Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby

Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby
Release Date - April 21, 2015
Publisher Website - Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy
Pages - 304 pages
My Rating - 3/5
**received for an honest review from publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

When Quinn Sullivan meets the recipient of her boyfriend’s donated heart, the two form an unexpected connection.

After Quinn loses her boyfriend, Trent, in an accident their junior year, she reaches out to the recipients of his donated organs in hopes of picking up the pieces of her now-unrecognizable life. She hears back from some of them, but the person who received Trent’s heart has remained silent. The essence of a person, she has always believed, is in the heart. If she finds Trent’s, then maybe she can have peace once and for all.

Risking everything in order to finally lay her memories to rest, Quinn goes outside the system to track down nineteen-year-old Colton Thomas—a guy whose life has been forever changed by this priceless gift. But what starts as an accidental run-in quickly develops into more, sparking an undeniable attraction. She doesn't want to give in to it—especially since he has no idea how they're connected—but their time together has made Quinn feel alive again. No matter how hard she’s falling for Colton, each beat of his heart reminds her of all she’s lost…and all that remains at stake.

There are many stories written about grief, and it's aftermath. I hadn't, however, read a story about organ donation and the incredibly complicated situation that would arise if you fell in love with the recipient of the organs of a loved one. Jessi Kirby weaves a story of the last thing you expect ending up being just the thing you need to heal.

The characters in this are all incredibly sweet and liking them comes easily. Colton, in particular, is going to win over a lot of fans and will be on plenty of book boyfriend lists. He's nice, patient and caring. Quinn is a character that you want good things for, especially as she stumbles and makes mistakes. The only issue I had with the characters is that they didn't feel fleshed out enough. I didn't connect with them the way I wanted to, especially for a story of this nature. It made it harder to feel the emotions the story should have been bringing out in me. While it was an enjoyable read, I don't think I got the experience I could have out of it.

The secondary characters were well developed in this one. The families of both Colton and Quinn play a large role in the story and in the lives of the characters. In particular, Quinn's sister Ryan, is a driving force in the novel and it's through these characters that we learn what little we do about the two main characters. Family being predominately featured in young adult novels is always delightful and them being not just background characters is just a bonus.

The guilt, awkwardness, and questions that would arise from dating someone who received the heart of your boyfriend/girlfriend are tackled from the point of view of Quinn. We get to see Quinn go through the process, one made exceptionally worse due to the secrets both she and Colton are keeping. The element that was missing was a conversation between Quinn and Colton regarding a huge aspect of this situation. The lightly touched upon element of the heart, and whether Quinn's attraction to Colton is because he has Trent's heart is never fully dealt with, at least for me. We see Quinn work through this, but we never see Colton question it, or them have a conversation about what it means for Trent to always be part of their relationship. He connects them to each other in substantial ways and that conversation should have been vital to the story. I think it's absence created a space where it should have been, and would have added some more depth to the story. It's a complicated, complex romance with many issues to address, and I don't think it got as messy and raw as it could have.

We see that both Colton and Quinn are treated as fragile by other people, in their own way. People tiptoe around Quinn and handled her with care because she's grieving. She's treated as emotionally fragile. Colton, on the other hand, is treated as physically fragile. Neither wants this scrutiny and neither want to be a constant source of worry for others. This is one aspect that does tie them together. It's one thing that makes their connection seem plausible, while creating more obstacles for them. The notion of a heart being walled up to be protected from hurt, the same way a ship might be kept in harbour to protect from damage, is the perfect analogy for this story. It may protect it, but that's not what a heart (or a ship) is for as both of the characters discover during their journeys.

There are moments of incredible beauty in this novel, particularly in Jessi Kirby's writing. There is a scene involving a stretch of road, grief, and a sunflower that is incredibly moving and captures every emotion that scene should make you feel. It stood out to me, and was the only time I got teary eyed during the entire novel. It's one those scenes and passage I won't forget easily because of how perfectly it captures the particular emotion it's meant to convey.

A story about moving on from grief, the possibility of something new, and the bittersweetness of taking those first steps. This novel did have moments of incredible beauty, but the connection just wasn't there for me with the characters and it result in just an okay reading experience.

In Honor by Jessi Kirby

In Honor by Jessi Kirby
Release Date –  May 8, 2011
Publisher Website –  Simon and Schuster
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages -  240 pages
My Rating- 3/5
**borrowed from library**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Hours after her brother’s military funeral, Honor opens the last letter Finn ever sent. In her grief, she interprets his note as a final request and spontaneously decides to go to California to fulfill it.

Honor gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen Rusty in ages, but it’s obvious he is as arrogant and stubborn as ever—not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. Despite Honor’s better judgment, the two set off together on a voyage from Texas to California. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn’s memory—but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?

In Honor has the makings of a great read - likeable characters, a pop star that brings to mind Taylor Swift and a road trip. While the novel was certainly likeable it left me wanting more. I was hoping for something deeper. It ended up by an average read for me.

The characters while quite likeable did not resonate with me to leave a lasting impression. The plot, while engaging, is reminiscent of  other books I’ve read. Jessi Kirby does, however, make the plot her own and does so with her wonderful writing and charming characters.

The pacing  was great at the start but it felt a little rushed towards the end.  Once they reached California a lot was a lot happening very quickly and it felt a little jarring to me.

Honor’s journey isn’t just to fulfill what she sees as her brother’s last request but to also challenge herself.  She does  a lot of things she would normally never do while on this trip of self discovery and growth. Her character learns some hard truths, and this makes her perspective change. Having your character grow and change is important in any novel and this aspect was a strength of this one.

Rusty is the bad boy who might be hiding something good underneath it all. He goes from sweet, to infuriating many times throughout the novel. The cute banter between he and Honor provided some sweet moments.

Finn, the protective older brother, is such a large part of the novel because his death is the catalyst for everything. While you think the novel would have a sad, darker feel this is not the case. Finn’s death does provide many heartfelt moments but the novels tone is much more light hearted over all.

Part coming of age, part road trip Jessi Kirby has created a cute, quickly readable story. It may resonate with other readers more than it did with me. I found it to be a average read that will compliment those long summer days at the beach

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby
Release Date – May 3, 2011
Publisher Website – Simon and Schuster
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 232 pages
My Rating- 7.5/10
**Obtained from the library**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

From Jessi Kirby, a debut novel about confronting the past in order to move ahead. 

I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now, I've thought maybe my mother drowned in both. 

Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love- a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface. 

While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death- stays buried forever.

I picked up Moonglass expecting a more romantic story but instead got an emotional, well written read.

The descriptions of the beach, and the surrounding area was so well done. I could almost feel the sand under my feet and hear the ocean. I had never heard of sea glass before (don’t laugh) but was fascinated by it. The mixing of this with the mermaid stories Anna mother told her when she was younger was a sweet touch.

The romance in this book while sweet, was almost secondary. Not at all what I was expecting. The description of putting yourself out there, and hoping the other person meets you halfway was very realistic. I felt like Anna and Tyler’s relationship was growing at a perfect pace - not too fast, nor slow. It just felt very authentic.

Anna herself was refreshing. She seemed so typical of a teenaged girl who has been through something very traumatic. The friendships she makes, and the journey her character takes all felt true to the character.

Anna dealing with her mother’s death and finally learning things about her mother was pretty heartbreaking. The grief, guilt, and self blame both Anna and her father were dealing with was understandable. I wish they would have talked to each other about it more though. It could have helped heal them both.

I enjoyed the relationship between Anna and her dad. He was protective, a little flawed himself, but you never doubted that he loved and cared for her. He was doing his best while falling apart himself. It’s too often that we don’t see a decent portrayal of parents in young adult books, so this was a welcome change.

If you are looking for an emotional read that feels very authentic this is one you’ll want to read.

In My Mailbox

This is a weekly meme hosted by the awesome Kristi at The Story Siren. It gives us a chance to showcase the books we got during the week.

I got two books from the library this week

Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer (goodreads)
Moonglass by Jessi Kirby (goodreads)

Moonglass will be part of my Valentine's Day event...more details coming VERY soon. I am excited but also scared to read Bloodrose as I have heard so many mixed things.

Happy reading everyone!