Heart to Heart

I read this in a day. I would have liked for there to have been more to the story, but I still liked it.

This story is told from two points of view - Kassey's and Arabeth's. Kassey is devastated when her best friend, Elowyn, dies at 16 in a car accident. Since Elowyn has checked "organ donor" on her driver's license, Arabeth, a 14 year old in need of a heart transplant, gets Elowyn's heart. There is mention of cellular memory, and Arabeth starts to display some of Elowyn's characteristics. Weird, but I thought it was handled well. Right after the surgery, Arabeth initially wants to thank the donor's family, but doesn't get to. However, she is surprised a year after the transplant to learn that they want to meet her. She meets Elowyn's show more parents and then Elowyn's best friend, Kassey, and Elowyn's boyfriend, Wyatt. Since Arabeth has been so sick for so long, she really hasn't had any friends, so she seems eager to meet Kassey and Wyatt - but will they see her for who she is, or will she only ever remind them of Elowyn? I thought that the way all these characters interacted after meeting each other rang true. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll stop at that. It's a really sad, yet sweet story - and a quick read. If you enjoy true-to-life stories, you may enjoy this one! show less

Arabeth doesn’t have a best friend, or really any friends. An Army brat whose father died in Afghanistan, she has always moved from place to place, and her diseased heart has isolated her from other children. At fourteen she should be looking forward to high school, but she is confined to her room, tethered to oxygen. Not far away in another Atlanta suburb, Kassey and Elowyn are best friends. Kassey vacations with Elowyn and her parents, they attend the same school, are both on the varsity volleyball team, and when Elowyn gets a car for her 16th birthday, she gives Kassey the extra set of keys. They share everything … or almost everything. Because Elowyn never tells Kassey she checked the organ donor box on her driver’s license. show more

This is a simply told story of three girls and how their lives intersect as a result of tragedy. It’s pretty predictable and contains the usual teen drama (first boyfriend, first kiss, first fight, first breakup, etc). I do like that McDaniel portrayed the teens fairly realistically – they were sometimes mean or thoughtless, lacked judgment, worried about what others thought, wanted to be popular, obsessed over “the cute guy,” jumped to conclusions, fought and made-up in the space of a few minutes. She also showed the adults as being caring but enforcing rules (and the teens sometimes ignoring the guidance given). I really hated the names; even my spell-checker didn’t like any of them. One would think there are no longer any kids named Mary or Sam.

One glaring misstatement made me judge the book rather harshly; a cardiologist does NOT perform transplant surgery, a cardiovascular surgeon DOES perform the transplant. But I reminded myself that this is a young-adult novel and tried to judge it based on the intended audience. I think my 13-year-old niece would enjoy the book. It’s a fast read and it fulfilled a couple of challenges for me. show less

In the hands of a different author, this could have been a ghost story. As it is, this is still a bit spooky in a sweet way.
Elowyn, a teenager, dies following a car crash. Her heart is donated to Arabeth, a teen with a heart disease that keeps her bedridden. With Elowyn's heart, Arabeth begins thinking and feeling things completely foreign to her- but reminiscient of Elowyn's thoughts. Elowyn's parents and best friend seek out Arabeth and share Elowyn's life with her.

Heart to Heart was a fantastic book. Firstly, the plot was so rich and thick that it captivated you from the first page. I really loved reading the social part of the book and the medical part of it. I found it so interesting that a person can get a heart from a donor and receive some characteristics of the donor. I have books lined up to read for a second time and this is definitely at the top of the list. I thought Lurlene did a great job explaining the medical part and the personal part of the book, which made the book so good. I'd recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a good book to read.

How do you cope when your friend dies?
Should we donate organs or not?

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Lurlene McDaniel's newest novel explores the idea of cellular memory as experienced by some transplant patients.

Kassey and Elowyn are best friends. They have grown up together playing on the same teams, having sleepovers, and even vacationing together. They can finish each others' thoughts and sentences. They are almost inseparable - until the night Elowyn runs off the road and hits a tree.

A traumatic brain injury puts Elowyn in a coma and leaves her parents with the difficult decision of honoring her request to be an organ donor. Her family and friends are devastated, but their tragedy is the answer to Arabeth's prayers.

Arabeth has suffered with a crippling heart condition show more for years. She and her mother have supported each other through the death of Arabeth's father in Afghanistan, and now Arabeth is struggling to hang on as she waits for a heart transplant. Elowyn's accident provides that heart, and Arabeth and her mother will be eternally grateful.

Almost immediately after the transplant, Arabeth begins having unexplainable experiences. She suspects it might be associated with receiving the heart of another young teen, but she is hesitant to share her thoughts until she meets two of Elowyn's good friends, Kassey and Wyatt. The feelings and sensations are rather unsettling, and cause emotional stress that could threaten Arabeth's peace of mind about surviving with the heart of another.

Lurlene McDaniel fans will be thrilled with HEART TO HEART. It examines life, love, and loss from several perspectives. It's a sure success for those looking for an emotionally stirring read. show less