An ARC has been kindly given via Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion


I've liked C.C. Hunter since her Shadow Falls series, so when I saw she had another book coming I was really happy.

This book was cute. But it was also held sensitive topics, like organ donation and transplants. I think the author dealt with them in a proper and appropriate way though. I loved the strong heroine and the sometimes-annoying and sometimes-sweet romance kinda annoyed me but I really liked the awesome girl friendship.

I think that this is well written and it flows nicely. I praise the author for tackling a difficult subject matter and bringing it to a younger audience.

This is not the typical story of girl meets boy and falls in love. Leah was a typical teenager who loved to read until she got ill and it weakened her heart. When we enter this story she is surviving by artificial heart, and not very optimistic about her chance for a transplant or what it would mean for another family if she were to receive one. She has had a crush on Matt for years, with her new why not philosophy she decides its time to risk a kiss, and it was everything she had hoped for. Her worlds collide when she gets a call about a donor and Matt gets a call about his brother who has been found dead. Strange dreams are haunting them both and no one believes that there could be danger lurking around the corner...

This is a complex story that grabs you and doesn't let you go. The emotions on any given page can range from excitement to sadness to edge of your seat suspense. C. C. Hunter does an excellent job of making you feel as if you are a firsthand witness to every minute if the action. Hang on it's a wild ride.

Musings:

This Heart of Mine stole a piece of my heart. I wasn’t expecting the emotions and the sadness I would feel as I reached the wonderful ending. It’s a story that blends contemporary and mystery in a seamless way that pulls your heart in all different directions from start to finish.

What I Loved:

Why it was written. I cried for a good half hour after the ending of this novel when I understood that this book came from a very real place. The best stories share a piece of our souls and that was what this was a piece of C.C. Hunter’s beautiful soul.

The depression is so real. Leah deals with some mental health issues in a way that comes off as really authentic. It’s something that is whisper in the back of her mind driving her to be her own antagonist in a very psychological way. I felt so deeply for her and her struggle and I could identify strongly with her anxious thoughts of what could go wrong even when things are starting to go right.

The Mystery. I LOVE that there was this thriller-esque element to the story that made me stress out wanting to know who killed Eric (or if Eric killed himself) and why. Some scenes are really creepy in a very real way and it reads very authentically and goes along well with the story.

The dreams. This sort of supernatural element of Leah having a connection with Eric because she now has his heart was really wonderful. Especially because there are stories on the internet of people suddenly liking different things and slight changes of behavior after a heart transplant. It was a very intriguing aspect to the novel.

Leah’s Doctor. The fact that Leah had an actual friendship with her doctor was an addition that made me smile. It added a nice layer to the novel that just added to its authenticity for me.

The fact that I feel like I can’t articulate the right words anymore. I love this book. I just want to talk about every little detail and shove it in peoples faces and just ask everyone to read it. I feel like I could talk about it for hours. I see every scene like a movie in my head.

Final thoughts:

This Heart of Mine is emotional, mysterious, evocative, and well-told. I highly recommend everyone to read it. It’s such a fabulous novel! It will steal the heart of every reader that goes to read it.

Short and Sweet

Leah MacKenzie is being kept alive by an artificial heart that she has to carry around in a backpack, but Leah gets a second chance at life when a heart becomes available and she gets a transplant. The only problem is Leah learns that her new heart is from a boy that went to school with her and they're saying he killed himself but with the heart came dreams and these dreams are telling Leah otherwise. Matt knows that his brother Eric didn't kill himself and he'll do anything to prove it. Matt and Eric were twins so he knows something is wrong with the assumption that Eric would commit suicide. Matt is also having the same dreams that Leah is, which brings them together to learn what actually happened the night Eric died.

Characters

Leah: One of our main characters. Leah has been through a lot in life and even though she has a new heart she still worries about it rejecting and hurting those around her. Leah is starting to learn how to live again after being home for so long and not going to school and being in a routine. I loved seeing how much Leah progressed in this book and her journey. It was hard for her but I think she started to realize that the people around her really care about her and that she should embrace it instead of push it away.

Matt: Our other main character. Matt is dealing with a lot the death of his brother is taking a toll on him, especially since they lost their dad to suicide. I liked Matt though he did get frustrated a lot during the course of the book but it was understandable.

Romance

Leah and Matt: So these two have always had a crush on each other but they were always dating other people and they didn't really talk to each other much. Then they're brought together because Leah feels the need to tell Matt that she got his brother's heart and then they bond over the fact that they're having the same dreams about Eric. I liked this paring they really liked and cared about each other and I mean it seemed like the relationship was moving fast and I guess that could be due to the fact that they already knew how much they liked one another.

My Thoughts

~ I loved seeing how Leah developed over the course of the book. She's trying to figure out who she is and she's bold and not afraid to take risk because she knows how short life is.

~ The mystery aspect of this book is interesting. I wasn't expecting it but it worked well, and I liked seeing how it all came together: the dreams and the feelings that Matt and Leah would have when someplace would remind them of Eric.

~ Leah and Matt, put themselves in danger when they were investigating and it worried me but Matt was so sure that there was more to Erics death than a suicide.

~ I also loved Leah's parents and her best friend Brandy they were always there for her when she needed them and they cared about her.

~ I think it was interesting to read about Leah and her heart because I haven't read a lot of books where a character needs a heart and it made me curious to read about artificial hearts and transplants.

Overall

This Heart of Mine was captivating and held my attention. It was an easy read that took me through a rollercoaster of emotions, there were times when it was sweet and charming, funny, and there were times when it was sad and serious. I think C.C did an amazing job writing about the topics covered in this book and I would definitely recommend it, it's one of the most enjoyable contemporaries that I've read recently.

I loved this book so much! It has so much heart (no pun intended) and it's so heartwarming. It's a book about love,and how it feels to be in love,but it's also about how it feels to be sick. It has mistery and all around that mistery and all about Eric's death is so sad and heartbreaking. Matt and Leah were written so,so good and so realistic it hurts. And their love is so sweet. All young adults need more books like this one! It's charming,it's delightful and it's just amazing. Loved it with all my heart!

When I saw this book I thought it was very interesting. And I was expecting a light YA book like many others when I started reading it, but I soon realized it wasn’t a simple YA story.
The story was sweet and full of hope and meaning. The romantic part was important but not the most important and I liked that. There’s also the whole Eric Mystery part and even when I kind of saw that twist coming I thought it was good and I enjoyed the suspense.
But the part I loved the most was the one about living, about enjoying your life and dreaming for the future. I really liked Leah and I felt connected to her and her thoughts and feelings in such a difficult moment in her life. I also liked Matt, a lot…he was so sweet and nice.
I was sick once, not as bad a Leah (thankfully) but I could understand the way she felt, how she was worried about her future and worried about hurting others.
It was a touching story, deep and complex but also easy and quick to read. I deeply enjoyed it and it captivated me; I read and read until it was over. I highly recommend it, it’s a book you shouldn’t miss.

I could not get into this book and that was primarily because I was frustrated by the author's writing style. The author writes short, choppy sentences and it got tiresome quickly. I also felt like the plot was muddled with too much happening. The sections about the girl's transplant were interesting, but everything else seemed unnecessary. The romance in particular was not engaging,

4.25 - Compelling, Emotionally Draining, and Absolutely Heartwarming

I don't know why I took so long to write up my full review. Maybe I was emotionally hung over or something, but here it is! So, this book had me in tears several times, but also made my heart melt and filled it with hope. It was riveting, sweet, exciting, and so incredibly touching.

This Heart of Mine was a heartfelt and affecting read that had all the wonderful and aching FEELS I love about contemporary books. Some parts broke my heart into pieces, others made me grip the edge of my seat, and then there were those incredibly endearing and cute moments that made me smile. While there were a few slow moments in the beginning, I was engrossed the entire time and did not want to stop reading. The writing was fantastic, the pacing was great, the characters were realistic and likable, and I loved the message of the story.

The romance was adorable and I thought Leah and Matt were so cute together. Their relationship was well-developed and their chemistry was swoony. I also liked how honest and vulnerable they were around each other. It made their connection that much more interesting and real for me. While it was kind of odd since this was a contemporary, I found the supernatural aspect of the story quite intriguing. The idea that Leah and Matt were sharing similar dreams was fun for me to read. It left me wondering and questioning the unknown and what is or is not possible. I also enjoyed the mystery part of the story and seeing how everything played out even though I kind of had a hunch and eventually figured it out.

I adored the characters a lot and thought they were relatable. Leah was strong, funny, determined and inspiring. She never wanted to be a burden and tried to spare her loved ones from suffering or being in pain. She’s a little stubborn sometimes, but she’s also very protective and considerate. Matt didn’t always make the best decisions, but he had a heart of gold. He’s honest, caring, kind, loyal, and would do anything for his family. Brandy was an awesome best friend – supportive, encouraging, and dependable.

This Heart of Mine by C.C. Hunter is a painfully beautiful story about loss, family, first love, forgiveness, and so much more. It’s compelling, emotionally draining, and absolutely heartwarming. I really enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend it!

I received an electronic advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher, Wednesday Books, via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Heartwarming, touching, angst filled story of a transplant recipient Leah and her struggle through her illness and the journey she goes through post-transplant. This is an emotional story of survival with flits of teenage romance.

Well, that was... cute. Cute characters, cute romance. I liked the paranormal elements, if you can call them that, too (what with Leah and Matt having the same dreams and Leah feeling Eric's emotions). The first and last 10% of this book were the strongest parts, in my opinion, and had me on the verge of tears a couple of times.

What I didn't much care for were the mystery (rather lame, drawn out and anticlimactic) and the author's style of writing (very simplistic, short sentences, a little choppy at times).

All in all an enjoyable read, albeit probably better suited for a younger audience than myself.

Thoughts and Plot

Leah MacKenzie is 17 years old and her heart died. An external artificial heart in a backpack is keeping her alive as she waits for a donor. She has AB blood, a rarer blood type, so though this fake heart has bought her a few years, she has come to believe she will die anyways. Enter Eric and Matt, a set of twins she went to school with before she became ill.
Eric supposedly kills himself and his heart goes to Leah, who discovers this. She’s been having dreams since the transplant and believes she can help his twin discover the truth behind Eric’s death, which ultimately saved her life.
At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book. The hook at the beginning felt like more of an anti-hook. But I have a 100-page policy that keeps me from missing out on most good books that have, what I would consider, a rough start. By the end of the following chapter I was glad that I had stuck with it because Leah served as my hook.
Without giving anything away I can say that this book is incredible. The author handles the concept of death within sensitivity and kindness. Book like this allow people to experience a hardship without having to endure it firsthand. The emotions such as guilt, sadness, and denial are all there and dealt with well. After all, Matt is convinced that his brother didn’t kill himself and Leah feels guilty for having Eric’s heart.

In Conclusion
It’s a wonderfully bittersweet read and I will be buying this for my library.

4.5 heart-warming stars

I couldn't help but cry and sniff my pillows while reading this wonderful emotional book by CC Hunter. The complications of the heart, the search for an organ donor, struggles of a widowed mom, the never-ending hope of scared parents, the depression that threatens one's hope, a look at the second and third chance at life, the love of a twin and the sheer determination of a brother to prove someone's death isn't what everyone else believes.

Leah MacKenzie was heartless, literally. She caught a virus that ruined her heart when she was younger, so she had to get another heart that was latched on to her ribs and stayed on her backpack. For about a year, that's how she lived, survived. But she never dreamed of the future, much less thought about what would happen to her in the next few months. She knew in herself that she was dying and there was no point of hoping for more. If only there was a heart with a rare blood-type lying somewhere that could replace hers. 

One of the famous Kenner twins tutored Leah one day, but she couldn't really tell if it was Matt or Eric. Before she knew it, she lip-locked with him and found herself waiting for his promised phone call. Which never came. Would she ever find out who she kissed before her heart collapsed?

Matt and Eric Kenner suffered the loss of their father who was killed in service. Their mom became distraught and relied on pills to numb her pain. Eric mostly spent his time with his on-and-off girlfriend with issues, Cassie Chambers, until one day, everyone thought he killed himself. And Matt was stubbornly intent on proving otherwise.  

This had been one heck of a roller-coaster ride! I know I've been saying that description over and over again in my past reviews, but I can't think of a much better way to describe this emotionally charged story. The author herself stated that this story was very close to her heart, especially after what she and her husband had gone through, with all the transplants and all.

Leah and Matt were polar opposites. Leah was hopeless and encumbered, while Matt was full of hope and drive and grit. No matter how awkward their initial situation may have been, in the end, it's their common love for family that helped them crawl out of their miseries. I can't help but love the other characters as well. Leah's parents, although supportive, were still full of understandable apprehension towards their daughter's welfare. Matt's only living relative, her mom, was admirable for her slow, measured and cautious steps to getting better. Dr. Hughes, bless her, was one iron lady with a heart of gold. 

The mystery behind Eric's death was a little predictable, in my opinion. I had guessed about the main suspect right after I read the name on the book. So it didn't surprise me when it was revealed in the end. But the drama that Matt and Leah went through this whole ordeal pulled at my heartstrings. This book is so touching and inspiring and teaches us to hope and love and conquer. This book is amazing!

This book really wasn't for me. It was okay. I didn't find myself being blown away by the story or the characters. I did do a promo post though.

This Heart of Mine is one of those YA books that I believe will resonate with teens and adults alike. This book is filled with angst and emotion as Leah and Matt struggle with not only the normal challenges of being a teenager and going to high school, but with more difficult issues most of us can't imagine dealing with as adults. What would you do if everyone is telling you your twin committed suicide, even the evidence, but you were determined to prove it was murder? How would you learn to live a life you had already accepted you wouldn't get the chance to? Leah and Matt not only supported each other during these challenges, but fell in love right in the middle of them.

I could tell C.C. Hunter put her heart and soul into this book because the emotions the characters felt rolled off the pages and had me feeling every ounce of hurt, love, and anger they felt. I could go on and on all day about how much I loved this book, but I think you should just one-click it and share in the amazingness with me!

I voluntarily received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The mystery storyline kind of caught me off guard, but I thought it was the perfect twist to such a well-written, and heartbreaking story--It was a quick and entertaining read and I can't wait to read more by C.C. Hunter!

The concept of this book was really interesting, and I plan to do more research on the phenomenon described in the book- where transplant recipients start to experience some of their donors likes, dislikes, memories, and personality traits. I also like the fact that this story came from the author's spouse's experiences with this phenomenon. I enjoyed the plot and characters, however, at some points the transitions between the point of view of each character was difficult to determine. Perhaps this is something that will be remedied before the final copy is released.

Awesome, awesome, awesome! I absolutely loved this book. It explores the myriad depth of emotions dealing with grief, organ transplant, being different in high school, teenage love, and even parenting in those situations. Great read!

I just thought this book was ok. It was very simple, and the characters seemed one dimensional to me. A lot of this was very repetitive which made the book really slow and long. A lot of the same thoughts and dialogue was repeated multiple times. This also made the story drag on a lot longer than it needed to. I thought this was just ok, it wasn't anything special to me.

This could be a perfect screenplay for a teen romance. Not exactly my thing but I thought I'd give it a try. I had a hard time staying interested in the story. I don't think it's the fault of the author I'm just in a different chapter of life.

Audiobook Review: 5+++ Stars

I’m so happy I added a fourth new author this month read for the Ultimate Reading Challenge because, Oh My God, CC Hunter broke my heart and then put it back together with this amazing story, This Heart of Mine.

I don’t really know how to begin to describe this book. It’s a perfect mix of Young Adult, Romance, Thriller and Suspense. But more than just a mix of my most favorite genres, this book is about defending your most beloved one against all odds, finding true love in the less expected person—even though you hoped for that person for a long time—and accepting to love and live more than just for the present, but also to dream and hope for a future, no matter how uncertain it is.

This Heart of Mine is the heart-breaking and heart-healing story of Leah and Matt. Matt and his twin brother Eric were the stars of their highschool and Leah was just the girl with the artificial heart. Leah used to notice the differences between the brothers and she had a crush in one of them, and one day she has her dream come true when Matt shows real interest in her and kissed her and promised to call her back, but he never did. She was disappointed by his broken promise and for a month she wondered and sadly, expected for his fall. But the call she received one day wasn’t from him. It was from his brother, Eric. Well, sort of. He was shot in the head and his heart was a perfect match for her. So, the same day, Leah was given a new heart, a new chance to live, the hope she had lost so many years ago, and Matt lost his twin brother and best friend but he had a peace of heart because he knew Leah needed a new heart and even though she getting it would mean his brother was death, it would also mean Eric saved one life.

And this is when the story get so interesting: Everything is so sure Eric killed himself, but Matt was sure he didn’t, the twins had a special connection and Matt was sure Eric was in danger the day he died. And Leah was having dreams about Eric’s death, so when she was recovered and ready to go back to school, she decided to tell Matt about her dreams, and her beliefs that it was connected to her new heart was Eric’s heart.

I loved listening to This Heart of Mine so much. I loved how emotional the story was. I found myself crying like a baby in the end of this book, crying like there was no future, I didn’t see the light by the end of the tunnel until the very last second and I’m so happy there was a light in the end.

I also loved the characters, Leah and Matt. They were perfect. PERFECT. Even when they weren’t so perfect, they were perfect for me. I loved how determined and strong they were and they had the most beautiful hearts in the world. I was afraid about the real answer to the question: Was Matt in love with Leah because of her or because she had Eric’s heart? And THANK YOU CC HUNTER FOR ACTUALLY ANSWERING THAT QUESTION IN THE BOOK AND FOR THE ANSWER. That answer could have been the whole book and I would still give 5+++ stars as rating.

I’m sure I wouldn’t have enjoyed this book as much as if I had only read it. The audiobook narrated by Katie Schorr was another dimension of the perfection of The Heart of Mine. Katie did both POV of the story: Leah’s and Matt’s. I’m so used to having dual narration audios for dual POV books, and at some point I missed that in this audio, but in the end it didn’t really matter. Katie did perfect for both characters. Her voice was soft and strong and the same time. Her performance was emotional and warming too. And her inflections gave the audio the perfect touch to make This Heart of Mine one of my favorite reads of 2018, so far.

Now you go, get your copy and fall in love with this book. You will thank me later.