Change of Heart by Shari Maurer - Miniview

Synopsis via goodreads:
In a world where the most stressful thing seems to be winning a soccer game or what to wear in the morning, you take some really basic things for granted.

Like the love of your parents.

Or hanging with your friends.

Or the beating of your heart.

When you’re 16 years old, it never occurs to you that you might die. Emmi Miller’s got a fabulous life. She has tons of friends, does great in school and is an all-star soccer player who played in Europe last summer. It even looks like Sam Hunter, a totally cute baseball player, might be interested in her. And then she gets a virus. No biggy, right? Until the virus goes to her heart and weakens it so much that, without a transplant, Emmi will die.

Will Emmi get a heart in time? Is Sam too good to be true? What about her new friend Abe, who has also had a transplant and guides her through these scary times — is he just being supportive or is there more going on between them? And will Emmi realize it before it’s too late?

How do you write a review about a book you did not care to much for and why would I give Change of Heart a 3 mushrooms, if honestly I did not enjoy it?

Well, I give Change of Heart a 3 mushrooms because, it has heart, it also has a very compelling story line, I found myself flipping pages, flying though the book to find out what would happen to Emmi next.

But, in the end, it's not one I enjoyed – I felt like there was this huge build up, weather Emmi would get the heart she needed, weather Sam would be the boy she wanted, and where here friendship with Abe would lead her.

Then as I kept turning pages, and the ending came near, I knew Emmi would make it, but the one character I fell in love with, linked my hopes to, adored from the minute he graced the pages, I knew it was not in the cards that he make it...and I felt my heart being ripped from my body. He was the one I connected with, the one I rooted for, even though this is Emmi's story, I found her irritating, yes she's going though a lot. However, she seems to be pushed though the story, and I only felt her really connect to one character, and that I felt had more to do with him than with her.

In the end, I felt like Emmi was not likeable, I mean of course I cared that she lived, but I wanted more...it felt to me as if Shari Maurer was pushing Emmi though, instead of letting her gently glide though effortlessly, if you know what I mean. I felt as though questions were not answered and that I got more out of the synopsis about WHY Emmi's heart becomes damaged, than I got from reading the book.

Bottom Line – It's not a book I could or would recommend to anyone, it's to heartbreaking for that, though the premise was a good one, I wanted more. On a positive note, I did enjoy the writing, and the story line is very close to my heart...I will be giving Shari Maurer another chance! I give it 3 mushrooms.

Change of Heart
By: Shari Maurer
Published: April 28, 2010
Publisher: WestSide Books
Received via an ARC tour, for my honest review.