The Paper and Hearts Society Review

A heartwarming YA story made for book lovers, The Paper & Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie is an effortlessly fun read.

Author: Lucy Powrie

Genre: YA, Contemporary

Publication Date: 13th June 2019

Publisher: Hachette

Format: eBook

Blurb:

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?

My (no spoiler) Paper & Hearts Society review…

Bursting with pop culture references, from YA books to Stranger Things this book feels fresh and modern. Instagram and texts play as big a part of these characters lives as any teen today. Conversation dances about from dialogue to texts and back, the same way communication does in our lives today.

What truly makes this book special is the friendship group. These five misfits are what friend group dreams are made of. Tabby has just moved to the area, with some issues in her past she has yet to resolve. She comes across a book club poster in the library and decides to go for it. There she meets Olivia, Cassie, Henry and Ed and the story really gets going.

“Livs…”
“Yes, Henry?”
He lowered his voice in a mock whisper. “I think you might be scaring Tabby.”
“Oh no, it’s fine,” Tabby replied. “I’ve just never been around other people who love books like I do. It’s a lot to take in.”
“You’ll get used to us, I promise,” Olivia said. “Actually, I’m not sure if I’m used to us yet…”
Page 18

This book is fun.

The banter between the characters flows down the page and the adventures they get up to are truly inspirational. Later on in the book, the club decides to go on a literary road trip and visit places such as Bath, Stratford and Haworth. This is the epic book trip I have dreamed of and so I was living vicariously through the group as they visited these incredible places.

Of course, I know Bath very well having lived there for many years, and so it was so cool to read about a place you know so well and the places they went to. But even those places I haven’t yet been, still felt very real and well described, as if I was there alongside them.

Tabby felt like she was having an out-of-body experience.
It felt a bit surreal, sitting down for a Harry Potter movie marathon. Seeing the excitement on Olivia’s and Ed’s faces made her realise just how nerdy people could be, and how it really wasn’t that weird to be excited about fandom and characters and the intricacies of the Wizarding World.
Page 86

If you like books then this is a lot of fun to read. Powrie knows her market and she has written the best bookish YA book I’ve ever read. It is still very much a YA book, with teen drama and identities explored, but done in such a genuine and fun way. So long as it continues the Paper & Hearts Society’s heart and warmth, the sequel should be a lot of fun too.