Review: Chasing Heartbeats by Kaitlyn Felt

Title: Chasing Heartbeats
Author: Kaitlyn Felt
Release Date: 8th July 2013
Publisher: CreateSpace
Find on: Goodreads

Quick Review: Growing up in the invisible and sparsely populated village of Livingston, Michigan, Fiona Kent used to despise her life. Every single summer had always turned out to be the same: along with babysitting her younger brothers, Logan and Tommy, the days always turned out to be long, extremely hot, and utterly boring. Just as Fiona was beginning to drown in the tiny sea that she called her world, though, lymphatic lymphoma whisked Tommy away, shoving her parents into a sheer panic and leaving Logan to lose himself in a deep depression. Shocked by her little brother’s quick and unexpected passing, Fiona suddenly feels grateful for the tall walls that separate her and her little town from the rest of the world and embraces what little innocence and naivety she has left… 

Three years pass and only one photograph of Tommy can be found in Fiona Kent’s house. Though their small-minded neighbors had eventually stopped gossiping about her brother’s death, Fiona was well aware that the rest of her family had made little progress. Logan was still caught up in the dark, deathly winds of his depression and her parents acted as if Tommy had never been born at all. All of that changes, though, when Fiona discovers a black, blank-covered book in the dark, unexplored realms of her basement. Searching through the book’s yellow-tinged pages, Fiona discovers jaw-dropping letters written to Tommy by an ancient, nineteenth century prodigy known by the name of Sophia Grant. Determined to prove Sophia’s wild and accusatory predictions about her precious, deceased brother wrong, Fiona snaps Logan out of his depression, brings the mysterious book to the attention of her two best friends, and begins the unforgettable journey of a lifetime.


Detailed Review: ARC received by author

My first impression of the book was that it was going to be a sad story about life and how unfair it was. But then I was thrown off track with the existence of the nameless black book that described  Tommy's life so perfectly. The language used in the black book, in contrast with the author's narrative skills, was beautiful and convincing. It truly convinced me that another person had written about Tommy's life. 

One thing though that dissatisfied me were some of the errors in the book but I can understand because it's an ARC and there would be more edits before the book is published. But the errors did break the flow of the book and slightly affected my enjoyment level. 

The author's take on romance was quite good and showed the desires and hopes of both Kyle and Fiona and how the black book had altered their lives and their relationship.

Felt has managed to describe the impact of an object on people's lives with perfection. This book was one of the few contemporaries I'd read so far and I envy how the author can mix in different genres so easily and without breaking a sweat- but you'll never know maybe she really did sweat over it. -wink-

I'm sure you've noticed the lack of spoilers, but I've made a vow to never spoil a book for anyone ever again unless I'm asked to. Life's a mystery. Discover it yourself. Same goes with books.

Brief Review: Original and emotional: this is possibly the best things to look for in a book. Heart-breaking, refreshing and thought-provoking, the book was a great read. The author is brave to consider weaving both the elements of contemporary and fantasy and mystery together but she really did a great job. I'm impressed.

Final Rating: 4.5/5 'Really Liked It'

QUOTE:

To Logan, who couldn't accept his twin brother's death, here's some advice.

In three words I can sum up everything I can I've learned about life; it goes on------Robert Frost

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