Things We Know by Heart

Quinn Sullivan lost her boyfriend Trent in an accident over a year ago. She initiates contact with the recipient of his donated heart, despite rules against doing so. She tracks down the recipient, a young man named Colton Thomas, and encounters him by chance in his coastal California town. Quinn keeps her connection to Trent's heart a secret as she gets to know Colton and becomes drawn into his active, oceanside lifestyle. Quinn faces internal conflicts about moving forward while honoring Trent's memory, especially as her relationship with Colton deepens. Her quest to learn about the person who received Trent's heart transforms into an unexpected journey of healing and second chances. The novel explores grief, identity, and the ways people remain connected even after profound loss. Through Quinn's story, it raises questions about the boundaries between holding on and letting go.

Readers describe this as an emotional contemporary YA romance that handles grief and healing. The story moves at a measured pace, focusing on character development over plot twists. Liked: - Authentic portrayal of loss and grieving - Chemistry between main characters - Marine biology details and coastal setting - Handling of ethical issues around organ donation - Writing style conveys emotion without melodrama Disliked: - Predictable plot progression - Some found the pacing too slow - Main character's decisions frustrated some readers - Romance develops quickly for the subject matter Ratings: Goodreads: 3.94/5 (11,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (180+ ratings) "The author captures grief in a raw but hopeful way" - Goodreads reviewer "Beautiful writing but I wanted more complexity in the plot" - Amazon reviewer "Found myself completely invested in Quinn's healing journey" - Barnes & Noble reviewer

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🫀 Author Jessi Kirby was inspired to write this story after reading a real news article about a heart transplant recipient who fell in love with her donor's sister. 📚 The book explores the real phenomenon of cellular memory, where organ transplant recipients sometimes experience personality changes or new preferences similar to their donors. 💌 Each chapter opens with a fact about the heart, ranging from medical statistics to cultural beliefs about love and emotion. ⏱️ The story takes place over exactly 395 days - the amount of time that passes from Quinn's boyfriend's death to when she finally meets his heart recipient. 🏃‍♀️ Jessi Kirby is not only an author but also works as a middle school librarian and is an avid runner, which influenced some of the active lifestyle elements in the book.