Meet Me When My Heart Stops by Becky Hunter BLOG TOUR #MeetMeWhenMyHeartStops @Bookish_Becky @CorvusBooks @RandomTTours #BookReview

 

The first time Emery's heart stops, she is only five years old...

Emery is born with a heart condition that means her heart could quite literally stop at any moment. The people around her know what to do - if they act quickly enough there will be no lasting damage, and Emery's heart can be restarted. But when this happens, she is briefly technically dead.

Each time Emery's heart stops, she meets Nick. His purpose is to help people adjust to the fact that they are dead, to help them say goodbye, before they move on entirely. He does not usually meet people more than once - but with Emery, he is able to make a connection, and he finds himself drawn to her.

As Emery's life progresses, and she goes through ups and downs, she finds that a part of her is longing for those moments when her heart will stop - so that she can see Nick again.

This is the story of two fated lovers who long for each other, but are destined never to share more than a few fleeting moments - because if they were to be together, it would mean the end of Emery's life.

Meet Me When My Heart Stops by Becky Hunter was published on 21 March 2024 by Corvus. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour 

I'm really having difficulties with putting my thoughts together about this book. It had such a profound and emotional effect on me. It's a novel that sweeps the reader up and doesn't put them down until the final page. Full of joy, a little bit of humour, some incredible sadness and all sewn together with such love. 

Becky Hunter's previous novel; One Moment, made my list of the top books that I'd read that year. I have no hesitation in saying that Meet Me When My Heart Stops will also feature on that list for this year. It's a total joy to meet Emery and her family, the story is perfectly created and will melt the hardest of hearts. 

Emery has a heart condition. Her heart can stop, just like that and this can be sparked by different things, it's usually a sudden shock, maybe a car horn or someone grabbing her wrist. The first time this happened, Emery was just five years old. 

The author details each one of Emery's heart episodes throughout the novel, and even though she is resuscitated each time, she does spend a few minutes in the 'in-between'. This is where Nick comes in. Nick's job is help people adjust to their death, to guide them through to the next part of their journey. Nick usually meets a person once only, but in Emery's case they meet again and again and again. The connection that they form is magical, and each time they meet, Emery finds out a little more about who Nick was when he was alive. 

Emery's condition means that her father is very over protective of her. Her mother left just after one of her episodes when she was a teenager. Emery has always blamed herself for that. Her older sister, Amber is such a support and along with her best friend Bonnie and his brother Colin, she has a wonderful network to fall back on. However, Emery cannot settle. She's aware that her life may be cut short, she takes risks, cannot settle in a job and finds relationships with men difficult. The root of her relationship troubles lies with Nick. She loves him. She can't tell anyone about him, she doesn't know if they will ever meet again. It's a sad and confusing life. 

The reader comes to know Emery and the supporting cast of characters so well, sharing the joyous moments with a sense of happiness, and crying along with them at some of the absolute tragedies that happen. 

This is utterly glorious. The writing and characterisation is superb, the plot is beautiful, unusual and utterly bewitching. There are characters that you will root for so much, you may sigh with disappointment when Emery makes a few decisions that you don't agree with, but you will be transfixed, I promise. 

There is no doubt that Becky Hunter is one of our finest writers of contemporary fiction, up there with Jojo Moyes and Jill Mansell. Highly highly recommended. 

Becky Hunter lived and worked in London for several years before moving to
Mozambique to volunteer with horses and try her hand at writing. 

A few years, a few destinations, and a few jobs later she had the idea that would become One Moment. 

Alongside writing, she now works as a freelance editor and publicist, splitting her time between Bristol and London, and constantly trying to plan the next adventure.

X @Bookish_Becky

Insta @beckyhunterbooks