The Heart Between Us

I've not read any of Lindsay Harrel's book until now, and I'm sorry I haven't. This could have been such a sappy book, but it wasn't.  The premise is that Megan and Crystal are twins, but Megan has had a heart condition for most of her life.  Megan got a very needed heart transplant and then she was given a gift that unwrapped itself in most unexpected ways. 

The most expected element in the book is the "helicopter mom." But she plays such a small role, she doesn't detract from the story line at all. 

The most surprising element is that the parents of Megan's donor want to meet her, and in meeting her, they give her one of their daughter's last journals.  In that journal is a bucket list of things she wanted to do.  Megan takes that list and does something so very heartwarming and giving, it gives the book its oomph.  She decides to take a couple of months off work and do the bucket list.  At their mother's behest, Crystal goes along with Megan to be sure she stays well.

Crystal is an architect and is climbing the corporate ladder to a senior associate in her firm, but that in and of itself is causing problems in her marriage. This trip is a chance to find what's been missing in Crystal's life. 

There is a third character that can't be left out of this review--Caleb.  He is also a heart recipient and knows Megan from hospital days.  They stood by each other through thick and thin, in and out of the hospital, and now Caleb is Megan's biggest cheerleader. The Heart Between Us  has a double meaning:  the heart-healing between Megan and Crystal and the heart-connection between Megan and Caleb. 

Sometimes I will skip ahead to read the end of a book and then read it all the way through to see if my imagination can come to the same conclusions as the author's.  This book is so compelling, I wanted to watch it unfold and let the characters live out their lives without my own "helicopter" ways.  This is a five star book (thought I'd give it ten if I could), two thumbs up, and a kiss in the rain. 

My thanks to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to read and review this book.