The Best Reader + TIME

Change of Heart — Shari Maurer

"This is a great book that isn't as predictable as the synopsis may make it sound. I enjoyed getting to know Emmi and her friends and family and I recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick read that is anything but light." — Miss Remmers

From Barnes and Noble.com

"When you are sixteen, you think you will live forever. Emmi has the worries of a typical teen, about winning the next soccer game or what to wear to school, until she gets a virus that goes to her heart and puts her into congestive heart failure—without a heart transplant she will die. While she waits for a transplant, her worries are very different: Will a new heart come in time? Will she survive the surgery? Will she ever have a normal life again? Emmi becomes isolated and laments the unfairness of it all. The former star of the soccer team, she is now too tired and sick even to go to school. Sam is there for her and makes her feel special; her best friend, Becca, cheers her up and keeps her up-to-date on events at school; but Abe, who has had a transplant, seems to be the only one who truly understands what she is going through. Emmi's feelings are like a roller coaster, and she struggles to stay on track."

This is an extremely touching novel with a few "twists" I never saw coming. The beginning of "Change of Heart" was a little slow for me, but this could because I'm not a soccer player and sports in writing sort of confuse me (it's hard for me to picture). But once we got past the soccer references and into the heart of the story, I found myself connecting to Emmi and her situation. Emmi was completely crabby and unlikable (but really, who would be otherwise in her situation) and I understood where all her anger was coming from.

I enjoyed watching the relationship between Sam and Emmi grow, but at the end I felt a little overwhelmed with the amount of theme. Obviously the "cancer" theme, but then there was a "sex-pact" theme and then a... well, I guess I can't say without giving away something important — I just like there were a few too many messages that were trying to get across in the last few chapters.

Regardless of the themes, I felt my heartbreak right along with Emmi's not once but twice throughout the novel. I had such a strong connection with the plot and characters that I cried in class (I read the majority of the book during Recreational Reading Friday)! I gasped and laughed out loud. Shari even wrote the "work out" scenes so well she had me wanting to go for a run (I hate running). I do wish they would have given this book a better cover — I feel like it deters my students and readers from picking it up when you compare it to any other "hot" read of the moment. This is a great book that isn't as predictable as the synopsis may make it sound. I enjoyed getting to know Emmi and her friends and family and I recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick read that is anything but light.

Originality: 9/10
Ending: 9/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 9/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 8/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 5/10
Overall: 88/100 B

To the FTC, with love: Received at BEA

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Change of Heart — Shari Maurer + TIME