I discovered that this book was going to come into the world by first following Lucy Powrie on Twitter. When you find out that people have had the chance to publish a project that means so much to them, I think it is important to support them.
So, as soon as I found ‘The Paper & Hearts Society’ in the wild I knew I had to purchase a copy. I am so glad that I did because this turned out to be the book I needed to read when I was an awkward teenager – in fact, I think it is the book that many of us bookworms needed as teenagers.
This novel brings together Tabby, Henry, Ed, Olivia and Cassie, who are all completely different but are totally and utterly unified by their love of books, leading to the deepest of frienships. It is a great cast of characters, and with my reading with pride month, it brings LGBT+ to the centre of the novel too (which, as recently announced, also lines up with Lucy Powrie’s second novel perfectly).
The thing I admired most about ‘The Paper & Hearts Society’ was the different topics it tackled, which must throw more challenges at young people as they try to carve their own path. Tabby faces bullying from her ‘friend’ Jess, which impacts her mental health and her friendships; social media impacts their friendships and each character has their own background struggles. All of this is handled well and you will laugh and cry with all of the characters along the way.
The final pages didn’t just leave me wanting more, and with yet another reading list – but also with a deep desire to become a member of ‘The Paper and Hearts Society’, and set off on a literary road trip.
Have you ever finished a book, hoping you could be part of the story?