searching through an old notebook i found notes I'd made on this book yet realised I'd never shared on here. I couldn't fully remember the story line so I decided I needed to re read to refresh myself.
A story of new chances and secrets. imagine being given the gift of life, having someone else's heart beating inside of you. That on it's own is an amazing thought.
A good read and interesting storyline. I actually thought this book quite thought provoking. It left me imagining all sorts in parts. What would you do, how would you feel knowing someone had to die for you to live. It' is very well written and put together.
I think the author did a good job of sucking you in. I liked Jenna in parts and in other parts she annoyed me. then, isn't that what good characters do.

I got this ages a go from netgally to review and never got round to it... Untill now.

So I thought the premise of this story was good and not something I've seen done in a book before. I found the main character slighty annoying and the story a bit far fetched, I got a bit bored towards the end.

“Nearly six months ago, someone died so I can live. My world has become so small it sometimes feels as though I can’t breathe. Who was it that died for me?”

I love the concept of this book. The idea of gaining someone’s feelings/memories along with their donated organ in order to solve their murder is fascinating. This concept promises a slow reveal and a few twists from unreliable memories, which I was excited for.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to invest myself in these reveals and twists.

Based on the official plot summary, I expected this to be a thriller. There were a few tense situations, but none to the level I was expecting. The chase scene, which was supposed to be the most thrilling portion of the book, played out in my mind like Melissa McCarthy in Spy without the bad@ssery aka.. a winded chase that’s more comical than tense.

The way the book played out for me has a lot to do with my inability to connect with the characters. I wasn’t invested in their well-being or sympathetic to their actions. I understood Jenna’s motivations, but the steps taken to solve Callie’s murder seemed awkward and unnecessary. The only ones I cared about were Sam and his mom

I don’t knock far-fetched scenarios, but it difficult for these scenarios to work when I am not invested in the characters. While I appreciate an ending that explains the situation and ties things together, I found the motives to be thin.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for a copy of The Gift as an ARC in exchange for an honest, and very late, review

Wow! I really don't know what else to say! The Gift is a breathtaking book! Louise is absolutely a master at her craft and each book is better than the one before!

Wow a gripping book it just hooks you your head full with the plot a your there with them fab read it hooks you

Thank you to Net Galley for letting me read this. For some reason and I don't know how or why this book by Louise Jensen ended up in my "will not give feedback" section. I came across it by chance as that's not something I would do and so glad I did. I hadn't heard of Cellular Memory before and found the read to be an eye opener. The subject was a thrilling read with lots of twists. I would never have guessed the ending. This is my first on my Louise Jensen journey.

Sorry for late review - just catching up after a busy 12 months. Loved this book a lot - the author never fails to deliver a great story with great characters and really well written. No wonder it's recommended so much by so many different people. Will definitely read more by this author.

When Jenna receives a new heart via a donor transplant, her new lease of life only serves to bring her further complications.

She pushes away her boyfriend Sam, who she loves dearly, but fears him resenting her for not being able to have children. At the same time, her parents, presumably partly down to the stress of caring for their sick daughter, have separated and her father's own health is frail, having suffered two heart attacks.

As she recovers from her operation, Jenna suffers from a constant fear of being watched and when she sleeps, her dreams cause her to wake in a panic and result in panic attacks.

Against the advice of her doctor and therapist, Jenna makes contact with the family of her donor, Callie and this is where the mystery truly begins.

This novel explores the idea of cellular memory as it appears Jenna is reliving memories of her donor Callie. This is an intriguing concept and certainly gets the reader thinking.

A fast-paced, psychological thriller with a truly engaging narrative. A real page-turner!

The gift by Louise Jensen.
The perfect daughter. The perfect girlfriend. The perfect murder?

Jenna is given another shot at life when she receives a donor heart from a girl called Callie. Eternally grateful to Callie and her family, Jenna gets closer to them, but she soon discovers that Callie’s perfect family is hiding some very dark secrets …

Callie’s parents are grieving, yet Jenna knows they’re only telling her half the story. Where is Callie’s sister Sophie? She’s been ‘abroad’ since her sister’s death but something about her absence doesn’t add up. And when Jenna meets Callie’s boyfriend Nathan, she makes a shocking discovery.

Jenna knows that Callie didn’t die in an accident. But how did she die?Jenna is determined to discover the truth but it could cost her everything; her loved ones, her sanity, even her life.
A fantastic read with some great characters. Loved this book . 5*.

Having read and loved this authors other books I was really excited to read this one . Unfortunately I struggled to get into this one and found it just a mediocre read .

Awesome story. Can’t wait to read more from this author!!!

I always enjoy reading mysteries with a medical twist so I was very excited to receive a free copy of this book through Netgalley. The book starts as Jenna is recovering from a heart transplant and is suffering from depression. She is obsessed with knowing about her donor and contacts her family. Callie, the donor, was killed in a car accident, but things don't add up for Jenna. She starts having strange dreams and wakes up convinced they are not dreams but memories, Callie’s memories. Research introduces her to the idea of cellular memory, which hypothesizes that memories reside in cells throughout the body. She is convinced that Callie’s memories have been passed on to her with the transplant and that Callie is trying to tell Jenna that her death was not an accident. She begins to investigate and puts herself in danger. The suspense ratchets up and the ending was completely unexpected to me. I found this to be an enjoyable mystery with likeable characters. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Jensen’s work.

This book MESSED with my head entirely. Even though I didn't know what was really going on, I still ended up enjoying it.

Boy bands always promise to give the girl of their hearts their hearts. What if that really happens. You receive the ultimate gift. But what do you also receive when you receive someone's heart......
Brilliant book, even better as book number one!

An interesting synopsis but a book where you have to suspend your belief to think out of the box which can be quite difficult depending on how open you allow your mind to be, your personal life experiences or your mood.
The pace is good and tension builds well. I enjoyed the taboo subject of cellular memory which made me research more. But could you believe a transplant organ could retain it's memories by the previous owner and that unsettled it would need to tell the new owner something important?, well that's what this book is about. It's certainly tense and a good page turner as you will the truth to be revealed.
Although it's a work of fiction it's a fascinating plot that got me really pondering.
A book like no other and I'm glad I read it.
My thanks go to the author, publisher and Netgalley in providing me with a arc in return for a honest review.

The Gift

I loved The Sister by Louise Jensen and so was eager to get my hands on The Gift!

Jenna is given another shot at life when she receives a donor heart from a girl called Callie. Jenna is determined to find out who Callie was, how she died and just what are Callie's parents hiding?!!

This is an amazing story, a captivating psychological thriller that's full of suspense, you'll have to remember to breathe in places and be prepared to not be able to put it down!
Five big shiny stars from purplebookstand.

Gripping read from the start. Real page turner! Highly recommended

I just loved The gift by Louise Jensen, it was fab and I was hooked from the first few pages. A great psychological story that made me think twice about cellular memory. Loved the twists and turns throughout.

The Gift is a roller coaster ride. There are so many what ifs and false trails which lead you in entirely the wrong direction. Kept me gripped from beginning to end.

“Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.” - Joseph Heller

There is a fine line between paranoia and fear. Does fear breed paranoia? Or, does paranoia breed fear?

Jenna McCauley is a thirty year old woman who has recently had a heart transplant. A victim of viral myocarditis, she was advised that a transplant was her only option. She is heavily medicated with anti-rejection drugs and is emotionally fragile. Jenna broke up with her fiance Sam telling him she doesn't love him anymore - while really initiating the break up so that Sam will be free of her, thus ensuring that he will find someone without all the baggage that now accompanies her.

Jenna's world has shrunken. Since the transplant she rarely leaves her apartment. She laments her breakup with Sam and the breakup of her parents who separated shortly after her illness. Now, six months have passed and it is time to return to her work as a veterinary nurse. To celebrate her return to work, her mother treats her to a new hairstyle. She chooses a much shorter pixie cut and dyes her hair red.

Against the wishes of her parents, friends, and psychiatrist, Jenna wants to make contact with the family of the donor, whose heart now beats in her chest. They warn that such contact will be not only unethical, but it could impede her own recovery as well. Ignoring their warnings, Jenna feels an intense need to know more about her donor, Callie.

She experiences survivor's guilt and wonders why she lived and Callie died.

Jenna begins to have dreams and memories that can only belong to Callie. She dreams of two little girls on a beach playing with a pink bucket and spade... She does some research online and she learns that "Cellular memory" is a 'thing'. A scientific theory that memories and preferences can be stored in cells of the organs as well as the brain. Her doctors dismiss this theory and tell her it is just the prednisone medication she is on - coupled with the stress and trauma of the transplant that is causing her paranoia and dreams.

"The heart remembers"

These dreams and memories become more and more disturbing until she questions that Callie's death was not just a car accident, but something much, much, more... She befriends Callie's boyfriend and parents who remark on her similar hairstyle and colour to Callie's. She becomes obsessed with the girl who gave her life. She visits where she worked, and talks to Callie's co-workers.

She begins to question herself and wonders if she is losing her mind. Her paranoia colours her days. She fears that someone is watching her, following her. When someone breaks in to her apartment and rearranges the magnetic letters on her fridge to read "Stop Digging", she realizes that the threat is not just in her head.

With plot twists and breath-taking suspense, the story moves quickly to a pivotal scene...

An epic plot climax in an abandoned fairground, causes the suspense to heightens even more and make the reader question who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. "The Gift" is a fast-paced novel that will be appreciated by all who love suspense-packed psychological thrillers.