Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby

Published by HarperTeen on April 21st 2015
ARC from Edelweiss
304 pages
Purchase on Amazon・Fully Booked

Synopsis

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.

Jessi Kirby has touched my heart once and does so again with her latest novel- Things We Know By Heart. Honestly, I’ve waited for a new book by the author since I fell in love with Golden and my excitement was not for nothing. In merely a few chapters, I was easily wrapped. The writing is just so beautiful and striking that you can’t help but turn pages and be moved by the story.

By the story, I mean Quinn’s story. The reader gets into it headfirst, immediately made aware of Quinn and her heartbreak- losing her boyfriend, Trent. Counting the days since his death and struggling to move on, she seeks out Colton, the boy who received Trent’s heart upon organ donation. When the two meet, it’s not just their connection that binds them together, but an attraction. After the long grief from Trent’s tragic accident, Quinn is smiling again. There’s only one thing that threatens this, one thing that Quinn failed to mention to Colton: that the heart that’s beating for her now, has beat for her before.

“I love that. Little victories.”
“They’re the ones that count. Like being out here today, right now.”

I wish I knew how to describe the emotion in this book better. All the same, it was there, all over the words, undeniably present and strong. I loved it. Quinn’s narrative tugged at my heart strings and I found her to be such a genuine character. I felt for her a lot but more importantly, I felt glad to see her slowly letting go and moving on. She’s not one to deny herself of happiness and instead, she sought it out and let herself feel more alive with Colton. Of course, she struggled with it, especially when she when Trent seemed to have taken a backseat on her mind. Still, I thought it was inspiring, how she wanted to live again despite her grief.

Aside from that, I really liked Quinn’s relationship with her family. Their bond was lovely and I really commend how open they were to each other. I thought it was great that she confided in Ryan, her sister, and how Ryan in turn, did her best to counsel Quinn. Both girls go through rough times and it just warmed my heart that the two sisters leaned on each other.

“We are made of our pasts, and our pains, our joys and our losses. It’s in the very fibres of our beings. Written on our hearts. The only thing we can do now is listen to what’s in them.”

Now, let’s talk about Colton Thomas. The boy is sweet, caring and okay- totally absolutely cute. Is your new book boyfriend alert going up yet? Because it should. Colton is not without his own troubles, sick of being so treated so fragile. For once he’s trying to live a normal life with his new heart. Then he and Quinn get to know each other and- I JUST SHIP THEM. There are so many beautiful meaningful moments that happen between Quinn and Colton and I loved every single bit. Seriously, the romance was all kinds of wonderful. It happened gradually but you anticipate is because you know that they belong together.

This is a book written from the heart and I can’t stress enough how flawless and profound the prose was. So much love. Things We Know By Heart is surely a must-read for all fans of contemporary romance!