Friday, February 7, 2014

Review: Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott


Title: Heartbeat

Author: Elizabeth Scott

Rating: 4 Stars

Heartbeat first came to my attention because of an influx of negative reviews. As a reader who has attempted a handful of Scott's issue novels in the past - unsuccessfully as I simply could not get past those first few depressing chapters - I've been anxious to find a novel of hers that was equal parts charming and heartfelt. Scott's work is, generally, liked which makes it difficult to sift through the praise to discover whether or not that particular novel of hers will work for me. Thus, the phrases thrown around about Heartbeat - particularly that is featured an utterly unlikable heroine - surprised me. And thrilled me. You see, if the masses love a novel, the chances practically guarantee that I will dislike it. (After all, "black sheep" is my other name!) Going by that philosophy, I took a gamble on Heartbeat: if other readers disliked it, there was an equally high probability that I wouldn't. And I was right.

Scott's latest isn't an easy novel to read. Yet, that being said, it also isn't as crushing as Living Dead Girl which makes it a good place to start with her work. It contains her tell-tale stance on issue novels, along with the inevitable weight of pain that accompanies her books, but it isn't overwhelming. Not quite. Heartbeat is, after all, a story of grief. YA suffers from no dearth of grief novels, but Scott's manages to be different from the typical take on mourning. Emma, the protagonist of our tale, visits her mother in the hospital everyday. Only, her mother is dead. All that remains is her body which is kept alive to ensure that Emma's unborn baby brother will survive. Dan, Emma's stepfather, took the decision to keep Emma's mother alive without even consulting her and, as such, Emma cannot help but cast Dan in the role of the villain. Emma's mother never had a choice in her situation and Emma, frankly, believes that her mother would have been happier if she were not being kept forcibly alive when she is, in fact, brain-dead.

While Emma is mourning her mother's death - while strangely not mourning her mother for she sees her everyday - life moves on, without her. Emma was once one of the most competitive students in her high school. Now, Emma can't find it in herself to care for anything as silly as homework, as papers, as school projects. Not when her stepfather has betrayed her, her mother is dead, and Emma is grieving. Olivia, Emma's best friend, is a pillar of support for her during this time. While Olivia's life still continues - school, crushes, assignments - she never hesitates to lend her shoulder for Emma to cry on when Emma needs it. Olivia keeps Emma grounded into reality, forcing her to keep from giving into the grief that lies inside. And Olivia is an exemplary best friend. Although she cannot understand Emma completely, she tries.

But sometimes, all Emma really wants is for someone to understand her. Enter: Caleb. Ever since his younger sister died by falling off her bike, Caleb has been the resident bad boy. From drugs and alcohol to stealing cars, Caleb is the real deal. When Emma first sees him in the hospital, her first instinct is to stay away. And then she allows herself to look at him - really look at him - and the grief she sees mirrored in his own eyes surprises her. Before long, Caleb and Emma are talking. Walking. Spending time together. Caleb and Emma's relationship is complicated, full of messy emotions. Both of them are brought together by their grief and their ability to understand one another. As Emma realizes, though, Caleb cannot heal her. Caleb has no magical words, no mysterious gifts to heal her pain. And that is okay.

As Caleb and Emma grow to like each other for who they are, outward appearances set aside, Emma's relationship with her stepfather grows increasingly volatile. And I get why readers don't like Emma. Emma is angry, bitter, sarcastic, and upset. While she is torn over her mother's death - the lack of her mother's presence in their household - she is even more angry with Dan for taking such a monumental decision without consulting her. Now, it has become Dan & The Baby vs. Emma. At least in Emma's mind. Emma doesn't make many attempts to understand her stepfather, despite the fact that he tries - time and time again - to breach the gap between them. Emma walks away from conversation, shuts down those who try to get through to her, and lashes out at every chance she gets. Obviously, her behavior isn't likable. Emma isn't likable; she isn't meant to be.

Scott - from what I presume, at any rate - set out to write a realistic character, not an idealistic one. While we, the reader, would love for Emma to just listen to Dan once or allow herself to open up to him, it isn't easy for her. Perhaps I enjoyed Heartbeat as much as I did because I understood Emma. I saw some part of myself reflected back in her. It's such a common coping mechanism to shut down, to revert into your mind and re-evaluate situations with your own bias tainting the picture. So common. And this is exactly what Emma does. It doesn't make her an admirable heroine, but it makes her an understandable one. I was able to rationalize all of Emma's actions without needing to think them through and her growth throughout the novel, though messy and difficult, was worth the struggle.

Heartbeat is a novel I know can work for a lot of readers - if only we'd get past this stigma of an "unlikable" heroine. Even beyond that, though, this novel is an honest portrayal of grief, coupled with a realistic, but very swoon-worthy, romance that heals, but doesn't necessarily cure. In other words, Scott's latest was exactly my kind of novel. Give me an angry, bitter, lashes-out-at-everyone heroine over a Bella Swan any day. Oh, and for good measure, throw in an actual bad-boy, not one of those "I-look-like-a-player" or those "I-ride-a-motorbike" or "I-am-too-sarcastic" kind of bad-boys we keep having in YA. A bad-boy who steals cars, does drugs, and sets himself on a road to redemption and love. Yes, please.

16 comments:

  1. I do love that you still gave it a go :D

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  2. I, too read a good amount of the bad reviews on Goodreads. The majority believed the main character to be whiny and mean. So, I decided I wanted to read this book based on what they were saying. It's not that I thought I was going to hate the main character, it was the fact that I was intrigued by her emotions-I consider myself a whiny and mean person, so they aren't all bad! I requested it for my local e-book library so we will see when I get to read it. I am not one to read emotionally destroying books, but I am really hoping I enjoy it as much as you did... I need a nice bad boy. ;)

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  3. All right, Keertana. I shied away from this book because of the topics and because I haven't had a whole lot of luck with most of this author's lighter contemporaries, but the fact that the book you talk about first is LIVING DEAD GIRL means that you are the same sort of Elizabeth Scott reader than I am. I am VERY interested in reading this now despite any other negative reviews or nonsense about unlikeable heroines. Thank you so much much for the review! I'm adding a note to myself on my GR shelf.

    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

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  4. When a book gets a lot of negative reviews or evokes strong feelings, that's when I take a second look (it's those meh books that I nod and say, "Yeah, probably not gonna read that one."). And Emma sounds like an interesting character, even with her bad attitude.

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  5. I think you managed to enjoy this one a little more than I did, Keertana. I really struggled with Emma, and I wish I could have put aside my disdain, but clearly I failed! Great review though, and I'm glad you enjoyed it!

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  6. I have seen quite a few mixed reviews for this one Keertana, so it was nice to read a more positive opinion. I'm glad you took a chance on this one despite your lack of success with some of her other novels, and I'm completely intrigued by this actual bad boy you mention. I second that yes, please!

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  7. You have me curious. I want to try this one now. I want to see if I can enjoy a book with and unlikable heroine. Yep, I will have to try it, but I may library book it.

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  8. I'm pulling out my Kindle now to get my copy out to read. You make a really strong case for this one. I was taking my time to get to it, sad and bitter isn't what I need right now. But angry, yes, I can feel that, and work with it.

    BTW, have you tried listening to Scott's books on audio? I tried Love You, Hate You, Miss You and really enjoyed it that way. It's the only other book of hers I've read.

    So you're the black sheep when it comes to books. I did not know that about you. And yet we have agreed on several newish books. Good to know!

    Heather

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  9. I am scared of this one. Besides reading a bunch of different reviews, the emotional aspect of it doesn't seem to fit my current state of mind at this time. I think I would have to wait a couple of months and then hope that books like these wont leave me feeling completely crushed. But I heard it was great!

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  10. I have a feeling I wouldn't be able to get past unlikable Emma. Just from your review she seems utterly self-centered. I can understand that she's grieving, but I lost my mother when I was young too and this did not take away all my reason and logic and make me unfeeling towards the suffering of others around me. Her step father had to be feeling the loss as well, and was he supposed to just let his son die too because the mother was brain dead? Most parents would do exactly what Dan did.

    In order for this to work for me, I'd have to see some positive changes, even if they were small otherwise I'd never be able to like Emma enough to enjoy the book. I'm happy to see you enjoyed this, though. I can see that you were able to make allowances because you understood her character and behavior. I also like the fact that you chose to pick this up in spite of the prevailing opinion out there. I love it when people make up their own mind. Wonderful review, Keertana! :)

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  11. Rachel, there are a lot of positive changes that emerge from Emma's journey. As the novel winds down, she does come to recognize the error of her ways, but not without pointing out Dan's mistakes too. It is very much a story about family - a rather unconventional one, perhaps - and living with grief. I think if you gave this a try, you might surprise yourself and enjoy. Especially the romance! :)

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  12. Well, consider me intrigued! I saw all the negative reviews begin to pile up for this book and immediately dismissed it. But maybe it's worth re-evaluating whether I should read it. I also like my unlikable heroines, provided there is a reason that I can understand for their behavior. Your description here reminds me a bit of a Courtney Summers character - which is never a bad thing in my book! Thoughtful review as always, Keertana!

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  13. Well, consider me intrigued! I saw all the negative reviews begin to pile up for this book and immediately dismissed it. But maybe it's worth re-evaluating whether I should read it. I also like my unlikable heroines, provided there is a reason that I can understand for their behavior. Your description here reminds me a bit of a Courtney Summers character - which is never a bad thing in my book! Thoughtful review as always, Keertana!

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  14. I really struggled with this one. I have never really HATED a MC. At least not like this. I didn't understand her AT ALL. Sometimes I can look past that, but I wasn't really able to so much this time. However I liked the writing and the subject (other than her anger) and I liked her relationship with Caleb. So really, the only thing I didn't like was Emma, but I REALLY didn't like her. It seems like most are able to connect with her in some way or understand why she's the way she is/was, but I didn't really. I would start to see something that made me feel I might, but then she'd do something that made me angry again.
    I'm glad you enjoyed it more than I did!

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  15. "Give me an angry, bitter, lashes-out-at-everyone heroine over a Bella Swan any day." Yes! I have seen SO many negative reviews that point out Emma's attitude as the major reason the book didn't work for them, but I would have cried foul if she weren't unlikable, given everything she has been through. Wonderful review, Keertana!

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  16. I think this author's books are a bit too depressing for me in general, and I've started to avoid grief books, because they make me sad and often deal with issues the same ways. But I'm really glad to see that this one worked well for you. It is definitely a big mark in its favor. I particularly like the supportive friend Olivia as well as the love interest who is a boy who has actually done bad things. I don't mind an unlivable heroine, though as someone no longer in my teens, I can imagine that Emma might get on my nerves some. But you do make a strong case for this story, and it is now more firmly on my radar.

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