ARTIFACTS OF AN EX, by Jennifer Chen, Wednesday Books, Nov. 14, 2023, Hardcover, $20 (young adult)
A teen creates and art exhibit out of break-up boxes after she gets dumped in Artifacts of an Ex, a YA romcom by Jennifer Chen.
When Chloe Chang gets dumped via USPS after moving across the county from NYC to LA, her first instinct is to throw her box of memories in the garbage. Instead, she starts buying other teenagers’ break-up boxes to create an art exhibit, Heartifacts. Opening night is going great, until she spots Daniel Kwak illicitly filming his best friend’s reaction to his ex’s box. When she tries to stop him, an intense discussion ends up launching a creative partnership and friendship… and a major crush for Chloe.
There’s just one problem: Daniel is dead set on not being another rebound.
Five times he’s been the guy who makes the girls he’s dating realize they want to get back with their ex. And he refuses for there to be a sixth. She insists she’s over her ex, but when he shows up unexpectedly with his new girlfriend, it turns out Daniel was right. She isn’t ready for a new relationship.
She throws herself into making Heartifacts successful, but flashy influencers threaten her original vision of the exhibit. To create the exhibit she’s always wanted, Chloe needs to go back to basics, learn to work with artists in a more collaborative way, and discover what love can be. Only then will she convince Daniel she’s truly ready for everything they could be to one another. —Synopsis provided by Wednesday Books
Artifacts of an Ex is a fairly fast-moving romcom that could appeal to fans of Jenny Han and Emma Lord.
The story unfolds from Chloe’s first-person point of view. Chloe is a social media personality, who’s made a name for herself through her Plan It Girl — as in planning using old-school day planners, stickers, notecards etc. — account on Instagram. Everything has a time and a place, and quite honestly, it’s all a little overwhelming. Chloe is a bit overwhelming. She’s intense. And since the story is told in first-person, readers are immersed in that intensity.
Daniel is a nice counterbalance. Not that he’s not organized. He’s got it down, too. It’s just his personality is calmer, and without that, the book would not work.
Chloe’s growth throughout the novel makes it worth pushing through the beginning. Especially when the social media aspect cools off and a focus on real relationships comes into view.
Author Jennifer Chen is a strong writer, but Artifacts of an Ex left me feeling hot and cold. I struggled to connect with Chloe early on, and that probably kept me from really enjoying Chen’s work. I suggest this as a library read to see if it’s a good fit prior to purchase.
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