Megan Jacobs has spent most of her life in hospitals waiting for a heart transplant. She finally received one in her twenties, but is still afraid to venture out beyond her hometown in Minnesota. She lives with her parents and works at the local library as a library aide. She dreams of adventure and traveling the world, dreams she used to share with fellow heart patient Caleb. Caleb received his heart transplant first and now travels the world for his work. Megan longs to reconnect and to travel as well.

Meeting the parents of the girl whose heart she received jump starts her. They give her their daughter’s diary and she finds a bucket list inside. Inspired, Megan decides to complete the bucket list with her savings, a GoFundMe account, and to blog about it on the way.

Megan’s twin sister Crystal is an architect in New York City. Crystal never had the health problems that Megan experienced and she’s working toward her dream of becoming a senior architect in her firm. She works long hours and doesn’t get much time with her husband, firefighter Brian. She also seems to have lost her inspiration and is having health problems. When Megan’s trip pops up, Brian suggests that Crystal join her to reconnect with her twin and to find her way back to their marriage and to what she wants from life.

The two sisters travel the world fulfilling the bucket list. Will the two be able to repair their neglected relationship? Will Megan be able to make the next step forward and live without the fear of illness? Will Crystal be able to figure out how to balance work and her relationship with her husband?

I loved this novel. It really connected with me. Personally, I’ve been in Crystal’s shoes the past few years where work was becoming all-consuming and affecting my health and relationships with my husband and children. I just switched jobs at the end of 2017 and it’s made a big difference. Sometimes you get wrapped up in trying to do a good job and work takes advantage of you.

I enjoyed how the story was a travel story to fantastic locations around the world and I also liked how it was a personal growth story for both sisters in their own lives and loves, and with each other. I like how they were able to get to know each other better on the trip and I liked that the story was equal between the sisters and didn’t just end with the trip. The story continued and wrapped up their storylines to see where they are going next after the trip. I wish I could keep reading about Megan and Crystal.

Favorite Quotes:

“Just because something is in “ruins” doesn’t mean it’s ruined. It’s just . . . different than before. It’s weather storms, but it’s still standing.”

“I know it’s not the destination we had in mind, but it’s where we’ve landed.”

“Wouldn’t it be a better use of your time to leave the big stuff like control and worry to God and instead spend it reveling in all the opportunities for great joy he’s given you.?”

“Then Nana turned, ‘Not everything is as easy to fix as that, I’ll admit. Life isn’t perfect. It’s messy. It doesn’t follow a pattern or a plan. Thankfully, we know the Big Guy is in charge.’ She reached down and squeezed Crystal’s hand. ‘And he is the super-gluer of souls.”

Overall, The Heart Between Us is a great travel and character story. I really identified with the main characters and their struggles and I greatly enjoyed the book.

Book Source: Review Copy as part of the TLC Book Tour. Thank-you!

Loved this novel by Lindsay Harrel...full of believable characters w/ a unique plot and story line. Loved this story...loved the writing...Looking forward to reading more from this author. Five Stars.

Loved this story of sisters finding their way. I enjoyed traveling the world with them and seeing how their stories played out.

I enjoyed this book because I loved reading about the relationship between the two sistes, Megan and Crystal. While the writing seemed very simple and quickly wrapped up certain parts of the book than I would have liked, I did appreciate the messages it was trying to come across about life, love, family, and faith. I also liked that it handled Christianity in a respectful way and didn't make it sound preachy. I would have loved a bit more substance when it came to the travel aspect of the book. Since the sisters did travel quite a lot, I didn't feel any connection to the places they visited and how much it meant to them. However, I loved watching them grow and change as people and how that affect their lives and relationships. I liked the book overall, specially towards the end when I started to feel the character's depth of emotions.

I was hooked from the first page and could not wait to read more. I enjoyed following Megan and Crystal's life journey, as well as their travelling journey. I liked to see what was happening from the view of each woman. I absolutely loved the first half of the book! The second half wasn't as quick and engaging for me, but definitely still worth the read and enjoyable. The travelling adventures were fun and I loved to see what would happen next. They were likeable, flawed characters that people can relate to. Overall, I liked this book and I will seek out more of Lindsay Harrel's books to read.

Megan sets out on a life-changing trip and her sister Crystal joins her in an attempt at what...to assuage her guilt for leaving when Megan was sick? To repair their relationship? This is a great read which shows a quick glimpse of some famous sites. It definitely made me want to travel to some of the locations!

This is a poignant and heart-felt (no pun intended) story about 2 sisters, one ill, needing a new heart and the other a successful architect. When Megan's meets her donor's parents, she decides to complete their daughter's bucket list with the help of her sister and and old childhood friend. Thank you to Nelson Pub through net galley to read this complimentary copy.

I was wandering through Netgalley when the cover and the title of this book captured my attention. I was luckily accepted for an advance copy of it. The reason why I have been pushing it back is that I read in Goodreads that one of the genres was Christian Fiction and some reviews confirmed it. I'm a believer; however, I never have good experiences with books that include this genre, or that sample it. Regardless, The Heart Between Us surprised me.

My favorite part of the book was the journey to reconnect the sisterly bond. How sometimes circumstances make you distance yourself from your siblings, but the relationship will never be completely broken. There is the expectation to fix it. Maybe this didn't touch other people the way it did to me, but I have been apart from my sister for six years, and reading this book was more than just a pastime, it was an emotional journey.

What limited me from giving the book more than three stars is the necessity to know more about Amanda, Megan's heart donor. I understand this wasn't her story but every glimpse we had of her made me crave for more. Also, the book could be a little slow passing, what made me very desperate.

Ms. Harrel created a book that will make you sit and think about what you really want in life. What are your priorities, and what sacrifices are you willing to make to fulfill your heart's real desire. I never expected to enjoy it as I did, but I will be looking out for more from her in the future.

Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal, the Great Barrier Reef, and a night in a Celtic castle are just some of the experiences you’ll share with Megan and her sister Crystal when you pick up this book. But you'll share more than a physical journey with them; you’ll share an emotional one too—one that confronts years of disappointments and fears due to Megan’s life in and out of hospital with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. And the disappointments and fears are shared equally by Megan and Crystal because, while Megan may have been the one with the health issues, no family member can remain unaffected by the demands of such an illness.

The narrative is shared equally between the sisters throughout the story, and while I was invested in both of their stories from the outset, for me it was Crystal’s story that tugged hardest in the beginning. She’s married to a man she loves more than anything, but ambition is driving her so hard she’s not only losing her creative spark, she’s also in danger of losing her marriage. Furthermore, she’s never really dealt with the emotions that come with having an ill sister—a twin sister, at that—who requires a significant amount of their parents’ attention and around whom their entire life needed to be organized.

I thought Lindsay Harrel did a wonderful job of allowing the reader to sense the proverbial elephant in the room with the sisters and showing the gradual crumbling of the walls between them over the course of the journey. How’s that for a mixed metaphor?! But you get my drift. I also loved the way their physical and emotional journeys intertwined—each leading into and supporting the other. And, of course, for the romance lovers among us, there was not only the discovery of new love, but the rekindling of established love (although the men only really come back into the story in the second half.)

The one thing I wasn’t 100% sold on was the tension that arose between Megan and Caleb at the eleventh hour. I felt it was a slight overreaction on his part and a little out of character, but it also brought helped bring Megan’s list to a poignant end, so I’ll forgive him!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.

This book. Wow. I’m not even sure where to begin. How about here – When I first knew one of the main characters was a heart transplant recipient, I was a little nervous to pick it up. My husband had a liver transplant years ago, and I was afraid that all sorts of memories would resurface. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go down that road, it was scary as a wife to see him go through that, and watch our daughter deal with it. So from this aspect, I connected with this book in a lot of ways that others may not. Crystal – well she had a lot of the same feelings that I did, and I have never talked to someone before who had, so she kind of became my best friend. And Megan? Well, she had me at hello.

The author did a wonderful job of portraying a transplant recipient and family member. The emotions were spot on. Even when talking about the scarring – I could totally see my husband reacting the same way. As someone who has been through this, I appreciated the time and effort it took in researching this part of the story. It made it more believable and really made the reading experience that much more enjoyable.

Facts aside, Lindsay Harrel created some wonderful characters. Megan’s growth throughout this book was like watching your young child grow out of their shy stage and they stop hiding behind your leg. I think Megan found it easy to hide behind her transplant. She just needed something to give her a little nudge. Enter the bucket list. This was such a creative idea on the author’s part. To meet with the donor family and be able to honor them in some way is something that a lot of transplant patients dream of doing, but never get to actually do it. Baby steps. That was how Megan’s growth progressed and it was perfect. Not once did I think she would turn into this take charge woman overnight, or start speaking up for herself like she had done it for years. It needed to happen gradual, and the author did a great job of making sure that it did.

The secondary characters were just as good as Megan and Crystal. I think I found myself centered on Crystal and Brian for a lot of the book because I was so interested in their marriage. I needed to see if Crystal would become the wife that Brian wanted. But you know, in marriage there is sacrifice, and we are supposed to accept our spouses for who they are. At first, Brian and Crystal kind of upset me – why was Brian trying to change Crystal, and how had she changed from when they first married? And it hit me. Life happens. Sometimes we get sucked into life so much that we lose perspective on what’s important, what takes priority in our lives. And so as much as this was a journey for Megan, it was a journey for Crystal. Finding her priorities and deciding what she wanted in life. To be honest, it trickled down to me as I found myself looking at my own priorities and wondering if I was making the same mistakes as her.

The bottom line here is that this is a great read. It will make you smile, feel good, and have hope. It may even make you take a look at your own life to be sure you are living to the fullest. Make your own bucket list. Remember the One who gave you life and don’t take it for granted! I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you are looking for a book with heart, look no further. This is my first read of Ms. Harrel's and I was struck by her ability to bring home the reality of someone striving to fight and pursue somewhat of a normal life.

As someone who has epilepsy, I could identify with Megan and her feelings of being smothered by her mother who just wants to keep her safe, my mom would be happy to put me in a bubble and keep me there. Megan is also frustrated at her twin sister's risk of her own health and taking it for granted because she knows first hand what it's like to not be healthy. These two sisters have a very rocky and tense relationship, and traveling together brings the issues in their relationship up front and personal.


My Bottom Line:

This book has everything you look for in a Christian Contemporary Fiction read. Characters struggling not only with each other, but within themselves, a sweet romance, and my favorite element, travel. In this book you will go from Rome, to Australia, to Greece, Peru, and running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, which had my heart racing.
I definitely recommend this book!

My favorite quote in this book is:

"I'm saying your mother has many fine qualities. She's loyal and loving and generous. But she's afraid of losing you. She always has been. She wrestles with God about that every day. If you're going to be like your mom, then copy her loyalty or her love or her generosity. Not her fear."

Thank you, Lindsay Harrel for writing that. For the first time since being diagnosed with epilepsy 28 years ago, I finally understand my mom.

Sometimes you read a book and know that it will stick around in your head for a long time. The Heart Between Us is one of those book. It involves Megan, a heart transplant recipient, who decides to finish out her heart donor's bucket list. Her sister Crystal decides to accompany her on the journey.

I really enjoyed this book. One of the biggest themes of the book is fear and how it tends to keep us from living our life with joy. The trip that the women take not only allows them to heal their relationship, but it teaches them to both be brave. That isn't the only theme found among the pages. Fear of loss of control and finding out what you thought you wanted in life doesn't always end up making you happy are a couple of the other ones. There is a lot packed into this book. The story is well written and made me want to keep reading. I was rooting for them both to find their brave self. The ending was super sweet. I won't spoil it for you, but I urge you to read the book.

I loved this book so much! Both Crystal and Megan were incredibly well developed from the beginning and only got more so throughout the plot, I felt connected and invested in both their stories very quickly and felt like they were actually people I knew. Harrel's descriptions of all the destinations they visit on their trip are excellent and add so much to the text. I really enjoyed following the journey of this book from start to finish and only wish it could have lasted longer! I finished it with a renewed sense of adventure and an appreciation for all the journeys life takes us on.

Megan Jacobs has lived most of her life in fear and uncertainty. She was born with a weak heart and eventually had to have a heart transplant. She believes she has missed out on life while her sister Crystal has been able to experience everything like a normal person, and the two sisters have not had a good relationship for years. When Megan meets the family of Amanda, the girl whose heart she received for the transplant, she decides to complete Amanda's bucket list for her and her family. Megan takes a trip around the world, completing every item on the list. When Crystal agrees to come, the two sisters embark on the journey of a lifetime and find themselves learning new things about each other and life in general.
I love books about travel, so I jumped at the chance to read this book. I was not disappointed! This is such a sweet story of reconciliation and the inner workings of various kinds of relationships. I enjoyed Megan and Crystal's story and was quite satisfied with the ending. I would have enjoyed more details of the different places they visited since I haven't been able to travel abroad myself, but I still enjoyed everything that was described. I didn't like the cavalier attitude towards God that was expressed by the characters in this book - it came across as flippant to me. Other than that, the book was great, and I highly recommend it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. No review was required, and all opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

The way with which this author is in touch with human feelings and emotions is incredible. She has such a wonderful capacity to describe them. It really helps you see and experience what the characters are going through. The book is super relatable. Loved the travel and sister reconnection, love lost and found, discovering who we are and why God made us, conquering fear, learning to trust, on and on. This book is packed with real life themes and experiences. It’s like a memoir that reads like fiction. It’s a good book to listen to. A few scenes seemed like strange additions and I wondered their purpose. I suppose they helped develop the characters personality but they just seemed a little like they were thrown in and forgotten about. Other than that the book was great.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

As far as stereotypical eat-pray-love type books go, this one wasn't bad. A girl recovering mentally and physically from a heart replacement looks to fulfill the bucket list of the girl who donated her new heart to her. To assure her safety, her estranged work-aholic architect sister tags along, the two dredge up old fights, eventually make up, and become better people. What I found compelling were some of the quotes about love, the really deep ones that suddenly socked you in the feels and made you tear up. What I didn't love was the constant back-and-forth every character had. Every single thought became a push-me pull-you and the circular reasoning of it really wore me out. Overall, not the worst romance novel I've read, but still a fairly cut and dry read.

This book is everything I wanted from it and more. It’s so, so beautiful. It’s a super hard book to review, because at this moment I can’t even think of words to describe it.
From the beginning I could tell it was written expertly, and even though it wasn’t action-packed it drew me in right away and I was addicted.
This is women’s fiction, but it reads like YA. It was by no means childish but it felt very accessible, like it was for anyone, not just the specific age group it was written for.
This is the type of books that speaks to the soul. I can’t quite explain why it’s so affected me, but it’s like it reached into my soul and.. it touched me.
This book is so very character driven. It focuses mainly on Crystal and Megan, but every other one featured is fleshed out and wholly there. I think of of my favorites was Amanda. She died before the start of the story, but it’s she was such a strong character, never letting life completely knock her down, despite everything thrown at her. The legacy she leaves through Megan is so beautiful.
I also really loved Caleb. He’s so sweet and does so, so much for Megan and challenges her in the best ways. Everyone in this story has and does really go through the ringer, and I think it really shows the courage and stubbornness of the human race. To never be completely knocked down or thrown out of the fight.
I think one of the things that really hit me in this story was the relationship between Megan and Crystal. It was never perfect, and I loved seeing them come back together. I’ve never really got along with my sisters, so I was really able to see myself within both of them, and even though it seemed like their relationship was wrecked they always managed to pull it back together.
I also really loved the marriage between Crystal and Brian. They didn’t give up on their marriage when the going got tough, they didn’t run straight to divorce. They worked through it and I admire their relationship so much for that. I think it’s really important to see that in fiction. I loved how, with all the problems in the story, there was no “easy fix”. Everything took work, and sacrifice, and courage.
Overall, this story deeply affected me. It was romantic, beautiful, imperfect, and to put it simply, spoke to my soul. ❤️

The Heart Between Us was an emotional novel! I enjoyed the way the characters’ struggles and relationships were portrayed. Megan and Crystal are twin sisters. Megan has struggled with her medical problems with her heart since they were young children, while Crystal lived a normal, carefree life. Megan finally had a heart transplant three years ago, but is still struggling with her life. At the same time, Crystal has a successful life with a career and marriage. Megan decides to fulfill the bucket list of the young woman who donated her heart to her. Crystal decides to join Megan on her adventures. The two sisters travel the world while facing their own personal struggles and mending the relationship between them. If Megan and Crystal can let go of the emotions they have struggled with since they were young, they may be able to begin new lives. This novel is about facing fears, taking chances, and fulfilling dreams. It is about healing relationships and starting over. It is also about family, love, and faith. This novel is a beautiful portrayal of how life isn’t always perfect.

There is a double meaning in the title The Heart Between Us. Two twin sisters, each with their own struggles in life, Meagan reads a bucket list left by her heart donor, she decides to finish the list herself, Crystal is trying to climb the corporate ladder, but at what expense? Will she heal one relationship only to end another one? A novel about mending relationships, facing your fears, trust and finding yourself.

Have you ever picked up a book and right from the start, the story spoke to your heart? This was that book for me. I really liked Crystal and Megan. They were realistic and interesting. Lindsay Harrel weaves important truths such as forgiveness, trust, hope and peace throughout this story. I find for me that the Lord uses stories to touch our own life. Growing up I was teased and picked on a lot. Those kids probably didn't realize the impact they made on my life. I hadn't really thought of this in awhile and I'm reading this book and realizing that these truth's were meant for me as well. This is an amazing story of forgiveness and second chances that will touch your heart as it did mine.

I liked reading about the different places they visited. The story flowed well and kept me interested.

I recommend this book to my family and friends.