Review: Another Little Piece of My Heart by Tracey Martin

Another Little Piece of My Heart by Tracey Martin

Publication Date: December 1, 2013
Page Count: 304
Published by: Harlequin Teen
Source: eArc received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis From Goodreads:

What if your devastating break-up became this summer’s hit single? In this rock-and-roll retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, music can either bring you together or tear you apart.

At her dying mother’s request, Claire dumps Jared, the only boy she’s ever loved. Left with a broken family and a broken heart, Claire is furious when she discovers that her biggest regret became Jared’s big break. While Jared is catapulted into rock-star status, another piece of Claire’s heart crumbles every time his song plays on the radio.

The summer after her senior year, it’s been months since the big break-up, and Claire is just trying to keep her head down and make it through a tense trip to the beach with her family. But when Jared shows up, and old feelings reignite, can Claire and Jared let go of the past? Or will they be stuck singing the same old refrain?

I loved this book so much! It was such a pleasantly delightful story. Another Little Piece of My Heart is a modern day retelling of Persuasion, my favorite Jane Austen novel. I'm not capable of comparing this to the original, and I wouldn't want to. This was a terrific read on it's own, made all that more enjoyable to me because it had elements from Persuasion.

I think the author managed to perfectly capture the ups and downs of Claire and Jared's relationship. Music played a big part in Claire and Jared's lives, and I loved how all of the musical elements were woven into the storyline.

I really loved all of the characters. I thought Claire was pretty strong for taking the high road, both with her family and with Jared. She was dealing with a lot of changes in her life, and I thought she handled herself very well. Her father was more concerned with appearances, but Claire was all about being happy. It took a lot of growing up, but Claire finally realized that being with Jared made her happy.

I had all sorts of feelings about Jared. It was so easy to like him and hate him at the same time. He was perfect as a modern Wentworth, and I thought he did a great job masking his true feelings and showing such indifference towards Claire. But in the end, I really loved him. How could I not? He's modeled after my favorite literary character ever!

It was so easy to find myself rooting for Claire and Jared and want them to get back together. They had obvious chemistry, and you could tell that they still had strong feelings for each other. I enjoyed their interactions and I thought they were so sweet and adorable together.

I really loved reading Another Little Piece of My Heart. It was light and funny with a sweet and clean romance, and it was the perfect contemporary book for me. It was a terrific modern retelling that completely satisfied my romantic side. Highly recommended for everyone - but especially for fans of Persuasion.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars