Name: Artifacts of An Ex
ISBN: 9781250865663

Jennifer Chen

Artifacts of An Ex

roro :)

❝ Welcome to Heartifacts. I didn't intend to start an exhibit of my ex-boyfriend's objects, but when we broke up, it inspired me to find out what other people saved from the ruins of their relationships. Like fossil excavating, but for the lost bones of love. ❞

❓ #QOTD What items have you kept from a past relationship OR what reminds you of an ex? ❓

🦇 After moving from NYC to LA, Chloe Chang never expected her boyfriend to dump her, let alone via a box of her belongings. Instead of chucking those memories in the trash, she used her heartbreak as inspiration and begins an art exhibit; a collection of break-up boxes from other teens. At the opening of the Heartifacts exhibit, Chloe meets Daniel, who offers to enhance the exhibit with a film reenactment of a relationship's progression, with Chloe and Daniel as the stars. Their fake dates lead to real feelings, but Daniel doesn't want to be the rebound. Can Chloe make Heartifacts successful, and prove to Daniel her feelings are real?

❝ When you're in love, you figure out how to express it. ❞

💜 On the surface, Artifacts of an Ex is a cute friends-to-lovers young adult romance. If you look beyond that, you'll find a story about healing and community through art, letting go of perfectionism, finding your tribe, and recognizing your self-worth. Chloe develops so much as a character, not only as she heals from her heartache, but as she finds a new home for herself in LA. The strongest component of the story are through the art pieces themselves. Each one conveys a different version of love--how we heal from it, how it changes us, how each person we meet and interact with becomes another paint stroke on the canvas that is our story. I also adored the friendships, how the community comes together to help Chloe's grandmother, and all the heartwarming fluff. 

🦇 While this is a cute, layered debut novel, the pacing was a little exhausting. Between the fake dates, navigating her heartache, trying to help her grandmother, and curating the exhibit, Chloe stretches herself thin--which stretches the story thin as well. I also wish we learned more about Daniel outside of his passion for filmmaking and history as 'the rebound guy.' There's immediate chemistry between Chloe and Daniel, but Chloe's attraction toward him feels so immediate (thank you, mutual organizational stationery obsessions) that we don't really experience the transition from friends to more. There's a little repetition as well, which further causes the pacing to drag.

❝ You want to control everything. Plan it all out. Love isn't planned. It's messy. It's full of mistakes and stupid things you say. It's dopey as hell. ❞

🦇 Recommended for fans of cute YA romances with (sort of) fake dating! Ideal for fans of Emma Lord and Jenny Han. Get ready for some serious heart eyes.

🦇 Major thanks to the author @jchenwriter and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #artifactsofanex

Jazelle H

🦇 Artifacts of an Ex Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

❝ Welcome to Heartifacts. I didn't intend to start an exhibit of my ex-boyfriend's objects, but when we broke up, it inspired me to find out what other people saved from the ruins of their relationships. Like fossil excavating, but for the lost bones of love. ❞

❓ #QOTD What items have you kept from a past relationship OR what reminds you of an ex? ❓
 
🦇 After moving from NYC to LA, Chloe Chang never expected her boyfriend to dump her, let alone via a box of her belongings. Instead of chucking those memories in the trash, she used her heartbreak as inspiration and begins an art exhibit; a collection of break-up boxes from other teens. At the opening of the Heartifacts exhibit, Chloe meets Daniel, who offers to enhance the exhibit with a film reenactment of a relationship's progression, with Chloe and Daniel as the stars. Their fake dates lead to real feelings, but Daniel doesn't want to be the rebound. Can Chloe make Heartifacts successful, and prove to Daniel her feelings are real?

❝ When you're in love, you figure out how to express it. ❞

💜 On the surface, Artifacts of an Ex is a cute friends-to-lovers young adult romance. If you look beyond that, you'll find a story about healing and community through art, letting go of perfectionism, finding your tribe, and recognizing your self-worth. Chloe develops so much as a character, not only as she heals from her heartache, but as she finds a new home for herself in LA. The strongest component of the story are through the art pieces themselves. Each one conveys a different version of love--how we heal from it, how it changes us, how each person we meet and interact with becomes another paint stroke on the canvas that is our story. I also adored the friendships, how the community comes together to help Chloe's grandmother, and all the heartwarming fluff. 

🦇 While this is a cute, layered debut novel, the pacing was a little exhausting. Between the fake dates, navigating her heartache, trying to help her grandmother, and curating the exhibit, Chloe stretches herself thin--which stretches the story thin as well. I also wish we learned more about Daniel outside of his passion for filmmaking and history as 'the rebound guy.' There's immediate chemistry between Chloe and Daniel, but Chloe's attraction toward him feels so immediate (thank you, mutual organizational stationery obsessions) that we don't really experience the transition from friends to more. There's a little repetition as well, which further causes the pacing to drag.

❝ You want to control everything. Plan it all out. Love isn't planned. It's messy. It's full of mistakes and stupid things you say. It's dopey as hell. ❞

🦇 Recommended for fans of cute YA romances with (sort of) fake dating! Ideal for fans of Emma Lord and Jenny Han. Get ready for some serious heart eyes.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🫖 AAPI FMC & MMC
💌 Friends to Lovers
🩷 YA Contemporary Romance
🎨 Power of Art
🏳️‍🌈 Queer Side Characters

🦇 Major thanks to the author @jchenwriter and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #artifactsofanex

Artifacts of An Ex

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