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Hearts and Bones
Paperback
General FictionLiterary Fiction
Publisher Price: $17.99
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Published: Jan 13 2026
Pages: 314
Weight: 0.80
Height: 0.70 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
Keenly drawn characters headline this quietly absorbing tale of young love. - Kirkus Reviews
The debut novel from Lawrence Bub, MD, a neuroradiologist who trained at Harvard and the University of Washington, Hearts and Bones is a poignant tale of love, loss, and becoming. It's a story about how the people we love never really leave us and how the choices we make in our formative years reverberate throughout our lives.
Maya is a freshman in 1989 when she meets Peter, a vulnerable boy with a secret behind his smile. Their romance begins in the thrill of independence but soon collides with the realities of mental illness, betrayal, and the fragility of youth. Years later, as a third-year medical student, Maya is haunted by memories of that love-and the choices she made along the way.
Navigating the weight of her mother's decline, the demands of medicine, and the lingering echoes of Peter's unraveling, Maya faces a reckoning with her own complicated past. But amid the heartbreak are glimmers of connection, forgiveness, and the quiet hope of a new beginning.
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The story left me emotional, making me forever grateful I got the chance to follow Maya's incredible journey. - Alija Turkovic for Readers' Favorite
Filled with moments of reflection and discovery, Hearts and Bones is especially highly recommended to readers who like their romances more contemplative and thought-provoking than most. It delves beneath the surface of possibility to consider the lasting impact of heartbreak and what it means to truly move on. - D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
The book captures the strain of early adulthood so well, from hectic hospital shifts to the small, hopeful moments that keep her moving forward. Her relationship with Peter was my favorite part. They had a natural chemistry. If you adore a love story grounded in real-world struggles, this is the book for you. - Jennifer Senick for Readers' Favorite
With Hearts and Bones, Lawrence D. Bub delivers a polished and well-rounded bildungsroman. - Victoria Lilly, Independent Book Review
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