Reviews

Caroline's Heart by Austin Chant

thebookworm777's review

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

A very cute, light, and quick queer read. 

cloudtet's review against another edition

5.0

Caroline's Heart is two plates of cover with pure delight sandwiched between them. I am convinced I could read anything Chant decides to write and enjoy it tremendously, which is already a great starting point. When, additionally, the subject matter at hand is exactly my cup of tea, one has a concoction that, when ingested, is very likely to charm my trousers off. And that's exactly what happened. Only a few pages in my trousers vanished, and they remained missing for the remainder of the book. (Not in actuality, but it fit well with the joke.)

Set in an alternative Texas and Oregon in the year 1885, Caroline's Heart is the convergence of two like-hearted souls, one a quiet, but curious cowboy lacking a sense of belonging in the world, and one a solitary, defensively hostile, and seemingly cynical witch brought to such traits by the loss of a loved one.

Chant's prose is almost dishearteningly good, and perhaps for that very reason all the more enjoyable to behold. They've got a poetic way with words, and seem to know exactly how to teasingly tug at the heart, which is exploited on more occasions than one throughout. It's annoying as hell, and I want more of it.

Caroline's Heart truly proves two things: 1) length is by no means a necessity to develop a story and its characters enough to become invested, and 2) a great story can very well be born in simplicity.

Verdict: 10/10

scrow1022's review

5.0

Oh, what a lovely book. I slow down to read his work so I can savor the language. The world felt very real to me and the magic made sense and I totally believed the characters and the relationship between them felt true. I'm impressed with how he can pack so much into novella length (felt the same way about "Coffee Boy").

inconceivablebluefox's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

cas_the_second's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

slugreads's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

why_erin's review

emotional hopeful fast-paced

4.25

goosebump420's review

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

A short, sweet read with a little bit of everything: romance, mystery, and a good helping of magical realism to top it off. Who can resist a queer Wild West romance?

jonathagroff's review

adventurous emotional fast-paced

4.0

bonko's review

dark emotional lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25