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The Heartbeat Hypothesis
Audra Madison simply wanted to walk in the shoes of Emily Cavanaugh, a free-spirited teenager who died too young. After all, Audra wasn’t supposed to be here.
Thanks to Emily, Audra has a second chance at life. She’s doing all the things that seemed impossible just two years Go to college. Date. Stargaze in the Rocky Mountains. Maybe get a tattoo. You know, live.
Jake Cavanaugh, a photographer with mysterious, brooding gray eyes, agrees to help chronicle her newfound experiences. She makes him laugh, one of the only people who can these days. As they delve into each other’s pasts – and secrets – the closer they become.
But she’s guarded and feels like she can’t trust anyone, including herself. And he’s struggling with the fact that his beloved sister’s heart beats inside her.
Thanks to Emily, Audra has a second chance at life. She’s doing all the things that seemed impossible just two years Go to college. Date. Stargaze in the Rocky Mountains. Maybe get a tattoo. You know, live.
Jake Cavanaugh, a photographer with mysterious, brooding gray eyes, agrees to help chronicle her newfound experiences. She makes him laugh, one of the only people who can these days. As they delve into each other’s pasts – and secrets – the closer they become.
But she’s guarded and feels like she can’t trust anyone, including herself. And he’s struggling with the fact that his beloved sister’s heart beats inside her.
243 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 20, 2017
31 people are currently reading
812 people want to read
About the author
Lindsey Frydman
3 books283 followersLindsey writes about heart-stopping romance, rule-breaking heroes, and everyday magic. She lives in Ohio (where the weather is never quite right). Her BFA in Photography and Graphic Design has granted her a wide assortment of creative knowledge that serves mostly as inspiration. When she’s not crafting stories, you'll likely find her spending waaay too much time on Pinterest, gaming, or performing in a burlesque show—because she enjoys giving her introversion a worthy adversary. (Plus, it's the closest to Broadway she’ll ever get.) Lindsey is represented by the amazing Naomi Davis. Her debut, THE HEARTBEAT HYPOTHESIS, released March 2017. Her forthcoming novels, TO WHATEVER END, and the first in the PROJECT A.I.D.E.N. series are set to release 10/1/18 and 1/8/19 with Entangled Teen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
March 27, 2017
✬✬✬ 3.5 Cheez-it Stars ✬✬✬
Review @ Vanilla & Spice Books
According to the Heartbeat Hypothesis every living creature has a limited number of heartbeats or breaths. Once they are used up, the creature dies. Following that thought train Audra should already be dead, being born with a heart defect. She is lucky, however. Somebody else's death gave her a second chance and she is immensely thankful for that. To show her gratitude she seeks out her donor's brother Jake to help her with her task. Re-creating something like a bucket list Emily made her brother take pics of.
Jake isn't thrilled to meet up with Audra but he loved his sister and wants to honor her memory too. As they start with Audra's own "done-it" list Jake begins to see a different Emily and he gets to teach Audra things he never had the chance to show his sister. But while he wants to help his new friend he keeps her at arms length.
This heroine wasn't easy to love. While I admired her for her strength regarding her health I found her to be a little bit too immature. She kept pushing Jake to talk about the things he clearly didn't want to disclose instead of being patient and waiting for him to come around. I wanted her to relax a little bit and give Jake a reason to trust her. Audra wasn't unlikable but she made it hard to fall in love with her. I do get that this is a book about teenagers falling in love but I wanted her to show more of a backbone where Jake was concerned.
Her guilt for having survived while our hero's sister didn't also made it impossible for her to relax and that was understandable. If your own survival comes at the cost of somebody else's death you have to be a cold-blooded mofo not to feel guilty about it.
I thought I knew what loneliness was…But you can’t know lonely until you've lived the opposite.
Jake wasn't much better. He was obstinately closed off and next second he was sweet and warm like summer rain. Whenever Audra wanted to talk he clammed up and hurt her. The hot-and-cold attitude has to confuse any 18 year old teen, however, it does not justify what Audra did. I'm being deliberately vague. I didn't get a life-affirming vibe from Jake. Yes, his past wasn't pretty but I hard time imagining how he would get himself out of this hole of self hatred and the one for his parents.
And on bad days, when his aura of sadness blazed like an alarm he couldn't turn off, I felt like I was doing everything wrong.
While reading I had the distinct feeling that they both felt awkward when they spent time in the first half of the book but given the circumstances and character traits of the two main characters their relationship developed naturally.
The writing was very good for a debut author. It kept me engaged and while I had a few eye-rolling moments I rather take those than being bored to death. This story deals with serious topics like death and handling grief, abuse and how people sometimes just can't let go. It has a generous dose of angst. I would have loved to read Jake's POV.
I see great promise in this author if she evolves and takes both the good and the critical reviews into consideration. I really think that Lindsey Frydman is on to something.
Overall this was a solid debut and I will definitely read more.
March 20, 2017
Title: The Heartbeat Hypothesis
Series: Standalone
Author: Lindsey Frydman
Release date: March 20, 2017
Cliffhanger: No
HEA
When I first picked this book up, I thought it would a fluffy, possibly steamy read. That didn't turn out to be the case at all. Don't get me wrong, it starts out more on the light and feel-good side, but quickly I realized that there was more to the story than the premise implies. Audra, our heroine, received a life saving heart transplant two years before and suddenly the world is open to limitless possibilities. She no longer has to live one day at a time, just clinging to hope and a promise of a real future. Unfortunately, it came at the cost of her heart donor Emily's life and the guilt that comes along with that isn't easy to let go of. So she reaches out to Emily's brother Jake with a plan to enlist his help and come to peace with her gift.
A girl I didn’t know, could never know, was dead, and her tragedy had suddenly become my blessing. It felt…wrong. And it would’ve been foolish to sit around and do nothing about it.
Audra and Jake meet and make a plan to re-create his sister's photographs in order for Audra to "walk in her shoes" through her experiences. At first, I was seeing this solely as a healing process for the two of them while they developed feelings for one another. Simple, cut and dry. Well, I discovered that this was heading down a little bit of a darker path. Jake was moody, broody, and not very communicative. There were brief flashes from him, he'd give her a little bit of himself and then retreat all over again. He offers to give her piano lessons, and then eventually stands her up when their feelings start to blur past friendship. There is clearly something in his past that he's hiding, something that he's unwilling to share that's making him feel incapable of offering Audra love.
There were times we didn’t need words. That was part of why I liked hanging out with him so much. On good days, it felt like our souls had been friends for a very long time, like we knew exactly how to be around each other.
Audra is crushing hard on him, but their relationship is filled with secrets and complications. I enjoyed her at first, I thought she was a little bit awkward and sweet and her idea to honor Emily was commendable. But later, she started behaving...I don't know what else to call it but immature. First with her peeking at his very private journal and then hiding that fact. On one hand, I understand that he's not exactly being open with why he's keeping his distance, but that was such an invasion. What she discovered was more than a little disturbing, and she just somehow told herself to brush it under the rug as well.
But worse, when he finally does open up to her, she goes behind his back once again and uses the confidence he gave her to start snooping in the mystery surrounding his family. This is where things started to go a little OTT for my taste. I'm not going to go into what occurs after this, but what happens with his family was really out of left field. And I didn't feel as if anything was explained or resolved conclusively.
Now that I'm writing this review, I'm seeing that there was more that bothered me than I realized and I'm going to have to change my rating again. I've been all over the place, very conflicted about how I feel. I think the premise was a promising one, and I liked that it led me in a different direction than I anticipated. It was unpredictable. The writing was engaging and the characters dealt with serious life and death issues, some were addressed with delicacy. For example, the unexpected tragic twist with Audra around the middle of the book I really appreciated. Her emotions and reactions felt genuine and were emotionally complex. But when it came to Jake's history, and how that story arc unfolded, that's where it lost me.
I admire this author's writing and I'd definitely give a future book of hers a chance, but I think that all the pieces of this one didn't quite fit enough to satisfy me. It's hard, because there really was a lot I liked here, just not consistently. If you're looking for a New Adult book with mystery, and a tortured, brooding hero then this could very well be the book for you. There were lighthearted moments, as well as introspective and emotional. I'll be keeping my eye on this author in the future.
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March 30, 2017
4.5 stars
Sometimes a book just kind of hits you in the gut and that is exactly what happened with The Heartbeat Hypothesis. I’m extremely impressed by new author Lindsey Frydman and this story is unique and refreshingly honest and while there was a bit more angst than I normally enjoy, with these characters it was fully warranted. Gut wrenching yet hopeful; The Heartbeat Hypothesis was an emotionally charged and complex story.
This review is going to be short because this is one of those books that you have to experience so the less said about it the better. College freshman Audra Madison is lucky to be alive and I mean that seriously and when she discovers that her heart donor’s older brother, Jake Cavanaugh, attends the same school, she is determined to seek him out and asks him to help her recreate a series of photos his younger sister did on her Tumblr page as a tribute to her. The set out to do these photos but in the meantime, they also spend time together in other ways (non sexual ways) and Audra begins to develop feelings for him while he remains somewhat aloof and at times even a bit mean.
Both these young adults (18 and 21) have been through more than many adults and while Audra seems a bit immature which I’m sure is due to her heart condition and her parents need to suffocate her, Jake seems much older than his years and as this story unfolds we find out why.
I enjoyed the way their friendship built and that over time they began to open up to one another about their lives. While I do felt Audra made some poor choices in judgment, I could also understand her frustration with the way Jake always seemed to change the subject or leave when things got tough. While I realize he didn’t “owe” her anything and tried to tell her he wasn’t good for her, he also didn’t seem to discourage her attentions. He was the master of mixed signals.
This was not an easy story; it deals with loss, tragedy, depression, abuse, and two young people trying to deal with it all. These characters are put through the wringer and learning to navigate through the myriad of complications and turmoil takes a toll not only on them personally but on their fragile relationship. However, through all the darkness they manage to find the light.
The Heartbeat Hypothesis was poignant, refreshing, and an exceptional first book for author Lindsey Frydman.
Review copy provided for a voluntary review.
November 24, 2017
Audra got a desperately needed heart transplant and so she got a second chance at life. She can do things she never thought she would do. To honor the young woman whose heart Audra got, she wants to recreate the pictures she posted on a site and Audra wants the same person to take those photos. That person was that girl’s brother, Jake. Jake isn’t sure what to think about Audra idea, but eventually agrees. Audra and Jake spend some time together and feelings grow.
I liked Audra and Jake, but I did like Jake more. Audra was so happy about her second chance at life and that she could go to college. She knows life is precious and tries to enjoy it as much as she can. Audra is attracted to Jake. She loves his photos and the way he can play the piano. She wants him to learn her how to play. Audra made some stupid decisions and could push a little too much sometimes, and Jake didn’t want that.
Jake is closed off, talented, lonely and a little damaged. He still misses his sister every day and only has good memories about her. There is something about Audra that Jake likes and he likes her idea about the recreation of his sister’s photos, but he just doesn’t always know what to do with his feelings. He pushes people away when they get to close, just like Audra. In the end, Jake is there when Audra needed him the most and he comforted her.
The Heartbeat Hypothesis is a great debut novel. It’s unique, emotional and sweet. It’s about losses, healing and moving on. I’m still doubting between 3 and 4 stars. It’s just not 4 stars, but it also deserves more than 3 stars.. I wanted to know more or I just wanted more about some things, like the photos, Jake’s parents or the aftermath of what happened with Kat.
Kat was the perfect best friend of Audra. She’s caring, supportive and fun. She pushes Audra when she knows that Audra can handle it. I couldn’t believe what happened to her. I kind of wishes that I didn’t happen, because Audra is even more lonely then and I’m sure something else would have brought Audra and Jake back together.
-- My honest review is based on a copy provided by the author. --
I liked Audra and Jake, but I did like Jake more. Audra was so happy about her second chance at life and that she could go to college. She knows life is precious and tries to enjoy it as much as she can. Audra is attracted to Jake. She loves his photos and the way he can play the piano. She wants him to learn her how to play. Audra made some stupid decisions and could push a little too much sometimes, and Jake didn’t want that.
Jake is closed off, talented, lonely and a little damaged. He still misses his sister every day and only has good memories about her. There is something about Audra that Jake likes and he likes her idea about the recreation of his sister’s photos, but he just doesn’t always know what to do with his feelings. He pushes people away when they get to close, just like Audra. In the end, Jake is there when Audra needed him the most and he comforted her.
The Heartbeat Hypothesis is a great debut novel. It’s unique, emotional and sweet. It’s about losses, healing and moving on. I’m still doubting between 3 and 4 stars. It’s just not 4 stars, but it also deserves more than 3 stars.. I wanted to know more or I just wanted more about some things, like the photos, Jake’s parents or the aftermath of what happened with Kat.
Kat was the perfect best friend of Audra. She’s caring, supportive and fun. She pushes Audra when she knows that Audra can handle it. I couldn’t believe what happened to her. I kind of wishes that I didn’t happen, because Audra is even more lonely then and I’m sure something else would have brought Audra and Jake back together.
-- My honest review is based on a copy provided by the author. --
October 11, 2020
Audra knows she wouldn’t be here if not for the death of another young girl whose heart now beats in Audra’s chest. It’s a tough place to be in, glad to be alive but knowing someone else paid the price. Curious and wanting to pay some kind of tribute to the girl whose life was cut short, she sets out to recreate the fun pictures Emily once posted on tumblr, falling into step with Emily’s brooding, confusing, and kind brother along the way. Being alive at the expense of someone else isn’t an easy road to walk…
I soooooo lucked out with this one. Oddly enough, I’d seen it mentioned somewhere but failed to bookmark it, and without having memorized the title or author name, I figured I’d never find it again…until the publicist just happened to contact me. Of course I jumped at the chance to get a copy! I normally stay away from books that have the potential to be overwhelmingly angsty, and with a plot like this one, The Heartbeat Hypothesis definitely looked like it fit into that category. But I found the idea for the story just fascinating, so I crossed my fingers and got to reading.
Audra felt more real to me than the few other characters I’ve “met” whose lives have been saved by organ donation. Sure, she felt bad for Emily, and perhaps even more so for Emily’s brother Jake, but she wasn’t drowning in guilt; she was happy to be be alive. That’s not to say she ran around celebrating, but she was quick to admit, at least to herself, that she was fortunate.
Jake was absolutely confounding. He seemed stand-offish (understandable, right?), and then uncaring, and then curious, and then kind, and then distant, and then… I suppose he simply lived the spectrum of emotions typical of anyone who not only had a pretty terrible upbringing but also lost the one person he was close to. His character had me spinning, trying to guess what he was thinking the same way that Audra was always working to figure him out. And as frustrating as that was, I loved it because he, too, seemed so much more real than the cookie-cutter men we normally get in books with a romantic spin.
But The Heartbeat Hypothesis is not your typical NA romance novel. It’s about growing up, cherishing life experiences, healing, and dealing with the past. It’s also about the most unexpected and traumatic loss that’s ever blown me away in a book, but even that (as much as I wanted to punch my Kindle) somehow fit the story perfectly. Audra and Jake are both extraordinary in what they have experienced and utterly normal in what they want. They’re both broken in some ways and more than perfect to help each other move forward. Between the sweet, somewhat innocent budding relationship and the hell from Jake’s past that Audra finds herself in the middle of, I simply couldn’t put this book down.
Was it angsty? Definitely. But it wasn’t too much, and I’m kind of floored by the awesomeness that is Lindsey Frydman’s imagination. She could have made the book all about the heart transplant or Jake’s awful childhood or the craziness of college or even that one part that caught me so by surprise I had to reread it just to make sure I had it right. Instead, Frydman’s story is simply about two young people who just happen to have all that other stuff going on and are still just trying to figure out who they are and what their next step in life should be. The Heartbeat Hypothesis is an achingly beautiful story of young love and friendship in a painfully real world — and it’s Frydman’s debut novel?!? This is the kind of book you stay up all night to read in one sitting. I need to find a way to put myself on an automatic pre-order list for whatever she publishes next!
I soooooo lucked out with this one. Oddly enough, I’d seen it mentioned somewhere but failed to bookmark it, and without having memorized the title or author name, I figured I’d never find it again…until the publicist just happened to contact me. Of course I jumped at the chance to get a copy! I normally stay away from books that have the potential to be overwhelmingly angsty, and with a plot like this one, The Heartbeat Hypothesis definitely looked like it fit into that category. But I found the idea for the story just fascinating, so I crossed my fingers and got to reading.
Audra felt more real to me than the few other characters I’ve “met” whose lives have been saved by organ donation. Sure, she felt bad for Emily, and perhaps even more so for Emily’s brother Jake, but she wasn’t drowning in guilt; she was happy to be be alive. That’s not to say she ran around celebrating, but she was quick to admit, at least to herself, that she was fortunate.
Jake was absolutely confounding. He seemed stand-offish (understandable, right?), and then uncaring, and then curious, and then kind, and then distant, and then… I suppose he simply lived the spectrum of emotions typical of anyone who not only had a pretty terrible upbringing but also lost the one person he was close to. His character had me spinning, trying to guess what he was thinking the same way that Audra was always working to figure him out. And as frustrating as that was, I loved it because he, too, seemed so much more real than the cookie-cutter men we normally get in books with a romantic spin.
But The Heartbeat Hypothesis is not your typical NA romance novel. It’s about growing up, cherishing life experiences, healing, and dealing with the past. It’s also about the most unexpected and traumatic loss that’s ever blown me away in a book, but even that (as much as I wanted to punch my Kindle) somehow fit the story perfectly. Audra and Jake are both extraordinary in what they have experienced and utterly normal in what they want. They’re both broken in some ways and more than perfect to help each other move forward. Between the sweet, somewhat innocent budding relationship and the hell from Jake’s past that Audra finds herself in the middle of, I simply couldn’t put this book down.
Was it angsty? Definitely. But it wasn’t too much, and I’m kind of floored by the awesomeness that is Lindsey Frydman’s imagination. She could have made the book all about the heart transplant or Jake’s awful childhood or the craziness of college or even that one part that caught me so by surprise I had to reread it just to make sure I had it right. Instead, Frydman’s story is simply about two young people who just happen to have all that other stuff going on and are still just trying to figure out who they are and what their next step in life should be. The Heartbeat Hypothesis is an achingly beautiful story of young love and friendship in a painfully real world — and it’s Frydman’s debut novel?!? This is the kind of book you stay up all night to read in one sitting. I need to find a way to put myself on an automatic pre-order list for whatever she publishes next!
March 20, 2017
I absolutely loved this book! Scroll down for my review, and don't miss the beautiful necklace giveaway on my blog!
Look for the AWESOME sterling silver "Follow Your Heart" Necklace giveaway on 28 Feb on my blog: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/category/reviews/
Everything I want in an aching romance!
THE HEARTBEAT HYPOTHESIS is a page-turning New Adult sweet romance by debut author Lindsey Frydman. I've known this book since it was a manuscript, and I instantly fell in love with it!
The romance in this book is sweet. The heartache is real. The cry is ugly.
Fans of Colleen Hoover and Nora Roberts will devour this fresh and emotional romance. This book is appropriate for ages 15 and up.
THE HEARTBEAT HYPOTHESIS earns 5 North of Normal stars!
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Look for the AWESOME sterling silver "Follow Your Heart" Necklace giveaway on 28 Feb on my blog: http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/category/reviews/
Everything I want in an aching romance!
THE HEARTBEAT HYPOTHESIS is a page-turning New Adult sweet romance by debut author Lindsey Frydman. I've known this book since it was a manuscript, and I instantly fell in love with it!
Jake may or may not help Audra honor the organ donor who gave her a new lease on life. It's a tough call, since he's still grieving his beloved little sister's untimely death...and since his dead sister's heart is now beating inside Audra's chest.
This is an angsty, beautifully painful, push-and-pull love story told in first-person, past tense with an ugly-cry happily(?) ever after. Heart transplant recipient and university freshman Audra takes nothing for granted and is determined to live every heartbeat to its fullest. For starters, she'll tackle her heart donor's Done-It list, a photographic journal chronicling a life lived to the fullest. Enter Jake--a photographer. THE photographer. Also, he's her donor's reclusive, reluctant, bad-boy brother...
There's so much I love about this book! The 3-day lump in my throat was a little painful, but I did enjoy wondering if I was living every one of my heartbeats to the fullest. Also, I updated my bucket list, and instead of simply checking things off, I started a done-it list (it's here--scroll down to the Done-It List). All because of this book.
Audra is a super-likeable, charmingly nerdy university freshman who grows wonderfully through her journey past her expiration date. Jake is the perfectly distant, damaged goods. Frydman writes with a sure hand and an authentic millennial voice. Veteran romance novelists better look out! This debut author puts some big names in romance to shame with this stunning debut.
The romance in this book is sweet. The heartache is real. The cry is ugly.
Fans of Colleen Hoover and Nora Roberts will devour this fresh and emotional romance. This book is appropriate for ages 15 and up.
THE HEARTBEAT HYPOTHESIS earns 5 North of Normal stars!
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March 23, 2017
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2mOHJqq
This was one of those book that bring on all the feelings. I knew from reading the synopsis that I was going to really enjoy it, and by the time I got deep into it I was already hating myself for picking a book I KNEW would make me cry. Which it did.
This is a book about healing.
A book about seeing the potential for your future and going for it.
About living for the day and finding the meaning in the little things.
It was a story about overcoming your past even if you don't get the answers you are looking for. You only have to long to live, so live.
also, it was a book about moving past grief. That was the hardest part of reading it. In this book you as a reader grieve for the characters loss and it creates that much more of an impact in reading.
I loved it.
I feel in love as they did and in the end I got the ending Iw as hoping for. Fantastic.
Synopsis:
Audra Madison simply wanted to walk in the shoes of Emily Cavanaugh, a free-spirited teenager who died too young. After all, Audra wasn’t supposed to be here.
Thanks to Emily, Audra has a second chance at life. She’s doing all the things that seemed impossible just two years ago: Go to college. Date. Stargaze in the Rocky Mountains. Maybe get a tattoo. You know, live.
Jake Cavanaugh, a photographer with mysterious, brooding gray eyes, agrees to help chronicle her newfound experiences. She makes him laugh, one of the only people who can these days. As they delve into each other’s pasts – and secrets – the closer they become.
But she’s guarded and feels like she can’t trust anyone, including herself.
And he’s struggling with the fact that his beloved sister’s heart beats inside her.
March 21, 2017
Oh boy - get the tissues out ready when you read this book! It is an emotive, tear jerker and a great read.
Two years ago eighteen year old Audra Madison was the recipient of the heart of seventeen year old Emily Cavanaugh, saving her own life as Emily lost hers. She’s wanted to find out more about the girl who died and enabled her to live so has used the internet to find out more about her. She’s discovered Emily’s tumblr photos, her ‘Done-It’ list, and wants to recreate them. She contacts Jake, the photographer and Emily’s grieving brother, asking him to help her do this. He agrees but the two are obviously wary and Jake is moody, inconsistent in his interactions, brooding and also very talented at both photography and playing the piano. He keeps warning Audra not to get close to him as he’s sure to hurt her . . .
The story is told from Audra’s point of view as she explores her own feelings of survivor’s guilt and her new chance at life. As she strives to discover more about Emily whilst settling into life as a freshman at University with her best friend, Kat, she accidentally also uncovers unexpected information and even more questions. There are other tragic events in the story; it is an emotional roller coaster, an angsty, heart wrenching story with so many twists and turns! I initially thought it was going to be a relatively straight-forward, run-of-the-mill new adult romance but it certainly isn’t. There are light hearted moments but it is the emotional turmoil that makes this story stand out from the rest. When I discovered this is a debut novel, I was amazed - this author is definitely one to watch out for in future!
Thanks to the publisher for enabling me to read a copy of this via NetGalley. This is my honest review.
Two years ago eighteen year old Audra Madison was the recipient of the heart of seventeen year old Emily Cavanaugh, saving her own life as Emily lost hers. She’s wanted to find out more about the girl who died and enabled her to live so has used the internet to find out more about her. She’s discovered Emily’s tumblr photos, her ‘Done-It’ list, and wants to recreate them. She contacts Jake, the photographer and Emily’s grieving brother, asking him to help her do this. He agrees but the two are obviously wary and Jake is moody, inconsistent in his interactions, brooding and also very talented at both photography and playing the piano. He keeps warning Audra not to get close to him as he’s sure to hurt her . . .
The story is told from Audra’s point of view as she explores her own feelings of survivor’s guilt and her new chance at life. As she strives to discover more about Emily whilst settling into life as a freshman at University with her best friend, Kat, she accidentally also uncovers unexpected information and even more questions. There are other tragic events in the story; it is an emotional roller coaster, an angsty, heart wrenching story with so many twists and turns! I initially thought it was going to be a relatively straight-forward, run-of-the-mill new adult romance but it certainly isn’t. There are light hearted moments but it is the emotional turmoil that makes this story stand out from the rest. When I discovered this is a debut novel, I was amazed - this author is definitely one to watch out for in future!
Thanks to the publisher for enabling me to read a copy of this via NetGalley. This is my honest review.
March 26, 2017
The Heartbeat Hypothesis is a beautiful, heartfelt story of not just love, but friendship, healing, grief and moving on after loss. Audra is the lucky recipient of a heart, and with this new heart she has decided to live her new life. She's grateful for her new heart, and wants to honor the donor of her new heart. This is where Jake comes in. Gorgeous, damaged Jake, who is not only a photographer who will help Audra honor Emily, (her heart donor), but who is also Emily's brother. Jake agrees to help Audra chronicle her version of Emily's done it list, with photos taken by Jake.
As Jake and Audra's relationship evolves, their feelings evolve, and they open themselves up to friendship, and love, and all the emotions that come with friendship and love. Secrets will be revealed, and hearts will be broken, but the whole journey is something that definitely has to be read. Is The Heartbeat Hypothesis angsty and emotional? Yes, but it's also beautiful, and so real. It will tug at your heart strings a little, OK, a lot, and you'll need some tissues, but it's well worth all the emotional upheaval.
Audra is a lovable young lady. She's sweet, and kind and compassionate and determined to finally live her life. She's open but guarded at the same time. Jake is an angry guy, but he has a beautiful heart, just like Audra, and just like Emily. He's hot and cold with Audra, but considering what kind of life he's lead, and the fact that his baby sister's heart beats within this amazing woman who's now in his life, it's completely understandable why he is that way. I ached for both of them, but especially for Jake, he had so many demons, and was grieving so badly. I just love reading their journey. The Heartbeat Hypothesis is an amazing debut novel, I can't wait for more of this talented author.
I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.
As Jake and Audra's relationship evolves, their feelings evolve, and they open themselves up to friendship, and love, and all the emotions that come with friendship and love. Secrets will be revealed, and hearts will be broken, but the whole journey is something that definitely has to be read. Is The Heartbeat Hypothesis angsty and emotional? Yes, but it's also beautiful, and so real. It will tug at your heart strings a little, OK, a lot, and you'll need some tissues, but it's well worth all the emotional upheaval.
Audra is a lovable young lady. She's sweet, and kind and compassionate and determined to finally live her life. She's open but guarded at the same time. Jake is an angry guy, but he has a beautiful heart, just like Audra, and just like Emily. He's hot and cold with Audra, but considering what kind of life he's lead, and the fact that his baby sister's heart beats within this amazing woman who's now in his life, it's completely understandable why he is that way. I ached for both of them, but especially for Jake, he had so many demons, and was grieving so badly. I just love reading their journey. The Heartbeat Hypothesis is an amazing debut novel, I can't wait for more of this talented author.
I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.
March 24, 2017
4.25 STARS
I LOVED IT!!!!
**sigh** This was a super satisfying NA read for me. I read slow on purpose.... I didn't want it to end. The Heartbeat Hypothesis is refreshingly different. The writing is great and the story itself sucks you in. However, I would have liked an extended ending or at least some sort of Epilogue.
I LOVED IT!!!!
**sigh** This was a super satisfying NA read for me. I read slow on purpose.... I didn't want it to end. The Heartbeat Hypothesis is refreshingly different. The writing is great and the story itself sucks you in. However, I would have liked an extended ending or at least some sort of Epilogue.
March 1, 2017
Gorgeous book! I was sucked in right from the first page! This story was beautiful! It was about forgiving and moving on, doing things that make you happy. And even if something bad happens, you just have to have faith that you'll make it out to the other side. 5 stars!
March 27, 2017
This is thought provoking novel by an author that is new to this reader. After reading this story, it makes you stop and think about the situations that come up when someone has someone else's heart. This is a wonderful story
March 24, 2017
“So life is about the in-between. Between the beginning and the end, between the past and the future. It’s about the now.”
What a stunning, emotional, and beautiful novel!!!! It’s literally the best debut novel I have ever read! I was quite intrigued when I read the synopsis, but nothing could have prepared me for what I read!
Audra wasn’t supposed to be enjoying her first year of college until she received a miracle…a new heart. Yet, someone else lost their life for her to live hers, and she is more than grateful for that. She wants to honor the young girl, Emily, who gave her a second chance at life. She enlists the help of Emily’s brother, Jake, to help her do that. From the moment she meets Jake, I know as well as she does that her life will forever be changed.
I can’t say how very much I loved Jake and Audra! Both are extremely complex characters. I knew Audra as the story is told from her POV, but I felt like I was discovering Jake and his secrets just like she was. Both are filled with pain and guilt over Emily but for very different reasons. She feels guilty because she has Emily’s heart, and Emily is gone. Of course, Jake misses his sister, but there are also secrets concerning her death that continue to hold him captive. Audra wants so much to take his pain away and to make her life mean something because of Emily’s gift. Jake trusts no one, but I could tell he very much wanted to trust Audra. There was no doubt in my mind that Jake wanted to take that leap with Audra, and I kept praying he would just let go and do it! In my opinion Emily was just as much a character as Audra and Jake. I, like Audra, was able to learn who Emily was. It amazed me how Fydman was able to bring healing through Emily. Audra’s friend, Kat, was an important character as well. She greatly impacted Audra’s life as well. I thought it was a genius move on the writer’s part to use secondary characters in such a powerful way.
As much as I loved the characters, I loved Lindsey Frydman’s actual words….her writing…the symbolism and the deeper meaning of the book. I was in awe with how she took a story filled with pain and turned into something beautiful. Lindsey Frydman gave us one of those rare books that not only grabs your emotions but your very soul! It makes the reader take a moment and look at their lives, and it very may well change the way you look at life. I know it made me take a breath and ponder how I look at my life. It’s one of the best books I have ever read!!!!
“My heart increased its manic cadence, and I was so never grateful to feel it. I placed my hand on Jake’s chest and felt his pulse beat in time with mine, thinking maybe the point of life wasn’t to live—maybe the point was to love.”
****Reviewed on behalf of Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews****
What a stunning, emotional, and beautiful novel!!!! It’s literally the best debut novel I have ever read! I was quite intrigued when I read the synopsis, but nothing could have prepared me for what I read!
Audra wasn’t supposed to be enjoying her first year of college until she received a miracle…a new heart. Yet, someone else lost their life for her to live hers, and she is more than grateful for that. She wants to honor the young girl, Emily, who gave her a second chance at life. She enlists the help of Emily’s brother, Jake, to help her do that. From the moment she meets Jake, I know as well as she does that her life will forever be changed.
I can’t say how very much I loved Jake and Audra! Both are extremely complex characters. I knew Audra as the story is told from her POV, but I felt like I was discovering Jake and his secrets just like she was. Both are filled with pain and guilt over Emily but for very different reasons. She feels guilty because she has Emily’s heart, and Emily is gone. Of course, Jake misses his sister, but there are also secrets concerning her death that continue to hold him captive. Audra wants so much to take his pain away and to make her life mean something because of Emily’s gift. Jake trusts no one, but I could tell he very much wanted to trust Audra. There was no doubt in my mind that Jake wanted to take that leap with Audra, and I kept praying he would just let go and do it! In my opinion Emily was just as much a character as Audra and Jake. I, like Audra, was able to learn who Emily was. It amazed me how Fydman was able to bring healing through Emily. Audra’s friend, Kat, was an important character as well. She greatly impacted Audra’s life as well. I thought it was a genius move on the writer’s part to use secondary characters in such a powerful way.
As much as I loved the characters, I loved Lindsey Frydman’s actual words….her writing…the symbolism and the deeper meaning of the book. I was in awe with how she took a story filled with pain and turned into something beautiful. Lindsey Frydman gave us one of those rare books that not only grabs your emotions but your very soul! It makes the reader take a moment and look at their lives, and it very may well change the way you look at life. I know it made me take a breath and ponder how I look at my life. It’s one of the best books I have ever read!!!!
“My heart increased its manic cadence, and I was so never grateful to feel it. I placed my hand on Jake’s chest and felt his pulse beat in time with mine, thinking maybe the point of life wasn’t to live—maybe the point was to love.”
****Reviewed on behalf of Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews****
March 21, 2017
The Heartbeat Hypothesis by Lindsey Frydman
4.5 stars!!!
The Heartbeat Hypothesis is the debut book of Lindsey Frydman and what a debut. As soon as I started reading this book I clicked with the story and the voice of the author, I then had to go back and check that this was in fact a debut and that is the biggest compliment. This story just flowed with ease, I was immediately transported into this NA gem and the author held me emotionally captive until the very end. Reading this book was effortless, emotional, captivating and I loved every single second.
When I have read “transplant” books in the past, more often than not the focus is always on the recipient and you never really hear much about the donor or the donor’ family. More often, never the twain shall meet, but sometimes they do keep in touch and The Heartbeat Hypothesis is not only a celebration of the life of the recipient but also that of the life of the donor. This side of the story was emotional for me, a life captured through pictures and yet I felt like I knew her and that is testament to the author.
Audra was the lucky recipient of a heart at the expense of a young woman called Emily. Audra had reached out to Emily’s family and they had responded. Because of this she found out that Emily’s brother was at the same University as her and his name was Jake. Audra had also looked for any information regarding Emily, she wanted to know more about the heart that was beating inside her and because of her delving she came across Emily’s Instagram page. Emily’s Instagram was covered in whacky photo’s or random exploits that really brought her bubbly personality to life or were they just a front…a mask? These photos were taken by #MyFavoritePhotographerJake and were named her done-it list.
Audra decided that she wanted to recreate Emily’s done-it’s as a kind of homage to the woman that had a given her life and it is here that Jake and Audra meet.
Jake was a conundrum, one minute he was friendly, next he was detached, then he was curious, then he distanced himself. It was like someone was switching a light on and off constantly and you never knew what “Jake” was going to turn up. I was torn between his grief and him being uncomfortable knowing that his sisters heart was beating in the woman in front of him to him just being confused, insecure and hiding something. It was this raw honesty in Jake as a character that made him all the more intriguing. I was desperate to know the man underneath and I loved the way that Lindsey Frydman slowly lets us in.
This is a story that will tug at every single heart string, from budding friendship to best friends, to grief, to guilt, to learning to move on from the past and embrace a future you never imagined you deserved. A book that has honest, real and relatable characters even if their lives are anything but. Lindsey Frydman delivered an exceptional read as a debut, a little towards the end I felt some plot lines were a little rushed hence the 0.5 deduction, but apart from that, this was a perfect read for me. I loved everything about it.
www.theromancecover.com
4.5 stars!!!
“Our hearts have been friends for a very long time.”
The Heartbeat Hypothesis is the debut book of Lindsey Frydman and what a debut. As soon as I started reading this book I clicked with the story and the voice of the author, I then had to go back and check that this was in fact a debut and that is the biggest compliment. This story just flowed with ease, I was immediately transported into this NA gem and the author held me emotionally captive until the very end. Reading this book was effortless, emotional, captivating and I loved every single second.
“Everything is finite, isn’t it?
“Nothing lasts forever.”
When I have read “transplant” books in the past, more often than not the focus is always on the recipient and you never really hear much about the donor or the donor’ family. More often, never the twain shall meet, but sometimes they do keep in touch and The Heartbeat Hypothesis is not only a celebration of the life of the recipient but also that of the life of the donor. This side of the story was emotional for me, a life captured through pictures and yet I felt like I knew her and that is testament to the author.
“Sometimes grief is the price you pay for love.”
Audra was the lucky recipient of a heart at the expense of a young woman called Emily. Audra had reached out to Emily’s family and they had responded. Because of this she found out that Emily’s brother was at the same University as her and his name was Jake. Audra had also looked for any information regarding Emily, she wanted to know more about the heart that was beating inside her and because of her delving she came across Emily’s Instagram page. Emily’s Instagram was covered in whacky photo’s or random exploits that really brought her bubbly personality to life or were they just a front…a mask? These photos were taken by #MyFavoritePhotographerJake and were named her done-it list.
“Nothing in life is permanent. All of it will eventually disappear…Maybe we’re supposed to know that…accept it, and live our lives differently because of it. Rearrange our priorities based on the finite number of heartbeats we have left.”
Audra decided that she wanted to recreate Emily’s done-it’s as a kind of homage to the woman that had a given her life and it is here that Jake and Audra meet.
“And on bad days, when his aura of sadness blazed like an alarm he couldn’t turn off, I felt like I was doing everything wrong.”
Jake was a conundrum, one minute he was friendly, next he was detached, then he was curious, then he distanced himself. It was like someone was switching a light on and off constantly and you never knew what “Jake” was going to turn up. I was torn between his grief and him being uncomfortable knowing that his sisters heart was beating in the woman in front of him to him just being confused, insecure and hiding something. It was this raw honesty in Jake as a character that made him all the more intriguing. I was desperate to know the man underneath and I loved the way that Lindsey Frydman slowly lets us in.
“I thought I knew what loneliness was…But you can’t know lonely until you’ve lived the opposite.”
This is a story that will tug at every single heart string, from budding friendship to best friends, to grief, to guilt, to learning to move on from the past and embrace a future you never imagined you deserved. A book that has honest, real and relatable characters even if their lives are anything but. Lindsey Frydman delivered an exceptional read as a debut, a little towards the end I felt some plot lines were a little rushed hence the 0.5 deduction, but apart from that, this was a perfect read for me. I loved everything about it.
www.theromancecover.com
March 21, 2017
LINK: https://wp.me/p5GNrB-4WJ
Never in my book worm life had I ever imagined that I would get to read a book such as this. Its autheticity and uniqueness caught me completely off guard since the first moment I started it. And may be the blurb gave me an idea what I was in for, nothing could prepare me for the greateness that was waiting for me just around the pages.
The Heartbeat Hypothesis is a story about a girl who has made her goal to reenact some memories of the girl whose heart is beating under her chest. But she has to ask the help of the photographer behind the photographic imprinting of those memories. So, Audra and Jake start travelling together his sister's memory lane which makes them get closer with each other.
If someone would come up to me and said that thia story was based on real facts, I would probably believe him. It is simply so real and raw that I couldn't help feel that these two characters are actually existing on this planet and this book was a part of their story. Both Audra and Jake are proven to be from the beginning characters with some very complex, but intriguing nonetheless, personalities and ways of thinking and dealing with problems. But as they spend more and more time in each other's company, which leads to confessing personal truths, the change both are forced under is inevitable.
What draw me into and made me love even more this amazing story, except the autheticity of it, was that, even thow it seems like a love story, its basic truth and foundation is build on the process each one of us has to go through, the sacrifices we have to make and the loses we have to endure so we can find our true self on the other side of the tunnel. And in the end, what matters the most and what makes our time on this planet worthwhile and special are the things we allow ourselves to feel; things like love, forgiveness, passion, friendship and even some pain which all together are what makes each being different. And Audra and Jake learn how to appreciate them while discovering their inner world and what trully matters.
My words are completely failing me when it comes to describe the story and my feelings about it. My mind, heart and thoughts are so emotionally charged by the journey of these two characters that it would need quite some time to write everything down and with the correct words. I ususally tend to say that no matter what I or any other reader say about a book, if you don't experience it yourself you will never be able to grasp its majesty. And this book couldn't fall more than bull's eye on that opinion. This multi-layered story and couple put your emotional producer into the test, creating more of acommotion as you go deeper into it and get to witness what really they are made of.
Frydman surprised the hell out of me with this story. Her writing gave it all it got so it could bloom itno this lovely gem of literature. And if you are looking for unique love stories with characters who are raw and real, this is a book you don't want to pass by. Trust me.
Since stars had a limited amount of hydrogen - and they needed that stuff to exist - they in turnhad a finite lifetimeof radiance. The way hearts had a finite number of heartbeats.
Never in my book worm life had I ever imagined that I would get to read a book such as this. Its autheticity and uniqueness caught me completely off guard since the first moment I started it. And may be the blurb gave me an idea what I was in for, nothing could prepare me for the greateness that was waiting for me just around the pages.
The Heartbeat Hypothesis is a story about a girl who has made her goal to reenact some memories of the girl whose heart is beating under her chest. But she has to ask the help of the photographer behind the photographic imprinting of those memories. So, Audra and Jake start travelling together his sister's memory lane which makes them get closer with each other.
If someone would come up to me and said that thia story was based on real facts, I would probably believe him. It is simply so real and raw that I couldn't help feel that these two characters are actually existing on this planet and this book was a part of their story. Both Audra and Jake are proven to be from the beginning characters with some very complex, but intriguing nonetheless, personalities and ways of thinking and dealing with problems. But as they spend more and more time in each other's company, which leads to confessing personal truths, the change both are forced under is inevitable.
"Without the middle, being first or last means nothing." The middle gace the rest its meaning.
What draw me into and made me love even more this amazing story, except the autheticity of it, was that, even thow it seems like a love story, its basic truth and foundation is build on the process each one of us has to go through, the sacrifices we have to make and the loses we have to endure so we can find our true self on the other side of the tunnel. And in the end, what matters the most and what makes our time on this planet worthwhile and special are the things we allow ourselves to feel; things like love, forgiveness, passion, friendship and even some pain which all together are what makes each being different. And Audra and Jake learn how to appreciate them while discovering their inner world and what trully matters.
"All you need is the combination of bright sunlight, suspended droplets of water, and the proper viewing angle, and you get to witness one of nature's most famous masterpieces."
My words are completely failing me when it comes to describe the story and my feelings about it. My mind, heart and thoughts are so emotionally charged by the journey of these two characters that it would need quite some time to write everything down and with the correct words. I ususally tend to say that no matter what I or any other reader say about a book, if you don't experience it yourself you will never be able to grasp its majesty. And this book couldn't fall more than bull's eye on that opinion. This multi-layered story and couple put your emotional producer into the test, creating more of acommotion as you go deeper into it and get to witness what really they are made of.
Frydman surprised the hell out of me with this story. Her writing gave it all it got so it could bloom itno this lovely gem of literature. And if you are looking for unique love stories with characters who are raw and real, this is a book you don't want to pass by. Trust me.
March 26, 2017
Jake and Audra have never met, until today, but they're connected at the heart. I know, that doesn't seem to make any sense, but it does. Two years ago, a seventeen-year-old named Emily saved the life of a sixteen-year-old. Unfortunately, she had to die to do it. Audra can never express how truly grateful she is for the sacrifice necessary to ensure she lived, but she wants to try. Emily had a collection of photographs that chronicled things she'd done, just random pictures, and the majority were taken by her older brother, Jake. Jake is a college junior studying photography. Audra, a freshman, wants to share this experience with Jake and have him capture her moments, moments she would've never had if it wasn't for his sister.
As Jake and Audra spend time together, a connection begins building between them. But it's easy to see Jake keeps barriers around himself, his emotions, and he has secrets. Heartbreaking ones. When Audra witnesses a fight between Jake and a guy from his hometown, Jake, believing it's for the best, pushes Audra away. He doesn't think he's worthy of being anyone's friend, especially Audra, the one he wants more with. Audra, falling for Jake one heartbeat at a time, disagrees, but she can't force Jake to see himself as she sees does.
As Audra continues on, the absence of Jake is apparent even after such a short time. She's decided to take the advice of her long time best friend, Kat, and go for what she wants. However, before she can confront Jake, she gets devastating news. The only silver lining is that it brings Jake back into her life and he begins sharing with her, opening up to the possibility of having that more with each other they both crave.
"If you let me, I could love you. I think maybe, even if you didn’t let me, I could still love you. I think maybe I already do." - Audra
Will Audra ever stop questioning whether Jake only sees a reminder of Emily's death when he looks at her? How do you cope when you cheat death, but someone else can't escape it? What really happened to Emily? Will seeking the truth only cause more hurt? Will Jake forgive Audra for keeping things from him, even though it was with the best of intentions? Will Audra ever feel worthy of Emily's heart? Will Jake find the courage to move forward and let himself feel again? Will he and Audra work through everything and come out stronger? Is there a HEA for these two?
One-click now and follow along as two people meet due to a tragic connection and discover a beautiful one along the way. Please keep in mind there will be tears. Also, though the HEA is implied, I wish it would've been a definite, so I'm just going to believe it was. LOL I do wish we could've gotten Jake's point of view though. This is a beautifully heartbreaking story filled with second chances, loss, grief, friendship, forgiveness, and love. Read it.
**I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.**
As Jake and Audra spend time together, a connection begins building between them. But it's easy to see Jake keeps barriers around himself, his emotions, and he has secrets. Heartbreaking ones. When Audra witnesses a fight between Jake and a guy from his hometown, Jake, believing it's for the best, pushes Audra away. He doesn't think he's worthy of being anyone's friend, especially Audra, the one he wants more with. Audra, falling for Jake one heartbeat at a time, disagrees, but she can't force Jake to see himself as she sees does.
As Audra continues on, the absence of Jake is apparent even after such a short time. She's decided to take the advice of her long time best friend, Kat, and go for what she wants. However, before she can confront Jake, she gets devastating news. The only silver lining is that it brings Jake back into her life and he begins sharing with her, opening up to the possibility of having that more with each other they both crave.
"If you let me, I could love you. I think maybe, even if you didn’t let me, I could still love you. I think maybe I already do." - Audra
Will Audra ever stop questioning whether Jake only sees a reminder of Emily's death when he looks at her? How do you cope when you cheat death, but someone else can't escape it? What really happened to Emily? Will seeking the truth only cause more hurt? Will Jake forgive Audra for keeping things from him, even though it was with the best of intentions? Will Audra ever feel worthy of Emily's heart? Will Jake find the courage to move forward and let himself feel again? Will he and Audra work through everything and come out stronger? Is there a HEA for these two?
One-click now and follow along as two people meet due to a tragic connection and discover a beautiful one along the way. Please keep in mind there will be tears. Also, though the HEA is implied, I wish it would've been a definite, so I'm just going to believe it was. LOL I do wish we could've gotten Jake's point of view though. This is a beautifully heartbreaking story filled with second chances, loss, grief, friendship, forgiveness, and love. Read it.
**I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.**
March 10, 2017
**I received a copy of Heartbeat Hypothesis from Net Galley and Entangled Publishing in exchange for a voluntary and honest review**
The Heartbeat Hypothesis by Lindsey Frydman is the author's debut novel and after reading this story I have to say that it was a great first novel. It did drag a big in the middle but what novel doesn't?(within reason)I would give the book a 4.8 stars for her first effort Jake did have issues with his parents but having finished the book he turn out to be a well adjusted adult.
What would you do if in order to keep living you needed a heart transplant? Would you want to know who was the donor or approach the donors brother with a request no matter how odd it would be? Audra Madison received a heart transplant from a young girl and when given the option to know who the donor was she decided that she did want to know and sent a letter with a request, she would like to complete the her "Done it list" on Instagram. Audra finds out that her brother is at the same college that she just started attending and approaches Jake with a request to not only finish the list but name it "Cheez its". Will he accept her request? What if she decides to attend a memorial for his sister and it causes not only bad memories for Jake's parents? How would you feel? or better yet would you even want to know the donor or their family? Its a tough question and The Heartbeat Hypothesis deals with the tragedy of the loss of a young life but how Audra and Jake seem to be destined to find each other and help each other grieve and move on with their lives. There is another side story with Audra's best friend, Kat and how it effects her when a death occurs and how she deals with the grief.
Jake Cavanaugh misses his sister terribly and as a junior majoring in Photography he encouraged Emily to do a bucket list of sorts with him taking the photos. When he is contacted by the recipient of her heart, he doesn't know what to think but he goes ahead with the meeting with Audra. Everyone has a skeleton in the closet but its his family who deals with emotions by medicating themselves and he also feels that he somehow let Emily down when he went to college leaving her at home. Little does he know but somehow his sister decides to figure out how to get Audra and Jake together using her "Done it" list. It will take everything he has to redo her list with Audra but it will help both grieve and move on to explore if they can have a relationship with both memories and making new ones for themselves.
You'll need a few tissues for the ending but all in all it was a great debut novel and I look forward to new books by Ms. Frydman.
The Heartbeat Hypothesis by Lindsey Frydman is the author's debut novel and after reading this story I have to say that it was a great first novel. It did drag a big in the middle but what novel doesn't?(within reason)I would give the book a 4.8 stars for her first effort Jake did have issues with his parents but having finished the book he turn out to be a well adjusted adult.
What would you do if in order to keep living you needed a heart transplant? Would you want to know who was the donor or approach the donors brother with a request no matter how odd it would be? Audra Madison received a heart transplant from a young girl and when given the option to know who the donor was she decided that she did want to know and sent a letter with a request, she would like to complete the her "Done it list" on Instagram. Audra finds out that her brother is at the same college that she just started attending and approaches Jake with a request to not only finish the list but name it "Cheez its". Will he accept her request? What if she decides to attend a memorial for his sister and it causes not only bad memories for Jake's parents? How would you feel? or better yet would you even want to know the donor or their family? Its a tough question and The Heartbeat Hypothesis deals with the tragedy of the loss of a young life but how Audra and Jake seem to be destined to find each other and help each other grieve and move on with their lives. There is another side story with Audra's best friend, Kat and how it effects her when a death occurs and how she deals with the grief.
Jake Cavanaugh misses his sister terribly and as a junior majoring in Photography he encouraged Emily to do a bucket list of sorts with him taking the photos. When he is contacted by the recipient of her heart, he doesn't know what to think but he goes ahead with the meeting with Audra. Everyone has a skeleton in the closet but its his family who deals with emotions by medicating themselves and he also feels that he somehow let Emily down when he went to college leaving her at home. Little does he know but somehow his sister decides to figure out how to get Audra and Jake together using her "Done it" list. It will take everything he has to redo her list with Audra but it will help both grieve and move on to explore if they can have a relationship with both memories and making new ones for themselves.
You'll need a few tissues for the ending but all in all it was a great debut novel and I look forward to new books by Ms. Frydman.
March 20, 2017
*Reviewed by CM McCoy for North of Normal Book Reviews
Everything I want in an aching romance!
THE HEARTBEAT HYPOTHESIS is a page-turning New Adult sweet romance by debut author Lindsey Frydman. I've known this book since it was a manuscript, and I instantly fell in love with it!
The romance in this book is sweet. The heartache is real. The cry is ugly.
Fans of Colleen Hoover and Nora Roberts will devour this fresh and emotional romance. This book is appropriate for ages 15 and up.
THE HEARTBEAT HYPOTHESIS earns 5 North of Normal stars!
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Everything I want in an aching romance!
THE HEARTBEAT HYPOTHESIS is a page-turning New Adult sweet romance by debut author Lindsey Frydman. I've known this book since it was a manuscript, and I instantly fell in love with it!
Jake may or may not help Audra honor the organ donor who gave her a new lease on life. It's a tough call, since he's still grieving his beloved little sister's untimely death...and since his dead sister's heart is now beating inside Audra's chest.
This is an angsty, beautifully painful, push-and-pull love story told in first-person, past tense with an ugly-cry happily(?) ever after. Heart transplant recipient and university freshman Audra takes nothing for granted and is determined to live every heartbeat to its fullest. For starters, she'll tackle her heart donor's Done-It list, a photographic journal chronicling a life lived to the fullest. Enter Jake--a photographer. THE photographer. Also, he's her donor's reclusive, reluctant, bad-boy brother...
There's so much I love about this book! The 3-day lump in my throat was a little painful, but I did enjoy wondering if I was living every one of my heartbeats to the fullest. Also, I updated my bucket list, and instead of simply checking things off, I started a done-it list (it's here--scroll down to the Done-It List). All because of this book.
Audra is a super-likeable, charmingly nerdy university freshman who grows wonderfully through her journey past her expiration date. Jake is the perfectly distant, damaged goods. Frydman writes with a sure hand and an authentic millennial voice. Veteran romance novelists better look out! This debut author puts some big names in romance to shame with this stunning debut.
The romance in this book is sweet. The heartache is real. The cry is ugly.
Fans of Colleen Hoover and Nora Roberts will devour this fresh and emotional romance. This book is appropriate for ages 15 and up.
THE HEARTBEAT HYPOTHESIS earns 5 North of Normal stars!
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March 20, 2017
I want to thank Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I LOVED this book! It was everything that I love in a book - a realistic romantic timeline, a great supporting cast, surprises, and a protagonist that I loved.
What would you do if you had someone else's heart... not figuratively - you literally had a life saving heart transplant at the age of 16? Audra Madison was born with a hole in her heart - she always knew that, barring some miracle, her heart had a finite number of beats. However, when she is 16 she receives that miracle from a 17-year-old organ donor named Emily Cavanaugh. Two years after the transplant, Audra is a freshman in college and decides its time to do something to honor Emily - but it requires the assistance of Emily's brother, Jake. Needless to say, Audra has a very interesting freshman year.
The main character, Audra, was great, I really enjoyed reading the story from her perspective. I really thought that Audra had a great view on life, and while she knew she should honor the reason she was alive she didn't let it dictate her entire life, she wasn't trying to be another person. I also found her quite funny, and at times found myself snickering at her inner-dialogue.
I also really loved her roommate/best friend Kat; in a word, she was wonderful. She pushed her friend outside of her comfort zone, but didn't do it to an extreme, she was always on Audra's side and would only make her do things that were in her best interest.
And now Jake Cavanaugh. Jake Cavanaugh was complicated, I really would have liked to know what was going on in his head. Jake had a very tough life, topped off by losing his sister so early in her life. His actions will make you laugh, sigh, and cry. I felt like some points of his life could have been more thoroughly explored/explained.
Grab a few tissues because from about 50% on you will need them. A lot happens in Audra's life throughout the book, but she comes out in the end a better, stronger person because of it. This was a really great read, and I highly recommend it.
I LOVED this book! It was everything that I love in a book - a realistic romantic timeline, a great supporting cast, surprises, and a protagonist that I loved.
What would you do if you had someone else's heart... not figuratively - you literally had a life saving heart transplant at the age of 16? Audra Madison was born with a hole in her heart - she always knew that, barring some miracle, her heart had a finite number of beats. However, when she is 16 she receives that miracle from a 17-year-old organ donor named Emily Cavanaugh. Two years after the transplant, Audra is a freshman in college and decides its time to do something to honor Emily - but it requires the assistance of Emily's brother, Jake. Needless to say, Audra has a very interesting freshman year.
The main character, Audra, was great, I really enjoyed reading the story from her perspective. I really thought that Audra had a great view on life, and while she knew she should honor the reason she was alive she didn't let it dictate her entire life, she wasn't trying to be another person. I also found her quite funny, and at times found myself snickering at her inner-dialogue.
I also really loved her roommate/best friend Kat; in a word, she was wonderful. She pushed her friend outside of her comfort zone, but didn't do it to an extreme, she was always on Audra's side and would only make her do things that were in her best interest.
And now Jake Cavanaugh. Jake Cavanaugh was complicated, I really would have liked to know what was going on in his head. Jake had a very tough life, topped off by losing his sister so early in her life. His actions will make you laugh, sigh, and cry. I felt like some points of his life could have been more thoroughly explored/explained.
Grab a few tissues because from about 50% on you will need them. A lot happens in Audra's life throughout the book, but she comes out in the end a better, stronger person because of it. This was a really great read, and I highly recommend it.
April 1, 2017
This was a really great read especially for a debut novel!This book had me hooked from the blurb and I really wanted to know what was going to happen.
Audra was born with a heart defect, but due to a heart transplant she has another chance and now can do whatever she wishes.But she feels guilty about the fact that it came at the cost of another girl's life- Emily Cavanaugh.So after seeing her done-it list on the internet, Audra reaches out to Emily's brother- Jake and asks him to come along with her an photograph as she tries to recreate Emily's list and live in her shoes for a while.
As they spend more time together, Audra tries her best to get close to Jake.But there are a lot of things he's been hiding.
I'd thought initially that it was just a simple story about loss,moving on and a romance in the midst.But it was so much more complicated than that!There was so much push and pull between Audra and Jake.
The girl's had a crush on him since the beginning of the book itself and it was cute.Her character matched that of a college teenager.She was intelligent but confused and immature at times.A little hasty in her decisions and expectations perhaps.
Jake was very closed off and kept running hot and cold.Getting something out of him felt like pulling teeth.His behavior kept confusing poor Audra.But he had his reasons for his actions and trust me, they're pretty sad.By the end my heart was aching for both of them and I was praying for a HEA.
They've been through a lot and they deserved it.
This is one of those books that makes you think about life too and makes you feel happy for your blessings!I think Lindsey Freyman is one author to watch out for in the future!
Audra was born with a heart defect, but due to a heart transplant she has another chance and now can do whatever she wishes.But she feels guilty about the fact that it came at the cost of another girl's life- Emily Cavanaugh.So after seeing her done-it list on the internet, Audra reaches out to Emily's brother- Jake and asks him to come along with her an photograph as she tries to recreate Emily's list and live in her shoes for a while.
As they spend more time together, Audra tries her best to get close to Jake.But there are a lot of things he's been hiding.
I'd thought initially that it was just a simple story about loss,moving on and a romance in the midst.But it was so much more complicated than that!There was so much push and pull between Audra and Jake.
The girl's had a crush on him since the beginning of the book itself and it was cute.Her character matched that of a college teenager.She was intelligent but confused and immature at times.A little hasty in her decisions and expectations perhaps.
Jake was very closed off and kept running hot and cold.Getting something out of him felt like pulling teeth.His behavior kept confusing poor Audra.But he had his reasons for his actions and trust me, they're pretty sad.By the end my heart was aching for both of them and I was praying for a HEA.
They've been through a lot and they deserved it.
This is one of those books that makes you think about life too and makes you feel happy for your blessings!I think Lindsey Freyman is one author to watch out for in the future!
April 1, 2017
So, Lindsey warned me about this book. She told me it was going to make me cry. But I, in my stupid arrogance, didn't listen. Oh, no, I scoffed, crying is for mere mortals. I don't cry at books! Boy, do I feel silly. Two weeks later, there I was, clutching the book and sobbing like someone just told Trump is going to be named Supreme Continual Ruler of the United States. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
And dammit, I hate things that make me cry. But I adored this book. The writing is beautiful, and Audra's impossible not to root for. After all, she had a heart transplant. She didn't expect to live long enough to get to college. But now she's healthy and alive... and she's got a crush on the brother of the girl who died to make it possible. OUCH.
Jake is utterly swoon-worthy. He's hot, he's a photographer who plays piano, and he's really conflicted about falling for the girl who is carrying around his sister's heart. It's so easy to root for both of them, yet so easy to see why starting a relationship could feel weird and awkward. Especially at 18 and 20.
The entire book is a delight. The romance unfolds in a realistic manner, the pacing is spot-on, and the ending is absolutely perfect. 5 Stars. Highly recommended!
And dammit, I hate things that make me cry. But I adored this book. The writing is beautiful, and Audra's impossible not to root for. After all, she had a heart transplant. She didn't expect to live long enough to get to college. But now she's healthy and alive... and she's got a crush on the brother of the girl who died to make it possible. OUCH.
Jake is utterly swoon-worthy. He's hot, he's a photographer who plays piano, and he's really conflicted about falling for the girl who is carrying around his sister's heart. It's so easy to root for both of them, yet so easy to see why starting a relationship could feel weird and awkward. Especially at 18 and 20.
The entire book is a delight. The romance unfolds in a realistic manner, the pacing is spot-on, and the ending is absolutely perfect. 5 Stars. Highly recommended!
March 20, 2017
This book was not what I was expecting, I’ll admit and say that I chose to review this book based shallowly on the cover and what I got was a rather deep, intense, angsty read dealing with death and grief at its core.
Audra is a college student and the recipient of a heart transplant, in dealing with her acceptance of her second chance at life she wants to learn about her donor so reaches out to the donor family and in doing so meets Jake, the brother of the donor. What follows is an intense friendship blighted by death, grief and secrets and Audra’s thirst for information about Jake and his sister. Jake is a guarded character that you can’t help feel for and at times I wanted to tell Audra to back off too.
I expected to be more emotional reading this book but for some reason it just didn’t happen and I’m not sure why as I liked the characters. This could be read as a YA book as things never progress sexually between the main characters though it is quite heavy on the subject matter of grief.
I think the author has done a great job with this as a debut book and I will definitely be looking out for more from her in the future and wish her every success.
Audra is a college student and the recipient of a heart transplant, in dealing with her acceptance of her second chance at life she wants to learn about her donor so reaches out to the donor family and in doing so meets Jake, the brother of the donor. What follows is an intense friendship blighted by death, grief and secrets and Audra’s thirst for information about Jake and his sister. Jake is a guarded character that you can’t help feel for and at times I wanted to tell Audra to back off too.
I expected to be more emotional reading this book but for some reason it just didn’t happen and I’m not sure why as I liked the characters. This could be read as a YA book as things never progress sexually between the main characters though it is quite heavy on the subject matter of grief.
I think the author has done a great job with this as a debut book and I will definitely be looking out for more from her in the future and wish her every success.
March 26, 2017
3.5 Stars
Could you love someone that had your dead sibling's heart in them? I don't think I could, so when I read the blurb for The Heartbeat Hypothesis, I HAD to read it. This book drew me in from the first chapter and despite the way they met, I expected this to be a lighthearted romance. I was right.... kind of. At the beginning this was a mostly lighthearted book, and I enjoyed it best during the 1st half.
Right before the 50% mark, this book broke my heart. I was teary eyed and frustrated. Why did that have to happen?! I wanted this book to be all rainbows and butterflies with a few perfect photos thrown in. A heartbreaking mystery was thrown in the mix, and the mystery never actually got solved. That bummed me out even more. I like resolution, and while you get it in some ways.... you don't get it in others. I know, I know. Clear as mud, but if I say anything more then it is a definite spoiler.
Negativity aside, I actually enjoyed this book, and considering it is a debut novel I will definitely be checking out more of her work in the future.
I received an advance review copy of this book that I have chosen to review.
Could you love someone that had your dead sibling's heart in them? I don't think I could, so when I read the blurb for The Heartbeat Hypothesis, I HAD to read it. This book drew me in from the first chapter and despite the way they met, I expected this to be a lighthearted romance. I was right.... kind of. At the beginning this was a mostly lighthearted book, and I enjoyed it best during the 1st half.
Right before the 50% mark, this book broke my heart. I was teary eyed and frustrated. Why did that have to happen?! I wanted this book to be all rainbows and butterflies with a few perfect photos thrown in. A heartbreaking mystery was thrown in the mix, and the mystery never actually got solved. That bummed me out even more. I like resolution, and while you get it in some ways.... you don't get it in others. I know, I know. Clear as mud, but if I say anything more then it is a definite spoiler.
Negativity aside, I actually enjoyed this book, and considering it is a debut novel I will definitely be checking out more of her work in the future.
I received an advance review copy of this book that I have chosen to review.
March 20, 2017
4.5 stars
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of The Heartbeat Hypothesis provided by IndieSage PR and the author. Thank you so much for the reviewing opportunity!
"It's okay to be a glow stick; sometimes we need to break before we shine."
The heartbeat hypothesis: Every living creature had a finite number of heartbeats. If that was true, my limit was up long ago. But instead, I took someone else's heartbeats. - snippet from Audra's thoughts.
Audra never thought she would survive past high school, literally. With her failing heart, her days were numbered and her breaths were measured by counts, but miracle came in the form of Emily Cavanaugh. She died so Audra could live. To honor Emily's heart, Audra set on a goal to replicate Emily's Tumblr account so her memory could live on forever. She sought out the help of Emily's brother, Jake to help photograph her while she completes Emily's "Done-its" list. She made him laugh, they are two souls connected, but will the past destroy what they have in the present? And change their future forever?
I devoured this book in two sitting (two because work came in between) and every moment in the book pulled me deeper into the mystery behind Emily's death and the heartbreak that seemed to plague the characters. Contrary to the alpha male lead I've been reading lately, I was glad that the author has created a character that I can easily relate to, I love his vulnerability and my heart broke for the pain and loneliness he endured.
"Is there a limit to pain?
Ugh, I know I've been quoting the book a lot but I am in love with every single word written! I highlighted so many passages it'll come across as a textbook, trust me.
Being the author's debut novel (which I am honored to have the opportunity to read), it was surprisingly well-written and laced with emotional depth. The plot itself is creatively crafted, I enjoyed reading about Emily's Done-its and the inspiration behind each photo. Jake's take on photography gave me a new perspective on life and his voice is so very beautiful, Kat's cheerful personality, albeit a huge contrast to Audra's, was a breath of fresh air, and Audra's selfless personality made her a genuinely wonderful person. I love them all.
At precisely 50% mark of the story, the plot twist almost killed me and I had to put down my kindle to fight the urge to scream and cry.
I have no idea how many times Jake and Audra has reduced me to tears, they are capable of making me feel appreciative of the little things in life. Their story is a reminder that life is short, it can be painful, but also entirely beautiful, and we should make use of the finite number of heartbeats we have left.
An emotional roller coaster that will make you "high" on emotions.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of The Heartbeat Hypothesis provided by IndieSage PR and the author. Thank you so much for the reviewing opportunity!
"It's okay to be a glow stick; sometimes we need to break before we shine."
The heartbeat hypothesis: Every living creature had a finite number of heartbeats. If that was true, my limit was up long ago. But instead, I took someone else's heartbeats. - snippet from Audra's thoughts.
Audra never thought she would survive past high school, literally. With her failing heart, her days were numbered and her breaths were measured by counts, but miracle came in the form of Emily Cavanaugh. She died so Audra could live. To honor Emily's heart, Audra set on a goal to replicate Emily's Tumblr account so her memory could live on forever. She sought out the help of Emily's brother, Jake to help photograph her while she completes Emily's "Done-its" list. She made him laugh, they are two souls connected, but will the past destroy what they have in the present? And change their future forever?
I devoured this book in two sitting (two because work came in between) and every moment in the book pulled me deeper into the mystery behind Emily's death and the heartbreak that seemed to plague the characters. Contrary to the alpha male lead I've been reading lately, I was glad that the author has created a character that I can easily relate to, I love his vulnerability and my heart broke for the pain and loneliness he endured.
"Is there a limit to pain?
Ugh, I know I've been quoting the book a lot but I am in love with every single word written! I highlighted so many passages it'll come across as a textbook, trust me.
Being the author's debut novel (which I am honored to have the opportunity to read), it was surprisingly well-written and laced with emotional depth. The plot itself is creatively crafted, I enjoyed reading about Emily's Done-its and the inspiration behind each photo. Jake's take on photography gave me a new perspective on life and his voice is so very beautiful, Kat's cheerful personality, albeit a huge contrast to Audra's, was a breath of fresh air, and Audra's selfless personality made her a genuinely wonderful person. I love them all.
At precisely 50% mark of the story, the plot twist almost killed me and I had to put down my kindle to fight the urge to scream and cry.
I have no idea how many times Jake and Audra has reduced me to tears, they are capable of making me feel appreciative of the little things in life. Their story is a reminder that life is short, it can be painful, but also entirely beautiful, and we should make use of the finite number of heartbeats we have left.
An emotional roller coaster that will make you "high" on emotions.
December 7, 2018
Nunca me había pasado que la historia me gustara pero los protagonistas no.
Este fue un libro que empezó mostrando una historia bastante real sobre una chica que se le dio una segunda oportunidad de vivir al recibir un trasplante de corazón.
Aundra es una chica fuerte que decide seguir los pasos de Emily y completar la cadena que empezó y no pudo terminar y para eso va a conocer a su hermano.
Jake es un chico solitario con el corazón sangrando por no haber podido hacer nada para que su hermana no se suicidara así que lleva ese peso de culpa sobre los hombres que lo está aplastando. Al conocer a Emily no se le hace fácil saber que ella tiene el corazón de su hermana. Y por ende es distante, frio o seco con Audra cuando se conocen.
Al principio lo entendía y excusaba su actitud pero después de tanto rechazo y alejamiento se vuelve molesto y más cuando Audra se la pasa detrás de él una y otra vez cuando está bien claro qué el tipo no quiere pasar tiempo contigo!
Qué molesto era esa actitud de ella que no entendía y seguía rogando por su compañía. Y esto fue en todo el libro él alejándose y ella persiguiéndolo.
Todo esto hizo que no me convencieran ni él ni ella y menos el romance.
Este fue un libro que empezó mostrando una historia bastante real sobre una chica que se le dio una segunda oportunidad de vivir al recibir un trasplante de corazón.
Aundra es una chica fuerte que decide seguir los pasos de Emily y completar la cadena que empezó y no pudo terminar y para eso va a conocer a su hermano.
Jake es un chico solitario con el corazón sangrando por no haber podido hacer nada para que su hermana no se suicidara así que lleva ese peso de culpa sobre los hombres que lo está aplastando. Al conocer a Emily no se le hace fácil saber que ella tiene el corazón de su hermana. Y por ende es distante, frio o seco con Audra cuando se conocen.
Al principio lo entendía y excusaba su actitud pero después de tanto rechazo y alejamiento se vuelve molesto y más cuando Audra se la pasa detrás de él una y otra vez cuando está bien claro qué el tipo no quiere pasar tiempo contigo!
Qué molesto era esa actitud de ella que no entendía y seguía rogando por su compañía. Y esto fue en todo el libro él alejándose y ella persiguiéndolo.
Todo esto hizo que no me convencieran ni él ni ella y menos el romance.
June 23, 2020
Oh my heart
I couldn’t help myself. I read this endearing book in one day. It is so refreshing to experience a story unlike any other. Simply beautiful.
I couldn’t help myself. I read this endearing book in one day. It is so refreshing to experience a story unlike any other. Simply beautiful.
March 29, 2017
Good book. I figured I would like it. You probably have all noticed that I can usually find something nice about any of the books I read. This time I like the book because it was more than I thought it would be.
I thought the heart transplant would be something mention once but the story would focus on the romance. And it does focus on the romance but the heart transplant is on the main stage. It's what thread the story along. That and the girl who heart Audra has.
Emily was just as much of a character as the two main characters. Speaking of characters I liked all of them. All around, it's a good read.
I thought the heart transplant would be something mention once but the story would focus on the romance. And it does focus on the romance but the heart transplant is on the main stage. It's what thread the story along. That and the girl who heart Audra has.
Emily was just as much of a character as the two main characters. Speaking of characters I liked all of them. All around, it's a good read.
March 6, 2017
For starters, I would like to thank Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me this arc in exchange for a honest review.
I loved reading this book.
The focus on grief, healing and a chance meeting of two people drawn together by a situation made this worth every bit of attention.
I loved reading this book.
The focus on grief, healing and a chance meeting of two people drawn together by a situation made this worth every bit of attention.
August 18, 2017
When Audra Madison, a fun loving college student, seeks out the mysterious, indecisive Jake Cavanugh, her transplanted heart quickens. It's a strange sensation considering Jake's sister, Emily, was Audra's heart donor.
Audra wants to pay tribute to Emily's life by experiencing the things Emily did before she died. And she wants Jake to be the photographer. He agrees.
Other than a failed heart, Audra has had a pretty good life complete with a best friend and loving parents. Jake hasn't been so lucky. Audra brings so much hope to their relationship but it's hard for Jake to feel anything but grief after what he's had to deal with.
Their relationship is so many things- sweet (they eat Twizzlers on a picnic) bitter (Jake pushes Audra away and Audra pushes Jake to talk about painful things) and heartbreaking. (Insert many things that made me cry here).
My heart felt like it was breaking after something tragic happens to Audra. It felt so unfair. But I think this heartbreak had to happen to Audra so that she could understand the severity of Jake's loss. So that it could ultimately bring them closer. Although my heart ached while reading The Heartbeat Hypothesis, the author mended it at the end.
This novel is heart-breakingly beautiful. Recommend!
Audra wants to pay tribute to Emily's life by experiencing the things Emily did before she died. And she wants Jake to be the photographer. He agrees.
Other than a failed heart, Audra has had a pretty good life complete with a best friend and loving parents. Jake hasn't been so lucky. Audra brings so much hope to their relationship but it's hard for Jake to feel anything but grief after what he's had to deal with.
Their relationship is so many things- sweet (they eat Twizzlers on a picnic) bitter (Jake pushes Audra away and Audra pushes Jake to talk about painful things) and heartbreaking. (Insert many things that made me cry here).
My heart felt like it was breaking after something tragic happens to Audra. It felt so unfair. But I think this heartbreak had to happen to Audra so that she could understand the severity of Jake's loss. So that it could ultimately bring them closer. Although my heart ached while reading The Heartbeat Hypothesis, the author mended it at the end.
This novel is heart-breakingly beautiful. Recommend!
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