Name: Grace O'Callaghan's review of The Paper and Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie
Item: The Paper and Hearts Society
Rating: 4
Author: Grace O'Callaghan

Lucy Powrie

A brand new series from Booktuber Lucy Powrie - about what happens when you give up on trying to fit in in and let your weird out! It's time to join The Paper & Hearts Society ... Tabby Brown is tired of trying to fit in. She doesn't want to go to parties - in fact, she would much rather snuggle up on the sofa with her favourite book. It's like she hasn't found her people ... Then Tabby joins a club that promises to celebrate books. What could go wrong? EVERYTHING - especially when making new friends brings out an AWKWARD BUZZING feeling all over her body. But Olivia, Cassie, Henry and Ed have something that makes Tabby come back. Maybe it's the Austen-themed fancy-dress parties, or Ed's fluffy cat Mrs Simpkins, or could it be Henry himself ... Can Tabby let her weird out AND live THE BEST BOOKISH LIFE POSSIBLE?

Book 1

The Paper and Hearts Society

The final Paper & Hearts Society adventure. Join Ed and The Paper & Hearts Society gang in this joyful comfort read and celebration of books from BookTuber, Lucy Powrie - the perfect book for fans of Alice Oseman, Holly Smale and Zoella. Ed is excited. He's finally landed his dream job as a bookseller at Woolf and Wilde, the beautiful independent bookshop in town. But Ed soon discovers that working life in the bookshop is very different to being a customer - the hours of shelving books, logging ISBNs and dealing with customers is overwhelming. So Ed does what Ed does best - smiles enthusiastically, fist pumps the air, and pretends that everything is totally under control. He just hadn't bargained on his new colleague, Hannah, seeing through his façade. Then Ed discovers that his mum is dating for the first time since splitting up with his dad. He decides to distract himself by being the best bookseller Woolf and Wilde has ever seen, but now Ed's confusing feelings for Hannah are getting in the way. If Ed can find a way to be himself, he might find it easier to make new connections, be a good friend to his old ones, and get to know himself a little better in the process ... Can Ed let his guard down for the love of books?

Book 3

Ian Brakspear

Grace O'Callaghan

Cameron Jones

So good, I've already bought both sequels

It is a truth universally acknowledged that any book lover in want of a good book will always find one in a library.


Tabby is fine with the way things are. Staying home and reading a good book is the best thing in life. But when she finds out about the local book club she takes a chance to find other people like her. Through the club she starts to feel a part of something and learns to step outside her comfort zone. But when someone from her old lives threatens her present, Tabby feels completely lost and alone.

If you’re looking for a light hearted contemporary surrounding books then The Paper & Hearts Society is for you. Although light and fun for the most part it does deal with some more sensitive subjects like anxiety and bullying. It’s definitely on the younger side of YA so not entirely my cup of tea but it was still such an enjoyable book.

Tabby is a really relatable character. She’s definitely an anxious person and an over thinker. But I think she’s a really great role model for younger girls who can see someone dealing with these things and trying their best. Whether that be just talking to a friend about her problems or seeking professional help. Tabby will also do anything for those she loves. Whilst I’m only talking about her in a good light, she certainly has her flaws. She’s not the best at communicating her feelings but like I said gets better at it over the course of the book. She also doesn’t have the best self esteem but learns to treat herself better. 

All of the other characters are also great. Ed is the humorous one of the group but kind of uses it to hide his feelings about his parents’ divorce. Henry is more on the quiet side and always puts others before himself and looks after his little sister a lot. Olivia is the most bubbly person you’ll ever meet, but is coming to terms with her growing feelings for someone. Cassie seems tough on the outside but uses it as a front when she doesn’t feel in control of her life.
I deeply appreciate all of these characters as they feel so real. They all have loveable qualities but all have their own struggles.

I also want to briefly say how much I love Tabby’s gran. She’s the absolute sweetest and has such a brilliant relationship with Tabby.

I wasn’t quite as fond as the narrative choice. I feel the book could have been more enjoyable if it were told in first person, but it’s told in third. We’re only privy to Tabby’s POV and when we have direct thoughts from her it’s in italics and first person. But then the flashbacks which are in third person are also in italics so I got a little confused. I just don’t think there was anything told in third person that couldn’t have been told in first. I also think I would’ve connected to Tabby even more if it was in first person.

The actual plot of the book is a fairly straightforward one but clearly got the message across. It’s not anything groundbreaking but if you just want a nice story about a wonderful friendship group look no further. Plus there’s a literary roadtrip portion of the book and how could you not love that?

I adored all the representation we got in this book. Cassie is attracted to girls and brown. Olivia is Filipino, attracted to girls and is also demisexual, something I wish I saw more of in books. Tabby is also shown as having anxiety and has panic attacks.

Basically if you’re looking for a diverse and lighthearted read focusing on friendship and books, this book’s for you. I’d also recommend giving this to younger girls as well as it’s definitely not explicit in the slightest with its language or content except there is a party scene but I don’t think alcohol was talked about a lot. It’s never put in a good light and none of the characters drink. My eleven year old cousin read it and loved it if that’s any indicator to go by. 
I’m so excited for the next book in the series!


Content warnings in spoiler tag below:
(view spoiler)[ Anxiety, panic attacks, bullying, minor mention of alcohol, death of a loved one (in the past), family health scare  (hide spoiler)]

Eilidh 

Perfect end to the series yet, I still want more!!
What about Cassie and Henry?
I kinda wish Hannah joined the Paper & Hearts Society but I get why she didn't. 
I'm sooo glad Mrs Simpkins was back in this book, as she wasn't in the 2nd one. Mrs Simpkins and Ed always make me laugh. (view spoiler)[ Like who buys their cat laxatives, even if it is a little constipated. (hide spoiler)]
I find it really easy to empathise with these characters which is great but it kinda effects me a lot when they're a little stressed and I'm already stressed. 
One of the best YA series' ever.

The much anticipated second book in The Paper Hearts Society series by Booktuber Lucy Powrie. Will you be the next recruit for The Paper Hearts Society book club? Olivia Santos is determined to win the National School Book Club Award for her school - she just has to come up with an original idea for a school library book club and recruit students. Luckily, she's the mastermind behind The Paper Hearts Society, a book club that she runs for her friends. When Olivia discovers the need for more LGBTQ+ titles in her school library, an idea forms which has the potential to inspire a new book club, encourage more students to read, and make the library as inclusive as possible. But with two book clubs to run, exams to prepare for, and a girlfriend, just how long will it be before Olivia burns out? After all, creating a book club and trying to get the #ReadWithPride hashtag to get noticed is going to take a lot of energy. Sometimes, when you're in too deep, it's up to your friends to look out for you ...

Read with Pride

I love this series. LOVE!!!!!!!
The first two books I have now both read with in 12 hours. Crazy! A total favourite series!!
I love all the characters, they are just so fun to read about. 
Each book has book recommendations throughout the story and I just want to be part of the Paper & Hearts Society.
A book about book lovers and a book club for book lovers. Perfect in my opinion!
Defiantly going to recommend it to everyone, especially my book club!!

Lisa Beasley

This was a far more emotional book than I expected it to be. At times it brought back some rather unpleasant memories from my school years back to the forefront of my mind, things I thought I'd left behind but realise now do still linger at the back of my mind even now, though thankfully with less strength as I've grown older. It's an incredibly well written book with interesting characters and a style which is easy to read. I definitely enjoyed it and on a lighter note want to do the literary road trip with my own bookish besties.

This was a really enjoyable sequel. I really liked how we got to expand the cast with this book and meet new and interesting characters while still holding onto the core group from the first book. I loved the positivity of the book, and how it handles a number of different issues. 

Overall a fun read.

I loved this book. Ed is such a wonderful character and I have to admit to getting tearful at a couple of points because my heart just went out to him so much. His internal monologue is at times hilarious but then also heartbreaking. I loved Hannah and am not afraid to admit that she challenged a few of my own beliefs/expectations which I was grateful for. 

Overall a solid end to the series. I am definitely going to miss these characters.

Beth Bartholomew

It is not often that a book makes me cry, and I didn’t expect it of this one, but cry I did. This book was so real and kept true to teenage life, the ups and the downs. It captured me and brought me back to the times where I learnt to become who I am today. It is very tough to be in your teen years, there is a lot going on, The Paper & Hearts Society doesn’t shy away from this. Lucy doesn’t try to glamorise the moments of our youth, she writes them as they are and creates believable and lovable, but more importantly real characters.

Tabby is the main character, entering into a circle of new friends when she joins The Paper & Hearts Society book club. She’s nervous, she has anxiety and her self confidence is low. Basically, she depicts exactly the feeling you get when you have to walk into a new group of people, most of whom are already friends, and say hello. It is daunting and terrifying, it is also awkward, but that is okay, because it takes time for it to become normal. 

I think Tabby was written extremely well as a character with all of these worries. She was very relatable and very innocent, which made me sad about some of the events in the book that befell her. She is surrounded by Olivia, Cassie, Ed and Henry, a group of best friends who are in the book club with her. They each offer a different personality; with Olivia being energetic and excitable, Cassie being much more private and guarded, Ed being open and cheerful and Henry being quiet and kind. I love the dynamics of this group and how they all fit together, another example of how, in the real world, not every one of your friends has your exact set of interests.  

I could definitely see where the plot was going with this one, but it was written so well that I didn’t mind knowing how it would end up. I loved the journey of this book and the style of writing. The mention of YA books was really great too, I loved seeing their cameos appear and spotting the titles of books I recognised. 

In the middle of this book, the characters visit Bath and I got very excited. I live near to Bath and knew every place the characters were talking about. It’s not often I can associate so closely with the setting of a book, but I really did feel as though I was there with the characters. I had a grin on my face the whole time they were exploring this beautifully bookish city.

My final shout out of praise to this book is the mention of demisexuality. Never have I read a book before that mentions this term, most people seem to not even have heard of it. When I read this I had to text Lucy and thank her for including a wider range of the LGBT spectrum in her book. Any form of sexuality was normalised in this book, and apart from demisexual, it didn’t need to be highlighted and made a big thing of. I’m excited to see more and more books being written like this, finally normalising sexuality for all ages in literature. 

Praise to Lucy Powrie for writing a superb book that really captured my heart.

Read with Pride is the sequel to The Paper & Hearts Society, but following Olivia rather than Tabby from the first book. This series is about a group of teens who love books and so have formed their own bookclub, the Paper & Hearts Society. One thing I would say about the characters in these books is they actually act their age, you believe they are 16-18 because they are written so well and like real people. 

The highlight of this book for me was how inclusive of LGBTQIA+ characters it is. The campaign Read with Pride is started as a retaliation against the school library needing a permission slip to withdraw any books featuring LGBTQIA+ themes. Olivia and her new friends band together to try and stand up against their school in their own protest. We meet so many characters that are both discovering and are confident in their sexuality. 

I think this book could really be a lifeline for teens in school struggling to understand their own sexuality. I know it's just a book, but the solidarity shown in it and community can't help but make you feel a little less alone in your own thoughts and feelings. I love that Lucy's books always centre around some greater cause and she brings attention to her passions in her writing so well. 

Olivia is taking on a lot of work in this important year of school and we see the pressures getting to her. I think this really reflects well on what it is like to be a teen at this stage in school life. Lucy Powrie captures the stress and over-whelming feeling of anxiety and pressure that comes with this stage in education. She made me feel like I was right back in school with her descriptions of Olivia's feelings. She's so relatable which makes her a great main character to read about. 

Read with Pride is a story of friendship, of the LGBTQIA+ community and their rights and also about fighting for what is right. Olivia is passionate about so many things and wants to fight for so much and do so much good. She's a ray of sunshine and I love reading about her adventures in this book.

Grace O'Callaghan &
The Paper and Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie

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Grace O'Callaghan &The Paper and Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie

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Grace O'Callaghan &
The Paper and Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie