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renflew's review against another edition
4.0
Another wonderful book from Amy Hatvany. I have to digest before I can properly review, but as always I highly recommend.
heidi_boyles's review against another edition
5.0
I am literally still crying from this amazing book. If you are going to read this, have some tissues ready! Amy had me in tears by page 2. This story was so heartbreaking, yet heartwarming. Not many authors can write like that, but Amy Hatvany sure can!! I felt such a deep connection to all three of the characters who voiced chapters in this novel. My heart broke as a mother for both Olivia and Hannah, but it also broke for Maddie and the trying times she had. I can't begin to break down this book. Just read it!! I know Amy has a new fan and I'm on my way to one-click every book she has out!!!
courtthebookgirl's review against another edition
3.0
I am really giving this 3.5 stars, but being that goodreads makes me pick between 3 and 4, I am rounding down. I liked the story, most (not all) of the characters, and the readability of the story. I didn't like the loose ends left behind, the very broad brushes some of the characters were painted with (some characters were just walking stereotypes), and am not blown away by the writing. I also didn't love the ending - I was left flipping past the acknowledgement and back again, hoping I'd missed a page or twelve. I hadn't.
That said, it was an enjoyable, fast read (read in one day). I would give others by is author a try because I do like the way she weaves a story.
That said, it was an enjoyable, fast read (read in one day). I would give others by is author a try because I do like the way she weaves a story.
gettinglostinagoodbook's review against another edition
4.0
Tragic yet heartwarming.
How does one deal with the death of a child? How does one carry on alone? Hannah struggles with that in a daily basis. Until she meets the recipient of her daughters liver.
Now Hannah can see that some good has come from Emily's pointless death. While it doesn't heal, it does help dull the ache. That is until Hannah discovers exactly what Maddy and Olivia are going through.
There was a lot in this book. Either subject matter - death of a child or abusive relationships - would probably provide enough material on their own for any book Hatvany has somehow intertwined these two subjects, without overwhelming too much. All three characters grow and change in positive and likeable ways. All three characters eventually face their own demons.
Many people compare Hatvany to Picoult. Personally I think I prefer this new to me author. I will be looking for more!
How does one deal with the death of a child? How does one carry on alone? Hannah struggles with that in a daily basis. Until she meets the recipient of her daughters liver.
Now Hannah can see that some good has come from Emily's pointless death. While it doesn't heal, it does help dull the ache. That is until Hannah discovers exactly what Maddy and Olivia are going through.
There was a lot in this book. Either subject matter - death of a child or abusive relationships - would probably provide enough material on their own for any book Hatvany has somehow intertwined these two subjects, without overwhelming too much. All three characters grow and change in positive and likeable ways. All three characters eventually face their own demons.
Many people compare Hatvany to Picoult. Personally I think I prefer this new to me author. I will be looking for more!
bethreadsandnaps's review against another edition
4.0
Another great read by Ms. Hatvany! Good characters and writing. The author lives in Seattle, and her husband has the same first name as my husband, so I might be a little biased. :)
This novel touched on organ donation, catfishing, domestic abuse and peer pressure. A bit dense on the issues, and the catfishing came to an abrupt conclusion so possibly that subplot could have been dropped completely.
Can't wait for her next book!
This novel touched on organ donation, catfishing, domestic abuse and peer pressure. A bit dense on the issues, and the catfishing came to an abrupt conclusion so possibly that subplot could have been dropped completely.
Can't wait for her next book!
kriedesel's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. Its the first book I have read in sometime and I am so glad I did.
shelleyrae's review against another edition
3.0
Told from the perspectives of Hannah, Olivia and Maddie, Amy Hatvany's Safe with Me is an emotive story of tragedy, grief, friendship, secrets and second chances.
A year after her twelve year old daughter's tragic death, Hannah is still struggling with the loss, burying herself in work to distract herself from the memories, the crippling grief mitigated only by the knowledge that part of Emily lives on in those who received her donated organs.
Olivia was just days away from losing her daughter to liver disease when fifteen year old Maddie received the transplant she desperately needed and after decades of enduring an abusive marriage to ensure the health of her child, Olivia can finally make plans for the two of them to escape.
After years of illness and hospitalisation, Maddie can finally lead a more normal life but she's worried about fitting in at a regular high school, and devastated when the first girl she meets makes snide remarks about her hair and clothing.
To cheer Maddie up, Olivia treats her to a cut and colour at the new and exclusive salon in town where they meet stylist, Hannah. Hannah is stunned when Olivia reveals that twelve months previously, Maddie received a transplant and can't help but wonder if the teenage girl before her lived because her daughter died. Tentatively Hannah initiates a friendship with Olivia, and the women are surprised at the ease with which they confide in each other but there are some secrets neither are willing to share.
I was absorbed by the intensity of tragedy and emotion that unfolds from the first page of Safe With Me. Hannah's grief is raw and visceral as she faces the loss of her precious daughter, the agonising decision to donate her organs and then living without her. Olivia's love and concern for her ill daughter is evident and when we learn of the physical and emotional abuse she has endured for Maddie's sake we both admire and pity her. Maddie evokes immediate sympathy as a very ill girl and then as an awkward teen as she struggles to rebuild her life.
But if I am honest, on reflection, the plot of Safe With Me resembles a soap opera episode or a lifetime movie. I wish Hatvany hadn't opted to combine two such emotive issues - organ donation and domestic violence. While I think the author approaches both issues with sensitivity and compassion, it also seems calculated and somehow cheapens the seriousness of both.
I also took issue with some elements of the storyline, I would have liked the author to have developed the friendship between Hannah and Olivia more, for example. Hannah and Maddie's outrage over Olivia withholding her suspicions that Maddie was the recipient of her daughters liver, seems disproportionate, after all they had shared little more than a hairdressing appointment and a coffee date.
I've struggled with this review because while my heart was touched by this story when I was immersed in it, as I began to write down my thoughts I grew increasingly cynical about it all. I can't deny that Safe With Me is a gripping, affecting read in the moment but some readers, like me, may ultimately find it disingenuous.
jillhannaha's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book, loved the three point of views, which gave the reader a good glimpse into a well-rounded story! Maddie, the teenager POV, was probably my favorite. Maddie has received an organ transplant from Hannah's daughter who has passed away. Hannah is trying to deal with her grief when she meets up with Maddie and her mother, Olivia. Things are turning around for Maddie, thanks to the liver transplant, but behind the perfect life Olivia portrays, is a life of spousal abuse.
Hannah and Olivia become friends, and the three of them weave a wonderful story of the inner strength of women, and how important friends are. A quick, enjoyable read!
Hannah and Olivia become friends, and the three of them weave a wonderful story of the inner strength of women, and how important friends are. A quick, enjoyable read!
ceuran's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. How do I even begin? This book was exactly what I wanted and then some. I’d never heard of this book before visiting Costco with my mom yesterday. You have no idea how happy I am that I went with her after finishing this book.
How do I describe the difficulties of Olivia’s life? When she first met James he was charming, kind, funny; absolutely everything you would want from a man. So when he proposed to her, how could Olivia say no? But not long after moving in with him, he would say things that made small bells go off in her head. But her sweet, charming James couldn’t have possibly meant it in that way, right? He must have just had a rough day at work. A year later, Olivia and James have their beautiful daughter Madelyn and nothing could be better. Fast-forward a couple more years and James has taken his slight jabs too far. Far enough that Olivia decides she needs to take Maddie and run far, far away. But then the unspeakable happens. Maddie gets sick with a liver disease and Olivia knows she can’t afford the treatments on her own. How can she leave James now?
A couple years later, Hannah’s daughter Emily has been hit by a car. After being rushed to the hospital and hours of surgery have gone by, Emily is alive… but only because of the life support the hospital’s machines are providing for her. The doctor asks Hannah if her daughter was an organ donor. There’s a 15 year old girl in dire need of a liver transplant and time is of the essence.
Knowing this is what Emily would want, Hannah donates everything that’s left of her daughter in order to save the lives of many others, one of them being Maddie.
A year later, Hannah and Olivia meet by coincidence and become very close very fast. This is a story of family, friendship and courage. So much courage.
I loved this book so much more than I ever expected to. I cared for these characters more than I ever expected to. I don’t think I’ve ever cared for any fictional character as much as I cared for Hannah, Maddie and Olivia.
Watching these three girls go through their own forms of grief and struggle was so incredibly moving. All three of their stories demanded to be heard through Hatvany’s writing style. It was very simple and yet very elegant, and I think that is why it worked so well.
Nothing about this book was black and white. Everything was a millions shades of gray. The pacing was beautiful, the situation was so believe and so heart breaking on all accounts that I found myself tearing up on multiple occasions.
There is not a single flaw that I am able to identify in this book. There is not a single person that I would not recommend this book to. There is not a page that I didn’t love within this book.
Please, just read this book. It is definitely the kind of book that leaves its mark on you.
How do I describe the difficulties of Olivia’s life? When she first met James he was charming, kind, funny; absolutely everything you would want from a man. So when he proposed to her, how could Olivia say no? But not long after moving in with him, he would say things that made small bells go off in her head. But her sweet, charming James couldn’t have possibly meant it in that way, right? He must have just had a rough day at work. A year later, Olivia and James have their beautiful daughter Madelyn and nothing could be better. Fast-forward a couple more years and James has taken his slight jabs too far. Far enough that Olivia decides she needs to take Maddie and run far, far away. But then the unspeakable happens. Maddie gets sick with a liver disease and Olivia knows she can’t afford the treatments on her own. How can she leave James now?
A couple years later, Hannah’s daughter Emily has been hit by a car. After being rushed to the hospital and hours of surgery have gone by, Emily is alive… but only because of the life support the hospital’s machines are providing for her. The doctor asks Hannah if her daughter was an organ donor. There’s a 15 year old girl in dire need of a liver transplant and time is of the essence.
Knowing this is what Emily would want, Hannah donates everything that’s left of her daughter in order to save the lives of many others, one of them being Maddie.
A year later, Hannah and Olivia meet by coincidence and become very close very fast. This is a story of family, friendship and courage. So much courage.
I loved this book so much more than I ever expected to. I cared for these characters more than I ever expected to. I don’t think I’ve ever cared for any fictional character as much as I cared for Hannah, Maddie and Olivia.
Watching these three girls go through their own forms of grief and struggle was so incredibly moving. All three of their stories demanded to be heard through Hatvany’s writing style. It was very simple and yet very elegant, and I think that is why it worked so well.
Nothing about this book was black and white. Everything was a millions shades of gray. The pacing was beautiful, the situation was so believe and so heart breaking on all accounts that I found myself tearing up on multiple occasions.
There is not a single flaw that I am able to identify in this book. There is not a single person that I would not recommend this book to. There is not a page that I didn’t love within this book.
Please, just read this book. It is definitely the kind of book that leaves its mark on you.