Friday, May 1, 2009

Cold Hands, Warm Heart by Jill Wolfson

Dani is constantly in and out of the hospital, always getting tests, x-rays, and operations. But what can you expect when you're born with your heart on the wrong side of your body? Dani hopes and prays for a normal life, which can only be achieved by getting a heart transplant. Unfortunately, organ donations are rare, and hearts are even rarer. In comes Amanda, a gymnast with a healthy body, who is declared brain dead after a head injury. Will she be able to save Dani's life?

I thought the concept of this was really good. A girl who needs a heart transplant, and a girl who can give her a heart. This is a lot like an ABC Family Original Movie, Searching For David's Heart, where this girl searches for the person who received her brother's heart in a transplant. I say this because Dani wonders about her heart donor and what kind of person she is. Dani and her mom even do some harmless stalking. Anyway, when I say this concept is good, it's because the book was average. It was okay: not bad, but n0t good either. I don't really know what to say, it was just kind of boring. There were some touching moments, because even though one girl's life ended, another one was saved. I really liked the ending of the book, and I'll admit that it made me cry. But the one problem I had was with Dani's narration. When it was her point of view, she would just ramble and it felt like she was talking to the reader rather than narrating a story. I kept thinking to myself, Ok Dani let's get to the point. So that annoyed me. Unfortunately, Cold Hands, Warm Heart was merely average.

6 out of 10.

6 comments:

Iryna said...

Sometimes I like ramblings in books - for example, Meg Cabot's novels - but I have to agree with you that sometimes they are really annoying!

Thanks for the review!

Thao said...

The synopsis actually captures my attention. So bad it didn't turn out that great : (

Shooting Stars Mag said...

I do like the idea of the book as well, and I wish it had been a bit better...but it was fun to read about a transplant, b/c that's a big part of my family, I guess. My mom had one, new kidney.

-Lauren

Laina said...

If you like Searching For David's Heart, you should maybe try the book it's based on. :) It's by Cherie Bennet and it's not YA but it's good (made me bawl like a baby).

vvb32 reads said...

interesting review. i reading mixed feelings on this book. it did make you cry though, so there must be some good writing.

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http://vvb32reads.blogspot.com/2009/05/one-lovely-blog-award.html

soundistheword3 said...

Thanks for the review. I'd heard a bit about the book, but (I admit) the cover didn't really catch my attention. I feel a little better knowing that it wasn't all that great on the inside either.

P.S. Is it bad that I immediately think of the West Side Story song "make of our hands, one heart" whenever I see this title?