The Heart Between Us: Two Sisters, One Heart Transplant, and a Bucket List by Lindsay Harrel
Published by Thomas Nelson on March 13, 2018
Genres: Christian, Fiction, Romance, Women
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
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Megan Jacobs always wished for a different heart. Her entire childhood was spent in and out of hospitals, sitting on the sidelines while her twin sister Crystal played all the sports, got all the guys, and had all the fun. But even a heart transplant three years ago wasn’t enough to propel Megan’s life forward. She’s still working as a library aide in her small Minnesota hometown and living with her parents, dreaming of the adventure she plans to take “once she’s well enough.” Meanwhile, her sister is a successful architect with a handsome husband and the perfect life—or so Megan thinks.
When her heart donor’s parents give Megan their teenage daughter’s journal—complete with an unfulfilled bucket list—Megan connects with the girl she meets between the pages and is inspired to venture out and check off each item. Caleb—a friend from her years in and out of the hospital—reenters her life and pushes her to find the courage to take the leap and begin her journey. She’s thrown for a loop when Crystal offers to join her for reasons of her own, but she welcomes the company and the opportunity to mend their tenuous relationship.
As Megan and Crystal check items off the bucket list, Megan fights the fears that have been instilled in her after a lifetime of illness. She must choose between safety and adventure and learn to embrace the heart she’s been given so that she can finally share it with the people she loves most.
I 
LOVE 
being a blogger with the Fiction Guild’s Elite Reader Program, and I am very fortunate to be able to receive a lot of books that my mother and I love to read. Today’s author, Lindsay Harrel, is someone very new to my mother and I, and today’s book is The Heart Between Us.
The Heart Between Us is a Christian novel filled with love, travel, joy, pain, and new beginnings by Lindsay Harrel. I have not read any of Lindsay Harrel books but I must say this one has something that I think everyone will enjoy! The characters are so real and the plot is great, and even better, you feel all of the character’s emotions. This book shows all the family suffers when one member is seriously ill.
This is a love story of twin sisters, Crystal and Megan Jacobs. Crystal had a normal and healthy heart, while Megan had a heart disease that caused her to very sick until she received her heart transplant when she was 32 years old. She dreamed of traveling and having great adventures with her friend, Caleb. Because Caleb had received his heart earlier, he is traveling on his job and Megan missed him. She hoped that she would be able to reconnect with him in the future. This story takes you on a journey with the twins.
Crystal was married to a firefighter named Brian who believed that Crystal spends too much time working and it was affecting their relationship. Her dream was to become a senior architect at the firm where she worked in New York City. Crystal’s professional life allowed her to put distance between herself and her family, and for this reason that and her sister didn’t have a close relationship for many years.
Megan still lived with her parents in Minnesota and only worked part time at the library. When Megan met her heart donor’s parents, they gave her their daughter, Amanda’s journal. In that journal were all the things Amanda wished she could have done – her bucket list. Megan still had fears about her new heart failing and she was scared, but she decided to follow her dreams and try to fulfill Amanda’s bucket list of things to do. Because Crystal was looking for answers to her career and marriage troubles, she decided to join Megan on the adventure.
Checking off the 24 steps of Amanda’s bucket list, the twins traveled and had the adventures Megan always dreamed of. Caleb was able to meet up with Megan at one of their designations and they realized how deep their love was for each other. Traveling also allowed the twin sisters to examine their relationship while spending time together at the same time. They shared memories and were able to be honest with each other about their hurt feelings.
The Heart Between Us was an excellent read!
About the Author: Lindsay Harrel is a lifelong book nerd who lives in Arizona with her young family and two golden retrievers in serious need of training. She’s held a variety of writing and editing jobs over the years, and now juggles stay-at-home mommyhood with writing novels. When she’s not writing or chasing after her children, Lindsay enjoys making a fool of herself at Zumba, curling up with anything by Jane Austen, and savoring sour candy one piece at a time. She loves to watch God work in ordinary lives to create something extraordinary, and she writes to bring hope to those who may have lost it along the way.
She currently has two books published: One More Song to Sing and The Heart Between Us. Her third, The Secrets of Paper and Ink, will be available for purchase in February 2019.
You can track Lindsay Harrel down pretty easily on social media too …… connect with her on:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
I received a paperback copy of this book without cost from the publisher through The Fiction Guild, a Thomas Nelson/Zondervan Elite Reader book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own, or in this case, my mom’s.
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