The Broke Hearts
Written by Matt Mendez
Published by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
A year after losing their best friend, JD and Danny are still brokenhearted. JD’s impetuous decision to join the Air Force only makes him yearn for “before” more than ever. Danny, who’d rather paint murals than open a book and certainly never thought of himself as college material, makes the equally impulsive choice to do what Juan will never be able to and enrolls in a community college.
Danny’s father, The Sarge, is proud of him for the first time ever for living out Sarge’s own dream of being a first-generation college student, but Danny can’t shake the thought that it should be Juan, not him. And studying hasn’t gotten any easier for him despite his new academic goals. When Danny is on the verge of flunking out and JD gets notified of imminent deployment, the two are forced to confront their shared grief that led them to these paths. Can they learn to live lives that are their own in honor of Juan, rather than for him?
Explore the first book in this series: Barely Missing Everything.
Primary ISBN: 9781534404489
Publication Date: October 2023
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Young Adult, Age 14 or older
Community Represented: Mexican/Mexican American
Themes: Arts, Family Relationship: Parents, Format: Audiobook, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Trauma & Healing, Trauma & Healing: Death of Family or Friend
Setting: United States (Texas)
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Unknown Arrival
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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Source: Simon & Schuster