“This was the night bus, not a Journey song. Two strangers were not on a midnight train going anywhere. I was going home, and he was probably going to knock over a liquor store.”

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart follows Bex, a high school student whose goal is to spend her summer drawing cadavers for a scholarship contest. And then she meets Jack, a mysterious guy who’s secrets may get in the way of them ever having a relationship.

The book takes place in San Francisco, in various parts of the city. Despite having never been before, I can easily picture the city in my head and follow where they are at any point. The plot flows well, never lagging or dragging on. I was hooked to the book, wanting to learn more about Jack and see how the drama will unfold. This is probably my least favorite Jenn Bennett book, but I think it’s because it’s her first YA and she hasn’t really quite found the writing style that I loved in her other books. However, that doesn’t mean this writing style wasn’t funny or entertaining, because it definitely was. It just isn’t as great in comparison to her later books (but that’s good because writers need to grow and develop).

The characters in this book were interesting and fun. I liked Bex’s quirkiness, but sometimes she seemed a little “Not Like Other Girls” which could be frustrating. Jack was really interesting, if not manic-pixie-dream-guy-ish. Without spoiling anything, this book does touch on mental illnesses in one of the side characters, which I really appreciated. Honestly, all the side-characters were well-developed and interesting. Plus there was LGBT rep!!! Overall, the characters were one of the strengths of this book, despite some tropey-ness.

Pros- Interesting plot, adorable romance
Cons- Characters can be a bit cliche
Overall- 4/5 stars.
The Anatomical Shape of a Heart is a great read for fans of YA romance and are looking to enjoy a quick and cute story.