Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton

Series: Hearts
Author: Keris Stainton
Page Count: 255
Published: July 2011
Publisher: Orchard Books
  2 Stars ★★

Jessie is going to New York for the summer with her best friend after a breakup. They're staying with her mother, and hoping to see all the amazing sights! A local named Finn is dealing with feelings for his best friend's girlfriend, and some inner conflicts concerning what he wants to do for a career. If they find each other, a new friendship or even a relationship could bloom. But will they find each other?



I got this book a long time ago because it looked fun and cute. I like to stray from the deep, dark paranormal stories that I tend to gravitate towards at times. However, this book wasn't fun or cute.



The characters were all pretty annoying, except for Finn. I could relate to him a lot. Unsure about the future, worried about careers and school, and what his family might think. Jessie, however, seemed a bit immature and I don't think I'd like her much were I to encounter her in the real world. Her friend, Emma, seemed very flat as a character, and her family wasn't all that interesting.



This book was pretty slow. I read it quickly because it was pretty short and the writing style was simple, but as for actual events and the plot, there wasn't much going on. This book wasn't horrendous, but it really wasn't that enjoyable.



I wish Jessie and Finn had met earlier in the book. Then they could have talked about their issues together, and made it seem like there was any point whatsoever to them meeting, besides "what if they end up together????" I think that this book could have been a great exploration of the issues surrounding growing up, while still remaining a light read, had the author done this. I think it would have developed the characters a lot more as well.



Overall, I don't have too much to say about this book. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but it was slow with mostly boring characters and it appeared that there was no ultimate point to the story. If you like light-hearted, short contemporary stories, you may enjoy this one.



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