The Book of Heartbreak

I love reading books that reimagine fairy tales, so I was instantly drawn to The Book of Heartbreak by Ova Ceren. Set mainly in Istanbul, it follows 17-year-old Sare in the countdown to the end of her curse of heartbreak. All she must do is survive until her 18th birthday without having her heart broken for a fifth time; it would literally kill her. But the price is that, upon turning 18, she won’t be able to love ever again. Can she dare to believe that her curse could be broken? By learning about her family’s dark secrets, her connection with a thousand-year-old legend, and getting some help from her new neighbor Leon, she just may have a chance.

One note: The Book of Heartbreak is a young adult novel, though I didn’t realize it until I’d started reading it. The marketing hasn’t been consistent in labeling it as such, but it does read older YA. I don’t read much YA these days, but I still found the story engaging!

What I Liked:

• Legends, curses, and family history. Sare is doomed to die from every heartbreak she endures, and at 17, she’s already died four times. There can’t be a fifth time. Now, with her mother dead and the grandfather she never knew whisking her away to Turkey, Sare can finally learn the truth about her curse. It’s entwined with a centuries-old legend of the maiden in the tower, a story of two sisters caught in a love triangle and betrayal. Sare and her family are more connected to that legend than she could have imagined.
• Excerpts of a three-volume book by Sufi Chelebi—set in 1492-1502—about his breaking of three major curses. This long-lost book may hold the key to breaking Sare’s curse. In fact, one of the curses he himself broke may be alarmingly similar to what Sare is enduring now, five hundred years later. Leon, a young seer and curse breaker, will do what he can to help Sare in her mission.
• Family complications and traumas. This story is very much about family, from betrayal between sisters to the issues passed down from father to daughter. Alcoholism runs in Sare’s family, as does a propensity to keep major secrets.
• Inclusion of hilarious emails between angels, cherubs, and so on in the Otherland. These emails come at the end of most chapters and are very business angry, haha! These emails reminded me of the best parts of Sign Here by Claudia Lux. They’re more ridiculous than serious, though they do play a major role in what’s happening with Sare.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

• I wanted more Istanbul and more Turkey! While most of this novel is set in Istanbul, Sare mostly spends her time at home or at the nearby tower. I was hoping for more exploration of Turkey and the culture, beyond the legend and occasional use of Turkish.
• The romance was not believable for me. Though this is marketed as a romantasy, Sare and Leon didn’t have much chemistry. I liked both of their characters, but they didn’t mesh that well.
• The way characters behaved often seemed awkward, and a lot of dialogue sounded odd, especially Pelin’s parts. It took me out of the story a bit.

Final Thoughts

The Book of Heartbreak is an interesting story for fans of fairy tales and family complications. It had its rough parts, and could have used more overall editing to make the characters more natural. But I still enjoyed the story and its combination of heartfelt parts and quirky humor.

Special thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy The Book of Heartbreak here – it’s available as a hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

The Book of Heartbreak by Ova Ceren
Audience	Young Adult
Genre	Fantasy
Setting	Turkey; England
Number of Pages	352
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	August 26, 2025
Publisher	Alcove Press

Official Summary

FROM BOOKTOK AND BOOKSTAGRAM SENSATION OVA CEREN: A Middle Eastern legend gets a magically romantic modern makeover, perfect for fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

A young woman must find a way to end the curse on her heart before it claims her forever in this delightfully witty fantasy romance.

Sare Silverbirch has already had her heart broken three times. A fifth heartbreak will stop her heart forever. Such is the nature of the curse she was born under, which forces her to live a life without letting anyone get too close.

When her mother dies unexpectedly and her heart breaks for the fourth time, Sare begins to urgently question the curse. Where did it come from? Why her? And rather than accept it, could there be a way to break it? 

Her questions lead her to Istanbul, where she meets Leon, a seer who helps her track down the mysteries of her mother’s past. But Sare’s heart is a fragile thing, and their blossoming romance poses a great risk to her survival. Especially when she discovers that her fate is in the hands of celestials beyond this earthly realm.

Now the heavens are stirring, for they have a stake in Sare’s destiny—and they don’t like their plans being overturned. 

The Book of Heartbreak is a dazzling, haunting romantasy sure to break—and mend again—the hearts of readers everywhere.