Sunday, March 4, 2018

The Heart Between Us: Two Sisters, One Heart Transplant, and a Bucket List

 Paperback, ebook, audio, MP3 CD 

March 13, 2018

by Lindsay Harrel


  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson
  • ISBN-13: 978-0718075705


Megan Jacobs always wished for a different heart. Her entire childhood was spent in and out of hospitals, sitting on the sidelines while her twin sister Crystal played all the sports, got all the guys, and had all the fun. But even a heart transplant three years ago wasn’t enough to propel Megan’s life forward. She’s still working as a library aide and living with her parents in her small Minnesota hometown, dreaming of the adventure she plans to take “once she’s well enough.” Meanwhile, her sister is a successful architect with a handsome husband and the perfect life—or so Megan thinks.
When her heart donor’s parents give Megan their teenage daughter’s journal—complete with an unfulfilled bucket list—Megan connects with the girl she meets between the pages and is inspired to venture out and check off each item. Caleb—a friend from her years in and out of the hospital—reenters her life and pushes her to find the courage to take the leap and begin her journey. She’s thrown for a loop when Crystal offers to join her for reasons of her own, but she welcomes the company and the opportunity to mend their tenuous relationship.
As Megan and Crystal check items off the bucket list, Megan fights the fears that have been instilled in her after a lifetime of illness. She must choose between safety and adventure and learn to embrace the heart she’s been given so that she can finally share it with the people she loves most.

My thoughts:  Lindsay Harrel's new book THE HEART BETWEEN US is the first book I read by this author. The cover intrigued me, and I love Big Ben so even though I wasn't sold by the blurb I had to read it due to the cover. Lousy way to judge a book, right? :)

Megan and Crystal are about as opposite as twin sisters could possibly be and due to Megan's bad heart they lived totally different lives from the beginning.  Crystal got all the opportunities, Megan laid in the hospital and dreamed.


Now Megan has a new heart and a bucket list inherited from the previous owner of the heart. A fully-funded "go fund me" account means her dreams are coming true. 


This is women's fiction, about twins finding themselves, finding each other and learning to move past their vast differences to find some common ground.  About finding and following dreams and moving past obstacles. 


I like more romance in my stories and I wanted more in this one but I went in knowing it was women's fiction and knowing that if there is any romance at all it is very light and not the main focus. So it was true to genre.


I loved the premise and the writing was very well done. Ms. Harrel is a gifted story teller that we'll likely see a lot more from.  Great story. 


For the more conservative readers, Crystal gets drunk twice in this story. 

1 comment:

Marilyn R. said...

A book that may be fun to read with the opposites of the twin sisters. A lot of twins I know are similar in so many ways. : )

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