Review: The Shape of My Heart by Ann Aguirre

The Shape of My Heary
(2B Trilogy #3)
Ann Aguirre
Release: November 25, 2014
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Some people wait decades to meet their soul mate. Courtney Kaufman suspects she met hers in high school only to lose him at seventeen. Since then, Courtney's social life has been a series of meaningless encounters, though she's made a few close friends along the way. Especially her roommate Max Cooper, who oozes damaged bad-boy vibes from every pore.

Max knows about feeling lost and trying to move beyond the pain he's been on his own since he was sixteen. Now it's time to find out if he can ever go home again, and Courtney's the only one he trusts to go with him. But the trip to Providence could change everything because the more time he spends with Courtney, the harder it is to reconcile what he wants and what he thinks he deserves.

It started out so simple. One misfit helping another. Now Max will do anything to show Courtney that for every heart that's ever been broken, there's another that can make it complete.

Review by Rose Red:

The Shape of My Heart is the final book of the 2B Trilogy and it focuses on Courtney and Max. Courtney has always been attracted to her friend and roommate Max but they never crossed that line from friends to something more. That is until Max asks Courtney to accompany him to his grandfather’s funeral.

On the road, Max let Courtney into his past, secrets, and family problems. Courtney had no idea how crazy and tragic Max's life and past had been until then. Things change between them, for better or for worse, but Max isn’t the only one with baggage, Courtney is also dealing with her past and issues with her family. She had experienced the loss of her soul mate, Eli when she was seventeen.

Thanks to their trip to the funeral, the lines around their friendship became blurred. Max and Courtney soon found themselves going from friends to lovers. As much as I love the friends-to-lovers trope, personally it developed a little fast for my liking.

If anything has been confirmed in this book, it is that I really, really like Max. I liked him in the other books, but we didn't get to see the real Max until this book. He is easily my favorite part of this book!

I didn't like Courtney initially in the series. She was okay, but I didn't really connect with her. And while I didn’t connect with her as much as I wanted to in this book, I ended up really liking her. I loved how she constantly stood up for Max and was willing to be his biggest champion. She's very fierce and doesn't care too much about what others think of her. One thing I found interesting is that she has conversations in her head with her dead ex-boyfriend. I thought this was handled very well, and I loved seeing her grow and ultimately let go. She's willing to sacrifice her comfort zone to love Max completely, and that definitely warmed my heart. I just wish I had found her narration as engaging as the first two books. There were a few moments when I was bored and wanted the story to move forward. I will say that I loved that Courtney wasn't your typical female protagonist. She was a lot tougher and more adventurous than most. She's also bisexual and I can't think of a book I've read that has had a bisexual female character in it.

As for Max, he is every bit as sweet and sexy as Ann Aguirre's other two heroes in this trilogy. All three have this irresistible combination of being protective and slightly possessive but also vulnerable and sensitive. With his tattoos and motorcycle and overall unkempt appearance, Max may seem like a typical badass, but he has insecurities and an air of desperate longing that broke my heart. He has never been able to trust another person with his past let alone his whole heart, so seeing him open up to Courtney was precious. I really liked that their romance was kind of the 'ugly duckling' variety. Max sees nothing but beauty in Courtney, even if not everyone else agrees. They start out as best friends which you can see in their easy banter and playfulness, but over the course of the book they both fall in love. Max has no trouble expressing how much he has grown to need Courtney, and it's very, very sexy.

In terms of the typical New Adult contemporary romance angst, clichés and tropes, there definitely were some in this book. Max's past was definitely trope-y, but not to the point where it made me dislike the story. I loved the character development in both Courtney and Max. Obviously it's clearer when it comes to Courtney's development, since this book is written in from her perspective. But she really changes, as she lets go of her dead boyfriend and opens up to Max. Both Max and Courtney overcome a lot in this book. Slowly, they were able to mend their broken pasts and found comfort and love together.

The romance is really sweet. Well, sweet might not be the best way to describe the chemistry between Courtney and Max, but the relationship itself and its progression is sweet. I loved seeing Max and Courtney go beyond friendship and make things work as a couple. They are the cutest!

The Shape of My Heart is an enjoyable read but I did not fully love it. It was sweet, romantic and sexy but the long drawn out angst and drama was a bit too much for me. Even though that bothered me, I know lots of people will love it! Overall, it was a touching and enjoyable coming of age read! I will say that the ending of this book was great! Ann Aguirre included an epilogue that was both awesome and bittersweet, since this is the last novel in the series.

If you've enjoyed the first two books, definitely give this one a shot!

I received an eARC through Netgalley from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

   1/2

  3.5 / 5 Stars

My reviews of other books in this series:
I Want It That Way by Ann Aguirre
As Long As You Love Me by Ann Aguirre