I absolutely loved this story and everyone should read it!

I have been waiting to get my hands on Heart-Shaped Hack by Tracey Garvis-Graves since the second I read the blurb. If you follow the blog at all, you know how much we love Tracey’s books and I have to say, this book did not disappoint at all. It has a wonderful balance of well-built characters, great banter, swoony parts, and a bit of danger. As always, I will try to keep this review spoiler free!

Kate left her job as a lawyer to open up a food pantry but she had no idea it would be so difficult to keep her shelves stocked for those who really needed help. When she goes on a local news show to ask people to consider donating, she draws the attention of a mystery donor and it becomes her mission to find out who this mystery guy is who continues to give her pantry so much.

First, Kate was a wonderful character. She clearly wants to do something good for those who are less fortunate and she cares…a lot. She also isn’t afraid to take a risk and that is what I loved about her. She quit a job that had a lot of security (and by doing so, also created a bump in her relationship with her father) and her relationship with Ian was itself, a huge risk for her. I also loved getting glimpses of her with her family and seeing how rooted she was with them. The fact that she could rely on them for anything, especially when she needed them, was great.

Ian…I admit it – I love him. He is cocky and smart and there is definitely a balance between making those characteristics annoying or making it absolutely wonderful. If it isn’t clear, Tracey Garvis-Graves does this in a way that made me want to find my very own Ian. He is a mystery and while not completely forthcoming, he is still able to wiggle his way into Kate’s life and wins her over. Ian is definitely keeping secrets from Kate and lives a life she has no familiarity with. I can’t blame him for his secrets – as he explains, he does it more for her protection than anything else but even with that being the case, she definitely had to trust him and take his word for a lot.

Let me take a moment here to say, I loved that this story had me smiling from the moment Ian and Kate met. The banter between these two was fantastic and one of my favorite parts of the entire book. In addition to that, the story felt real. While I have no idea what the life of a hacker is, Garvis-Graves does a wonderful job of conveying the rush Ian would get when he was working on something as well as the pressure of the work. I would imagine the secrecy and way he lived would be a necessity and it honestly made me think about all the things someone can find out about someone online.

As Kate and Ian’s relationship progresses, they are thrown into a situation neither of them were prepared for…well, in a way. Ian was prepared to an extent but here is where I get super vague. Something happens that knocks Kate off of her feet and she has to figure out what she will do. As she comes to terms with everything, she also has to figure out what is important to her and how she will move forward. While the twist was something I figured out, I didn’t really care. The aftereffects were the things I wanted to dig into and I loved how it was handled.

I will leave you with that…don’t hate me for the vagueness – really you will thank me later on. If you are looking for a story that pulls you in and doesn’t let you go until you turn the last page, you will want to read this book as soon as you possibly can. This book has wonderful, real characters, a page-turning story, and finally, a relationship that will have you experiencing the highs and lows right alongside the characters. I couldn’t put this book down and I can’t wait to add the hardcopy to my shelves alongside some of my other favorite books.

Thank you to the author for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.