To see my Q&A with author Candace Robinson and to see my full reviews for her current two books, please visit www.readrantrockandroll.com

Hearts Are Like Balloons by Candace Robinson is a story about a teenage girl named May who has just lost her father to lung cancer and is trying to move on with life. Her dad was important to her and she has no choice but to let him go. The loss is difficult for her, but she must find a way to move on and to remain strong for her mother.

As May moves on to finding a job at a bookstore, she meets new people that help her along the way, including a hip new boss named Violet, and a new relationship with a boy she really likes named Nico. Violet hits it off with May right away as they have similar interests. Nico happens to be Violets sister and works there as well. May and Nico develop a great relationship as Nico is warm, understanding, and very much into her. It’s just what May needs to help heal her from the loss of her father. An unexpected event will change everything with their relationship which brings more challenge and heartache for May to overcome.

I have to say that I loved this book. I loved the story as it felt real and was written well. It was emotional and I found myself crying a few times. I appreciated the relationships in the book and enjoyed all the characters. May has a really good support system in place and is loved by all that know her. I enjoyed Violet’s personality the most out of all the secondary characters. Despite the emotion in the book, it’s a feel good read and I was happy with the conclusion.

I think I just found myself a new favorite author!

Five ***** ( )

You know how sometimes you just want to curl up with a book that will leave you feeling like life doesn’t suck as much as you feel like it does? Maybe your stress live is just a tad on the high side and you find yourself filling your wine glass so often it hasn’t had a chance to make it into the dishwasher in a few days for a break. Or maybe you are just looking for a book to help pass a quiet afternoon, take on vacation or get your through a breakup.

Well dear reader let me introduce you to Candace Robinson who is about to become your new best friend with her assortment of novels that can ease anything and everything in your life
“Hearts are like balloons. Sometimes they inflate… Sometimes they deflate…”

Talk about a truth bomb right from the start. We’ve all been there feeling like our hearts are so full they could burst from our chests then something happens and now all that room we made for it has become this gaping hole. Robinson takes that concept and turns the heartache into a chance to learn and heal but without the predictable tropes that would have you throwing this against the wall.

May, the main character, and her mom are trying to heal and go through the stages of grief as best as they can. Robinson allows them to do this in a realistic fashion so that is so warming at times I found myself crying then laughing and finally just being grateful to have experienced their journey with them. There is just enough humor to take the edge off when you feel like maybe it’s getting too much and you need to pull back but don’t.

This book hits so many SAD, GUT WRENCHING moments you would think this is not the type of book you’d want to pass a beautiful, sunny afternoon but you’d be wrong. By the time I was finished I felt like I had experienced this cathartic moment that got rid of the bad stuff and left me looking at the world differently.

I remember this episode from a television show called Everybody Loves Raymond where the main character Ray discovers his wife Debra crying one day. Like a man, he predictably freaks out and she has to explain to him that sometimes she just needs a good cry, not about anything specific just to rid herself of pent up emotions. This book is that good cry. ( )