Title Things We Know by Heart
Author Jessi Kirby
Page Count 304
Publishing Date April 21st 2015
Publisher Harper Teen
Genre YA, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction
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.
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.
The story line is something we have all seen before, but this is truly something special. It is a story about moving on, letting go, and relationships both romantic and not.
I really enjoyed Jessi Kirby's writing style, it is truly bewitching. She made you feel fear, sadness, anticipation, heartbreak, joy, happiness, and above all love. You experienced everything right along with Quinn which made you relate to her on a different level.
Jessi made you feel like you were right there with the characters. The setting and atmosphere she created were great. You could almost taste the salty air, feel the sand between your toes, and hear the waves crashing into shore.
I thought the story was great, it was very raw and inspiring how deep the characters were. Jessi was great at depicting how Quinn dealt with her grief, or how she didn't for a long time. Also the relationship that formed between Quinn and Colton is amazing, the way they learn from each other and how they help each other deal with a crap time in their lives was beautiful and to get to experience that with them was wonderful.
Jessi is able to break you down and build you back up within 300 pages, honestly within the first few chapters I was crying which was a first for me. The story had a lot more substance than most YA novels have and it was a great change.
The only thing I didn't particularly like was the ending. I would have preferred to have a little more of a grip on what happens in the future, but I guess the ending it did have was special in the way that you can fill in the blanks yourself.
I would recommend this book to anyone who can read. Jessi is such a gifted writer and it is truly a privilege to read her book. I thought it was raw, honest, inspiring, breathtaking and beautifully written props to Jessi Kirby!
Jessi is able to break you down and build you back up within 300 pages, honestly within the first few chapters I was crying which was a first for me. The story had a lot more substance than most YA novels have and it was a great change.
The only thing I didn't particularly like was the ending. I would have preferred to have a little more of a grip on what happens in the future, but I guess the ending it did have was special in the way that you can fill in the blanks yourself.
