mccullah's review
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
salemravenart's review
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mpatrizi12's review
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
i LOVEDD this book as a kid. it’s so emotional and it takes you through the journey of these two characters. it’s so pretty.
endlessreader's review
4.0
I have this intense love of books about people who have died (or are about to die) and are narrating their story through the afterlife (or some sort of limbo). Morbid? Maybe. Fascinating? Abso-friggin-lutely! The ones most well-known are The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin, and If I Stay by Gayle Forman (the last two particularly in YA circles). While I think that In a Heartbeat wasn't as amazing as these three reads, it was still pretty damn good.
I found In a Heartbeat to be an eye-opener of sorts. The grief that the families of organ donors suffer is something that's always been in the forefront of my mind when I read articles about this subject or see documentaries on TV. However, I never really thought about the families of those patients who receive the organs. I guess I'd always assumed that they'd just be happy because of what's happened. So, I was kind of shocked when I read that Amelia was feeling guilty about receiving the heart. I guess it hit me hardest with this quote, "But the fact remained that someone else had to die for me to live. Someone else had to grieve for me to be happy. And every night at dinner, when my family prayed for a new heart for me, we were praying for that to happen." I never thought about it that way, so that definitely struck a chord with me.
However, maybe due to it's length, I never really felt like I connected to any of the characters. I felt like maybe Eagan and especially Amelia should've been a bit more fleshed out. We never really got a sense as to who Amelia was and how her life was before the operation. I think this book should've been just a tad bit longer, hence why I took away one star.
Anyway, I thought In a Heartbeat was a great read. It was compelling and emotional read, which had me tear up more than once. I'm definitely looking forward to more from Loretta Ellsworth as it seems like the YA genre has another fantastic author in its midst.
I found In a Heartbeat to be an eye-opener of sorts. The grief that the families of organ donors suffer is something that's always been in the forefront of my mind when I read articles about this subject or see documentaries on TV. However, I never really thought about the families of those patients who receive the organs. I guess I'd always assumed that they'd just be happy because of what's happened. So, I was kind of shocked when I read that Amelia was feeling guilty about receiving the heart. I guess it hit me hardest with this quote, "But the fact remained that someone else had to die for me to live. Someone else had to grieve for me to be happy. And every night at dinner, when my family prayed for a new heart for me, we were praying for that to happen." I never thought about it that way, so that definitely struck a chord with me.
However, maybe due to it's length, I never really felt like I connected to any of the characters. I felt like maybe Eagan and especially Amelia should've been a bit more fleshed out. We never really got a sense as to who Amelia was and how her life was before the operation. I think this book should've been just a tad bit longer, hence why I took away one star.
Anyway, I thought In a Heartbeat was a great read. It was compelling and emotional read, which had me tear up more than once. I'm definitely looking forward to more from Loretta Ellsworth as it seems like the YA genre has another fantastic author in its midst.
themaddiest's review
3.0
Eagan misses her landing by a quarter-inch during a figure-skating competition and it ends her life. Amelia has been sick for half of her life and needs a new heart. The two girls’ worlds come crashing together when Amelia gets Eagan’s heart and starts to try to make sense of the new feelings she has–about her own life, and about Eagan’s.
Loretta Ellsworth’s novel is a short, fairly quick read, and it’s enthralling enough to do it in one or two sittings. Told in alternating perspectives, the chapters are short and keep the pace moving along quickly enough. Eagan is trapped in an interim space full of mist, and she keeps reliving moments from her life while she tries to figure out how to get back to Earth. Amelia adjusts to life with a new heart that she thinks feels like it doesn’t quite fit inside her. As the two girls try to reconcile their changed fates, their lives converge in an interesting way (though it takes a suspension of disbelief).
There are certain things that Ellsworth does well. Her light romances work particularly well and add dimension to both girls’ stories. Eagan’s relationship with her boyfriend is both interesting and realistic. There’s nothing more tragic than a love cut short, and that adds a certain drama to her tale. Amelia’s budding relationship with Ari is sweet and tender and helps to counter-balance the heavier issues at play in the novel. Both romances are light, though, and readers looking for a deeper exploration of teen love won’t find it here.
Also noteworthy is the way that Ellsworth portrayed the relationships between mothers and daughters. Although some readers will take issue with Eagan’s mom being perhaps a little like a stereotypical sports-obsessed parent, there were nuances in the relationship worth looking more closely at. The push-pull relationships that characterize relationships between mothers and their teenage daughters was there and was very realistic. Amelia began to go through a similar thing with her mother after the heart transplant, and these moments where she was both annoyed with her mother and also found herself needing her were some of the most natural in the book.
The major problem that I had with the story was the fact that Ellsworth didn’t do enough to establish distinctive voices for both girls. A novel told in alternating perspectives needs to have clear voices for each narrator, and that doesn’t happen here. While there is a need for the girls to begin to share a connection (especially in the case of Amelia), they both need to have distinct personalities, too. Giving them a few interests that are different from each other isn’t sufficient, and there were times where I would forget momentarily who was narrating the story.
At the end of the day, this book was enjoyable. It will be especially well-received by fans of Lurlene McDaniel (loathe as I am to compare it to her work). Fans of Gabrielle Zevin’s Elsewhere might also enjoy this story.
In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth, Walker Books: 2010. Library copy.
Loretta Ellsworth’s novel is a short, fairly quick read, and it’s enthralling enough to do it in one or two sittings. Told in alternating perspectives, the chapters are short and keep the pace moving along quickly enough. Eagan is trapped in an interim space full of mist, and she keeps reliving moments from her life while she tries to figure out how to get back to Earth. Amelia adjusts to life with a new heart that she thinks feels like it doesn’t quite fit inside her. As the two girls try to reconcile their changed fates, their lives converge in an interesting way (though it takes a suspension of disbelief).
There are certain things that Ellsworth does well. Her light romances work particularly well and add dimension to both girls’ stories. Eagan’s relationship with her boyfriend is both interesting and realistic. There’s nothing more tragic than a love cut short, and that adds a certain drama to her tale. Amelia’s budding relationship with Ari is sweet and tender and helps to counter-balance the heavier issues at play in the novel. Both romances are light, though, and readers looking for a deeper exploration of teen love won’t find it here.
Also noteworthy is the way that Ellsworth portrayed the relationships between mothers and daughters. Although some readers will take issue with Eagan’s mom being perhaps a little like a stereotypical sports-obsessed parent, there were nuances in the relationship worth looking more closely at. The push-pull relationships that characterize relationships between mothers and their teenage daughters was there and was very realistic. Amelia began to go through a similar thing with her mother after the heart transplant, and these moments where she was both annoyed with her mother and also found herself needing her were some of the most natural in the book.
The major problem that I had with the story was the fact that Ellsworth didn’t do enough to establish distinctive voices for both girls. A novel told in alternating perspectives needs to have clear voices for each narrator, and that doesn’t happen here. While there is a need for the girls to begin to share a connection (especially in the case of Amelia), they both need to have distinct personalities, too. Giving them a few interests that are different from each other isn’t sufficient, and there were times where I would forget momentarily who was narrating the story.
At the end of the day, this book was enjoyable. It will be especially well-received by fans of Lurlene McDaniel (loathe as I am to compare it to her work). Fans of Gabrielle Zevin’s Elsewhere might also enjoy this story.
In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth, Walker Books: 2010. Library copy.
brightside878's review
3.0
Interesting points of view, with great writing. Loved Eagan's own unique idea of heaven.
kellyhager's review
4.0
I picked this because I sort of wanted to cry--and a good pick for that, because I totally did.
Eagan and Amelia have never met but they're about to become connected. Eagan is a figure skater and an organ donor; Amelia needs a heart transplant. After a fatal accident on the ice, Amelia gets Eagan's heart.
After the transplant, Amelia's a little different. She becomes more sarcastic and starts liking the color purple (and also all things grape-flavored).
This book is told from both girls' viewpoints, and is just really good. (Especially if you're in the mood to cry.)
Eagan and Amelia have never met but they're about to become connected. Eagan is a figure skater and an organ donor; Amelia needs a heart transplant. After a fatal accident on the ice, Amelia gets Eagan's heart.
After the transplant, Amelia's a little different. She becomes more sarcastic and starts liking the color purple (and also all things grape-flavored).
This book is told from both girls' viewpoints, and is just really good. (Especially if you're in the mood to cry.)