Review: Blue Hearts of Mars by Nicole Grotepas

NetGalley allowed me to get my hands on Blue Heart of Mars by Nicole Grotepas, I was intrigued:

Seventeen-year-old Retta Heikkinen is in love with a boy--a thoroughly gorgeous, captivating, and mysterious boy known as Hemingway. The situation is rather ideal: he likes her, she likes him. There's just one little problem.

He's a blue heart, an android.

Being in a relationship is its own complicated mess, but how long can a forbidden love last? Soon Retta discovers a secret that could destroy the uneasy truce between the blue hearts and humans, which makes life under the domes on Mars possible. Would exposing what she knows make things better or worse? And how can she know for certain without exposing the secret?

Originality: 8- this is some future world building for sure, a new caste society of androids (cough cough robots) and high school girls who work at coffee shops.

Absurdity: 10- I could NOT follow all the huge emotional jumps these characters made. Without giving anything away, I repeatedly rolled my eyes at this high school couple and their brash actions.  I sound like a parent.  But really, I sorta feel like this book made Bella and Edward's relationship seem more normal.

Level of Paranormal Romance: 8- kinda a given with the 'droid thing.  Poor Hemingway, not only does he have a crazy name, but life is rough for astonishingly handsome androids on Mars. Lucky he finds Retta to go off the map with in romance.  Too. Much.

Level of Harry Potter-ness: 4- while the concept was really cool and the world the characters were in great, Retta herself was a huge problem for me.  She is supposed to be in love with the soul of Hemingway or something, but every page we get reminded of how handsome and buff Hemingway is, totally undermining the whole insta-soul love major plot of the book.  Also, there is not enough build up for this couple, they just launch themselves into this relationship and the reader never gets to feel the build, which sorta feels like robbery.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received a review copy from Nicole Grotepas via NetGalley. Happy reading followed. (We do not accept or receive compensation for reviews at YAF and WS.)