Things We Know by Heart
In this unforgettable teen romance that fans of Sarah Dessen and Susane Colasanti will devour, Quinn Sullivan falls for the recipient of her boyfriend's donated heart, forming an unexpected connection that will leave readers utterly breathless. After Quinn's boyfriend, Trent, dies in an accident their junior year, she reaches out to the recipients of his donated organs in hopes of picking up the fragments of her now-unrecognizable life. But whoever received Trent's heart has mysteriously remained silent. The essence of a person, Quinn has always believed, is in the heart. If she finds Trent's, then in a way she still has a piece of him. Risking everything to find peace once and for all, 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.
THINGS WE KNOW BY HEART is my first Jessi Kirby novel but certainly not my last. Quinn's story is told with an authentic voice that is sure to appeal to contemporary YA fans everywhere.
I loved Quinn's honest, realistic voice the most as I was reading this story. She lost her boyfriend over a year ago, but the grief is still raw. She struggles with dealing with it and moving past it; living her life without him doesn't come easily.
Until Colton comes along. Their chemistry instantly leapt off the page from their first encounter. I loved the slow build as Quinn struggles with the guilt of the lie she's told and Colton tries to hide his condition. Both are trying to move past something traumatic and both need each other more than they realize.
What Left Me Wanting More:
My favorite minor character by far was Quinn's sister, Ryan. I would read a whole novel just about her! She's such a vivid character that I just want to know more about her life.
THINGS WE KNOW BY HEART is an honest look at moving forward and living with grief that will tug on your heartstrings.
Ellie, Assistant Promotions Manager Top 100 Reviewer 59 reviews
A Realistic Contemporary With A Fresh Premise
This book was one of my most anticipated releases this year! It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I discovered a wonderful contemporary with an interesting premise!
Around a year ago, Quinn's boyfriend, Trent, died in an accident. Trent's organs were donated to different people and Quinn has been able to contact almost all of the people, except for the boy who has Trent's heart. Quinn actually goes to find him and ends up becoming friends with him. She begins to have an attraction for him, but is it for him or for the heart he carries? And how can she carry on with this without telling him about Trent?
What intrigued me about this book in the first place is basically the entire premise. The idea of a girl trying to find a boy who has her boyfriend's heart? It's something that I've never read before! Many contemporary books seem to be very similar to one another and this one was something completely new! This book touches on the subject of grief, but it's not all depressing. It has the aspect of moving on and while I don't have any experience, I do think it was done quite well. There is also a distinct amount of just lain hopefulness in this book. All these things added together being in a heaping ton of emotions while reading, but I think it was done brilliantly.
Quinn is a great main character. She's extremely realistic. I had issues with her choices, though, as she kept putting off telling Colin. Colin had no idea that Quinn knew about his past heart problems and that she was Trent's girlfriend. I really wanted her to tell him, because I knew that the longer she put it off, the outcome would not be great. While this bothered me, it did make her more real.
As for romance, this book does have a theme of it, but I feel like it's not what this book is about. Still, the relationship between both Trent and Colin is very important. I really liked Colin and I liked how Quinn and Colin's relationship grew throughout the book! I thought it was really sweet and I was rooting for them!
Overall, this was a fantastic contemporary! It's new and it brought so many emotions! This is my first Jessi Kirby book, but it most certainly won't be my last!
Jessica Jackson Top 50 Reviewer 149 reviews
Quinn has been unable to move on since the death of her boyfriend Trent. She hopes meeting the people who received his organs will help but whoever received his heart, the person Quinn truly wants to meet, never replies. So Quinn does her own research and tracks down nineteen-year-old Colton, recipient of a heart transplant the same day Trent died who lives only a few hours away. She plans on just watching him but instead, an small accident brings them together in ways Quinn never expected. In order to let Colton in – she'll have to let Trent go.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into this book. The cover was very cute and seemed to promise a light read but the synopsis promised more of a healing journey. It turned out to be a little bit of both with a mix of family time and some uncomfortable moments due to secrets kept thrown in.
Part of the time I liked Quinn and part of the time I wanted to shake her. She did a good job at pulling me into her world, understanding her love for Trent and why she couldn't move on, why she felt she needed to meet Colton. Her need for closure drove her to do something desperate and then she kept digging herself in deeper. I could see why she fell for Colton. He was such a sweet guy and genuinely cared about her even when she was a complete stranger. Even with all the secrets between them, they had a connection.
I really liked the family bond that was shown in this book. We didn't see a whole lot of Colton with his family but there was still that close feeling from the blog his sister had kept during his health problems. Quinn's family appeared a lot more. They were obviously close but mostly did their own things, but were always there if someone needed advice or needed a little push or tough love.
The romance was mostly light, even with all the secrets being kept between them. I really liked Quinn and Colton together but had a hard time letting myself get completely lost in them as a couple. It was the way Quinn had tracked him down and the secrets that kept me from becoming too invested in them together. Instead of enjoying them falling in love, I found myself wondering when everything would blow up in their faces and if their growing love would survive. It ended up being a bit predictable but still enjoyable.
The writing was so great. There were many beautiful passages about love, grief, moving on, family. It was a huge part of why I enjoyed reading this book. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had been sold on the romance but I liked the characters and the struggle to move on with life both main characters showed.
Trista Roddick Top 50 Reviewer 183 reviews
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