Book Riot, "Spring 2023 YA Books You’ll Want to TBR ASAP"
Goodreads, "48 Deeply Romantic New Young Adult Books" and "The Most Anticipated Young Adult Books of June"
LGBTQReads, "Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Romance of 2023"
Paste Magazine, "The Best New YA Books of June 2023"
SheReads, "Best YA Romances of Summer 2023"
The Nerd Daily, "Must-Have Queer Book Releases 2023"
"Sutter does an excellent job of building both character and compelling plot, turning his novel into more than a simple summer romance as he brings David and Chance to vivid life on the page." - Booklist (starred review)
"Sutter’s swoony YA debut...is romance at its absolute best." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Tenderly written and exceptionally sweet... A funny romp with a lot of heart." - Kirkus Reviews
"[An] ebullient romance...humorous dialogue and steamy romance, vibrant supporting characters, sex-positive messaging, and complex ruminations on sexuality propel this heartfelt read." - Publishers Weekly
"I stayed up until almost 2 AM reading this book and had absolutely no regrets...Sutter masterfully deals with topics of grief, sexuality, jealousy, parents, insecurity, and friendship." - GeekMom
"An achingly real tale of first queer romance and a brutal cut at the lies we tell ourselves all in one hilarious package. Hard emotional truths lead to a satisfying, healing payoff in this love story filled with music, woodworking, missed opportunities, and nuanced queer representation. Seeing someone push through their bs to find love and real emotional growth? We love to see it."- M. K. England, author of The Disasters and The One True Me and You
"Sutter's breezy, warm-hearted prose feels almost like a trick: blink and you'll catch yourself surprised by the more emotional moments in the book. A fantastic, slow-burn romance both sweet and poignant, hilarious and brilliant." - Cassandra Khaw, USA Today bestselling author of The Salt Grows Heavy
"Laugh-out-loud and tearful at the same time, Sutter's Darkhearts combines real characters, smart prose, and an emotional journey into one fantastically relatable read." - Charlie N. Holmberg, bestselling author of The Paper Magician series and You're My I.T.
"A messy, joyful story about what happens when rockstars meet reality, and about finding the part of yourself that makes you whole. These boys and their love story filled up my heart—I couldn't stop reading, and I didn't want to." - Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling author of Illuminae
"Darkhearts is a delightful, boy-centric YA that doesn't shy away from Romance with a capital R. Chance is a soulful, ethereal mystery to the reader, and David a down-to-earth, weighty mystery to himself, but wherever your tastes lie, you'll find it in Darkhearts. Sutter has created a world that will feel starkly familiar to teens, layered with exploration and an unflinchingly real glimpse into the sometimes elusive world of the teen boy. Top everything off with an insta-fave quirky best friend, and a setting steeped with musicians' culture—Sutter is an author to watch." - Aprilynne Pike, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Wings series
"Characters so well-drawn you feel like you know them—and so compelling you wish that you did. Darkhearts is rad as hell." - Dan Wells, bestselling author of Partials and I Am Not A Serial Killer
2023-03-14
Fantasy author Sutter’s first foray into young adult romance follows former best friends in Seattle who reconnect and become something more.
World-famous Korean American rock star Chance Ng and David Holcomb, who is White, are reunited after the recent death from alcohol poisoning of mutual friend and band mate Elijah. David’s departure from the band before it became famous is a source of conflict between them, and they have not spoken in years. In the meantime, David has found comfort in his friend Ridley as well as in his new woodworking hobby; he intends to pursue carpentry as a career. Despite the heavy opening scene at Eli’s funeral, this story sparkles with laugh-out-loud dialogue and well-drawn secondary characters, especially movie fanatic Ridley, a confident, sexually liberated Black girl who is an aspiring film critic. Several intimate scenes between Chance and David are tenderly written and exceptionally sweet, while David’s ruminations on his sexuality feel natural and appropriately complicated, contributing to the fun and impressively sex-positive vibe. Unfortunately, clumsy, odd phrasing occasionally detracts from the otherwise charming dialogue. Several instances in which the boys’ different body shapes are contrasted and stigma around fatness is brought up could have been more clearly unpacked. The positive representation of pursuing a trade is a refreshing, much-needed addition to books about teens that too frequently focus on college as the only goal.
A funny romp with a lot of heart. (Romance. 14-18)
