Closet Geeks and Slow Mo

3.5 Stars

The Heartbreak Cure started off with what looked your classic bestie to pretend lovers to the real thing storyline. Your classic cute and fluffy it seemed.
I was quite content with that. If you would have asked me around halfway in, what I thought, I would have told you very swoony cute & fluffy, very predictable and really enjoyable.
And then it took a turn. So suddenly this is more than a cute & fluffy. And I still love it.
But while The Heartbreak Cure did somehow manage to breach the cliff from cute & fluffy and thoughtful & heartbreaking, it seems like it can't decide what it is. Funny that I should fault that, but somehow, it felt unfulfilled.
Well, not the storyline mind you, it's cute, at times predictable and yet very enjoyable.
But the actual novel, the feel of it. I mean I liked the fluff for the first 70something percent and I liked the fluff ending as well. I really enjoyed the more serious parts. I loved how Alex and Cat, both come to the conclusion that not all is what it seems. I like that they are both mopey teens with a backbone. But somehow the fluff ending didn't make me feel all swoony because my heart was just dragged through the trenches and the issues Ashy highlighted weren't so simple to let go. It was too sweet in the end too fluffy. Somehow I feel there could have been more here. I was given a hint of more and then it was just brushed away.

The writing style is my least favorite part of the novel. It's okay, but at times it felt a bit wooden. Some phrases are just a bit so much of the usual usual. I am being very critical here, as always when it comes to writing style. While the style might not have been my favorite, it didn't detract from how much I liked the book.. clearly.

The character building, on the other hand, was my favorite. I adore Alex. Cat in all her drama queen mopey teen glory is super sweet. I could relate to her and identify with her. The support cast was interesting as well. Some of the characters were are first glance a bit of the usual typecast, but as we get to know them they do get more unique. I like that Ashby took a set of given ideas and characters and made them her own.

Very enjoyable, at times surprising and very sweet cute & fluffy with a pinch of depth thrown in for good measure.