My Big Heart-Shaped Fail by Cindy Callaghan | Book Review

I received this book for free from the author’s media social manager in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Disclosure here.

A spunky, heartbreaker-of-a-story about a girl trying to fix a crumbling friendship.

Three inseparable friends, Paige, Jess, and Abby, have always done everything together. But lately, Paige and Jess have been hanging out with only each other. After a winter break of separation, Abby lied to her friends about having a boyfriend. From her friends, Abby decides to write down her guilts, tie them to a balloon, then let it go. Unfortunately, people are uncovering the papers at her school, and now Abby has to find all of the papers. Plus, avoid her identity of being the author of those papers getting exposed.

This is the first romance novel I’ve read, and it was fantastic! This contemporary story is full of hilarious twists and turns. The miscommunication, the crushes, and the middle school drama made me laugh throughout the story. But the book is also about the true meaning of friendship. The book was hard to put down; the chapters are cliffhangers, and I kept reading it to know what would happen next.

The book’s pages are decorated with paper hearts on the ends; it was a fun feature to look at as you go.

Abby is a charismatic scientific mathematician. I loved her references to math concepts, even though I’m not a big fan of this subject. She’s also scared of losing her only friends, which made me feel for her.

I like the interior monologue about what Abby thinks she and the other characters should’ve said or done. It was funny to read but also a bit sad.

The theme of My Big-Heart Shaped Fail is friends always stick together. I recommend this book to people who would like to learn in a fun way how to navigate the tricky waters of middle school romance and friendships.

My rating

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About the author

“Cindy Callaghan is best known for her book Just Add Magic and its sequel, Potion Problems, which are the basis for the Emmy-nominated Amazon Original live-action series Just Add Magic. She is also the author of the middle-grade novels Lost in London, Lost in Paris, Lost in Rome, Lost in Ireland (formerly titled Lucky Me), and Lost in Hollywood; the award-winning Sydney Mackenzie Knocks ‘Em Dead; Saltwater Secrets, which is also set up at a major studio; and, most recently, The Girl Who Ruined Christmas. Cindy lives in Wilmington, Delaware.” – Book Depository.

More by the author

• The Girl Who Ruined Christmas
• Just Add Magic