Review: The Curious Heart of Alisa Rae by Stephanie Butland

The Curious Heart of Alisa Rae

by Stephanie Butland

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Pages: 416

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Ailsa Rae is learning how to live.
She's only a few months past the heart transplant that - just in time - saved her life. Life should be a joyful adventure. But . . .

Her relationship with her mother is at breaking point.
She knows she needs to find her father.
She's missed so much that her friends have left her behind.
She's felt so helpless for so long that she's let polls on her blog make her decisions for her. And now she barely knows where to start on her own.

And then there's Lennox. Her best friend and one time lover. He was sick too. He didn't make it. And now she's supposed to face all of this without him.

But her new heart is a bold heart.

She just needs to learn to listen to it . . . 


Kritters Thoughts:  Alisa Rae has lived a life that felt stunted from the beginning.  Born with a heart defect that kept her from doing many things that her peers were able to do.  At a certain point her heart wasn't able to basically keep her alive and she went on the transplant list, her miracle heart arrives and this story begins - life after a transplant.  

Told through typical story both in the present and parts that were from a year ago and through blog posts, this story was so entertaining.  I loved how all three of the parts were woven together, it was just put together so well!  The peaks into the year before gave the reader a glimpse of life before the transplant and time in the hospital and gave some context to the current storyline and Alisa Rae's feelings and how she became the person she is in the current storyline.

Speaking of characters, Alisa Rae was just great to follow on a journey.  She was sweet but had flaws and I felt as though portrayed the ups and downs and true feelings of someone that is healing from a long term illness.  I loved how she felt guilty for sadness or anger even as she was only living due to someone else's death, the way the author did this was just spot on.  

Even if you don't tend to read books that are set outside of the US, don't miss this one.  I know some readers who avoid books set in England, read this one, the story is universal.  


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2019 Challenge: 47 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from St Martin's Press.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.