A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of 2020 Family isn’t something you’re born into — it’s something you build. One young woman’s journey to find her place in the world as the carefully separated strands of her life — family, money, school, and love — begin to overlap and tangle. All sixteen-year-old Izzy Crawford wants is to feel like she really belongs somewhere. Her father, a marine, … really belongs somewhere. Her father, a marine, died in Iraq six years ago, and Izzy’s moved to a new town nearly every year since, far from the help of her extended family in North Carolina and Puerto Rico. When Izzy’s hardworking mom moves their small family to Virginia, all her dreams start clicking into place. She likes her new school–even if Izzy is careful to keep her scholarship-student status hidden from her well-to-do classmates and her new athletic and popular boyfriend. And best of all: Izzy’s family has been selected by Habitat for Humanity to build and move into a brand-new house. Izzy is this close to the community and permanence she’s been searching for, until all the secret pieces of her life begin to collide.
How to Build a Heart is the story of Izzy’s journey to find her place in the world and her discovery that the choices we make and the people we love ultimately define us and bring us home.
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I am really glad I had the opportunity to read How to Build a Heart. It’s a YA coming of age book that deals with so many issues that teenagers have to go through on a daily basis and it does it in a way that is quite realistic. I’m a 40 something mother of a teenager and while I don’t necessarily relate to the book now or with some of the racial issues, the issues that are dealt with in the story are very relevant and something that I could relate to when I was much younger.
Izzy is a 16 year old attending a catholic school on a scholarship. Her mother is Puerto Rican and her father was white. He was a marine that died while overseas and now her mother is raising her and her brother Jack in a small town. They live in a mobile home park and Izzy hides that from her private catholic school friends. The only person that knows her home life is her neighbor, Roz that goes to the local public school. But Roz is only one part of her life and she keeps both of her lives separate. Roz knows the poor, mixed raced teen with a mother that is a nurse aide. But her school friends know the smart and talented girl that can ‘pass’ as white, mother is a nurse (she leaves off the aide) and doesn’t know her financial struggles.
Izzy is learning to figure out who she is and where she came from. Who to open up to and who to keep on the sidelines. How to love and keep part of her life a secret from those that she is learning to care about most. How to Build A Heart is a story of family, love, friendship, a mother-daughter relationship, young love, racism, bullying, depression and mental health. All of this in a coming of age book that is well written and with characters that you really can connect with.
I think this is a book that anyone 12 and over can relate to and will enjoy and get a lot out of. How to love, how to understand others and how to figure out who you are. Teens aren’t perfect, but they are looking for all the right answers. Izzy may not have handled everything correctly, but she was learning who she was and how to navigate life in a way that would make all parties happy. Unfortunately, she made a lot of people unhappy, but she also didn’t give others enough credit. Luckily, we get to see the outcome of all these situations playing out in this book and see Izzy grow.
Overall, I enjoyed getting to know Izzy and the people she grew closest with and reconnect with over the period of a few months. The story included a lot of issues, but I never felt overwhelmed with the plethora of issues. They all seemed necessary to Izzy’s journey and her finding herself as well as others understanding their own actions. The story flowed well and I liked that we got a bit of romance mixed in with Izzy’s life. It made it all more real. I hope others enjoy this book as much as I did and can share it with an age appropriate audience.
Poignant and riveting, How to Build a Heart by Maria Padian is a beautiful story about self-discovery, grief, family, forgiveness, friendship, and so much more. It’s emotional, it’s sweet, and it’s so real it made my heart ache, but also gave me joy.
After dealing with her father’s death and constantly moving, Izzy Crawford somewhat feels at home in Virginia. She likes her new school and classmates, she has a best friend who lives next door, she’s caught the attention of a popular boy, and her family has been chosen by Habitat for Humanity to build and live in a new house. But, Izzy doesn’t just let everyone in and she’s been keeping secrets from those close to her. What happens when her web of lies slowly begin to unravel and she can no longer avoid facing the truth?
I enjoyed Padian’s writing style, the pacing of the story is good, and the plot, while dealing with sensitive issues, is also engaging, heartfelt, sweet, and sometimes really fun. Padian explores topics about racism, bullying, addiction, abuse, violence, and mental disorder. There are a few situations that will make your heart feel quite heavy at times and I won’t lie… I cried on some parts and had to stop reading for a bit. But, what I love most about stories like this is when they surprise you and give you more than what you’re looking for. This book hurt in more ways than I could imagine, but it’s also meaningful and filled with so much beauty, hope and love.
Izzy is interesting and relatable, and I adored her. She’s not always the easiest to like, she makes mistakes, she’s incredibly stubborn at times, and she has issues and insecurities. But, Izzy is also strong-willed, smart, caring, and loves her family. I enjoyed her character development a lot and watching her discover what’s truly important in her life. The other characters are all quite lovely and I had fun getting to know them too. Sam is amazing and swoony. Aubrey and Roz has a piece of my heart and I just love Jack so much. Mark snuck up on me that I wanted more of him in the story. The parents are pretty awesome… well most of them anyway. Overall, the characters are fascinating in their own ways, complex, likeable, and realistic.
With an engrossing plot filled with hope and so much heart, characters who’ll steal pieces of your heart, and a sweet romance that’ll melt your heart, Maria Padian’s How to Build a Heart is perfect for YA contemporary lovers. It’s deep and also lighthearted. It’s fun, but also tackles serious issues. It’s inspirational, uplifting, and thought-provoking. I truly enjoyed reading this beautiful masterpiece and was captivated by Padian’s storytelling until the end. Definitely recommend you add this book on your TBR and I hope you fall in love with Izzy’s story just as much as I did.
I want to say thank you to the publisher, Algonquin Young Readers, for inviting me to be part of the blog tour and providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
“HOW TO BUILD A HEART” By Maria Padian
I enjoyed this coming of age YA novel about Izzy Crawford and the hardship she is faced with the loss of her father who was on a mission in Iraq. Padian writes a character that you will come to love and understand. The book was well written and found that Padian’s voice come through with Izzy as you root for this character and all her hardship as she goes through loss, grief, financial hardships, bullying and relationships with family. I found that this was a read that touched me emotionally as a reader. Padian is a new author to me and I will definitely be watching out for her future books.