starryeyedjen's Reviews > Things We Know by Heart

An ARC of this title was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts are my own.

This review can also be found at The Starry-Eyed Revue.

I've seen a premise like this before, in a Lurlene McDaniel book I read when I was like, ten. Except in Someone Dies, Someone Lives, the main character was the one being saved by an organ transplant and trying to get back to life as usual, not the potential love interest. Maybe it's because I read such tragic stories like that when I was so young that I find them harder to stomach now that I'm older. But however sad I thought Things We Know by Heart would be, it ended up being twice as heartfelt and hopeful as that, so maybe that's why I gravitated toward these types of stories when I was younger.

I've only read Golden by Jessi Kirby, and I got much the same vibe from it that I did this one. Which is probably why I also have Moonglass and In Honor waiting on my shelves. Jessi Kirby's books aren't all sunshine and rainbows, but they have that distinct feel of possibility. They approach the coming-of-age story realistically, even if that means delving into subject matter that is less than pleasant and more than likely heart-wrenching.

I enjoyed this story, just not as much as I had hoped to, and that was mostly due to Quinn's inability to come clean about who she really was and how she was connected to Colton even before they'd met. The connection they formed after their initial meeting was beyond sweet, and the romance that was developing was even more so, but with that constant threat of the truth looming over them, I just couldn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. However, Quinn's relationship with her family did save the story a little for me. A spry old granny and a newly heartbroken but sassy sister will do that, though.

As is usually the case, I didn't get around to my review copy before release date, so I bought the audio because I'd really been looking forward to this book. I'm not familiar with the narrator chosen for this performance, but her portrayal was solid. There was enough variation in her voice to differentiate between characters, even the two sisters because she allowed their personalities to shine through her performance.

All in all, Things We Know by Heart was a beautiful story, if not exactly what I'd been hoping for. It's actually kind of a perfect summer read, what with the beach setting and anything is possible vibe. It also served as a good reminder that I still need to read Kirby's backlist. :)

GIF it to me straight:


Cute but sad but still kinda cute.