This Heart of Mine

November 15, 2017
Leah McKenzie is a white high school senior who is waiting for her third heart. She's on the transplant list, but due to a rare blood type she's decided to accept her death. One afternoon Leah receives a call that they have a heart for her, one that will replace the external, mechanical heart that's been keeping her alive since her own stopped working. That same day, classmate and longtime crush Matt Kenner, who's also white, has lost his twin brother to a fatal gunshot wound to the head--his is Leah's new heart. Eric Kenner's death is being ruled as a suicide, but Matt doesn't think that makes sense. Things get weird when both Matt and Leah learn they've been having the same recurring dream, reliving Eric's last moments. Leah and Matt work together to find out what actually happened that night, pursuing justice for Eric. They also grow closer, each helping the other heal from the painful event in their lives. Hunter's portrayals of the characters and their emotions, and of Leah's life that walks so close to death, are genuine and full of the hard truths of living with chronic illness. Leah's first-person narration alternates with Matt's third person, occasionally changing mode to emulate the styles of the books Leah loves. The vast majority of the characters are white. Writing from personal experience, Hunter delivers a read that's both absorbing and honest. (author's note) (Paranormal romance. 14-18)

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December 1, 2017

Gr 10 Up-What if you were living for years knowing that you were not going to reach adulthood, but then, suddenly, you were given a chance at a long life? For Leah MacKenzie, this is her reality. Three years ago her heart died from a virus. Living with an artificial heart, she is now given a second chance with a heart transplant from a former classmate, Eric, who killed himself. After the surgery, Leah begins having the most vivid dreams that cannot just be a side-effect of the medicine she takes to prevent her body rejecting Eric's heart. Is Eric trying to tell her something about the night of his death? This becomes the mystery that Leah is determined to solve with the help of Eric's twin, Matt, who is convinced that his brother would never commit suicide. Throughout this quest to find the truth, the protagonist must accept her new lease on life and let go of the guilt that her survival meant the death of a friend. Teens will love the emotional twists and turns. The existential subject of life and death and the idea of organ transplantation will be appealing, but more than that, the mystery of the dead communicating with the living through dreams and memories will grip readers and leave them guessing until the very end. VERDICT With so many unanswered questions and tons of suspense, teens will be on the edge of their seats, eager to know the mystery held within Leah's heart. A good choice for older readers.-Davia Schmidt, Queens Public Library, NY

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