Heart

I started reading this and I didn't put it down until I reached the last page. By now I can safely assume I am biased, I see Garrett Leigh and I know I am in for a good story. Heart didn't disappoint. By the way, do you know why this novel is called Heart? My guess is because it will take the reader's heart and make it flip and tumble.

The first few chapters felt like things were moving rather fast, and I don't know if it actually did or if I was still on the pace of the last novel I read. I could get a proper grasp of it after the, um, seasons changed. I think it's fair to say this novel has three parts, so the first part felt rushed, but not necessarily in a bad way, it felt more like a long prologue.* The second part is where things settled in a nice rhythm and continued likewise throughout the rest of the novel.

Now that I got that out of the way, I did enjoy it a lot. Garrett Leigh has a way with words that even when you are expecting something it still takes you by surprise. I did take a few deep breath breaks while reading this, things just come at you and you want to both keep reading and groan into your pillow.

I am grateful to the author for not describing everything Dex went through. It is clear what happened, but I am glad for the lack of details. It's not that I wouldn't have read it, I definitely read a certain amount of disturbing things before, but here I think it wouldn't have fit the tone of the novel. Maybe I am wrong and it would have, but either way, the way it is, is perfect for me.

I liked the characters very much, starting with Seb and Dex and finishing with the restaurant staff. The novel is a collection of coincidences and happy choices that went well together and brought up a pretty nice crowd. If anything I would have liked to meet more of the characters. Even so, great read, enjoyed it a lot.

___ *after reading some reviews, I think the first part is the whole of Gypsy Rain, a short story Garrett Leigh published a year before transforming it into a full length novel. If that's the case, it makes sense why it read more like a prologue to me and why the pacing is not the same.