With a set up like this, you might worry the Owner of a Lonely Heart might be a downer, but it’s not. It’s a story about a grieving widow (Gemma) who wants become pregnant with an embryo from her deceased husband and a man (Dan) meeting his 12 year old daughter (Casey) for the first time when she comes to his city to get treatment for a brain tumor.

The chapters shift shift from each of their perspectives as they navigate these emotional situations, There are breadcrumbs along the way alluding to Dan’s past and why he hasn’t been involved in Casey’s life. Casey is a vivid and well-rendered teen girl. I found her mother, a character called Angelica a bit challenging. While it makes sense for her to feel restful of Dan and protective of Casey she comes off a bit over the top and shrew like to me.

The writing was strong and with the exception of Angelica the characters felt real and well developed. I was rooting for them which is what I want from a novel. Once we learn the full details of Dan’s backstory, there’s a nice summery to the story which I liked as well.

I throughly enjoyed this book. The characters were very likable the story was good. Overall I really liked it. *Thank you NetGalley for the ARC*

How do you grow up and have successful relationships when you haven't ever had a very good role model? You need someone to have enough patience to show you the way. This book takes a good look at what has happened in the past and how it is dominating their current lives. It was a little slow to start, but got much better as it went on through the book.

This is a sweet, romantic story with some challenges and deception that comes to light as the chapters move forward.
Gemma is a young widow and looking to just face each day. She misses her husband, and is lonely.
She and her therapy dog, Bear volunteer on the hospital's oncology unit. The children love Bear and Gemma!
They meets an older girl, named Casey one day. Gemma cannot help but want to help her.
This twelve year old is trying to overcome so many hardships.
The story gets more tangled when she meets her dad!

I really enjoyed this book and though it was predictable, there are some twists that definitely kept my interest.
It's a quick read and one that is definitely good anytime!

Gemma is a widow torn between pursuing new dreams and fulfilling old ones. When she bumps into handsome single dad Dan outside of his daughter’s radiation unit, both think it might be the start of something wonderful. But Dan and Gemma each have secrets that might mean their lonely hearts stay lonely. Will they be brave enough to open up and take a chance on love?

This book was an okay romance read. I liked the family aspects, especially how the adults earned Casey’s trust, and loved Bear the therapy dog. The book discussed Gemma’s grief in a meaningful way and I liked her overall as a character a lot. The picture the author pained of Brighton was colorful and lively; it was easy to get a sense of place. However, I thought the Amazing Book of Us, the book Gemma’s husband left for her, was saccharine and I skipped over its excerpts. I also thought the author was too ambitious with Dan’s character traits: he was supposedly obsessed with shoes, but that only came up once at the beginning and once at the end. There were a lot of loose threads in his backstory that could’ve been simplified and allowed the focus of the story to remain on the romance aspect of the present.

I’m not usually a big romance reader but I’m glad I gave this one a shot. It was an easy, satisfying lunchtime read.

This was delightful. A big-hearted but quotidian romance with lovable, flawed characters who find themselves and each other when they need each other most. I read it so fast, but am still thinking of Gemma, Dan and Casey!

Gemma and Dan's lives intersect at the worst timing possible. Her as a recent widow making a decision that could change her future while clinging to her past and Dan, welcoming his daughter into his life after not knowing her for 12 years. Either biological, or chosen, family is family and it can be complicated and messy.

Each chapter is told from a different point of view and the plot moves at a decent clip. Definitely considered an easy read, but maybe with a few heavy topics.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Gemma and her new husband thought they had their future all planned out. Gemma had a fabulous husband, a cute apartment, and we’re planning to start a family. But shortly after getting married her husband dies.. And now she finds herself trying to make the old dream of children come true on her own.

Then there’s Dan, he’s about to meet his twelve-year-old daughter, Casey, for the very first time. She’s tracked him down because she needs a place to stay for the summer while she receives treatment for a brain tumor at the city hospital, and Dan is terrified he won’t be up to the task of taking care of her. Casey’s mom is positive he won’t.

Then one day Gemma’s scruffy terrier, Bear, a therapy dog brings these three strangers together.
Now life doesn’t look so lonely after all.
This is one beautiful, heart tugging, love story of courage, hope, love and family.
#OwnerofaLonelyHeart
#EveCarter

While I liked the plot, I found the characters flat and their choices one-dimensional. She’s a do-gooder with a tragic past who instantly doesn’t like him because of her preconceived notions. He’s a commitment-phobe and lazy but with a heart of gold. I found their conflict too manufactured. So while I did think the plot was promising, the main characters ruined it for me.

Every now and then you read a book that touches your heart and this is one of those books. You cannot help but fall in love with all three of the main characters. Gemma is an artist who volunteers her dog at the local hospital as a therapy dog. Dan is meeting his 12 year old daughter for the first time after not being there for her in her early life. Casey is a 12 year old who is struggling to go through treatment for her brain cancer and also trying to make a connection with her father who she has never had a relationship with. The three of them are all trying to figure out how to forge their new relationships but also not let the past destroy them.

I loved the dynamic between all three characters. I felt transported to their world and I was invested in what happened to them. There were so many good moments in this book that helped me forget about the troubles in my own life. I just wanted to read about their lives and see how everything was going to turn out. I highly recommend this book. A heartwarming read!

Thank you to Random House Publishing for an advanced copy of this book. I feel very lucky to have read this great story!

I received a free copy of, Owner of a Lonely Heart, by Eva Carter,. from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Gemma is starting over after the death of her husband.. Casey is 12 an going through treatment for cancer, her father Dan, recently met Casey, used to being alone, and independent, Dan's world is shaken up. I did not care for Dan at all, a very selfish man. Casey is a lovely character. I really enjoyed Gemma and Casey story, I gave up reading Dan's very early on.

Lovely and heartwarming, I read Owner of a Lonely Heart over two days when I should have been doing other things; though I found this to be obvious-predictable, I didn’t want to stop reading because the characters are so real and I wanted to know what happened.

Final opinion, very formulaic but also very enjoyable.

If you enjoy character-driven books, this one is for you. The story moves quickly drawing attention to three adults and one 12-year-old girl.

Thirteen years ago, Angelica had a “fling” with Dan. She got pregnant with Casey and afterwards, the couple went their separate ways. But there was a complication. Years later, Casey had a brain tumor and needed a treatment that was offered in the city where Dan lived. Angelica, struggling with finances, asked Dan if they could stay with him during the month of July.

Dan worked in the music industry and didn’t make a lot of money. He was very good looking and easy going. He was attracted to Angelica when he first met her. She was beautiful with a body like a model. But their relationship had friction. She went back to live with her parents until finding her own place. She was feeling stress as a single parent trying to take care of her daughter with medical challenges. It turned her into an emotional mess. That's when Angelica and Casey went to stay with Dan.

And then there was Gemma. She wasn’t as pretty as Angelica. Instead of lettuce on a plate, she would eat pizza! She volunteered with her adorable dog, Bear, once a week at the hospital. When Dan bumped into her, there was an instant attraction. Now there were three adults caring for Casey. When Angelica came to the hospital and saw her daughter happily playing with the dog, she instantly freaked out. She could only see the word "germs" in her mind. Or could she be jealous?

Sometimes while reading, I have to remember that the story is fiction and the characters don’t exist as it seems. The author did a great job sinking me into their contemporary world where some kids need to adjust with parents in different homes with separate activities. It becomes complicated especially when a third person is added to the equation which many people can relate to these days. This story was captivating with a satisfactory ending.

My thanks to Eva Carter, Dell Publishing Company and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected release date of January 17, 2023.

Wow this was heart wrenching in about 90 different ways.

The characters were all flawed enough to have conflict with each other but also genuine enough to love even when you wanted to thump them on the back of the head for their communication skills (or lock thereof).

I stayed up late to finish, because I just needed to know that everything worked out the way it needed to for everyone. I couldn’t put it down.

This book is about 3 characters: Dan, Gemma, and Casey.

Casey is a tween girl who has a brain tumor that needs to be treated so the growth shrinks and doesn’t get bigger. This isn’t the first time it has happened and her mom, Angelica, stresses so much about Casey’s well-being. She has to get treatment in Bristol, where her estranged dad lives. She reaches out to him in hopes to live with him in the penthouse that’s on social media. She doesn’t want her mom to be alone.

Dan is Casey’s dad who had a fling with her mom, Angelica. Dan is a people pleaser and can’t say no to Casey when she wants to stay at the penthouse. It isn’t his penthouse, it is his friend, Vijay’s penthouse. Dan meets Gemma at the hospital where Casey goes to for her treatments. Gemma and her dog, Bear, volunteer to help the children destress from the treatments they are receiving. There is an instant connection between the two.

Gemma is a widower and she is trying to get pregnant with her late husband with the help of science. There were 4 embryos and the first 3 have failed. It is down to the last one in hopes she gets pregnant.

This book has a lot of ups and downs but it is a story about love, mending a broken heart, and working passed that.

You'll learn a lot about things you may not have known: Proton therapy, benign brain tumors, tinnitus, Border Terriers and IVF. It's story About love, (twice), loss and family. It's about how parents can form you and how good genes can make you better than they are.

This novel has the required ingredients: a cute kid (although she is 12), a cute dog (the aforementioned Border Terrier) and both blue and green eyes. though not on the same person) It's a story with all the necessary pieces, adding some fine writing and atmosphere you can see and smell. It includes Gemma, one of three narrators, who has lost her husband to cancer, Dan, a good-looking but damaged man, and Casey, said 12-year-old.

The characters are sharply drawn and realistic, and the story moves along, though perhaps more slowly than it should. Still, worth your time. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of You'll learn a lot about things you may not have known: Proton therapy, benign brain tumors, tinnitus, Border Terriers and IVF. It's story About love, (twice), loss and family. It's about how parents can form you and how good genes can make you better than they are.

This novel has the required ingredients: a cute kid (although she is 12), a cute dog (the aforementioned Border Terrier) and both blue and green eyes. though not on the same person) It's a story with all the necessary pieces, adding some fine writing and atmosphere you can see and smell. It includes Gemma, one of three narrators, who has lost her husband to cancer, Dan, a good-looking but damaged man, and Casey, said 12-year-old.

The characters are sharply drawn and realistic, and the story moves along, though perhaps more slowly than it should. Still, worth your time. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of You'll learn a lot about things you may not have known: Proton therapy, benign brain tumors, tinnitus, Border Terriers and IVF. It's story About love, (twice), loss and family. It's about how parents can form you and how good genes can make you better than they are.

This novel has the required ingredients: a cute kid (although she is 12), a cute dog (the aforementioned Border Terrier) and both blue and green eyes. though not on the same person) It's a story with all the necessary pieces, adding some fine writing and atmosphere you can see and smell. It includes Gemma, one of three narrators, who has lost her husband to cancer, Dan, a good-looking but damaged man, and Casey, said 12-year-old.

The characters are sharply drawn and realistic, and the story moves along, though perhaps more slowly than it should. Still, worth your time. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of You'll learn a lot about things you may not have known: Proton therapy, benign brain tumors, tinnitus, Border Terriers and IVF. It's story About love, (twice), loss and family. It's about how parents can form you and how good genes can make you better than they are.

This novel has the required ingredients: a cute kid (although she is 12), a cute dog (the aforementioned Border Terrier) and both blue and green eyes. though not on the same person) It's a story with all the necessary pieces, adding some fine writing and atmosphere you can see and smell. It includes Gemma, one of three narrators, who has lost her husband to cancer, Dan, a good-looking but damaged man, and Casey, said 12-year-old.

The characters are sharply drawn and realistic, and the story moves along, though perhaps more slowly than it should. Still, worth your time. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of You'll learn a lot about things you may not have known: Proton therapy, benign brain tumors, tinnitus, Border Terriers and IVF. It's story About love, (twice), loss and family. It's about how parents can form you and how good genes can make you better than they are.

This novel has the required ingredients: a cute kid (although she is 12), a cute dog (the aforementioned Border Terrier) and both blue and green eyes. though not on the same person) It's a story with all the necessary pieces, adding some fine writing and atmosphere you can see and smell. It includes Gemma, one of three narrators, who has lost her husband to cancer, Dan, a good-looking but damaged man, and Casey, said 12-year-old.

The characters are sharply drawn and realistic, and the story moves along, though perhaps more slowly than it should. Still, worth your time. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of You'll learn a lot about things you may not have known: Proton therapy, benign brain tumors, tinnitus, Border Terriers and IVF. It's story About love, (twice), loss and family. It's about how parents can form you and how good genes can make you better than they are.

This novel has the required ingredients: a cute kid (although she is 12), a cute dog (the aforementioned Border Terrier) and both blue and green eyes. though not on the same person) It's a story with all the necessary pieces, adding some fine writing and atmosphere you can see and smell. It includes Gemma, one of three narrators, who has lost her husband to cancer, Dan, a good-looking but damaged man, and Casey, said 12-year-old.

The characters are sharply drawn and realistic, and the story moves along, though perhaps more slowly than it should. Still, worth your time. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of You'll learn a lot about things you may not have known: Proton therapy, benign brain tumors, tinnitus, Border Terriers and IVF. It's story About love, (twice), loss and family. It's about how parents can form you and how good genes can make you better than they are.

This novel has the required ingredients: a cute kid (although she is 12), a cute dog (the aforementioned Border Terrier) and both blue and green eyes. though not on the same person) It's a story with all the necessary pieces, adding some fine writing and atmosphere you can see and smell. It includes Gemma, one of three narrators, who has lost her husband to cancer, Dan, a good-looking but damaged man, and Casey, said 12-year-old.

The characters are sharply drawn and realistic, and the story moves along, though perhaps more slowly than it should. Still, worth your time. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of You'll learn a lot about things you may not have known: Proton therapy, benign brain tumors, tinnitus, Border Terriers and IVF. It's story About love, (twice), loss and family. It's about how parents can form you and how good genes can make you better than they are.

This novel has the required ingredients: a cute kid (although she is 12), a cute dog (the aforementioned Border Terrier) and both blue and green eyes. though not on the same person) It's a story with all the necessary pieces, adding some fine writing and atmosphere you can see and smell. It includes Gemma, one of three narrators, who has lost her husband to cancer, Dan, a good-looking but damaged man, and Casey, said 12-year-old.

The characters are sharply drawn and realistic, and the story moves along, though perhaps more slowly than it should. Still, worth your time. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of You'll learn a lot about things you may not have known: Proton therapy, benign brain tumors, tinnitus, Border Terriers and IVF. It's story About love, (twice), loss and family. It's about how parents can form you and how good genes can make you better than they are.

This novel has the required ingredients: a cute kid (although she is 12), a cute dog (the aforementioned Border Terrier) and both blue and green eyes. though not on the same person) It's a story with all the necessary pieces, adding some fine writing and atmosphere you can see and smell. It includes Gemma, one of three narrators, who has lost her husband to cancer, Dan, a good-looking but damaged man, and Casey, said 12-year-old.

The characters are sharply drawn and realistic, and the story moves along, though perhaps more slowly than it should. Still, worth your time. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of You'll learn a lot about things you may not have known: Proton therapy, benign brain tumors, tinnitus, Border Terriers and IVF. It's story About love, (twice), loss and family. It's about how parents can form you and how good genes can make you better than they are.

This novel has the required ingredients: a cute kid (although she is 12), a cute dog (the aforementioned Border Terrier) and both blue and green eyes. though not on the same person) It's a story with all the necessary pieces, adding some fine writing and atmosphere you can see and smell. It includes Gemma, one of three narrators, who has lost her husband to cancer, Dan, a good-looking but damaged man, and Casey, said 12-year-old.

The characters are sharply drawn and realistic, and the story moves along, though perhaps more slowly than it should. Still, worth your time. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of

Woah! What a read! Owner of a Lonely Heart was a very emotionally draining read. I am so glad I read it, but I admit that I am feeling a bit strung out. The characters were well developed, and I felt that they acted true to the circumstances they were embroiled in. I would love to see Owner of a Lonely Heart made into a movie!

Wasn’t sure I was going to be on board with the MC’s, but the characters work through their baggage and the ending is quite lovely. This is heavy duty family drama that delves into fertility, death of loved one, brain cancer, and childhood trauma. I loved the dog therapy for oncology patients. I’ve seen firsthand what a blessing therapy dogs are, and Bear was a ray of sunshine in this book.

Thanks #RandomHouse and #NetGalley for the ARC e-book

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC of Owner of a Lonely Heart.

I wanted to love this and for the beginning I really and truly did. but hte middle drug on and was to invasive and at times wish would get to the point . I also felt it just ended.

But over all good easy read.

A sweet and engaging story about love in its many forms.

Gemma is a young widow still grieving the loss of her husband. A commercial illustrator, Gemma, in her spare time volunteers at her local hospital, bringing her dog (Bear) to keep patients company and bring them some comfort. Dan is a gorgeous "man-child" who prefers to keep things light and fun. He gets a bit of a wake up call when his 12-year-old daughter, Casey, reaches out to ask if she can meet him and stay with him for a month while she receives treatment for a brain tumor. As if Gemma, Dan, and Casey didn't have enough going in in their respective lives, their three worlds collide, forever changing their trajectories.

We experience the story through the alternating points of view of Gemma, Dan, and Casey. This helped propel the plot while giving us deeper insight into each character. While the ending is fairly predictable, the journey to get there kept me guessing. I recommend this to anyone interested in a cozy read and love story between two people who feel an inexplicable pull toward one another and aren't quite sure what to do about that. 3.5 stars.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.