Mini Reviews: Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott and Broken by C.J. Lyons

From Goodreads: 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?

My Rating: 2 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Before I began blogging, one of my favourite YA contemporary authors was Elizabeth Scott. I’m pretty sure though that I haven’t read any of her novels since I began blogging so I decided to give her latest book, Heartbeat, a try.

Considering Heartbeat is such a character-driven novel, it’s essential that the reader love – or at least, like – its protagonist. Unfortunately, the interesting premise of Heartbeat was utterly ruined by the character of Emma! She was so incredibly mean to her loving stepfather and all woe-is-me that I didn’t even want to connect with her! (The fact that I totally disagreed with her logic may have also contributed to that.) As well, I didn’t like the romance. I thought that Caleb and Emma should have just stayed as friends because I didn’t really feel the chemistry between them.

Heartbeat will be released by Harlequin Teen on January 28, 2014. 

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Harlequin Teen) for free via NetGalley.  

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From Goodreads: The only thing fifteen-year-old Scarlet Killian has ever wanted is a chance at a normal life. Diagnosed with a rare and untreatable heart condition, she has never taken the school bus. Or giggled with friends during lunch. Or spied on a crush out of the corner of her eye. So when her parents offer her three days to prove she can survive high school, Scarlet knows her time is now ... or never. Scarlet can feel her heart beating out of control with every slammed locker and every sideways glance in the hallway. But this high school is far from normal. And finding out the truth might just kill Scarlet before her heart does. 

My Rating: 3 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: I think I would have liked C.J. Lyons’ Broken better if it had been a straight up contemporary about a girl with Long QT trying to live a normal life with an overbearing mother or if the thriller elements had come in earlier in the novel. Had Broken been a contemporary (which is what I would have preferred), Lyons could have dealt with themes like bullying and having a seriously ill family member with more depth. On the other hand, if the thriller aspect hadn’t taken so long to come into play, there could have been a bit more suspense and the ending may not have been so rushed. Since neither of these situations occurred and I completely forgot that Broken was marketed as a thriller, the plot twist was slightly unexpected. With only one suspect in the novel, however, the only mystery was their motive. 

Broken was released by Sourcebooks Fire in November 2013. 

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Sourcebooks) for free via NetGalley.

Review: Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott

From Goodreads: Abby accepted that she can’t measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible. Until the accident. Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her. She's got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen. Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could ...

My Rating: 3.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: One of my favourite YA contemporary authors is Elizabeth Scott. So when I heard that her new novel Between Here and Forever was available on Galley Grab, I knew I had to read it. Unfortunately, Between Here and Forever didn’t captivate me as much as some of Scott’s other books like Stealing Heaven or Perfect You because I didn’t really like the main character of Abby.

Scott made Abby a girl with self-esteem issues – a problem that anybody can relate to. But, Abby got annoying after awhile since a large portion of the book is spent reading about her bemoan how much she’s a nobody or hates her sister, Tess, for being so perfect. On top of that, Abby kept misinterpreting compliments; and when it’s blatantly obvious that Eli likes her, Abby repeatedly tells him to wait until Tess wakes up because then he’ll fall in love with her like everyone else.

Despite getting fed up of Abby, I found Between Here and Forever to be a fast read that tackled themes like appearance vs. reality, sexuality and racism very well. Scott’s portrayal of OCD as a disorder was also very realistic because it lets the reader grasp just how much severe OCD can affect daily living.   

Between Here and Forever was released on May 24, 2011 by Simon Pulse.

                                                                                        

Comments About the Cover: It’s cute. The flower reminds me of the cover of Scott’s Bloom, which is great because two characters from Bloom appear in Between Here and Forever. 

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (Simon and Schuster) for free via Galley Grab.