The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones

Publication Date: August 8, 2017.

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.

Rating: 

Purchase here: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis: When Dee Moreno makes a deal with a demon—her heart in exchange for an escape from a disastrous home life—she finds the trade may have been more than she bargained for. And becoming “heartless” is only the beginning. What lies ahead is a nightmare far bigger, far more monstrous than anything she could have ever imagined.

With reality turned on its head, Dee has only a group of other deal-making teens to keep her grounded, including the charming but secretive James Lancer. And as something grows between them amid an otherworldy ordeal, Dee begins to wonder: Can she give someone her heart when it’s no longer hers to give?

Thank you, Hachette Book Group, for my advanced review copy of The Hearts We Sold. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review; this does not affect my opinion. Any quotes mentioned below are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Emily Lloyd-Jones’s novel The Heart We Sold is an amazing book and for me, it has cemented her as an author you should have on your radar. There are so many aspects of The Hearts We Sold I love and the fact that I went into this book with little to no expectations and hints of what would happen just made the journey all that more entertaining, beautiful, and heartbreaking. Readers should be aware, this story is both soft and dark: you will laugh, cry and swoon, and the ending is not your typical “and so they all lived happily ever after” because that is not the kind of story The Hearts We Sold is. This is a dark tale where there’s danger, and girls become knights in shining armor to fight demons and monsters, both literally and figuratively, and nothing is guaranteed or as it first seems.

But Dee was not angry.

She had walked willingly into a fairy tale, in a world where she could trade her heart for her freedom. She may as well have donned a red cloak and strode into a darkened forest.

She had always known there would be wolves.

I chose this.

The Hearts We Sold is about Deirdre “Dee” Moreno who goes to boarding school to escape her parents who are alcohol addicts and have emotionally abused her during a large part of her childhood. When she loses her scholarship due to budget cuts she is put in a difficult situation. With nowhere else to turn she goes to a demon. Demons are a daily part of the world in The Hearts We Sold where they grant wishes in exchange for body parts. Because of her situation, Dee does the unthinkable, she trades her heart in exchange for money so that she can continue to attend her school. After the deal is made, she is introduced to the demon’s troop, a group of heartless teens who are supposed to do the demon’s bidding for two years, in which he has their hearts. When their two-year period is over, the teens get their hearts, and their freedom, back.

James’s expression softened. “Look, I get it. You’re panicking right now.” He edged closer, until she had no choice but to look him in the eye. He made a motion as if to touch her arm, but then his hand fell away. “A demon just ripped your heart out. By all rules of the universe, you should be dead. I should be dead. But you know what we’re going to do in the meantime?”

“What?”

“Live,” he said.

I feel that what makes this book so amazing is definitely the characters. The main character Dee, who is Latino, really has been through a lot in her life and has never been able to rely on anyone. However, throughout this book, we see her meet James and form a connection, a friendship, and something more. James is an artist, he paints and he’s really good at it. He’s soft, funny, and kind, and I love how good Dee and James are for each other. However, despite the soft and cute romance that grows between Dee and James in this book, I would not call this book a romance novel.

Except for Dee and James, there were also a lot of other characters that played a large role in this book, and I love how diverse this group of teens was. There is Cora, a black girl and one-fourth of the heartless troop, and Gremma, who is Dee’s boarding school roommate, a lesbian, and a total badass, and Riley, a trans girl who shows up towards the end of the book and who complements the group in the best way. This book is about relationships, survival, love, and trust, but most of all about friendships. You will, ultimately, root for these characters because of how close you feel to them and their connections with each other.

The Hearts We Sold is perfect for readers who love young adult books that feature the supernatural and high stakes, with characters you can relate to and will fall in love with. This book will surprise you, break your heart, and leave you with an ending that is bittersweet. However, you will love every minute of it. Make a deal with a demon, and get yourself a copy of The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones.