Darkhearts by James L. Sutter (review)

David, Chance, and their friend Eli were Darkhearts, the hottest middle school band in Seattle, until Chance’s ego and Eli’s creative control drove David to quit. Shortly after, Darkhearts were signed to a major record label and David’s two best friends left him behind for a life of fame and fortune. Fame is not all it’s cracked up to be: two years later Eli has died from alcohol poisoning, and Chance and David find themselves reconnecting at his funeral. David still can’t stand arrogant, charismatic Chance, but he’s drawn in by their memories and shared grief over Eli. In spite of himself, David’s feelings soon become more than friendly, but he will have to let go of his resentment and jealousy if he wants to have a shot at something real. Sutter’s swoony YA debut ticks all the boxes of the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers trope, but this pitch-perfect pop star romance leans out of the wish-fulfillment fantasy by exploring the darker side of fame and the often exploitative behavior of people in the record industry. Sutter’s character development is expert, utilizing David’s first-person POV to reveal Chance’s personality through David’s perceptions, which inadvertently reveals more about David then he even realizes. Chance is by turns pretentious, arrogant, and vulnerable, drawn to David specifically because he can be his true self around someone who doesn’t like him anyway; bitter, sarcastic David is full of philosophical insights about everything and everyone but himself. Their relationship is built on a series of small moments and the fun they have together when they set their differences aside. This book is romance at its absolute best, exploring dark and heavy themes counterbalanced by the hope and buoyancy of falling in love. Recommend it to teens who love Simon vs. the Homo-Sapiens Agenda or who read BTS fanfiction.