LitPick Review
Emma's life is not going so well at the moment; she can't get along with her step-father, her grades are failing and the only person she seems to connect with is Caleb, a boy with a terrible reputation. She longs to be comforted by her mother, but Emma's mom is brain dead, only kept alive by life support in order to bring a baby to term. Emma's grief has caused her to withdraw from the world, but Caleb, who has suffered his own tragedy, appears to be the only person who can make Emma feel alive again. Will she allow Caleb to help her heal?
Opinion:
Elizabeth Scott is one of my favorite authors and she writes great YA contemporary novels. However, her latest book, Heart Beat, was not the one for me. I think Elizabeth Scott writes better "light" novels, as opposed to the heavy and dramatic ones. Heart Beat was a tough read because it's so sad - Emma's mother is brain dead and would not be alive except for the life support keeping her heart beating. Meanwhile, Emma is in a downward spiral and doesn't care about school, her grades or her relationships. What I disliked about the book was that there was no plot. The entire novel was Emma being angry at her stepfather for keeping her mother on life-support. They literally have the same argument four or five times which was redundant. The only part of the plot that progressed was her relationship with Caleb and I still thought it could have been developed more. Overall, I'm disappointed in the lack of both character and plot development - both would have made this novel much better.
