The Anatomical Shape of a Heart Kindle Edition

This is poised as a teen romance, and it's absolutely that. A chance meeting, instant chemistry, instant intrigue (she immediately figures out a secret about him, he needs to know why she'd keep it), all that good stuff.But their families. OOF. Who they are and why. As they figure that stuff out, their own relationship solidifies. Then they begin to form who they will be as adults, those steps to growing up and moving on that are so important.I know the description of her art might be off-putting, but it is PERFECT for how it ties into so much more.I also want to say this:Though it is absolutely not the focus on the book, the way sexual acts/experiences (past, present, and future) are handled in the story is exemplary. This is the kind of book we want teens to read so when they get to that point in their own lives, they have positive examples of how to handle and talk through those types of decisions.More positive examples of respectful, thoughtful conversations by teens/young adults in books, please and thank you. Seeing others have those conversations, even in fiction, just might make it easier for them to have those uncomfortable/awkward conversations in real life.

This book has been on my shelf forever. And I also read other YA books by the author. So in a way I know what I was diving in for. But I learned that this was her first YA book and even won an award for it. So my expectations were high.Of course, Jenn Bennett did not fail me! I loved this book. I always love here unconventional characters. And most of the time, the heroines in her books have that sort of femme fatale feel to them. I just think it's amazing! I loved Bex and her love for things that are strange, and I love Jack for his ability to love so much. And both of which are broken in some sort of way. Their character growths were just so beautiful!The story in itself was very engaging. It's definitely the type of book you just can't put down, because you want to keep reading what's going to happen next.This book was so good! And I'm so happy the author decided to try out the YA genre!

Jackson: A bit retro rockabilly in blackTruly a powerful story. This is a YA story of first love between two outcasts. Beatrix (Bex) has a love of drawing anatomy and is trying to get permission to sit in on the medical school anatomy classes so she can sketch the people who have given their bodies to science to be dissected. Her classmates at school had nicknamed her Mortician.She meets Jackson (Jack) on a late bus one night and as they talk and stare at each other, he loses track of time and nearly misses his stop. When he gets up to leave a can of expensive gold spray paint falls out of his backpack. She figures out he is the graffiti artist wanted for some large gold graffiti popping up around town lately that has been in the news.The book is full of the angst of first love, both of them are seniors in high school and have family issues. They are artists and he is a Bhuddhist. The romance between them is sweet and beautiful while some of the issues keeping them apart at first are achingly tragic and unexpected. Overall I really liked the story and recommend the book.

I was a little unsure of this book because of the dead body part, but I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! I’m so glad I decided to review this book for Sunday Street Team. Thank you Netgalley for giving me a copy in exchange for a honest review. This book is definitely 5 out of 5 stars.This book really doesn’t have any slow parts. The writing and pacing was well done. The cover is simple, but super cute. I can’t believe this is the author’s first YA contemporary romance. She writes like a veteran of the genre. I can’t wait to read her next YA contemporary romance, whenever it comes out!As I stated earlier, I was a little hesitant to read this because of the cadavers, but thankfully they weren’t overwhelming in the book. The bodies are only “shown” a few times, and the details aren’t too gory. If I can handle it, I think anyone can. The rest of the story overpowers the slight grossness of the dead bodies.The romance was definitely believable, and I adored it. Bex and Jack are so cute! Jack has definitely been added to my book boyfriend list. I love, love, love him so much! He’s such a sweetheart and he’s pretty hot too. What a great combination! I squealed a few times while reading the book because I couldn’t contain my feels.A couple of my favorite lines from the book were: “When the jacket stood back up, it grew arms and legs and a face that probably competed with Helen of Troy’s in the ship-launching department.” and “‘Do you ride?’ That sounded sort of dirty, and the way he looked at me felt sort of dirty, too. No one ever looked at me like that.”Final note: This was such a fantastic book. I almost instantaneously pre-ordered a hardcover copy after I finished the ARC. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who loves YA contemporary romance, or just a book in general that’ll give you some amazing feels. I almost wish I hadn’t read it yet, just so I could experience it again for the first time.

The author shows how a young blossoming romance can be intense and beautiful, but also healthy, supportive, and enriching. She also shows how each person can have unique ideas or unusual interests and still be a person with high self-esteem. These characters weren't afraid to be themselves and never conformed to someone they're not just to please the other person. There's a lot of heavy real-life struggle that was portrayed very well and with the right emotions. Really beautiful writing.

I don't read a lot of romances. They just aren't my thing. However, this author has created a story so filled with laugh out loud comments and the both beautiful and painful moments in life that I fell in love. This book has a few too many (and too graphic) moments to make this available to my junior high students, but I have a feeling there will be a waiting list of high school students waiting to read it. It has the added benefit of very few grammatical errors! Be still, my beating heart! 😊

The world of art comes together in this novel, mixed in with love, family trouble, and the doing of wrong to make right for someone that means the world to you. The thing I loved most about this book was that the characters were able to open up to a person they had just met and show them the sides of themselves they usually keep hidden, as others in the past have not taken it well and have walked away for not being accepting, something I was able to relate to and appreciate that I wasn't alone. This is a beautiful book that shows everyone it is okay to be different and have passions that not everyone is able to understand but it is good to open up and show others why it is so important. Hears to finding the amazing people who are able to listen, understand, and take interest in things other'd hold dear to them.