Good Morning Guys :)
Isn't it glorious that it's finally Friday? Of course, in my case it doesn't mean much as I still work tomorrow, and I have a big meeting I have to lead, but there's just something about Friday that always leaves me feeling excited anyways.
I'm also excited about the fact that January so far has been such a good reading month for me. Not only with the amount of books I've finished, but also in the fact that I haven't read one bad book this month. I love when that happens as it keeps you from falling into a reading slump, and keeps you motivated to stay on track with your reading goals and resolutions.
Today, I'd like to share with you guys a review of one of the really good books I read this month, and that is The Heart Between us by Lindsay Harrell.
The Heart Between Us: Two Sisters, One Heart Transplant and a Bucket List by Lindsay Harrel:
Source: Publisher Via NetGalley
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: March 2018
Genre: Inspirational Fiction
Synopsis:
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 in her small Minnesota hometown and living with her parents, 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 Review:
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Heart Between Us is a gripping and moving story that's told in dual points of view from sisters Megan and Crystal. They were once inseparable, but then life circumstances happened, and everything changed. Megan was sick with a heart disease for most of her young life, and eventually needed a heart transplant as a young adult. This created tension in Crystal's relationship with her sister, and ever since she's carried around guilt for continuing on with her life while her sister wasn't able to experience any of the things she was. As the story opens, Crystal is living in New York with her husband, she's a successful architect giving most of her waking hours to her firm, and Megan is a librarian in her home town who's hesitant to let herself truly live after everything she's been through. At a friend's urging Megan pays a visit to the parent's of the beautiful young girl who was who heart donor, and is given an unexpected gift in a journal that had been kept by this girl that highlighted a bucket list of all the things she wanted to accomplish. Megan decides to take it upon herself to carry out everything included on this bucket list, and shockingly to both sisters, Crystal suggests joining her on the journey. What follows is an emotional, roller coaster of a ride that leaves both of them with no option but to face all the history between them that had never been dealt with.
I went into this story expecting to really love Megan's story, but I surprised myself with the fact that I actually preferred Crystal's character, and her journey over Megan's. I always feel that the dynamic relationship that exists between sisters can be really hard for an author to truly bring to life in a story, and convey it convincingly to the reader, but I'm happy to say that Lindsay Harrel really pulled it off in The Heart Between Us. While each sister is involved in her own romance throughout the novel that for sure adds something extra, the primary focus of the story is on the sister's relationship with each other, and with finding their way back to their faith, and I really enjoyed that aspect. Megan needs to learn how to let herself live, and to do this, she needs to dig down deep and realize she's braver than she thinks, and that God's given her lots of blessings in her life that she needs to appreciate. However, it was Crystal's journey of self discovery that really made this story a winner in my eyes. On the surface she appears to have it all, but she soon discovers that by avoiding dealing with her past, and the tension that's always been buried below the surface with her sister, she's slowly ruining her life by refusing to truly let anyone in. Crystal and Megan are both led on their journey to the realization that they can't have what they're looking for apart from God's unfailing grace and mercy, and it was blended in beautifully into the story line, and left me feeling quite content with this book after I'd finished it.
I'm happy to say that I really really enjoyed this beautifully written, faith based novel that highlights the importance of second chances, forgiveness, and learning to let ourselves truly live. I've come to really appreciate novels that focus on the relationship between sisters, and this one definitely did not disappoint. Lindsay's character's really came alive on the page, they felt authentic and three dimensional, and it was easy to get wrapped up in the story unfolding around them. While I did find the first part of this novel to be a tad slow moving, I really enjoyed it overall, and I gave it four out of five stars. I definitely recommend this one to anyone who's a fan of Katherine Reay's Lizzy and Jane as it has a very similar feel. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my first novel by this author, and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.
Isn't it glorious that it's finally Friday? Of course, in my case it doesn't mean much as I still work tomorrow, and I have a big meeting I have to lead, but there's just something about Friday that always leaves me feeling excited anyways.
I'm also excited about the fact that January so far has been such a good reading month for me. Not only with the amount of books I've finished, but also in the fact that I haven't read one bad book this month. I love when that happens as it keeps you from falling into a reading slump, and keeps you motivated to stay on track with your reading goals and resolutions.
Today, I'd like to share with you guys a review of one of the really good books I read this month, and that is The Heart Between us by Lindsay Harrell.
The Heart Between Us: Two Sisters, One Heart Transplant and a Bucket List by Lindsay Harrel:
Source: Publisher Via NetGalley
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: March 2018
Genre: Inspirational Fiction
Synopsis:
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 in her small Minnesota hometown and living with her parents, 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 Review:
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Heart Between Us is a gripping and moving story that's told in dual points of view from sisters Megan and Crystal. They were once inseparable, but then life circumstances happened, and everything changed. Megan was sick with a heart disease for most of her young life, and eventually needed a heart transplant as a young adult. This created tension in Crystal's relationship with her sister, and ever since she's carried around guilt for continuing on with her life while her sister wasn't able to experience any of the things she was. As the story opens, Crystal is living in New York with her husband, she's a successful architect giving most of her waking hours to her firm, and Megan is a librarian in her home town who's hesitant to let herself truly live after everything she's been through. At a friend's urging Megan pays a visit to the parent's of the beautiful young girl who was who heart donor, and is given an unexpected gift in a journal that had been kept by this girl that highlighted a bucket list of all the things she wanted to accomplish. Megan decides to take it upon herself to carry out everything included on this bucket list, and shockingly to both sisters, Crystal suggests joining her on the journey. What follows is an emotional, roller coaster of a ride that leaves both of them with no option but to face all the history between them that had never been dealt with.
I went into this story expecting to really love Megan's story, but I surprised myself with the fact that I actually preferred Crystal's character, and her journey over Megan's. I always feel that the dynamic relationship that exists between sisters can be really hard for an author to truly bring to life in a story, and convey it convincingly to the reader, but I'm happy to say that Lindsay Harrel really pulled it off in The Heart Between Us. While each sister is involved in her own romance throughout the novel that for sure adds something extra, the primary focus of the story is on the sister's relationship with each other, and with finding their way back to their faith, and I really enjoyed that aspect. Megan needs to learn how to let herself live, and to do this, she needs to dig down deep and realize she's braver than she thinks, and that God's given her lots of blessings in her life that she needs to appreciate. However, it was Crystal's journey of self discovery that really made this story a winner in my eyes. On the surface she appears to have it all, but she soon discovers that by avoiding dealing with her past, and the tension that's always been buried below the surface with her sister, she's slowly ruining her life by refusing to truly let anyone in. Crystal and Megan are both led on their journey to the realization that they can't have what they're looking for apart from God's unfailing grace and mercy, and it was blended in beautifully into the story line, and left me feeling quite content with this book after I'd finished it.
I'm happy to say that I really really enjoyed this beautifully written, faith based novel that highlights the importance of second chances, forgiveness, and learning to let ourselves truly live. I've come to really appreciate novels that focus on the relationship between sisters, and this one definitely did not disappoint. Lindsay's character's really came alive on the page, they felt authentic and three dimensional, and it was easy to get wrapped up in the story unfolding around them. While I did find the first part of this novel to be a tad slow moving, I really enjoyed it overall, and I gave it four out of five stars. I definitely recommend this one to anyone who's a fan of Katherine Reay's Lizzy and Jane as it has a very similar feel. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my first novel by this author, and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.
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