Author: Elizabeth Scott
Format Acquired: eARC
Publication Date: January 28, 2014
Publishing House: Harlequin TEEN
ISBN: 9780373210961
Source of Copy: Requested from publisher via NetGalley
Summary:
Life. Death. And... Love?
Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.
But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.
Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma - the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia - New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge.
Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death - and maybe... for love?
Review:
I encountered my first Elizabeth Scott novel, Perfect You, from a book fair which took me a few re-readings and a few years to appreciate. I've also read her other works, so when this one popped up on NetGalley, of course I had to request for it!
Emma's more than angry and hurt. Her mom is being kept alive because of the baby inside of her, and that's all that her new stepdad seemingly cares about. Emma would much rather have her mom back rather than a new addition to a family that seems to be on the fast-track to falling apart. Try as her best friend might, Emma can't help but feel so alone... except for Caleb Harrison who seems to know what it is exactly she needs.
My heart goes out to Emma and her devastating circumstance, but there were some times I couldn't really say why she was so angry at her stepdad all the time! Of course her stepdad is going to be concerned for the baby - it's the only living reminder of their love, aside from Emma, whom he loves just as much, even if she is not his. I guess what pisses Emma off is seeing her dead mom on a bed, "living" for a growing baby, and knowing that her mother is never coming back home, which is like a sucker punch in the gut every time Emma visits her in the hospital.
The romance was okay, and Emma was very lucky to have found someone who understand where all her anger is coming from, but I just wished that Emma could have found and healed herself at her own time and pace. When two souls are broken, I don't think that Emma and Caleb relying on each other for support is quite healthy, especially if and/or when it ends at some point.
Scott is an already established teen reads expert writer along with Sarah Dessen, so she obviously has writing and themes pat down. If you're on the market for a contemporary that's on the medium to borderline heavy side of drama, Heartbeat is an okay choice.
Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott will be available on bookstands on January 28, 2014, as per publisher information.
Source of Copy: Requested from publisher via NetGalley
Summary:
Life. Death. And... Love?
Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.
But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.
Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma - the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia - New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge.
Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death - and maybe... for love?
Review:
I encountered my first Elizabeth Scott novel, Perfect You, from a book fair which took me a few re-readings and a few years to appreciate. I've also read her other works, so when this one popped up on NetGalley, of course I had to request for it!
Emma's more than angry and hurt. Her mom is being kept alive because of the baby inside of her, and that's all that her new stepdad seemingly cares about. Emma would much rather have her mom back rather than a new addition to a family that seems to be on the fast-track to falling apart. Try as her best friend might, Emma can't help but feel so alone... except for Caleb Harrison who seems to know what it is exactly she needs.
My heart goes out to Emma and her devastating circumstance, but there were some times I couldn't really say why she was so angry at her stepdad all the time! Of course her stepdad is going to be concerned for the baby - it's the only living reminder of their love, aside from Emma, whom he loves just as much, even if she is not his. I guess what pisses Emma off is seeing her dead mom on a bed, "living" for a growing baby, and knowing that her mother is never coming back home, which is like a sucker punch in the gut every time Emma visits her in the hospital.
The romance was okay, and Emma was very lucky to have found someone who understand where all her anger is coming from, but I just wished that Emma could have found and healed herself at her own time and pace. When two souls are broken, I don't think that Emma and Caleb relying on each other for support is quite healthy, especially if and/or when it ends at some point.
Scott is an already established teen reads expert writer along with Sarah Dessen, so she obviously has writing and themes pat down. If you're on the market for a contemporary that's on the medium to borderline heavy side of drama, Heartbeat is an okay choice.
Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott will be available on bookstands on January 28, 2014, as per publisher information.
Rating:
Heartbeat was my first Elizabeth Scott book and now I want more! (How come I've never heard of her I don't even know.) I rated this book 5 stars even though it's not perfect in any way but I still gave it because FEELS. I know Emma's thoughts and feelings become repetitive at some point but I didn't care as I just gobbled up all of her grief and angst. Haha! Among her other novels, which do you recommend the most Michelle? Hee, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'd recommend Elizabeth Scott's Perfect You. :) It admittedly took me a few tries to appreciate it, but that one really introduced me to contemporary.
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