My name is April, I'm 18 years old, and I was born with what could have been a fatal heart defect.
I received a heart transplant not quite two years ago, and since then my life has changed irrevocably. This year I'm spending Christmas with my father in the Alps, with a body I need to reawaken...but that I'm so scared of damaging. It's terrifying, but I want to believe in miracles.
And maybe I should, because not long after arriving, I see Augustin for the first time in years, and everything gets turned upside down. My life us only just beginning, I'm sure of it.
I received a heart transplant not quite two years ago, and since then my life has changed irrevocably. This year I'm spending Christmas with my father in the Alps, with a body I need to reawaken...but that I'm so scared of damaging. It's terrifying, but I want to believe in miracles.
And maybe I should, because not long after arriving, I see Augustin for the first time in years, and everything gets turned upside down. My life us only just beginning, I'm sure of it.
Title: A Heart for Christmas (Advent Romance)
Author: Sophie Jomain
Publisher:
Expected Publication Date: September 30, 2025
Review:
Thank you to Auzou Publishing LTD for sending me a copy of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
What a cute idea! I just love the thought of reading a story one chapter a day for the first 24 days of December. This book is so pretty. And I enjoyed how each chapter was contained for a day and you actually had to open it up to read it. I would suggest it just be the chapter first and last page that are sealed, rather than pages in between, as well. But otherwise this idea is a really great one. The actual book is illustrated beautifully.
That being said, I really wanted to like this book. I tried so hard. But it just was not for me.
I enjoyed the book being set in the French Alps. I loved the idea of snow and skiing and Christmas time. I wish I could picture it more in my mind. I didn't get much from the author with showing me the scenery which really could have lead to me liking the book a bit more.
It's geared towards YA, there's some friendship stuff, some falling for your best friend's brother stuff, but overall not much of a plot to follow.
The main character, April, is a heart transplant recipient who is very cautious with everything she does because she knows her new heart will only last a finite amount of time. And, while I enjoyed this aspect of the book, I found April to be insufferable for the most part.
The side characters weren't much better for me. Besides a romance that has zero chemistry, there are some interactions that are just totally awkward between April and one of the male characters. Those scenes made me feel uncomfortable for April but that is never truly addressed in the book.
Add to this the juvenile writing, which would be ok for perhaps 8th grade but not for a young adult, and I just couldn't like this book. I'm not sure if this was written in another language and translated, but some of the dialogue came off as stilted and awkward.
Overall, I don't think this is one I would recommend to most. It needs a lot of work even if the idea is totally awesome.
Author:
Sophie Jomain is the author of fantasy novels for adults and young adults. Initially fascinated by archeology, she devoted herself to the study of the Roman and Celtic Gaul. Then she started writing and couldn’t stop; by 2021 she had published twenty-five novels and three short stories.
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