Monday, July 1, 2013

REVIEW ~ Beside Your Heart by Mary Whitney






Late one night, Nicki Johnson plays with emotional fire and Googles her high school love, only to find his name splashed across the British gossip columns.  Back in his native England, Adam Kincaid is successful and dating a woman from an aristocratic family like his own.  With a career in politics, Nicki’s no slouch, but she knows Adam is living a world away from her life.
 
Yet there was a time he was no farther than the next locker.  Nicki will never forget their year together in high school—the year of her sister’s death, the year her mother checked out.  Adam helped Nicki through suffocating grief, and she led him through coming of age.  But when is a high school crush something more?

 
REVIEW

I liked the overall concept of this book.  I think it would appeal to the teen reader.  
 
Beside Your Heart is the story of a seventeen-year-old boy and girl who fall in love in high school.  Adam is from England so is only here for the school year and Nicki is recovering from a horrific car accident where her little sister died and she's got multiple scars from surgeries after the car accident.  They are both into politics and the book starts out with Nicki wondering about Adam and if they'll ever see each other again.  It quickly turns the focus to the year they met in high school and fell in love.
 
I think the story drug on way too long during this year they spent together.  I guess it's my age but I had a hard time reading about teen sex and drinking although I was their age once.  I totally could relate but it was hard nonetheless.  He helps her to not be self conscious of her scars and is the greatest boyfriend ever.  Definitely not typical of most seventeen year old boys.  It's no wonder she falls deeply in love with him.  He falls for her because he thinks she's strong, smart, and beautiful.
 
The book ends with Adam leaving to go back to England and both their hearts are broken.  In the epilogue they see each other at a political event but just when Adam gets Nicki’s attention, she looks over her shoulder and smiles at him.  A very disappointing ending.
 
Needless to say, I was more interested in wanting to learn how they got back together after fifteen years and discover what they'd been doing all that time and how they've gotten along as adults.  The year of high school could have been greatly condensed and just interspersed with their adult lives as they recall memories.  I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been written this way but I did enjoy it all the same.  
 
Rating: 3.5
 
Release Date: June 18, 2013
Book Length: 256 pages
Source: Publisher
Genre: New Adult Romance
Reviewed by: Julie
Reading Format: Available in eBook and Paperback


Amazon Purchase Links:  Kindle | Paperback


Places to find Mary Whitney:

3 comments:

  1. Hmmm. It sounds like it could definitely have potential. But I'm thinking not quite for me with how it was played out. Thanks for the heads up on it!

    ~Anna

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Anna.

      I think a lot of people had a problem with the way it ended. But there are more books to come, which I believe should make the readers feel better.

      Delete
    2. Well that's good to hear. I was wondering if it would be one that would continue on. Hope the next one works better for people!

      Delete

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