Seventeen-year-old Leah MacKenzie is heartless. An artificial heart in a backpack is keeping her alive. However, this route only offers her a few years. And with her rare blood type, a transplant isn’t likely. Living like you are dying isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. But when a heart becomes available, she’s given a second chance at life. Except Leah discovers who the donor was — a boy from her school — and they’re saying he killed himself. Plagued with dreams since the transplant, she realizes she may hold the clues to what really happened.
Matt refuses to believe his twin killed himself. When Leah seeks him out, he learns they are both having similar dreams and he’s certain it means something. While unraveling the secrets of his brother’s final moments, Leah and Matt find each other, and a love they are terrified to lose. But life and even new hearts don’t come with guarantees. Who knew living, took more courage than dying? (Pub Date: Feb 27, 2018)
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
I really wanted to enjoy more this book... And let's say the later half was more of a 2.5, but that would make it a 2.25, so it's still 2 stars.
Leah has always been into Matt, whom she felt was out of her league even before she fell sick, was presented an artificial heart and an expiration date. Until one day he's tutoring Math to her one moment and they are kissing the next... Except he never calls again. A month later, Matt finds out his twin brother Eric and best friend is dead. Thanks to his talk with Leah before he convinces his mother to donate the organs. He just didn't expect they would be given to Leah of all people. Now they are connected by Eric's heart and feelings, a scream that the case of his death is far from closed. And yet, they just have each other to talk about it.
Phew, this was long. No, I don't mean the summary. The book was too long. Not only literally long for a YA novel but it also felt like the chapters wouldn't end. In the beginning, I'd read 15% and fall dead tired, because they had felt like 40, 50%. I do feel I'm partially to blame, I started this book looking for a lighter read, so you can see I wasn't on my most patient moment. But this needed serious editing.
To be honest, lack of a better editor sums up my complaint. I didn't love any characters but they didn't have any major flaws in my opinion—I do wonder about Cassie's line of thoughts but that's something else. I think the beginning and the conclusion were also okay. The focus on donation, on how much good it can do and also on Leah's feelings and treatment, that was all amazing—and in the end, I found out Hunter has had to deal with it in her family, so no one can ever accuse her of not knowing what she's talking about.
I'd say my favorite part was the mystery. That kept me wondering about the ending enough not to give up on the book. Plus, the resolution wasn't dumb—I can't opine on details like the police work and all, but I did think pieces fell into place.
That said, I don't think many people would have enough patience to go through it all. The book never really decided if it's a teenage romance (it even includes lots of safe-sex talk), if it's a supernatural story (although it is wonderful how Leah starts dreaming about Eric's death, it never gave me enough thrill), if it's a family story (I loved the moments with Leah's family, Matt's and Eric's love toward each other and their mother, but it hardly sustained a book), if it's a mystery thriller (possible murderer, lots of question, but the plot twist and the action scenes were beyond weak)...
In other words, it could have been great since it has substance, but it does a poor job in entertaining, because it aimed everywhere
Rating: 2 out of 5.
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