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vikcs's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
emilyhei's review against another edition
4.0
A part of Stella feels cursed. She endured losing her father and brother in a car crash, five years later she is a cancer survivor. When Stella was initially diagnosed she was given false hope it would be easy to catch, two surgeries later Stella has three months to wait to see if the cancer has returned.
Instead of sitting home watching the time tick by, Stella leaves for Italy to stay with her cousin. She wants three months of frolicking fun and not to be recognized as "that poor girl, she has been through so much". The minute she hits the beach she sees the most mouth watering lifeguard she ever dared to meet.
Max is known as flirtatious and he is also best friends with Stella's cousin. He knows Stella is special the minute he meets her, but getting her to admit the attraction and act on it is another matter altogether. Stella doesn't want to put her cousin in the middle when the summer of fun is over, making Max off limits in her mind. As they become closer friends it is to hard to resist the connection they feel, but Stella doesn't want Max to carry the burden he will have if her cancer is back, managing to push him away in the process. What Stella doesn't expect is Max is not turning away ever, she is his happily ever after regardless of the time they have left.
This was a beautifully written story, I thought the emotions both Stella and Max had were realistic and endearing. Max is an idiot at times but he is acting out not sure what to do about Stella. Wonderful story, can't wait to read the next in the Heartbeat story.
Instead of sitting home watching the time tick by, Stella leaves for Italy to stay with her cousin. She wants three months of frolicking fun and not to be recognized as "that poor girl, she has been through so much". The minute she hits the beach she sees the most mouth watering lifeguard she ever dared to meet.
Max is known as flirtatious and he is also best friends with Stella's cousin. He knows Stella is special the minute he meets her, but getting her to admit the attraction and act on it is another matter altogether. Stella doesn't want to put her cousin in the middle when the summer of fun is over, making Max off limits in her mind. As they become closer friends it is to hard to resist the connection they feel, but Stella doesn't want Max to carry the burden he will have if her cancer is back, managing to push him away in the process. What Stella doesn't expect is Max is not turning away ever, she is his happily ever after regardless of the time they have left.
This was a beautifully written story, I thought the emotions both Stella and Max had were realistic and endearing. Max is an idiot at times but he is acting out not sure what to do about Stella. Wonderful story, can't wait to read the next in the Heartbeat story.
b00kr3vi3ws's review against another edition
4.0
http://www.b00kr3vi3ws.in/2014/01/InAHeartbeat.html
If life is like a card game, Stella has been consistently dealt with a bad hand! She lost her brother and her father together in a car accident. Soon after her best friend moves away and then came the cancer. Been in an out of treatment centers for quite some time, Stella wants a break after her latest surgery and decides to go meet Lisa, her best friend and cousin, in Italy – where no one knows about her past and no one would look at her with pity. Max on the other hand has had his fair share of lemons in life too and he deals with it in his own way. He is a Casanova with a baggage and even though Lisa warns Stella that he is a flirt, the connection between these two is undeniable. But will Stella and Max be able to overcome their own fears and stubbornness to find their way to each other?
The best thing about this book is its cast and characters and Stella is the shining star amongst them. I loved her character for being strong and resilient. It would have been very easy for her to break down and loose her way, but she struggled and fought on for a good life. Max is a yummy lifeguard – need I say more? Oh well, he also has other qualities that helps him warm up to the readers. He is respectful, caring with a ‘soft’ heart too. Then there’s Lisa, Gia and Beppe – they are more than just side characters in Stella and Max’s love story. They are instrumental to their story and each brings in a different flavor to the lives of our protagonists. The author’s style of narration is also rather favourable. I liked how she told us Stella’s back story in a single chapter – without dragging it. She tells a story as if she is narrating it to her friends and as such I felt drawn into the story pretty quick.
As for the plot, it is simple and almost predictable. There are a few inconsistencies, especially with regards to Stella’s health that bugged me towards the beginning. But as the story progressed, I found myself not caring about those little individual things and being caught up in the larger picture. The characters, the chemistry, the secrets, the struggles and the friendships – I loved this book as a whole and enjoyed the emotional rollercoaster ride.
If life is like a card game, Stella has been consistently dealt with a bad hand! She lost her brother and her father together in a car accident. Soon after her best friend moves away and then came the cancer. Been in an out of treatment centers for quite some time, Stella wants a break after her latest surgery and decides to go meet Lisa, her best friend and cousin, in Italy – where no one knows about her past and no one would look at her with pity. Max on the other hand has had his fair share of lemons in life too and he deals with it in his own way. He is a Casanova with a baggage and even though Lisa warns Stella that he is a flirt, the connection between these two is undeniable. But will Stella and Max be able to overcome their own fears and stubbornness to find their way to each other?
The best thing about this book is its cast and characters and Stella is the shining star amongst them. I loved her character for being strong and resilient. It would have been very easy for her to break down and loose her way, but she struggled and fought on for a good life. Max is a yummy lifeguard – need I say more? Oh well, he also has other qualities that helps him warm up to the readers. He is respectful, caring with a ‘soft’ heart too. Then there’s Lisa, Gia and Beppe – they are more than just side characters in Stella and Max’s love story. They are instrumental to their story and each brings in a different flavor to the lives of our protagonists. The author’s style of narration is also rather favourable. I liked how she told us Stella’s back story in a single chapter – without dragging it. She tells a story as if she is narrating it to her friends and as such I felt drawn into the story pretty quick.
As for the plot, it is simple and almost predictable. There are a few inconsistencies, especially with regards to Stella’s health that bugged me towards the beginning. But as the story progressed, I found myself not caring about those little individual things and being caught up in the larger picture. The characters, the chemistry, the secrets, the struggles and the friendships – I loved this book as a whole and enjoyed the emotional rollercoaster ride.
lifeandliterature's review against another edition
4.0
And just like that, in a heartbeat, their lives changed forever.
Happiness is discovering an author who's work you haven't read before and falling in love with the characters they have created and the story they have woven. So after reading In a Heartbeat, I am very happy indeed!!!
In a Heartbeat started with me having a huge smile on my face. Stella is part of a wonderful happy family. But within a few pages of starting this my face no longer contained that smile. Things fell apart very quickly. From one thing to the next Stella endures way more than any girl her age should have to deal with. Cancer being one of those things. After her latest round of treatment, Stella decides to get away for a few months and go to Italy to spend time with her Cousin Lisa and her Aunt Niki. Somewhere where she's not known as the girl with cancer.
Not long after arriving, Stella is on the beach when she catches sight of the incredibly gorgeous lifeguard Max. Stella is completely captivated by him. And it turns out that he is her cousins friend and they will be spending plenty of time together. After fighting their feelings for each other it soon becomes impossible to ignore and a beautiful romance blossoms between the two of them. But always in the back of Stella's mind is the possibility of her cancer returning.
My favourite character hands down was Max. He starts out as a flirt and readily admits to the amount of girls that he's been with. But his feelings for Stella are like nothing he's ever felt before. He was so loving and sweet and caring. It was impossible not to love him. And he's definitely going on my list of book boyfriends.
He had black shorts on and nothing else. The muscles on his chest, arms and shoulders flexed with every step he took.The tattoo on his hip moved in sync with his body and at that moment all Stella wanted to do was yank his shorts down and explore it. With her mouth.
Stella was an incredibly strong character. Once she set her mind on something she was pretty hard to sway. And while I loved that about her, it was also something that frustrated me at times. I found myself silently begging her to change some of the decisions that she made.
The supporting cast was fantastic as well. I loved Stella and Lisa's mum's. They were so supportive and loving and giving. Another character I adored was Beppe. He is Max's best friend, a complete out and out flirt but so incredibly fun and adorable!!!
Another plus for me was the inclusion of soccer (Football). Man, how much do I love that sport!!! And Liverpool like Stella to boot!!! I loved her passion for the game. Her knowledge of the sport. So wonderful to read about one of my absolute passions in a book that I loved!!
Oh and I did a little squee every time that the title of the book was used throughout the story. I love when an author does that!!
While there is an amazing amount of wonderful romance in this book. It was so much more than that. FIlled with so many deep and real situations, In a Heartbeat was such a great, well written read. I will definitely be reading book two in the series.
Fight for what you really want and never, ever settle for anything less.
Don't exist. Live.
4.5/5 I Love Max Stars!!
Happiness is discovering an author who's work you haven't read before and falling in love with the characters they have created and the story they have woven. So after reading In a Heartbeat, I am very happy indeed!!!
In a Heartbeat started with me having a huge smile on my face. Stella is part of a wonderful happy family. But within a few pages of starting this my face no longer contained that smile. Things fell apart very quickly. From one thing to the next Stella endures way more than any girl her age should have to deal with. Cancer being one of those things. After her latest round of treatment, Stella decides to get away for a few months and go to Italy to spend time with her Cousin Lisa and her Aunt Niki. Somewhere where she's not known as the girl with cancer.
Not long after arriving, Stella is on the beach when she catches sight of the incredibly gorgeous lifeguard Max. Stella is completely captivated by him. And it turns out that he is her cousins friend and they will be spending plenty of time together. After fighting their feelings for each other it soon becomes impossible to ignore and a beautiful romance blossoms between the two of them. But always in the back of Stella's mind is the possibility of her cancer returning.
My favourite character hands down was Max. He starts out as a flirt and readily admits to the amount of girls that he's been with. But his feelings for Stella are like nothing he's ever felt before. He was so loving and sweet and caring. It was impossible not to love him. And he's definitely going on my list of book boyfriends.
He had black shorts on and nothing else. The muscles on his chest, arms and shoulders flexed with every step he took.The tattoo on his hip moved in sync with his body and at that moment all Stella wanted to do was yank his shorts down and explore it. With her mouth.
Stella was an incredibly strong character. Once she set her mind on something she was pretty hard to sway. And while I loved that about her, it was also something that frustrated me at times. I found myself silently begging her to change some of the decisions that she made.
The supporting cast was fantastic as well. I loved Stella and Lisa's mum's. They were so supportive and loving and giving. Another character I adored was Beppe. He is Max's best friend, a complete out and out flirt but so incredibly fun and adorable!!!
Another plus for me was the inclusion of soccer (Football). Man, how much do I love that sport!!! And Liverpool like Stella to boot!!! I loved her passion for the game. Her knowledge of the sport. So wonderful to read about one of my absolute passions in a book that I loved!!
Oh and I did a little squee every time that the title of the book was used throughout the story. I love when an author does that!!
While there is an amazing amount of wonderful romance in this book. It was so much more than that. FIlled with so many deep and real situations, In a Heartbeat was such a great, well written read. I will definitely be reading book two in the series.
Fight for what you really want and never, ever settle for anything less.
Don't exist. Live.
4.5/5 I Love Max Stars!!
nisharoo22's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 Stars! This book was so full of heart-wrenching emotions. My heart went out to almost all the characters. I hope we'll get to hear Lisa and Gino's story.
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