Author: Jessi Kirby
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: 21 April, 2015
Source: HarperTeen via Edelweiss
Goodreads
When Quinn Sullivan meets the recipient of her boyfriend’s donated heart, the two form an unexpected connection.Review by Nara
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.
I had feels in the first two pages.
The first freaking two pages.
That gives you a little bit of an idea of how absolutely heartbreakingly fantastic this book is.
The characters were just so real. And Kirby's writing style is such that you get attached to the characters very quickly and very strongly. Every time the littlest thing would happen, it would feel like these events were happening to someone I knew in person, and GAHHH THE FEELS.
I can understand why some may find the romance a bit shaky: after all, it is built on lies of omission from both sides. Quinn is lying about how she knows about Colton's condition, and why exactly she was at the cafe the first day they met. Colton is lying about his prior condition. To be honest, Colton is probably completely justified in not necessarily revealing his past, but Quinn's lies are definitely not ideal. And you just keep reading the book waiting for the fallout to occur when Colton discovers the truth.
And towards the end, MY GOD THE FEELS. I think I was alternating between shock and feels and MY GOD JESSI KIRBY I BOTH LOVE YOU AND HATE YOU. She really just plays around with your emotions, and you're left a complete mess/a puddle of feels, and you don't quite know what to think, except holy guacamole this is a fantastic book.
Things We Know By Heart is undoubtedly the best Jessi Kirby book I've read. It's definitely a book that you should get your hands on as soon as possible. It's beautiful. Just beautiful.
Incredible
RatingsOverall: 9/10
Plot: 4/5
Romance: 4.5/5
Writing: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
This post is a part of Contemporary Conversations, hosted by The Thousand Lives and Talking Bookworm.
