In the tradition of Jenny Han and Emma Lord, Jennifer Chen's Artifacts of an Ex is a story of love, art, and finding your way when everything you know has changed completely.
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.Book Riot, "10 of the Most Exciting New YA Books Out November 2023" and "The Best New Book Releases Out November 14, 2023"
Goodreads, "Our Big Preview of Fall's Most Anticipated Young Adult Books" PopSugar, "Young-Adult Books to Add to Your Reading List in November" She Reads, "Most Anticipated YA Romance of the Fall" "[A] jubilant debut...Richly detailed prose makes for an amorous atmosphere, while Chloe's artistic eye and determined, optimistic first-person POV renders a vivid world in this lighthearted romance." - Publishers Weekly