Copyright Date:
2023
Edition Date:
2023
Release Date:
10/10/23
Pages:
308 pages
ISBN:
1-536-22287-9
ISBN 13:
978-1-536-22287-6
Dewey:
Fic
Dimensions:
22 cm.
Language:
English
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews
What if memories could be transplanted along with a heart?Before Bay Area 17-year-old Chloe collapsed while running and learned about her congenital heart defect, she was a competitive senior with her eyes set on college. Life postâheart transplant is completely different, and Chloe can't seem to connect to her old life. Inexplicably drawn to taking up surfing, she finds herself falling for Kai, her enigmatic surf instructor. But she can't ignore the constant, haunting nightmares and surreal, fragmented memories that inexplicably bombard her. A lifelong fan of science, and especially multiverse theories, Chloe finds herself hoping that cellular memory, the ability to store memories in cells outside the brain, is true. Because she's almost 100% sure her anonymous heart donor gave her more than just an oxygen-pumping organ. What begins as a predictable rom-com veers into alternate/parallel universe science fiction, with each layer casting more doubt on Chloe's reliability as a narrator. A slow start with repetitive exposition gives way to a page-turning finale. SF newbies may find the conclusion thought-provoking even if the puzzle pieces of Chloe and Kai's relationship don't always quite click into place. Chloe is White and Kai, who is from Hawaii, is biracial (Japanese/White).Romance and quantum physics intertwine in this frothy introduction to multiverse SF. (Science fiction. 14-18)
“A thoughtful balance of self-discovery, humor, and realistic relationships. . . . Readers looking for a good, cathartic cry will love Chloe’s journey.” —School Library Journal
Seventeen-year-old Chloe had a plan: work hard, get good grades, and attend a top-tier college. But after she collapses during cross-country practice and is told that she needs a new heart, all her careful preparations are laid to waste. Eight months after her transplant, everything is different. Stuck in summer school with the underachievers, all she wants to do now is grab her surfboard and hit the waves—which is strange, because she wasn’t interested in surfing before her transplant. (It doesn’t hurt that her instructor, Kai, is seriously good-looking.) There’s also the vivid recurring nightmare about crashing a motorcycle in a tunnel, and memories of people and places she doesn’t recognize. Is there now something wrong with her head, or is there another explanation? As Chloe searches for answers, and as her attraction to Kai intensifies, what she learns will lead her to question everything she thought she knew—about life, death, love, identity, and the true nature of reality.