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This year’s Cecelia Ahern read is about Pip, who is 32, and lives with her parents, and her 16 year old daughter in a small town with a massive quarry.

When Pip got pregnant at 16, her parents made all the decisions. Her boyfriend was sent to Liverpool, she wasn’t even allowed to have the baby sleep in the same room as her, and was just treated like a child instead of being enabled to be a mother, and 16 years on, they’ve not really moved on from this dynamic.

A court case means the father of her child has to come back to town to support his dad, also while the owner of the quarry is paying her attention that isn’t particularly wanted, but as her father’s employer, she is pressured to be nice to him. She also makes a new friend called Io who works at the observatory, so there are all sorts of relationships in balance.

The paper heart title refers to little poems she writes about herself as origami girl, and folds in to little origami shapes and hides in her drawer. To be honest, as a philistine, I could have gone without those bits, but I’m sure for some people they added something!

There was one bit about space that I think incorrectly referred to a solar system when it meant a galaxy, and the space guys storyline I didn’t feel like it was fully resolved, but other than that, an enjoyable, and easy read!

A few quotes as per usual that were either interesting, amusing, or something else:

• “Among the many useless facts and theories she’d read on social media was that men’s physical appearances could be broken down in to four animal-based categories; eagle, bear, dog or reptile handsome. Bear handsome is a round face and broad shoulders, reptilian handsome has a straight nose and sharp eyes, dog handsome men have big eyes and a cheeky grin, eagle handsome men have small eyes and a long nose.”
• “Though it’s kind of cool down here on the ground. Gravity gives me a real kick.”
• “There’s no point making sacrifices if you then tell the person that you have made a sacrifice.”