on WWI.
I enjoyed the diversity represented with the characters. Araceli is a strong young lady who grew up abroad in Central and South America, so she’s seen a lot of things, especially with parents who are investigative reporters. But this town is something different and she has a challenging time figuring things out.
I thought the ending was a nice twist and a bit strange. But I still enjoyed it because the story is well written. It flowed nicely from a slow mystery, which took me a few days to get into and then it took a turn with full on action and time-travel in the last part of the book. Yes, it did that.
Overall, I like this book! It’s not usually the type of genre I read but it was a nice change of pace.
Thank you to MacMillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.
Heartwood Box is a mystery story that builds slowly in the beginning and packs a punch at the end with an ending that is somewhat bizarre but it works. I thought it was creative and different. My reaction was more like, what?……🤔
While reading this book, I was wondering if this was a ghost story but some things didn’t add up especially when there are people going missing in this strange town. I mean if it was just haunted, why would people go missing? Also, this is the second book I’ve read this month with references to World War I! That’s pretty cool since most people are engrained in World War II history, so I like having the spotlight be on WWI.
I enjoyed the diversity represented with the characters. Araceli is a strong young lady who grew up abroad in Central and South America, so she’s seen a lot of things, especially with parents who are investigative reporters. But this town is something different and she has a challenging time figuring things out.
I thought the ending was a nice twist and a bit strange. But I still enjoyed it because the story is well written. It flowed nicely from a slow mystery, which took me a few days to get into and then it took a turn with full on action and time-travel in the last part of the book. Yes, it did that.
Overall, I like this book! It’s not usually the type of genre I read but it was a nice change of pace.
July 30, 2019
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for an ARC of this book!
First of all, I love Ann Aguirre. She is just a pro writer. This book is a little different than what I have been reading recently. I really don't want to give anything away, so this will be hard to write. The use of World War I makes me happy. It's not something you see a lot in YA, and it's such an important time in history to study. I am definitely checking out some of the stuff discussed in the author's note! The characters in the story were neat. To me, they were not your typical teens, but they were smart and caring without all of the drama. My only negative is that I don't know if teens will enjoy it as much as 47 year old me. I haven't talked to any of my teens at the library that have read it yet. There is a lot going on in this story, and it takes some brain power to read. Hopefully, with some booktalking this year, I will get the kids to read this unique story.
First of all, I love Ann Aguirre. She is just a pro writer. This book is a little different than what I have been reading recently. I really don't want to give anything away, so this will be hard to write. The use of World War I makes me happy. It's not something you see a lot in YA, and it's such an important time in history to study. I am definitely checking out some of the stuff discussed in the author's note! The characters in the story were neat. To me, they were not your typical teens, but they were smart and caring without all of the drama. My only negative is that I don't know if teens will enjoy it as much as 47 year old me. I haven't talked to any of my teens at the library that have read it yet. There is a lot going on in this story, and it takes some brain power to read. Hopefully, with some booktalking this year, I will get the kids to read this unique story.
June 25, 2025
THIS is my #1 favorite book in the ENTIRE world.
Let me tell you why.
One thing I do want to say though is after reading some reviews on this book, I need to tell you they are all wrong saying it's similar to Stranger Things. This book can not be compared to anything. It's that amazing.
This book looked interesting to me because it had some mystery that seemed ghostly to me. But after reading this it covers many genres actually. Mystery, Suspense, Romance and a little Sci-Fi.
I finished this book in 2 days and I hated to put it down. It tugged at my heartstrings so much I was sobbing like a little girl at the end. Remember watching the notebook and the feeling of love and sadness and overall butterflies you got? Well this is even better. This book gave me such a surprise but it also covered so many different topics. I love that they chose WWI for the past event because i think the loss and tragedy h its you harder.
THIS is a must read - you're missing out! I read this on ebooks but im buying my own personal copy so i can cherish it. <3
Let me tell you why.
One thing I do want to say though is after reading some reviews on this book, I need to tell you they are all wrong saying it's similar to Stranger Things. This book can not be compared to anything. It's that amazing.
This book looked interesting to me because it had some mystery that seemed ghostly to me. But after reading this it covers many genres actually. Mystery, Suspense, Romance and a little Sci-Fi.
I finished this book in 2 days and I hated to put it down. It tugged at my heartstrings so much I was sobbing like a little girl at the end. Remember watching the notebook and the feeling of love and sadness and overall butterflies you got? Well this is even better. This book gave me such a surprise but it also covered so many different topics. I love that they chose WWI for the past event because i think the loss and tragedy h its you harder.
THIS is a must read - you're missing out! I read this on ebooks but im buying my own personal copy so i can cherish it. <3
July 10, 2019
This one started out slow for me. Araceli was a fish out of water as she arrived in town and knew something was up. Between the letters and the missing people things were weird. I was glad that Araceli finally started to confide in people, but that seemed to make things worse. Finally Araceli and her friends took action. It was here that things went a bit over the top, from the misfit band of teens fighting to fix things to Araceli and her falling "in love" with Oliver. I saw the twist at the end coming.
July 12, 2019
This one is a definite favorite of 2019. HEARTWOOD BOX was not what I expected it to be in and in the best way. Aguirre's writes characters you can't help but root for and you fall into the creepy little town where everything happens so easily. If you love mysteries that will blow your mind, forbidden love and teenagers who take charge - this book is for you.
October 30, 2020
They need to remake this cover to something that actually fits with the book. I picked it up thinking it would be a spooky mystery. Turns out it was a sci-fi/time travel love story. It was like the author took several plots for a book and smooshed them into one.
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