There are a number of places I get suggestions of books to read. One of those is a Facebook group where many of the participants seem to really enjoy reading author Colleen Hoover. I’m glad a number of her books are available on Kindle Unlimited. She’s not the type of author I would normally gravitate to. She writes in what I would term chick-lit or light summer reading. That’s not a bad thing if you like it. However, I prefer reads that make me think a little. Sometimes, though, my brain does need a rest.

In Heart Bones, we meet Beyah Grim. She is the product of a one-night stand her mother and father had some years ago. She’s just graduated from high school and has a full ride to the college of her choice. When she returns home from work one day, he finds her mother’s cold body in the trailer they live in. It’s not a surprise, as her mother had drug issues all of Beyah’s life. However, this means the summer before college she must go live with the father she barely knows.

Brian Grim dutifully paid child support for many years, but never really forges a relationship with his daughter. He is surprised when she calls him to spend the summer before college in Texas. He has recently married and now has a stepdaughter, Sara, who is about the same age as Beyah. His wife, Alana, comes from money and has a beach house on the Bolivar Peninsula of Texas. He picks Beyah up from the airport and the two attempt to bond.

Beyah finds beach life to be nice. Sara is pretty nice, and the two become friends. Sara’s boyfriend, Marcos, lives on the beach as well. Samson is his friend who lives next door to the Grims. Beyah and Samson don’t hit it off at first. She sees him as a shallow rich boy, who has had every advantage in life, while Beyah has struggled even to have food to eat. Her mother often spent the child support on drugs, and Beyah learns her mother managed to stick Brian for money for college tuition that would never be needed. She feels shame for her past and tries to keep it hidden. However, as she and Samson bond, she begins to let down her guard. However, Samson also has a big secret that could thwart the young romance.

There are many things going on in Heart Bones, although the romance between Beyah and Samson seems to be at the heart of it (no pun intended). Brian has made mistakes in his relationship with Beyah and he doesn’t make excuses for it as the two begin to bond. He thought he was doing the right thing and going along with what Beyah wanted. However, when he should have pushed for more and found out what was really going on, he didn’t. Life isn’t black and white and Brian isn’t a bad guy, just someone who made the choice to believe what made his life easier.

At the same time, Beyah is growing beyond the poverty she knew in Kentucky. She is exposed to a world she knew nothing of, except from afar. She learns that having an easier life than one of poverty doesn’t make a person bad, although it does make their lives inherently easier. It’s a place of privilege, not having to worry about where your next meal comes from. It’s good that she gets this growth before she goes to college as it likely made her more receptive to friendship overtures from those she would encounter there.

Samson is the mystery man. At first, he seems to be a privileged kid who was tossed away by his father at the first sign of trouble. Beyah sees him as having an easy life compared to hers. She resents his overtures at first, but the two begin to share a bond. Still, Beyah knows she’s leaving for college at the end of the summer and doesn’t want to get too involved. The heart doesn’t always listen, though, does it?

I have to admit I enjoyed Heart Bones more than I thought I would. It could be classified as a young adult novel as well, with some frank themes about sex, drugs, and poverty. There’s a good mystery around Samson and learning the truth was a bit surprising. He’s not a bad person, but someone else who has had life’s circumstances beat him up and he’s been in survival mode ever since. At the same time, he does have something of a moral compass, although he’s made some bad choices. It’s no surprise that he and Beyah bonded. I have to worry, though, about the effect on young girls who see this story and think “if I love him enough I can fix him.” It’s a common thread that has run through literature and movies for many years, and really gives women false hope when they get involved with someone who is troubled.

Of all the Colleen Hoover books I’ve read so far, I like this one the best. The characters have depth, and the story is good. It was a nice bit of light reading after all of the deep books I’d been reading as of late.