Thank you so much @beckyhunterbooks for sending me your book, and @netgalley for the ebook!! This was such a unique and beautiful story, and is now one that I will consistently reccomend. I do not think that I will ever get over this, and the beauty and depth that encompasses this story. Just… wow.

Emery is born with a fairly inexplicable heart condition, causing her to essentially die at the drop of a hat. As long as CPR is performed timely, she comes back. This story follows her life over the years. What she sees when she dies, and how everyone in her life is impacted by her illness. The swayed choices, missed opportunities, love and relationships, her career- literally every facet of Emery’s life. Her journey is both heartbreaking and beautiful. I found everything about this story so unique, and I simultaneously couldn’t put it down, while also never wanted it to end.

This story was so much more emotion than I ever expected. Magical realism throughout that truly made you think about your own life. Great story!

You Make My Heart Stop

This book, is heart crushingly beautiful. Emery discovers at a young age that she has a rare condition (fictitious in nature) that causes her heart to stop. Once it stops beating, she goes into an in between state where she meets a guide of death that’s paired with her to usher her into the afterlife. I was initially taken aback by them meeting while she was a child and then subsequently falling in love, however there was no romantic connection, attraction or grooming whatsoever until far after she was an adult.

This book explores complex familial, platonic and romantic relationships, with and without the factor of having a rare, potentially fatal, disorder. I loved the pacing of this book, and nearly cried like four different times (iykyk which parts). Overall, I truly loved this read and would highly recommend!

Trigger warnings: death, tense familial relationships, parental abandonment, postpartum depression, violent assault (potentially sexual?), suicidal ideations/attempt, cancer & heart disease

You Make My Heart Stop is a heartfelt novel based on a theme of second chances.

Emery has a rare heart condition that makes her heart stop at any given time, sending her into the afterlife for brief moments. It is in this afterlife that Emery meets Nick, the resident facilitator who helps “travelers” move on into the “light.”

Over the years, and numerous cardiac episodes, Emery and Nick develop a fondness for each other. But Emery has a life, a real life in the real world. Should she give up everything she has for a moment in time with Nick before moving on?

I thoroughly enjoyed You Make My Heart Stop. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but surprisingly good. The narrative ran a little slow at times, but overall the pacing was just right.

The story unfolds in a linear timeline. And it is told in dual points of view — Emery and Nick, with Emery being the primary MC of the story.

There were a number of different characters. But not so much that it got overwhelming. The primary characters were well developed with each having distinct personalities.

The whole premise of an afterlife was intriguing and author Hunter executed the story perfectly with the linear timelines and dual points of view.

With a poignant finale, there’s so much to love about the novel. Five stars.

I received a DRC from Forever (GCP) through NetGalley. This review is completely my own and reflects my thoughts and opinions.

I really loved the premise and the unique storyline—it had me intrigued from the beginning, though I wasn’t fully hooked right away. Nick stole my heart more than any of the other characters. While there were a few parts where the book felt a bit slow, the ending definitely made up for it! Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this arc!

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever Publishing & Becky Hunter for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow! This book absolutely floored and moved me. What an interesting concept- some might call it magical realism, some might identify it as a version of their religious belief---it really all depends on what you think happens after a heart stops.

There's much to be gathered about what a life lived looks like. The value and balance of taking risks and letting love in.

The feelings this book conjured for me are those similar to the feelings I received from the following books:
-The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
-The Measure by Nikki Erlick
-The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The romance/love story is moving- and it's technically a love triangle, but on multiple planes, it's not as sordid as you expect. This story leans harder into Women's Fiction than Romance, as you may find the ending to not be a traditional HEA.

Content warning: Suicidal Ideation

This was definitely an emotional book. It is a book that makes you question your own mortality. Emery has a rare heart condition, and if her heart health is jeopardized then it can cause her heart to stop. Every time her heart stops she meets Nick, but once her heart is revived she is back in her old life. She is conflicted about being with Nick, but that means choosing death. She also doesn't want to leave behind her family and friends.

This book was essentially about seeing the value of life and the will to live. Emery's heart condition affects her family and friends, who are overprotective of her but Emery wants to live life to the fullest. The book also focuses on family dynamics, childhood trauma and grief. After reading this book, it makes the reader think what they would do if they faced a situation similar to Emery.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for this eARC. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "You Make My Heart Stop" and all opinions expressed are my own. I loved "One Moment" but... I loved this book more. I'm just sitting here saying wow. I lost myself in this book, magical realism is my favorite! I was feeling quite down lately since my husband passed away a few years ago. I miss him so much. Maybe he sent me this book to read to tell me to live my life as best I can. We will be together. I needed this book! "I believe our souls will find each other again"

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever for allowing me to read an ARC of You Make My Heart Stop by Becky Hunter, in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! Just. WOW! I absolutely loved this book!

This was a superbly written story with an intriguing premise, overflowing with "what ifs" and "will this time be the last time" moments, and realistic and relatable characters.

Becky Hunter is now at the top of my must-read authors list.

I would give this book more stars if I could! It was heartfelt, engaging, page turning, and completely lovely. The characters are well-written, the plot is very unique and I only wish I could have continued to read about Emery, Nick, Bonnie, Colin and the others for a longer time. I think Ms Hunter treated so many themes, gay marriage, serious illness, death, divorce, and love, with a gentle hand that still managed to get the message through. After reading this and her debut novel, One Moment, I will always pick up one of her books to read.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for this ebook arc to read. All opinions are my own

I spent last night processing this book. This book is unlike any other book I’ve ever read, although I will say just like any other book she’s (Emily Stone (pen name)) written I sobbed. Becky has a way of emotionally connecting you to her characters and hitting you hard at that big moment in her books. She’s good at making your really think and out yourself in these scenarios. This book was no different.

This story was a wild ride of life, health scares, tragedies, family tensions and whole experience with the in between of life and death. In the in-between we meet Nick, a man who guides you to accepting your death. Well, what happens when you have a heart condition where you clinically die on occasion, but can be revived. At the age of 5 Emery’s family discovers she has a rare heart condition where instances of surprise or pain can cause her heart to spasm and stop, but as long as she has someone to revive her, she is just fine. You Make My Heart stop follows her through the many years of her life from childhood into adulthood, and the many instances where she meets Nick and builds a friendship/relationship. As life gets hard she wants to run to him, but to do that she would have to leave everyone she loves and who love her. The tension and tug and pull of her heart in this book is tragic and eye opening. While there was an underlying string of romance, it was clearly not the focal point. This book was about seeing the value of life and living.

Thank you NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Becky Hunter for allowing me to read an advanced complimentary copy of the book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wow. What a beautiful, heartbreaking and emotional book! Becky managed to create an entirely unique premise, and used magical realism to write a book that will stay on my mind for a really long time!

Emery has a condition where her heart can stop at any moment. Each time it does, she meets Nick in the space between life and death. His job is to guide souls into the afterlife. Emery is the only person who he continues to meet again and again, and eventually they fall in love. There's no way they can be together forever, and yet when Emery is given a chance to fix her heart condition, she wonders how can she could possibly live without ever seeing him again.

Becky Hunter writes the most beautiful words! This book flowed so well, the characters leapt off the page, and I devoured every bit of it. I couldn't figure out how the story was going to wrap up, but I should have known that it would have the best possible resolution. I will say that I wish there could have been more of Nick scenes. A large part of the book didn't have him in it, since Emery only interacted with him when her heart stopped. And for that reason, it felt like the romance was secondary to other themes in the book. It was more of an exploration of grief, childhood trauma, family dynamics and guilt, with a focus on Emery as she grows up and comes to terms with her situation. And that wasn't a bad thing at all! This was definitely a book that made you think and question what you would do if you were in her situation.

I truly enjoyed reading this one, and highly recommend it, especially if you're someone who prefers your romance novels to be on the more emotional side.

You Make My Heart Stop will publish on April 22nd, 2025. A huge thank you to the author for sending me a signed ARC of her book. I will always treasure it! And thank you to Netgalley and Forever publishing for providing me with an e-arc as well.

A solid book about grief and taking a stab at life. It was a bit of a miss as it felt too long and drawn out for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc. Unfortunately, this book was not my cup of tea. Even though it was marketed as a romantic comedy, I found this book to be utterly depressing.

First off, thank you NetGalley, Forever Publishing, and Becky Hunter for the opportunity to read this book.

The premise of this book is so interesting. This idea that something as simple as the shock of a thorn prick could stop her heart. While I know that the condition that Emery has is a work of fiction, the concept still fascinated me. I do like that we get to grow with Emery and we literally see her every stage of her life, and get to grow with her. And coming along as well is Nick, her ghost/guide/soul mate who also gets to see Emery at every stage of her life.

What I appreciated most in the book was Nick. He never wanted Emery to stay with him. He always knew it wasn’t her time. He always wanted her to have more to her life than what he could offer her. It was interesting to see Emery try and sometimes fail at that, but I love that she tried.

There were so many things that I wanted to like in this book, but some things fell flat. There were times I wanted more of her relationship with Nick & also Colin. He was another constant in her life that I wanted more there. I loved the relationship with Amber in the first part of the book but towards the middle things just didn’t develop as much.

There were definitely things that worked in this book, and it kind of reminded me of the Time Travelers Wife at times. Thank you again, to NetGalley and the publishers for this book. I always appreciate the team at Forever sharing books with us.

Wow were there a lot of tears pouring out of my eyes at the end. I thought I was coming out okay knowing that it’s about grief and hardship, but I was reading it going into work and didn’t know if my eyes were gonna be super puffy but couldn’t NOT finish it!

If I’m honest, I wasn’t super gripped throughout at all because it was so long before she actually let herself be happy. It was so long before she let herself and Colin try. It was so obvious who she SHOULD have tried with and who was the one for her, but I was so frustrated at how she kept pushing him away even though he was very, very clear with his intentions. It was so painful seeing his hope over allll those years. I also know it was her trying to be selfless and dealing with her own guilt, but man was it long and painful. I almost stopped in the middle because I was so frustrated with Emery and how she was with her people, how selfish she seemed, but I know in the end she was trying to be selfless and finally was willing to let herself live without the guilt and try to have something for herself. So proud of her and can see that in all of us!

I was also hoping for something more resolution with mom and dad, but I know at least there was some reconciliation there. As a parent, I can understand the desire to keep our kids safe, especially when this happens at such a young age. I couldn’t help but put myself in their shoes and reminded myself to let my kids live. So overall, I enjoyed it though my eyes may say otherwise...

This was a quite a tragic love story with an ending I’m not completely satisfied with, but gosh, I was absolutely hooked. It left me with tears! Emery has a heart condition that causes her heart to stop in moments of stress. And in these near moments of death, she is transported to an in-between place where she meets Nick, an angel of sorts with a past of his own, living a lonely existence as he helps others cross over.

It’s a bit of a love triangle, but definitely a complicated, bittersweet one. Beginning when Emery is just five years old, there’s multiple time jumps, each inevitably leading to the next moment her heart will stop. There are some great conversations about life and death, and overall, I really ached for Emery, her overprotective father, and this unique experience she is forced to live. Even knowing the risk, she continually pushes her limits, always with the underlying hope of seeing Nick again… gah! I ate it up!

Becky Hunter's You Make My Heart Stop is a highly emotional story of what it means to be alive and how fate and love can be driving forces in deciding how to live your life.

Emery meets Nick for the first time when she has her first episode as a child. She has a very rare heart condition that means her heart can stop at any moment. Emery goes many years before the next episode and thus, many years before she sees Nick again. Each time Emery has a brush with death, she sees Nick and they test the limits of their time together. When given a chance at a real future, Emery struggles with her chance to be normal, which means no more meetings with Nick.

You Make My Heart Stop definitely can be triggering in many regards, but it also is a beautiful story of making the most of life and deciding your own fate. This book won't be for everyone given the seriousness of its storyline, but it also has the potential to capture your heart if you let it.

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for the honest review!

It’s a story about love and fate, about seizing every moment even when the future feels uncertain. It’s emotional, powerful, and completely unforgettable. My heart is shattered in the best way.

Emery and Nick’s connection bends the boundaries of life and death itself.

Emery has spent her life knowing her heart could stop at any moment, but what no one else knows is that when it does, she sees Nick. As she’s offered a chance at a real future, she’s faced with an impossible choice between love and life.

This book delivers a beautifully bittersweet romance!

Emery’s struggle to have a life beyond her illness is so hard!!

The story explores mortality, loneliness, and the delicate balance between holding on and letting go!

Such a unique concept!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC