"One girl’s journey to acceptance of her new heart and a fresh start at life."
This is a tender and beautifully written coming of age story, where Sydney also has to come to terms with life after a heart transplant.
She had almost forgotten how to live as her life gradually closed down and more and more things were taken away from her while she was waiting for a donor. Her friendship group had shrunk to those comrades like Chloe, sharing the waiting list with her. So, the survivor’s guilt that she feels is not just about the fact that somebody died in order for her to live, but also because of those still waiting, who may not survive.
Sydney becomes obsessed with finding out more about her donor and thinks she has found her: Mia a girl who died tragically in a nearby town and she recklessly attends the memorial service and meets Mia’s best friend Clayton. Clayton is suffering his own survivor’s guilt, and the pair take on the task of fulfilling what they think is Mia’s bucket list as a memorial to her.
Sydney must concoct a tissue of lies to hide what she is doing from her family and Chloe, and the truth from Clayton. All the time compromising her own recovery and falling ever more deeply for Clayton who seems to reciprocate. But the strength of this book is that there is no sentimentality or mawkishness, although there is some devastating tragedy, and every moral decision is carefully considered, and Sydney learns and develops.
The fact that the author is herself a heart failure survivor has no doubt contributed to the authenticity of the characters and circumstances. So much more thoughtful and rewarding than just a YA romance, but it will undoubtedly appeal to fans of Before I Die and The Fault in our Stars. It will surely make readers think about what it means to live.
