Heart Sister by Michael F. Stewart

Release: September 22nd 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Source: Xpresso Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N

After his twin sister, Minnie, dies in an accident, Emmitt’s world goes sideways. Also, he’s lost his best friend and it feels like the family is falling apart without her. But Minnie was an organ donor and Emmitt soon receives an anonymous thank you letter from one of the transplant recipients. As a result, Inspiration strikes, and he decides to try and put his sister back together, in spirit. In addition, he’s going to track down each organ recipient and film them to show his parents the results of Minnie’s selfless act and help them move on.

But when each recipient falls short of his expectations and the star of his film, the girl who received his sister’s heart, refuses to meet him, Emmitt has to turn to extreme measures to find her. What he doesn’t know is that his “heart sister” is hiding an agonizing secret, one that could push Emmitt to the breaking point.

About the Author:

Michael F. Stewart is an award-winning author of many books for young people in various genres, including Ray Vs. the Meaning of Life, which earned a Kirkus Star and won the Publishers Weekly’s Booklife Grand Prize. and Heart Sister (Summer/Fall 2020, Orca Books). Michael lives in Ottawa.

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Heart Sister Review:

Get ready to have a box of tissues ready because this book will definitely make you cry. It is beautiful, funny, emotional, and a wonderful read!

Emmitt is a wonderful character, and the perfect protagonist for the plot. While the story shows how he is trying to help others, we see that he also has unresolved feelings that he must face. Moreover, he does something so nice in each chapter that makes you root for him. Firstly, I loved how he supports Joey by calling and checking on him. Secondly, I smiled when Dappy brought the virtual reality world to the kids like Ivan. Thirdly, I thought it was brilliant how he brings everyone together by making an interview through virtual reality. Also, Dennis is adorable in the supporting role, and his cheerfulness rubbed off on me too. On a side note, I also liked Fatima and wished we had seen more of her.

Futhermore, the author also portrayed the family dynamics very well. The grief that the parents go through after losing Minnie felt raw and realistic. It is never easy for a parent to lose their child, and I thought the author did a beautiful job in portraying their loss. I also loved the concept of “positive distractions” and decided to implement the same whenever I am feeling down.

However, there are some very minor things which I felt could have been avoided. For instance, I liked Becca and Emmitt as friends and didn’t feel the need to build a romance between them. But I loved the story so much that I ignored these things.

Overall, in my opinion, this book was just perfect and I loved every moment of it.

Giveaway:

1 print copy of Heart Sister
10x ebook copies of Ray Vs the Meaning of Life

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the Heart Sister by Michael F. Stewart Blog Tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!