Review: Slow Start, Great Second Half
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 2, 2013
** 3.5 stars **I chose to read In a Heartbeat for a few different reasons. What first grabbed my attention was the gorgeous cover. I love the black and white (-ish?) photo with the splash of color in the font and the cover model's nail. I also was interested in the European setting, particularly Italy. Even though I'm 1/8 Italian, a book is likely the closest I'm going to get to Italy until my kids graduate. And most surprising, considering how anti-cancer books/movies I am, occasionally I like to test my feels to see if they still work. I don't mind crying happy tears -- I welcome that -- but sad, somebody's going to die tears are not something I'm fond of in books and movies.In a Heartbeat also provides another theme that pulled my interest, how fleeting life is. How everything can literally change in a heartbeat. This is what drives the heroine, Stella's, life. Her father and brother, taken in a heartbeat. Her health, taken in a heartbeat. It's not something I like to think about, but it is a fact of life. After years of living in perpetual fear, and knowing her health is still at risk, Stella is ready to take a summer and live it the way she wants.The story started out a bit slow for me, with the establishment of Stella's past, her current health status, and gives motivation to why she's prepared to leave her home for the summer. To stay with family in Italy and live the next three months to the fullest. Once she meets Max, the story does become a little more intriguing, but still, a bit slow moving. This isn't always the case for me, but the third-person narration did make it a bit difficult for me to get into the story for a while.I guess I would describe it as a slow burn. I won't complain about it, though, because the author does take the time to let the characters get to know one another. But I felt like not a lot was happening, besides Stella swaying back-and-forth over whether to become involved with Max. And honestly, the girl is nineteen years old, and has gone through more than most. If any heroine has reason to be wishy-washy, it's Stella.The second half of the In a Heartbeat really picked up on intensity, and I found myself caring about Max and Stella. There's also a bit of a side story involving Stella's cousin Lisa. At first this seemed irrelevant to the main story, but it actually served a purpose in helping Stella move forward. Anyway, back to Max and Stella, I liked them as a couple. The author made me believe in their feelings, and I was hoping against fate for a happy ending. Did they get one?  I won't say, but I will say that the epilogue came as a but of a surprise. A pleasant surprise.And yes, In a Heartbeat is a standalone. But, there is a companion Then, Now, Forever coming soon. This is Max's best friend, Beppe, and sister Gia's story. Based on what we get of them in In a Heartbeat (it's sooo good!),  I've already put it on my to-read list.