A review by miyaosamu
Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

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

4.25

genuinely the fun time i had with this one, to me personally was just young adult contemporary excellence so wholesome it felt like a hug. it reminded me of my younger days reading contemporaries like these, being a brisk read not super nuanced of course but somehow perfectly the right amount of character development, dynamics in both friends and families, and a charming romance. claudia wallace our main, is one that doesn't like to get out of her comfort zone, particularly in the department of making an effort to get to know people other than her childhood best friend and family and this book takes it to heart in highlighting her growth in making new friends. one thing leads to another which leads claudia stuck in the school play but also a tentative new friend despite their first interaction, and we get to see claudia navigate all the new social situations she finds herself in but also figuring out her own self and her emotions. 

i loved watching her friendship with iris grow, and the effort they make for one another that they haven't really done before in truly wanting to know each others' interests. it's funny how they came to be since both and no one else expected a friendship to bloom between them. then there's gideon, oh how i was just instantly so delighted by him. claudia and gideon's interactions and each other's unique humor had me laughing out loud at some moments. some of claudiagideon's interactions in a nutshell are character who endearingly rambles about their passionate hobby and character who listens with their undivided attention, and they have my whole heart at that. readers' can just tell how enamored gideon was by claudia and the lengths he went to get to know her more!! also enjoyed touching on the aspects of claudia's relationship with her older siblings, really portraying the contrast defining types of relationships claudia is familiar with. overall, my reading experience with foolish hearts had grinning from ear to ear and satisfied my heart very much... a new comfort read!