Don't Let It Break Your Heart is the kind of book that had me immediately looking up Maggie Horne's backlist and adding all of them to my TBR! It's a book that honestly would have changed my life as a young questioning teenager. It's a love letter to friendship, first love, and small town community. I cried at least twenty times while reading it because of just how special it is. 

Alana, Gray, and Talia are messy teenagers (let teenagers be messy please!!). They fight, they feud, they love, they laugh, and they exist as they are. If I had to pick a favorite part (it's impossible!!!) it would be just how really the small town teenage life was. There was so little to do and seeing your old not-so-friendly friends at every party feels like drowning. 

The romance between Alana and Tal is heartwarming and chaotic. I loved all the little moments between them. I could cry right now (several weeks after reading) thinking about Alana and Gray's friendship and the delicate balance of being exes who deeply love each other but now things are different because Gray's feelings will never be reciprocated. Chef's kiss!

Read this if you like YA contemporary with a hint of romance, learning how to navigate lifelong friendships after coming out, messy teenagers making messier decisions, crying because your sad and happy and maybe you just needed to cry, and the feeling of first love.