I read the authors non-rated review of her book and really appreciated her honesty about writing this book. It came from a very personal, emotional place in her and sharing it with us couldn't be easy. So to that end, I thank the author for her strength. If you have read/want to read this book and haven't read the author's review, I recommend doing so.

I did receive this book through NetGalley and am providing my honest review. I chose to receive this book from NetGalley because I was interested in the blurb. Just an FYI, I'm usually not into romance. I'm not a romantic person and mostly find romance to be cheesy, lust-filled (sorry) garbage, but this seemed like it was more than a romance because of the mystery and the transplant. Sometimes I can get past a romance for the plot or for characters, but in this case, I couldn't. I felt like the book was 50% romance, 25% family bonding/coming of age and 25% mystery.

Leah received a heart transplant from a donor who was the twin of a boy she kissed and crushed on. She struggled with piecing together her new life(style) after her old life(style) died with the news she may die. This part I liked and I thought was very genuine. As much as I wanted Leah to get better, I needed her to struggle with her new reality as it seemed more honest that way. In this way, I did enjoy Leah.

ROMANCE PART:
The romance was too much like every other YA romance. However, it is true to teenage love and I had to keep reminding myself of this. By that, I mean that it was overplayed, that the two of them thought so deeply of their affection for each other and their relationship, when it really was filled with awkward moments, lack of communication, and the perception of what a relationship is meant to look like (mimicking parents and fictional romance books/stories). Again, it's very real and true to teenage love, but I just couldn't really get into it. I did find the two characters, Matt and Leah, likeable and I think I could have enjoyed their romance if it were done differently. As for the awkwardness and lack of communication; there are certain things they say and do which hinder the romance (like, Leah not introducing Matt so someone), but could easily be avoided/fixed if they just talked to each other. Again though, I feel that this really is true to teenage romance, but I guess I didn't have patience for it.

MYSTERY PART:
The mystery part of the novel adds more depth to the characters and their romance. As Leah has the heart of Matt's twin, they both have visions of his death and Leah begins to have behaviors similar to Eric, like changes in food cravings and phrases of speech. They investigate the alleged suicide of Matt's twin, Eric, while obviously lusting for each other and not doing or saying anything about it. They sort of stumble around for awhile, not really learning anything, trying to rely on the visions and trying to talk to Eric's girlfriend. At first, I was into the mystery, but it built up really, really slowly to make room for more romance, I felt.

TWIN STUFF:
Also, I am currently dating a twin. I told him about the premise of the book and he got annoyed at how the twins were presented in this book. And I sort of agree with that. There was an almost supernatural feel to Matt and Eric's relationship, and Leah's transplant. I felt skeptical most of the time because of this. I think you'd need to believe in "twin telepathy" theories in order to read this without being skeptical, as I kept reminding myself that Matt wouldn't be having visions about Eric's death. This made it hard for me to get immersed in the book. I don't know as much about heart transplants, so I don't know if Leah would be having visions about Eric's death either, but since memory is primarily in the brain, I was skeptical of this as well. This made it feel more supernatural, like Eric's ghost were hovering around them making them see these visions.

WRITING:
I mostly enjoyed it. There were some scenes which ended abruptly with a "***" inbetween scenes, but then the next scene would begin seconds after the last scene ended. I felt like I was intentionally being interrupted in my reading for suspense, but it was more annoying than suspenseful. And the changes in perspective were jarring. They were too abrupt, changing from first-person (Leah) to third-person (Matt). There wouldn't be any indication of it changing other than looking for the tense changes. This would happen while they were together too which made it all the more confusing. It's not too bad, as I could quickly get back into the reading groove, but I would have preferred a heads up that the tenses would change.

I thought this book was done well for a YA mystery/romance. I found myself rooting for Leah and Matt at every turn, in their relationship as well as their mission to solve Eric's death.

It was a different story than I was used to reading and I am so glad I had the chance to read it.

If you're looking for a high-stakes YA love story, this book is for you!

Leah MacKenzie is living on borrowed time and her second heart. With a rare blood type, her chances at finding a suitable donor is close to impossible. She's going to make the most of every moment she has left and that includes finally kissing her long-time crush, Matt.

Her wishes come true on the same day that his are shattered. Now they share a foreboding dream and a desire to seek the truth behind the tragedy that links them forever.

"He moves down the hall. I follow. I'm staring at his hair, the way it flips up. Again hoping he's Matt. I'm so into his hair, I don't notice him swing around.
We run smack-dab into each other.
"Shit." He grabs me by my shoulders and pulls me against him. "Are you okay?"
His hands are on my upper arms. My breasts are against his chest. Then bam! I feel something I haven't felt in a long time. Excitement. My very own I'm-a-girl-and-you're-a-boy excitement. Not the borrowed thrill I get from reading romances.
I can smell him. Like men's soap, or deodorant; a little spicy, a lot masculine. The desire to lean in and bury my nose in his shoulder is so strong I have to fist my hands.
"I'm fine," I say. Don't pull away. Don't pull away. Please don't pull away. He doesn't pull away. He gazes down at me. This close I can see he has gold and green flecks in his brown eyes. A voice inside of me says I should step back, but you couldn't pay me to move. I'm dying. Is it wrong of me to want this?
"I … I forgot my books." The words fall from his lips in an uncertain tone. The pads of his thumbs rubs the insides of my arm. Just the tiniest, softest friction that feels so damn good.
I run my tongue over my bottom lip. "Oh, I … I thought you were going to kiss me." I hear my own words and wonder where I got the balls to say that.
His eyes widen. Not in an oh-crap way, but in a surprised kind of way. "Do you want me to kiss you?"
I grin. "If you're Matt, I've wanted you to kiss me since seventh grade."
His gaze lowers to my mouth and lingers. "Is your heart strong enough?"

Matt Kenner knows way more about loss than he should. His father was stolen away while serving his country and then his twin brother Eric was the victim of an apparent suicide.

When he agrees to tutor Leah for extra Algebra credit, he could have never guessed that it was the beginning of a connection that even death couldn't sever. She carries his brother's heart in her chest and she's the only person who can help him prove that Eric didn't die by his own hand.

Discovering exactly what happened that fateful night could mean the end to the romance beating so strongly between them or it could mean the end of life itself.

"Is it wrong to want Leah to know she has the heart of a champion in her chest? Is it wrong that from the second he opened that door he hasn't stopped thinking about their kiss and thinking about doing it again?"

This Heart of Mine is a powerful and yet sweet story filled with so much possibility. There's a real appreciation for the gifts of today and C.C. Hunter combines it with a cautious hope for the future.

It makes for a reading experience that is poignant, harrowing and just a little euphoric. And you'll find yourself laughing through the tears until the very end…

This was really sweet and cute. It read a bit awkwardly at times, and I felt like there were quite a few cliches going on here, but it was overall enjoyable and happy despite the subject matters that were handled. I would recommend it to anyone who's looking for a cute YA read with a quick and sex-positive romance.

Leah has an artificial heart that keeps her alive which she carries around in a backpack, no hope for a regular life or transplant. Matt is coping with the death of his father and the depression and isolation his mother and twin spiral into. When Leah and Matt have one forced afternoon together, full of normalcy and fun, they know it won't last. But how could they have ever predicted that Matt's twin would die and Leah would received his heart- as well as his memories...




I am such a fan of C.C. Hunter's Shadow Falls series so when I saw she had a new YA mystery I was so excited to get my hands on it. Not only is this a suspense filled mystery with romantic elements, but it was about a heart transplant where there were paranormal elements (yes, I love myself some "death" books as my family calls them where the main character may be dying from a terrible disease- and yes, I consider that a genre!). As a side note, I had a talk with my science friend today where we discussed the legitimacy of having leftover memories from getting a heart transplant, and due to science, this is a true phenomenon that has been documented- consider this your fact for today.

She asks me to unbutton my top . I almost don’t care that I’m flashing my boobs. I think everyone in the hospital has seen them. They try to cover them up with the sides of my pajama top when they examine me, but it never fails, something slips. Boobs are slippery like that.

...Hell, if this was Mardi Gras I would have a fortune in beads.





I did enjoy how C.C. occasionally threw in some random moments of humor to break up the sorrow and tension of the story, be it a puppy encounter, a Christie Craig reference (nice!) or a random inappropriate comment. I use humor as a tool all the time so it really helped me to relate to the characters and situation, a way to make everything feel real. Matt was really cute and reliable, the support for all those around him even while he is hurting on the inside. That boy needed a hug, desperately (but a puppy is a good hug replacement, just saying). Leah has a killer defense mechanism of humor, able to deflect the most uncomfortable of situations, be it public speaking, battling death or facing heartbreak (metaphorical!). Seriously, Leah could be my soul sister with her sarcasm and deflection. I appreciated her so very much, every quirky comment, even when she was making the worst, most frustrating of decisions!

He laughs. Deep, happy laughter. I have no idea what’s funny. “What?” I garble the question out around my makeshift toothbrush. “You. Seeing you so . . .
normal.”
Since when is me panicking, finger-brushing my teeth, and holding up one Dumbo normal?


Overall I found this story to be engaging and really fast read, even while dealing with some dark hard topics. I highly recommend This Heart Of Mine for anyone who wants a murder mystery with paranormal undertones and a meant to be romance. Come see me at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

What would you do with a second chance at life? You probably wouldn't help solve the mystery surrounding the person who donated your new heart's life. However that exactly what Leah does. She finds her self having dreams about Erics last night alive, and reaches out to his twin brother Matt who is also her long time crush. Leah and Matt find themselves tangled in romance and mystery. This Heart of Mine is a high stakes thrill ride mixed with all the feels of your first love. The characters were interesting and easy to connect with. The story was fun and unique. It's a bit on the long side but I really enjoyed the writing.

I gave this book 4 stars. I was pretty close to giving this one 3 stars or 3.5, until I read the authors note of this book which I read on Goodreads, but is also at the end of the book itself. She talked about the significance of the story to her and that moved me so much that I couldn’t not feel so much more connected the work.

This book felt so long. It was good and never felt like it was dragging, but at the same time, it felt like I was never making any headway. I would read for like an hour and only be 20% in. I felt like I was chasing pavement, nothing was moving forward.

So I solved the mystery at about 43%, but I wanted to see how it would play out. I feel like it was too obvious who the killer was, kind of a stereotype.

What I loved about this book as the even though there was a large mystery element, the entire story wasn’t consumed by it. The mystery was wrapped up near the end but was not the climax of the story, we got right down to what the story was truly about, a girl who got a heart transplant.

Overall, I think it was a very sweet book. The two leads were so cute together, a little unsure but determined to make it work. I loved them together and I really enjoyed this book. I do prefer the authors Shadowfalls work, but that may just be my preference in genre. For a contemporary lover, this would be a great read.

This Heart of Mine was such a touching story. It revolved around family, friendships, sacrifices, new beginnings, first love and so much more. I just know that so many people are going to absolutely love this emotional story! I wish there wasn't a but.......but I wasn't able to connect to any of the characters. I tried again and again, and continually failed all the way till that very last page. I felt so heartless, especially since I got tears in my eyes reading the author's letter to the reader, at the end of the book. Sigh. So I closed the book wishing that I could have felt that same emotion towards Matt and Leah.

I grin. “If you’re Matt, I’ve wanted you to kiss me since seventh grade.”
His gaze slides lowers to my mouth and lingers. “Is your heart strong enough?”
I burst out laughing. “Are you that good of a kisser?”
“Maybe.” A smile crinkles the corners of his eyes. He leans down. His lips are against mine, soft and sweet.


Leah's thoughts and words could be so heartbreaking. Yes she's pragmatic about the fact that her odds of getting a new heart are low, but it still was shocking to see how she viewed the world. I was hoping to resonate with her realness, but hopefully others will. And while there were some heavy moments before her heart transplant, there's this one moment that was filled with nothing but brightness. Leah ended up having a study session with a boy named Matt. She's had a crush on him forever, and after studying they shared one of the sweetest kisses. But after that moment, they both go back to their own lives. Leah knew she was fated to die and Matt had too many family problems at home to start a relationship with Leah. Yet both of their lives become irrevocably changed in the near future.

Gasping for air, the fear, the raw, ugly panic I felt in the dream, hangs on with sharp claws. My heart thuds against my rib cage. I can’t breathe. - Leah


One month later, Matt's twin brother died and Leah, who was in desperate need of a heart transplant, received his heart. Every one believed that Matt's twin killed himself, but Matt believed his brother was murdered. And after, they both started to have these dreams that ended up weaving their lives together. So when the pieces of their dreams started to come together, they both found themselves in the middle of a huge mystery. I'm not really a suspenseful person, but it was a fun mystery to figure out. While I had some guesses here and there, 3/4s of the way into the story I figured out exactly what happened, and I was excited for the characters to catch up with my knowledge.

“Why would I hate you?”
She unfurls her fingers and brushes the tear away. “Because I’m alive and he’s not.”


Both Matt and Leah were definitely likeable and I enjoyed alternating between the two of them. So I was grasping why I couldn't connect to them. I'm not sure if it's because I had just finished an extremely emotional book, and I was still partially hung up on that story? Oh, I don't know. But what I do know is that it made me SO sad. This was the type of book that should have easily pulled me in and broken my heart and then mended it perfectly back together. So while this one didn't work for me, I'd still recommend to give it a try. And here's hoping you absolutely love it!

*ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review This Heart of Mine by C.C. Hunter. Leah is awaiting a heart transplant and in the meantime she’s being tutored and doing her schoolwork at home with her teachers’ help. Leah’s story (first person point of view) alternates with the (third person point of view) story of twins, Matt and Eric, who are still reeling from the loss of their father. One of the twins tutors Leah for extra credit on a day that the math teacher cannot make it. Leah is unsure which twin it is and confesses that she’s had a crush on Matt for years. I’m not sure how much time passes before Eric ends up dying in the hospital from a gunshot wound. Leah’s family receives a call from the hospital letting them know a heart is available for her transplant. She discovers that she’s received Eric’s heart and she keeps this information to herself. Eventually Leah and Matt talk about the transplant and how they’ve both been having dreams about Eric’s death and believe that it wasn’t suicide. In the dreams, they hear a voice other than Eric’s and they also see how Eric was running from something before he was shot. The mystery progresses and finally Detective Henderson sees proof of foul play. The main point of the book is to experience the process of needing a transplant, receiving one and learning to embrace life all over again. The author shares her family’s experiences with transplants at the end of the book. These experiences brought this story to life. 4 stars for the strength and perseverance shown by the main characters!

One of the main things I liked about this novel was the character development that was expressed in the dual POVs of Leah and Matt, specifically Leah’s. All throughout the book, Leah would describe herself, contrasting her personality before and after she got sick. But I think it made it easier for readers to appreciate the character development she had gone through without actually seeing it. I do love that character now though; how she stands up for herself, making a point to take risks and regret less. I think that should be a lesson everyone could learn from. I did like reading in Matt’s POV though, as it gives a fuller sense of the story, while telling the story of a young man who understands what it’s like to live with intense grief and how he learns to manage it.

Another thing I liked was the plot. It always intrigued me whenever some new development was made, either with the mystery or their lives. It kept me reading right till the very end! And the writing style, always including things that are totally necessary but you didn’t think they would be! Plus, I loved seeing the arguments brought up within the book, like “literature vs genre”, because it got me so riled up! Especially when a lot of “literature” wasn’t even considered great in its day, sometimes downright scandalous. So we shouldn’t shame people on reading what they like! We should be celebrating it!

Well, that’s all I have to say about This Heart of Mine by C.C. Hunter! Overall, it was a really great read that makes me excited to see what C.C. Hunter will write next!

Leah's days are numbered. But given the chance of a new start, with the help of an artificial heart, she's determined to live life to the full. When she starts dreaming about Eric, her heart donor, she turns to his twin brother Matt to find out the truth about how he died - and in the process learn to love.

I liked the main characters of Leah and Matt. Alhough their relationship is rather stereotypical for this genre in that they're the jock and the book nerd, it goes deeper than that. Leah is so desperate to enjoy the limited time she has left (I especially loved the book love, I felt a kinship with Leah there), and get out and have a life. I also liked Matt, who portrays a love for his brother that is both relatable and touching. The two of them together compliment in each in such a way that their relationship never feels forced, and develops gradually and naturally. That's hard to do.

The subject matter does get quite sensitive in places - organ donation is never an easy subject to broker, but I thought the author dealt with it in an appropriate way. It carries the main themes of the novel of love and loss well, and helps drive the plot forward. The grief conveyed over Eric's apparent suicide were very emotional and touching in particular.

I did feel at times that the plot and genre didn't really know what it was, and didn't really fit conventionally into one genre. At first it starts as very much a contemporary ya, then descended into a murder mystery. Although I understood where the author was going with this, it did leave me a little confused at times as it wasn't necessarily where I thought the story was heading.

That said, this is well written, flows well and I applaud the author for tackling a difficult subject matter and bringing it to a younger audience.

DNF- I'm sorry, but I seem to be in the minority with liking this book. The only reason I gave it 2 stars was the inspiration behind this story and the storyline itself.
I hated the narration..One moment it was Leah telling the story, the next it was Matt. There really wasn't any breakdown as to who was talking. It just jumped from one character to the next.
I also felt like I was reading a bullet point version of the story. It didn't flow well and seemed kinda rushed.

This just wasn't working for me..

This is such a fascinating book! There's a little bit of a supernatural aspect (Leah has dreams of what happened to her donor, from his perspective, and her personality and tastebuds change) but it's not at all a major part of this story. 

There's also a little bit of a mystery and, while I don't think it's necessarily hard to figure out who was responsible for Eric's death, it's still an engrossing storyline. 

I think every YA reader can relate to Leah. Most of us, hopefully, haven't spent time actively contemplating how short our lives will be, but I think we're all overfond of books and the escape they can bring. (Team Blatant Book Geek!) Watching her slowly realize that she can actually start planning ahead for things was the most rewarding aspect of this book for me. I can't imagine how scary it was, but it also makes a ton of sense. Of course after the initial relief wore off, you'd probably be waiting for the other shoe to drop. And of course there'd be guilt for living only because someone else died.

I'm an organ donor, and I love that this book is raising awareness of how valuable that is. It's an important thing and while I know no one is particularly excited to think about their own mortality, it's still a chance to save lives.

This is not a book I would have chosen except I really enjoy CC Hunter’s books and writing style, while it has a lot of serious plot elements there is plenty of other things going on, a little murder mystery and romance help make the book a good read with out the feeling of a book that is preaching.

What really happened to Eric? Did he commit suicide or was he murdered? Leah's now living with his heart and she's questioning it too, prompted in part by his twin Matt, who has always been her crush. The characters in this are stereotypes for those of us who have read a lot but this is a YA novel and its target audience might not yet be as cynical as adults about teenage romance. Not much was surprising but, again, it's got a lot of positives. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Summary:

Leah has gone through one heart, and now has an artificial heart in a backpack until she can get a new one. She understands, and has accepted the few years this will give her, never imagining that she would get a donor. She hangs out with her parents, talks to her best friend, works on reading 100 books and simply enjoys her time. Yeah, it would be great to be able to be normal, go to school, have boyfriends… live. It just isn’t in the cards. That is, until it is…. one day changes everything. A young man passes and a heart is available. The issue? Once she has the heart, she can feel it’s previous owner. She has dreams and thoughts she knows aren’t her own. How do you tell your crush you have their dead twin’s heart and it wants to tell them something?

Matt knows his brother didn’t kill himself…. but he’s the only one. The evidence is stacked against him, but he just knows something else happened. Someone took his brother’s life… and they have to pay. When Leah approaches him, offers help, he can’t believe his luck. Finally someone believes him… finally he isn’t alone. Can they find out what’s going on, though? While they work together, they grow closer and discover new possibilities. Can it work between a girl who always thought she had an expiration date and a boy that’s seen too much death?

My thoughts:

The premise of this book was really amazing. I loved the play between characters and the way the book flowed. It seemed very real, allowing the main characters of Matt and Leah to be, well, teens. Mature for their age, perhaps; but scared, angry, confused and hopeful. There was so much heart, so much emotion woven into this story. I cried, I laughed, I ached for these kids. The character development was spot on, though the side characters were a bit basic- mainly the book club. It didn’t stop this from being a fantastic read, though, and one I am getting my niece. Five stars all the way, and one for creativity.

On the adult content scale, there was some violence, language and sexual content. Nothing too extensive. I give it a five.

I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review. My thanks!

This Heart of Mine was a book that wasn't really on my radar until it showed up in the NetGalley feed. I hadn't heard that C.C. Hunter was diving into contemporary novels and upon checking out Goodreads, it seemed like this book was quite highly rated among the few GR friends who had read it, so I was willing to give it a go. Unfortunately, it didn't fully meet my relatively low expectations.

I am giving it the benefit of the doubt, since I read the advanced uncorrected proof, but there were a whole ton of grammatical errors, for example switching from present to past tense quite frequently or accidentally having "she" instead of "I", that made the book a bit difficult to read. It seemed almost like the book was initially written in past 3rd person and at some point had been switched to present 1st person. That aside, I was also not a fan of the book being written in present tense- the writing felt a bit clunky.

The novel overall dragged on a bit, with most of the middle section feeling too long. However, I did really like the attention to detail that the author focused on transplantation medicine with, including what drugs need to be taken and even smaller details that showed that she had clearly done her research. There's a slight paranormal aspect to the novel where the protagonist is able to experience the memories of the donor of her heart, and I found that this was relatively well done too.

It seems that most people really enjoyed the novel, so it might just be that it wasn't right for me. I felt that the mystery aspect of the novel that was more interesting was quite overshadowed by the romance, which I wasn't hugely invested in.

Ratings
Overall: 5/10
Plot: 3/5
Romance: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 3/5

When I first read the blurb of This Heart of Mine, I fell hard for the premise. It had so much potential for sweetness and angst, but unfortunately, I got mostly cheese. I can deal with a little cheese, in fact, it’s something I usually like. But it was laid on pretty thick in this book. The first bit was pretty good, even if Leah felt like she was being pulled from character in an effort to see how changed she was from her transplant. And that was a huge issue for me - she referred to herself as ‘old Leah’ or ‘new Leah’ so often that it was not only distracting, but incredibly annoying. And while I thought that Leah and Matt’s relationship was sweet at first, it was a little disturbing to me how they were such a crutch for each other’s unhealthy behaviors, and also, the lying was pretty liberal in this book, even joking about it to the point where it felt like it wasn’t a big deal to Leah after a while.

Like another reviewer mentioned, there was a paranormal aspect to this story that was never fully explored or resolved, and it left the book feeling so undone. I felt the ending that wrapped up the mystery was so very predictable - not only the mystery of whether or not Eric killed himself, but the entire series of events that led up to his death. Also, at the end of this book, Leah gives a speech at graduation that not only comes out of nowhere, but didn’t even feel like a graduation speech. It felt more like a soapbox than anything. Up until the end, Leah’s doctor was the standout character for me, but then, she appeared at Leah’s graduation and offered up some cheesy lines that seemed to be a trademark for every character in the book.

I hate to leave this review on such a negative note, so I do want to mention Leah’s parents and Matt’s mom. I like how Leah’s parents were so involved in her life, but even while their lives revolved around her, they worked hard to let her be as independent as possible and push their hovering ways to the side. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for them, but I like that they did it for their daughter. I also liked Matt’s aunt stepping in and telling his mother how it was, and his mother subsequently ‘getting her shit together’ for the only family member she had left. It was done wonderfully and in a way that felt credible instead of just to suit the plot line.
Sadly, This Heart of Mine was not a win for me. It felt like such a long read, and definitely could have benefited from a big trim - 50 pages could have been cut here to tighten up the pacing and plot. While this book wasn’t for me, I think there is an audience for it, and I see a lot of people liking this one.

When I read the description of this book I thought it was such an interesting concept. However, this book felt confusing at times. By that I mean, at different points, I felt like I was reading your typical YA romance but then at other times it was a mystery thriller with a supernatural aspect. It just felt like 2 different books to me and they didn't necessarily fit together . I thought the thriller/mystery plot could have been a lot more interesting but it felt underdeveloped and the conclusion was so beyond predictable. I think I would have enjoyed this book better if it picked a direction and went with it. This book also took me forever to read because I felt bored throughout. I think I just wanted the mystery to take a front seat instead of the at times (most of the time) cheesy romance.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.