Every Borrowed Beat - by Erin Stewart

About the Book

"After receiving a successful heart transplant, seventeen-year-old Sydney starts to fall for her organ donor's best friend whom she met under false pretenses and feels guilty as her own best friend's health worsens"--

Book Synopsis

For fans of FIVE FEET APART, this emotional and romantic YA offers an unflinching look at not only the realities of heart failure, but at memory, grief, guilt, and what it means to live--in spite of another, because of another, for another. For yourself.

Sydney Wells should have died. She was supposed to die.

She never expected, after years of waiting, to receive a heart transplant. Now, seventeen-year-old Sydney doesn't know what to do with her life. Her daily routine consisted of staying indoors, eating heart-healthy foods, and posting about her transplant list experiences on TheWaitingList with her long-distance BFF (and heart failure buddy) Chloe.

Now, Sydney latches onto the one thing that gives her meaning: learning as much as she can about the person whose heart she inherited. After finding the family of her likely-donor, Mia, Sydney falls deep into her world--and may also be falling for Mia's best friend, Clayton.

But Sydney isn't the only one hiding something. Mia's brother Tanner won't talk to Clayton, and Clayton won't tell Sydney why. And hundreds of miles away, Chloe's health has taken a turn for the worse. Sydney needs to face what's in her heart--the truth, the guilt, and the future--before it's too late.

Review Quotes

★ "[A]n incredibly emotional story....With its perfect blend of chronic illness representation, mental health exploration, and romance, this is sure to appeal to fans of books like John Green's The Fault in Our Stars or Shannon Takaoka's Everything I Thought I Knew; it's a standout addition to the genre." --School Library Journal, starred review

"Stewart....poignantly explores the occasionally brutal realities of organ donation and transplant for patients and their families, particularly survivor's guilt and grief....heart-wrenching and heartwarming." --Kirkus Reviews

"Readers looking for a poignant yet funny love story will find it here." --Booklist

"Stewart explores the experience of learning how to begin again in this sincere portrayal of life, loss, and first love." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Erin Stewart grew up in Virginia and now makes her home in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains with her husband and their three children. Erin loves using her background in journalism to research and write fiction based on real life. A heart failure survivor and adoptive mother, she believes life throws plot twists and people in our path for a reason-always. She is the author of the acclaimed YA novels Scars Like Wings and The Words We Keep.