Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

Title: Heartbeat
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release: January 28, 2014
Pages: 256
Review: Four Stars

I got an eARC of this book to review. I *might* have put off reading this until the last minute. But! The book was a nice surprise. It was a fast read that managed to put my emotions out of whack. It was touching and sweet.  There was not too much nor too little of anything. It's a read that may be difficult for some people, but is definitely worth it!

The main character is Emma. She feels fairly pathetic to the average eye, but you have to keep in mind that her mother died only a few weeks before. While you're reading, it might seem like longer, but it's really not. Before her mother died, Emma was obsessed with her grades, and would blow off family time so as to work on homework. She had her life planned out, which is a good thing, up to a point. Emma continually succumbs to the darkness that her mother's death has left in it's wake, but she begins to grow stronger about halfway through the book. The main issue of the book is that her stepfather is keeping her mother's dead body alive so that their unborn child can survive. But Emma feels as if he cares more about the baby than her mother. Emma and her stepfather are constantly bashing heads. I believe that, when it comes down to it, her stepfather is a good guy who didn't know how to deal with things. Emma meets Caleb partway through the book. He's a bad boy who has done some not-so-great things out of grief. His little sister passed away previous to the start of the book, and his parents blame him. The pair of them are a couple that could, honestly, blow up the world or put it back on it's feet. By and by, my favorite character is Emma's best friend Olivia. She is the best friend a girl could ask for. Despite Emma's moping, Olivia sticks around and is there for her, day in and day out. She manages to knock some sense into Emma when no one else can, and is simply amazing.

As far as plot goes, it was okay. I never felt like there was a strong climax, but the beginning and ending were strong. The book turns fairly philosophical at points. As Emma remembers things from her past, she sees memories in different lights and takes lessons from everything she experiences. Life has not been extremely kind to any of the characters. But even still, they rise up and are better because of it. There is romance, but it is in no way the center of the story. The male protagonist is very much a rock for the main character instead of just a romantic interest. He has true point to the story. I feel like the main thing in this story is the characters, and how they interact in change. I give it four stars.

Author Bio:

ELIZABETH SCOTT grew up in a town so small it didn’t even have a post office, though it did boast an impressive cattle population. She’s sold hardware and panty hose and had a memorable three-day stint in the dot-com industry, where she learned that she really didn’t want a career burning CDs. She lives just outside Washington, D.C., with her husband, and firmly believes you can never own too many books.

You Can Find Her At:

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Synopsis:

Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.

But Emma can’t tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.

Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn’t have interested Old Emma. But New Emma—the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia—New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge. Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death—and maybe, for love?

You Can Find it At:
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Indiebound