Title: Heart Beat
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Series: n/a
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Publication Date: January 28, 2014
Source: received from publisher via NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Life. Death. And...Love? Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with. But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her. Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma-the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia-New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge. Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?
I
would honestly give it about a 3 ½ stars. I did really enjoy it but
Emma got on my nerves a lot. You see the problem with reading young
adult sometimes, is the mature side of you wants to slap these teens
silly. I think I liked Between Here and Forever a little better, but
once again Scott didn't disappoint. I could not put this one down,
even though Emma drove me nuts.
To an
extent I could see where she was coming from. This is an interesting
situation. Her mother dies while pregnant. Her body is being kept
alive to sustain the fetus until it is old enough to survive outside
the womb. Emma does not believe her mother would have wanted this and
she harbors a whole lot of hate towards her step father for making
that decision without her. Well, obviously her mother would want
that. Maybe it's obvious to me because I'm a mother? Not only does
she have this unhealthy anger towards her step dad, she refuses to
acknowledge that the baby is her future sibling.
Pretty
much the whole story is her working out her feelings over her moms
passing. Which is very hard to do when she's still visiting her moms
body. How do you find closure doing that? It's not very easy I'm
sure, so that was her only saving grace in my eyes.
Heart
Beat isn't all doom and gloom though, along the way Emma builds a
relationship with a boy she probably never would have talked to had
all of this not gone down. They understand each other and the love
that blooms between them is sweet.
I
did really like Heart Beat. Reading this reminded me I have a few
more of Scott's books on my shelf that I should really get to sooner
than later.
About the author:
.
Hey there, I'm Elizabeth. I write young adult novels. I live just outside Washington DC with my
husband and dog, and am unable to pass a bookstore without stopping and going inside. All right, and I can't leave without buying at least one book. Usually two. (Or more!)
Find Elizabeth:
Website | Twitter |Goodreads
Every review I've read of this books seems to really be agitated by Emma's behaviour. I get that she's a teenager and she's going through a lot, but she seems to be quite the brat and I think that'd really grate on me while reading! I can't stand whiny, self-indulgent characters
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, she was horrible. I thought about giving it 2 stars just because of her, but I liked the story idea, the whole her mom being kept alive for the baby. It was different. I wish Emma would have been less of an A hole.
DeleteI really liked Love You, Hate You, Miss You so I've been wanting to read this one ever since I heard of it. Plus it sounds really emotional.... But hopefully I'll click more w/ Emma bc I don't like annoying m/c's :(
ReplyDeleteI haven't read that one. you may like this one but most every review I have seen, they feel the same way about Emma. :/
DeleteMeh to an annoying, bratty MC. As a mother I know I'd want the baby to survive!
ReplyDeleteI am reading this one right now. I agree Emma gets on my nerves but I try to keep in mind she is a teenager and she is full of anger. So I think its realistic for her to feel the way she does. I don't like it but it felt real. That may have to do wih the author's writing too. she has a way of getting emotions through realistically. Great review.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this story -- or any of Scott's other books -- but something similar happened here in North Texas recently (http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/tarrant/Erick-Munoz-discusses-his-familys-heartbreaking-ordeal-242326941.html). It would be a difficult ordeal to face, and I can understand why Emma's character would be so angry. I think it would make her character hard to relate to but that much more realistic. I hope to fit this one in soon. Great review, April!
ReplyDeleteDude, I saw that on the news. I was freaking out telling Brian how much alike it was to the book. I should have added a link in the review. Crazy.
DeleteI'm glad you liked this, April! I unfortunately had issues with it, but I still was invested because somehow, the protagonist annoyed me, but I needed to make sure the ending was what I thought, you know? I was disappointed, but I think I'll read the other book you liked better! Great review!
ReplyDeleteI totally understand your dilemma. Unfortunately, I'm not so kind. I am not a mother, or even close to that. But Emma's behavior was rather unacceptable in my opinion.. My review was very rant-y and it was all directed towards Emma. Everything else about the story was great, though! Haha.
ReplyDeleteGreat review (:
This sounds like an interesting book and different then anything else I have read. I will look into it. Thank you for your review.
ReplyDelete--Ivy
I was so excited for this book but when I read it, I was let down MAJORLY. Emma's behavior was totally unacceptable to me and this is coming from someone who is EXTREMELY close to her mother. I didn't buy the romance either. It just seemed too convenient. Maybe I am just a cynic, but I really didn't like this book.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you enjoyed it though April.
I gave this book four stars as well because of Emma's behaviour. I mean, it was quite a beautifully written story, but every time there was an interaction between Emma and Dan I couldn't help but rage. She was so selfish and unreasonable! I did enjoy it overall though, probably because of the romance :)
ReplyDeleteI felt the same. I liked the story over all, but the rage.. Oooh the rage, that girl had me seeing red.
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