Racing Hearts

High school can be tough, but Sienna was able to get by and blend into the crowd as long as she had her best friend Stacey. When Stacey dies by suicide, Sienna finds herself thrust into a new identity, that of the girl whose best friend died. While that label gives her a sort of immunity against bullies for a short time, it’s not long before she finds herself the victim of taunting. At first, it’s hard for Sienna to believe it when one of the more popular student athletes steps up and offers his support, but, as she gets to know Blake, she realizes that there’s a reason he has reached out.

Just like other “Orca Soundings” books, Racing Hearts is a fast-paced story that keeps descriptive language and extraneous details to a minimum. The relationship between Sienna and Blake develops quickly but doesn’t feel rushed, and readers learn just enough about both of their backstories to make their connection seem real. Blake works to encourage Sienna to see herself as Stacey saw her, and he also encourages her to train for the triathlon she and Stacey were going to do—not to lose weight, but to prove to herself that she’s capable of moving forward without Stacey pushing her.

My one concern about this book is that the fat-shaming from one particular character, Alec, was never really dealt with. While the main characters all agreed that he was wrong and awful, I am not sure he ever learned that lesson, and, while I accept that not every bully receives their comeuppance, I would have appreciated it if Alec had. That said, Racing Hearts has a lot of great messages regarding body positivity, and the idea that there will always be nasty people out there is certainly true.

I’ll never stop appreciating what Orca’s hi-lo series do for struggling or reluctant fiction readers. Visually, this book is significantly less daunting than many other novels, with a cover that is appealing, a blurb that provides just the right amount of information, and content that doesn’t present a challenge. The back cover of the copy I read called this an “ultra-readable page turner”, and I agree. While Racing Hearts might not be for everyone, it will be a great fit for a particular group of students. I love when I am reading a book and already know the student I plan to offer it to next!