“Doogie Howser, M.D. meets The Fault in Our Stars in this tender romcom.” –Teen Vogue The youngest doctor in America, an Indian-American teen makes her rounds–and falls head over heels–in Sona Charaipotra’s contemporary romantic comedy Symptoms of a Heartbreak. Sixteen-year-old Saira has always juggled family, friendships, and her Girl Genius celebrity. Now, as the youngest med school … and her Girl Genius celebrity. Now, as the youngest med school graduate ever, she can finally achieve her mission to treat young people dealing with cancer.
But proving herself in life-or-death situations is tough when everyone from her boss to her patients can’t see past her age to trust her skills. And working in the same hospital as her mom isn’t making things any easier!
Life gets even more complicated when Saira falls for a teenage patient. To improve his chances, she risks her lifelong dream–and it could cost her everything.
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 every reader needing an infusion of something heartfelt.
An Imprint Book
“Fans of YA contemporary don’t want to miss this one.” —Buzzfeed
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This adorable little romance is about a sixteen-year-old child genius who is now working on a pediatric oncology ward as a physician. She bumps into a patient who mistakes her for another patient, and their budding friendship/romance turns sour when the hard truth comes out. Their journey back together is both sweet and poignant, and with the backdrop of his diagnosis and the challenges of what she faces with the other patients, the story is definitely a beautiful tear-jerker of a romance. (Young adult; great for 12 & up)
Actual Rating 4.5
Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra is a charming and beautifully touching story. It’s engrossing and bittersweet, and as much as it hurt my heart, I could not stop reading. There are so many things to love about this wonderful book and by the end, I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite reads this year.
I really enjoyed going on this amazing emotional journey. I loved the gorgeous writing, the heartfelt story, the awesome characters, the relatable relationships, and the aching, but utterly wonderful FEELS. There are plenty of lighthearted, exciting, and sweet moments. Some parts are even funny and had me laughing. But, there are also some very real, emotionally painful, and heartbreaking scenes that affected me. My heart tore into pieces and it literally felt like I was there with Saira experiencing what she feels and witnessing every sad moments with her. So, I cried… quite a lot actually and definitely had swollen puffy eyes by the time I finished reading. So, if you’re going to read this book and I think you really should, I suggest you grab a box of tissues and be prepared.
As a prodigy, Saira is such a fascinating teenager and I enjoyed her character development. I really admired her tenacity, enthusiasm, dedication, and compassion. She’s a bit impulsive and maybe even overly passionate about what she does, but I could see that she truly wants to help and do what’s best for her patients. And that’s what I really love about her. Her intentions come from her heart and she fights for what she believes is right. I can’t even imagine how it’ll be like to be 16 years old and already dealing with the mental, physical, and emotional stress of being a doctor. I think Saira handles herself quite reasonably and yes she does make mistakes, but she also learns from them and tries to be a better version of herself.
I adored Link from the very beginning and just wanted to protect him from all the pain and hurt he’s going through. He’s just so sweet, funny, honest, kind and loving that it’s impossible not to fall for him. Link definitely stole a piece of my heart and I rooted for him the entire time. And his relationship with Saira – adorably sweet and swoony. But, more on that later.
Saira and Vish’s friendship is so cute and endearing. Their relationship, while platonic, is still kind of swoony and I enjoyed all their scenes together. I loved that they’re supportive and very loyal to each other. They are so great and fun together… even if it’s just being best friends. While I’m in love with that particular friendship, I don’t feel quite the same about Saira and her other best friend Lizze. To be honest, I’m not really big fan of Lizzie and some of her actions. But, I think her friendship with Saira is realistic and relatable in some ways. I also think that that deep down Lizzie loves Saira and will always be there for her.
Saira’s family is amazing and supportive! I really liked the sweet sisterly bond between Saira and Taara. They’re opposites and want different things in life, but at the end of the day, they want each other to be happy. I also really liked how both her parents are very involved and always there for her. The extended family with all the aunties and uncles and cousins are all pretty great too and I loved how they come together to show their support. And her grandmother, Dadi, she’s so feisty, so loving, so funny, and such a remarkable woman. I loved Dadi and her cooking definitely made me crave Indian food.
I enjoyed the romance and the swoony chemistry between Saira and Link, but, if I’m being completely honest, I feel like this is one of those rare times that the book didn’t really need a love story. I just personally felt emotionally invested with Saira’s bond with her patients and her dedication on going above and beyond to help and save people. So, even without the romance part, I believe that Saira will still do everything for Link, and I would still really enjoy the story. That being said, I did love Saira and Link together, swooned over their cutesy and flirty moments, and hoped that they would both get their happily ever after.
Heartwarming and poignant, Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra is a delightfully entertaining and emotional story about family, friendship, sacrifice, love and following your dreams. It’s terribly heartbreaking, sometimes funny and uplifting, and amazingly real in every way. This is an absolutely lovely book filled with plenty of wonderful emotions and I can’t recommend it enough.
I recevied an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
As a fan of the t.v. show “Doogie Hoswer, M.D”, I was excited to read this book. Saira is an Oncologist working with children that have cancer. Not going to lie, this was a tough subject for me to read at times. I had a good friend that passed away from cancer and reading about kids with this disease wasn’t easy. At one point during the book, I had to stop reading and compose myself. This book definitely showcased the highs and lows of the disease and the struggles the families faces during the whole process. u2063
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In this story Saira is trying to find a balance between being a doctor and being a teen. Reading this story I got to see Saira excel in certain areas but stumble in others. I’m happy that she even though she was billed as a ‘girl genius” she still had flaws and dealt with typical teenage angst and drama. u2063
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This was my first time reading this author and I really enjoyed this story. I loved the diversity of the characters, and the meddling family members. The story was good, the plot is refreshing and the writing was solid. This book made me laugh, smile and get emotional. I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future. u2063
Symptoms of a Heartbreak is the book I always wanted, and desperately needed wen I was growing up. Sona proves that she’s a master storyteller who has gifted readers with unforgettable characters, a page-turning conflict, and a story that will stay in your heart long after it’s over.