Instructions for a Second-hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray
This book has a very deceptive cover in that this is NOT a love story. It is a book told from the two perspectives.
Jonny is facing death, desperately in need of a heart transplant. Then one day he gets the call to say that a heart has been found û but of course, there are two sides to this story. Whilst JonnyÆs life may be saved, another family is facing a terrible loss.
Curiosity drives Jonny to find out more.
This is Tamsyn MurrayÆs second time being nominated for the Bolton Book Awards, the last time was in 2011 for her book æMy So Called Haunting.Æ
I found this book really gripping. It is about a girl with a twin brother named Leo and a boy named Jonny whose heart doesn’t work like it should do. A great story for boys and girls and would definitely recommend it.
I didn’t like this because it was really romancy but it still made me cry. I think other people will like this book though.
The book itself seemed like an enticing story which portrayed a twisted plot. When i started reading the book i was shocked at the abrupt death and the grief of Niamh, A sister who lost her twin brother.
on the other side of the plot, Jonny a boy with a berlin heart, is fighting for his life in hospital. When he suddenly gains a heart from a mysterious donor, he wishes to know of his hero
Niamh is still grieving when she comes across a mysterious boy asking about her brother, leo.
The tale is extremely riveting and grips you from start to finish. The plot twist in the end was extremely shocking and emotional, and makes you want t burst into tears.
I recommend this book to anyone who can get their hands on it and am looking forwards to reading more of Tamsyn Murrays work.
Hi Sally
I’m glad you enjoyed the book – sorry about the tears 🙂
Tamsyn
After the two to three weeks I picked it back up and finished it. Overall I would give it three stars.
Hi Zakariya
I’m glad you gave the book a chance – thanks for your review!
Tamsyn
Personally, I did not enjoy the book, as it was not the genre that I generally enjoy, but, I think that, as a book, it was brilliant. I liked the fact that the book was from two different perspectives. I loved that Jonny and Niamh’s texts were funny, and I was surprised Jonny had a teddy bear! Although, there was one major problem with the front cover. At first, when I saw the front page, I instantly thought it was about romance, but then I remembered the saying “never judge a book by it’s cover” so I read the cover. I realized that it was about a boy with a heart problem, and I was instantly intrigued, as one of my relatives has a similar heart problem, just not as severe. I read up to about halfway through the book and Niamh and Jonny started going on dates. I put the book down for two – three weeks.
3 STARS