I don't think I will ever fully recover from this book. I loved every page, every word, every everything. The format, the writing, the characters, the story. It wrecked me in every way imaginable, but I know I'll come back to it time and time again because I know I'll discover something new each time I read it. It's a love story, yes, but it's also such an incredible exploration of what it means to be human, what it means to feel, what it means to connect with one another. I'm obsessed.

This is one of those must read books of 2023, even if it sounds super weird, I highly recommend taking the plunge. Just do it!

This book was so bizarre...I just couldn't connect with it. Many people have found it endearing and apprecited the abstract nature. If this is your type of read, give it a try. Just not my cup of tea.

This story was definitely different! And I definitely thought about it for a long time!
We're in a world where people can get "sick" and start turning into animals...and we're following a couple where the husband has been diagnosed and is turning into a shark.
It's endearing and sad to see the wife struggle with this change in her husband...knowing he will be a literal shark soon.
Very deep, very strange and definitely different, it is worth a good read!

I loved every sentence of this small, weird book. I have been recommending it like crazy. I love the way the disease is presented and treated in the novel. We can't and don't understand it, but we know it's fatal. It's like real human illness.

Shark Heart was weird and wild and wonderful. This fantastical story definitely won’t be for every reader, but if you’re able to look beyond that, you’ll love what you discover in Lewis and Wren. I kept wanting to read, prolong chores, looking forward to the end of a work day just to come back to this world, which hasn’t happened for me in a long time.

Sharks are my spirit animal and this book combined sharks with a book about love and family. I didn't realize how many emotions this book would take me through, from laughing to crying my eyes out. What an incredible book!

Thank you to Simon Element and #NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Shark Heart was heart wrenching. A truly beautiful story about love and loss and connection. It was beautifully written with so many quotable lines. It felt simultaneously artistic and beautifully mundane and I loved the unique writing. The story follows generations and you end feeling attached to each and every character, being privy to all of their personal struggles. I loved Shark Heart.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader's copy of this novel.

Shark Heart is an astonishing achievement. Beautifully written, mind-bogglingly original, and a compelling read from start to finish. This one will stay with me for a very long time. I've had tear-filled conversations about this book with mere acquaintances, if that's any indication of its staying power.

This was my #12booksin12months recommendation for February and I've seen some GLOWING reviews about this one, so was super excited for the recommendation!

But, when I learned this book is about a man who turns into a great white shark my WTF o'meter shot through the roof.

I'm sorry, what?!?!

Lewis and Wren are newlyweds when they learn Lewis suffers from a mutation that turns him into a great white shark.

I should have known from the synopsis this book was not going to be for me. I didn't connect with any of the characters, nor did I feel invested in the story. I rushed to finish, just so I could move onto my next read.

A definite miss for me, although I do appear to be the unpopular opinion.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon Element for the ARC.

Available now.

⭐⭐💫

This is a book about change and grief and love and family and motherhood. It was both sad and hopeful. While there are many characters, it centers around Wren whose life is transformed when her husband begins to turn into a great white shark. Habeck doesn't shy away from the horrors of a world where humans can transform into other creatures, but it's not about the horror, but about the lives people live through devastating change. It's a book that's going to stick with me.

this was my first 5 star read of the year!!! I cannot believe how incredible this book was. it literally floored me how just unique and original this book and concept came to be. which as you may know Is very hard to do with the thousands upon thousands of books that get released each year. to create a book that felt fresh, new and unheard of is such an achievement.

I adored this book. it had me going through it. one minute I would be smiling, the next near to tears and the next angry. love when a book can convey in the reader all these emotions in one book. the layout of this book was very interesting to me too, kept me so engaged, was hooked from the word go and I was riding that wave!!!! I actually cannot wait for what the author is gonna write in the future.

What a fantastic book. I loved reading this from start to finish. The growth the characters showed was amazing. The swapping time lines wasn’t as stressful as some other books and flowed nicely.

This book is lovely and incredibly evocative. It was also very painful to read and even heartbreaking at times. I would definitely recommend it to people who enjoy magical realism or surrealism, but be aware that there's a very bittersweet tone and that the book can take you to some dark places within yourself. Not necessarily a bad thing, it's just a good idea to consider your mood and mental health before deciding to read.

Emily Habeck delivers one of the most unique books I've ever read. It is hard to wrap my mind around this being a debut novel for this author. The polish of the writing, the complexity of the characters, and the build-up of this emotional, triumphant story left me enamored.

Do yourself a favor and read this book!

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Do you have a book that sort of lives in the back of your mind and never really goes away? Shark Heart is that book for me. It covers love, grief, letting go, and strange medical diagnoses. Why only 4 stars? Because one of my favorite non-main storylines didn't get resolved in my heart. Yes, I'm holding a star back because this book tried to break my heart.

Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Fiction (2023), Nominee for Best Debut Novel (2023)

I received this boom in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley. I am late to reviewing this and a lot has been said already. I’m glad this book has gotten a great reception and that there are many out there recommending this to people even if they don’t usually like “weird” books. I echo these recommendations. While it certainly can be hard to see past the magical realism elements, they are presented in such a way that they can easily be metaphors for real things in our present day lives. The writing is beautiful and does a great job capturing the enduring human condition and unconditional love.

In the immersive world of Shark Heart, the 'what if' premise breathes fresh air into the magical realism genre, captivating readers with its unique narrative and brisk pace. The theme of metamorphosis, adorned with quirky nuances, adds layers to the emotional rollercoaster, notably in the evocative ocean scene. Despite hurdles like the lack of scene-setting and a somewhat disjointed plot, the book, fueled by Bookstagram hype, provides a thought-provoking experience. The writing style, resembling a heart-on-sleeve confessional, skillfully navigates themes of loss, grief, marriage, and love. While some may find the narrative overwhelming due to ambitious storytelling, Shark Heart stands as an excellent book club choice for those willing to navigate its peculiar currents. Though not universally appealing, its distinctive concept and emotional depth spark reflections on the intricacies of the human experience, making it a captivating and contemplative read.

The story’s creativity wins “Best of” this year. I’m always drawn to magical realism to explore familiar stories in unexpected ways. Here, I think the plot is a good metaphor for terminal illness, which at times is depressing and, at other times, needs to dig emotionally deeper. I know many readers found hope in the ending. Unfortunately, I did not. Regardless, the book offers a great conversation starter, which is always a win for me. Overall, the book may not have been a “love” as with most of Booksta, but it wasn’t a “dislike” either.

This book was right up my alley. Magical and cozy and quirky in the vein of Anxious People and Remarkably Bright Creatures - two favorites of mine that have absolutely nothing to do with this book outside of sharing those aforementioned vibes. And I love a book that plays with form; the inclusion of poetry and scripts and things I’m not otherwise drawn to was really engaging, and somehow played out really well in the audiobook version as well.

While a focus of the story was on transformation, not death, I’ve been reading everything through a lens of grief after the recent passing of my father over Thanksgiving. My dad was always fascinated by sharks so this story doubled down on the feels for me. Lewis’ transformation in the book felt very parallel to death in many ways, as Wren’s navigation of Lewis’ change felt like the multiple phases of grief. Overall, I found it a hopeful, literal (while obviously not at all literal…) take on the journey across worlds. I don’t know, maybe that doesn’t make sense, but the book did and I’d highly recommend it if you’re in the mood for something a little bit different.