The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta

At the beginning of the year, one of my resolutions was to write more book reviews, and yea, by now, I can say that I half failed at it. Indeed, I don’t write many full-on reviews here apart from the reading blog I typically post on Sundays. The main reason is I fear that my thoughts can come across as unclear.

I just finished The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta, and I have some thoughts I want to share, which will hopefully make a decent post. I thought it was similar to Miracle at the Museum of Broken Hearts by Talli Roland from the very few pages. I believe The Heartbreak Bakery is way better with an entire LGBT+ cast and set in a bakery.

I have been looking for a book in fiction that discusses the subject of gender from a different view. Gender and gender issues aren’t as black and white as society makes it seem. These lines really spoke to me:

“Sometimes it felt like I was putting the weight of my entire identity on a few flimsy bits of fabric, though. Some days I could barely get dressed at all. Some days I stared at my closet like it owed me answers instead of jeans.”

Like Syd, I have been trying so hard to fit in that I felt I didn’t belong anywhere, which was very confusing for me. Gender and the emotions around it can be so layered and complex that explaining them to the closest humans to you can sometimes be challenging. I loved the hint of magical realism, and, of course, I gave it five stars.

Alex