Heart Beat
Young Adult
Harlequin Teen
2014
Hardback
244
Library Book
Does life go on when your heart is broken?
Since her mother's sudden death, Emma has existed in a fog of grief, unable to let go, unable to move forward—because her mother is, in a way, still there. She's being kept alive on machines for the sake of the baby growing inside her.
Estranged from her stepfather and letting go of things that no longer seem important—grades, crushes, college plans—Emma has only her best friend to remind her to breathe. Until she meets a boy with a bad reputation who sparks something in her—Caleb Harrison, whose anger and loss might just match Emma's own. 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?
” I am Emma, seventeen. I live with my stepfather. My mother is dead. Inside her is a baby.”
Anyone who has read an Elizabeth Scott book knows they are not easy, uncomplicated reads. Her books are filled with so much emotion, at times you need to stop and catch your breath. Heart Beat was no different. This book had me feeling so many things. It was such a sensitive journey, with a topic that could be pulled from the headlines today. I could relate to Emma, losing a parent at such a young age does shape many things for you. You can either let it destroy you or chose to live. It is not as easy as it seems.
Emma had a right to grieve and to be selfish, she is only 17. She is angry at her step-dad and at the baby growing inside her dead mothers body. Being a child herself, she doesn’t understand the love a parent has for a child, even a child that is not born yet. I felt bad for Dan, her step-dad who was also grieving, worrying and trying to keep it all together and give his wife what she would have wanted…their baby. It was very tear-jerking read. I cried, a lot. What I loved most was that Dan was a good guy and loved Emma and wanted to be a family.
There is a little romance in the book, nothing that overshadows the story, but helps with the seriousness and is very sweet.
This is a clean read, recommended for young adults 9-12 grade
“I wish I’d spent that last night with her, that I’d put away my books before it was too late and sat with her. That I hadn’t been so sure about making the future what I wanted that I forgot the present.”
“One heartbeat, two heartbeats, three heartbeats, more and you never know when you have used yours up. That’s the thing. You don’t know. How long will your heart beat for? How many heartbeats do you have?”
Heartbeat (Harlequin Teen) Kindle
Heartbeat (Harlequin Teen) Hardcover
