Divided (Open Heart #1) Review

*** Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review! ***

4 stars!!! I really liked the concept behind this novel. The story starts off with Mischa, a nineteen year old girl, who has a congenital heart defect. She undergoes a heart transplant but discovers she's suffering from some strange side affects which are more like special abilities and terrifying nightmares. The plot then follows her journey as to how she deals with these changes and other revelations in her life. The plot pace was brisk and Sharon M. Johnston has a writing style that flows smoothly. They were no parts in the novel that dragged on or were boring. I really enjoyed Mischa as a MC. I liked that she wasn't your conventional pretty girl and that she was mixed race. The novel offers a lot of diversity in that regard. I also loved the setting of the novel as it took place in my city which is Brisbane and that my school way mentioned. Go QUT!!! It was nice to read about places that I could relate to. With regards to the relationships in the book, I was happy to see Mischa's parents mentioned throughout the book. Usually in YA or New Adult novels, we tend to see a disconnect with the MC and their family but we don't get it here. It was nice to see how her parents cared about her and how she behaved around them. I also enjoyed the minor characters. They were well rounded enough to add interest to the story. We also catch glimpses of Mischa's friendships with Nerissa which is refreshing. However, I do have to say Nerissa is quite an intriguing character. I think there is more to her than is let on in this book. The romance between Ryder and Mischa was played out well. I liked how it was built up slowly. However, I did not see the point of making Colin another love interest. That was the only time I felt the book took a weird turn. Till then I enjoyed the story immensely. The book has a decent amount of plots and twists to keep the reader guessing. The revelations towards the end were the the best part. I liked how the book ended on a more "to be continued" note as opposed to a major cliffhanger. That has got my interest piqued for the sequel. Overall, I think this was a great start to the series and would recommend this novel to fans who enjoy the sci-fi genre in the new-adult to upper YA categories :)

#Newadult #scifi #romance #specialabilities