#AmReading YA

Symptoms of a Heartbreak
Sona Charaipotra
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Imprint
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

The youngest doctor in America, an Indian-American teen makes her rounds―and falls head over heels―in the contemporary romantic comedy Symptoms of a Heartbreak.

Fresh from med school, sixteen-year-old medical prodigy Saira arrives for her first day at her new job: treating children with cancer. She’s always had to balance family and friendships with her celebrity as the Girl Genius―but she’s never had to prove herself to skeptical adult co-workers while adjusting to real life-and-death stakes. And working in the same hospital as her mother certainly isn’t making things any easier.

But life gets complicated when Saira finds herself falling in love with a patient: a cute teen boy who’s been diagnosed with cancer. And when she risks her brand new career to try to improve his chances, it could cost her everything.

It turns out “heartbreak” is the one thing she still doesn’t know how to treat.

In her solo debut, Sona Charaipotra brings us a compelling #ownvoices protagonist who’s not afraid to chase what she wants. Symptoms of a Heartbreak goes from romantic comedy highs to tearjerker lows and is the ultimate cure-all for young adult readers needing an infusion of something heartfelt.

FACT: I watched Doogie Howser, when the episodes originally aired, and I was totally fascinated with his trials and tribulations as he attempted to navigate the adult world as a teen.

My love of Dr. Doogie drove my desire to read Symptoms of a Heartbreak, and I throughly enjoyed the new life Charaipotra breathed into this concept.

Being a girl genius seemed kind of like a blessing and curse for Saira. Here she was, 16 years old, and a medical professional. She was responsible for making life or death decisions for her patients, but she could not get the other doctors to take her seriously, AND she still had to abide by her parent's rules. This was something Saira struggled with in the book, and I felt like Charaipotra did an admirable  job capturing Saira's emotions and reactions to many of the situations that arose because of this. In the beginning, she showed her age, but slowly, I saw Saira growing and maturing and becoming more professional, and learning that certain things need to be earned.

This book was on the lighter side, and there are many, many fun, sweet, tender, and amusing moments, but Saira was an intern in the pediatric oncology ward, so there were some heartbreaking and painful moments as well. Be prepared. I know I shed some tears.

But never fear, because I was also treated to an adorable romance. Saira's reaction to Link was so sweet, and gosh darn it! These two were precious together. Their union was filled with many complications, but I was still all in on this pairing.

Here's a quick list of other things I adored:

• Siblings - Saira and her sister shared some really special moments.
• Dadi - You know I love grandmas, and Dadi not only was a hoot, she was wise. 
• Food! - There was a LOT of amazing cooking and eating in the book.
• Central NJ - It's so rare to see books set where I live, and I will always get excited about this.
• The Ending - I don't want to give anything away, but I was happy with it. 
• Family - Saira's family was fantastic, and I loved what a prominent role they played in this story. 

Overall, this was a wonderful, touching, and heartfelt read, which made me laugh, and also bought me to tears, but mostly, it made me cheer for this fierce and fabulous girl genius.

Past Perfect Life
Elizabeth Eulberg
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Small-town Wisconsin high school senior Allison Smith loves her life the way it is-spending quality time with her widowed father and her tight-knit circle of friends, including best friend Marian and maybe-more-than-friends Neil. Sure she is stressed out about college applications . . . who wouldn't be? In a few short months, everything's going to change, big time.

But when Ally files her applications, they send up a red flag . . . because she's not Allison Smith. And Ally's-make that Amanda's-ordinary life is suddenly blown apart. Was everything before a lie? Who will she be after? And what will she do as now comes crashing down around her?

A secret from Ally's past had caught up with her, which drastically altered her life, and threatened to derail her future.

I am going to apologize up front for being vague, but it is too easy to give away the plot here, and I liked when my suspicions were confirmed. It was a good gasp worthy moment for me, and I want you to have that too. Therefore, I will share as much as I think I can without spoiling anything.

"Two truths and a lie?"
"I'm angry. I'm scared. My life."

• My emotions! I will admit, my emotions were all over the place as I read this book. I was definitely channeling Ally at times, because I felt mad, hurt, sad, empty, frustrated, happy, and swoony. I would definitely say, that Eulberg did an amazing job conveying the emotions of the characters in this book. 
• Found family - It was just Ally and her dad, but she was lucky enough to be "adopted" by her best friend Marian, who came from a HUGE family. They were her de facto family, and when push came to shove, they stood up for her and stood by her side. 
• An adorable romance - Right before her life imploded, Ally finally declared her feelings for her long time crush. The two of them together were utterly precious and so, so cute. My heart broke just thinking about them having to be apart, but that boy kept surprising me (and Ally) in the best ways. 
• Father-daughter bond - Ally and her dad shared something special, which I think is not too unusual when it comes to small families. I adored all their "theme nights", and their affection for each other was really beautiful. 
• Setting - Hello, Wisconsin! It was nice to be out in the midwest for a little change of pace, and Eulberg treated us to lots of weather, cheese, and Packers related anecdotes. I also loved their small town, and the way all the residents circled round to protect Ally. 
• Friendship - Ally was blessed with an incredible group of friends. Their lunch time follies were amusing, and I was really touched by their dedication to each other. 

This was an emotional and compelling read. I really tore through it, and though, I wish there was an epilogue, I was still left really hopeful for Ally and her family. 

**ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

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