A review by maplesurple
Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Ed Tarkington

dark
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I was fully engaged with this novel up until the point where
Leigh confesses to Rocky
; after that, it stumbles, hints at a lot of potentially interesting storylines that never materialize (
the dynamics with Leigh/William and Paul/Cinnamon, Rocky's sexuality, etc.
), and never regains its footing. I was most invested in Paul as a character, yet
his return was completely unaffecting.
The mystery was also not much of a mystery.

This story had a lot of potential, but it is a very "first novel" first novel - it wants to be too many things, and doesn't really succeed at any, which I think is why I'm so disappointed. I do appreciate Neil Young getting his own "About a Boy" treatment, though.