Didn't work for me.

Sorry for the long delay in feedback. I'm working on clearing out my Netgalley backlog. I am DNF'ing all books that just don't work within the first 50-100 pages. Trying to find the joy in reading again by going through the hundreds of abandoned books here.

I didn't enjoy this book at all. It sounded like it would be an intriguing story, but it was a bit disjointed, dark and dreary for me, so I did not finish it.

I loved the idea, but The Recipient fell flat for me. I felt like the author took a very long time to get to the point. The descriptions were also repetitive. Not for me.

a fast paced and easy to read book. I personally wasn't completely taken by this book but it was a nice enough book and overall entertaining.

DNF!

This is one of those novels that explains everything! We don't always need every single detail, it gets so tedious! Every bit of speech had a "she said", "he suggested", "she asked" etc which gets super irritating when there's a big conversation happening!

This is a perfect example of the meme about a male author writing a female character. I hate the cliche of a sexy & exercised woman who's into super techy stuff. It's so unoriginal and cringey. The amount of descriptions of her perfect body got so weird!

The story gripped me from the start, but it quickly died and away and I found I couldn't muster the energy to want to know how this one was going to go.

Thanks to Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for giving me this opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review. Sorry I didn't like it!

By receiving someone's heart, do you receive their memories as well?

This was so good. I hadn't read anything like it, and it was twisty and suspenseful. I loved the suspense and the roller coaster ride that I was taken on.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Recipient. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Peter Schillinge's daughter is of ill health, with a failing heart acting like a ticking time bomb in her chest. Casey has been ravaged by a disease caused by a tropical worm, which she picked up on a trip to Southeast Asia. A heart becomes available and in the succeeding years, Casey has the feeling that the heart is a separate entity. When her professional activities skirt the edges of legality, what is the true cause of her change of personality? When Casey's irrational feelings are finally validated by certain realizations, will she be able to help her own mental health?

The Recipient has a good premise and main character, but the author takes entirely too much time to get to the heart of the matter. As a suspense thriller, the moments of anticipation are so few and far between that the book loses its focus. When the author finally gets the plot moving, the story picks up, but it is far too late. As far as thrillers go, The Recipient was a missed opportunity for me.

I was so excited when I found out I was approved to read this book. However, when I went to Netgalley, the title was already archived.

I really tried with this one. I was so intrigued by the premise and dove in immediately but it was super slow moving and just dragged. I'm a fast reader and if I'm hooked I'll read nonstop - with this one I'd pick it up, get bored and put it down for a couple of weeks, come back and start the cycle all over again. I definitely think there is talent here but I thought the characters were shallow and unrealistic. The main character is not going to tell the team of doctors dedicated to her that she's having debilitating nightmares to the point that she has to be institutionalized! DNF at 60%.

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A heart stopper in more ways than one! Casey is an adventurous girl but comes home from a trip to discover she's picked up something nasty that has badly damaged her heart. After a transplant she has some dreadful nightmares and literally cannot rest, nor will do so, until she finds out why. She doesn't seem to be terribly nice, especially to members of her own family and comes across as being really self-centred, so it's hard to feel any sympathy for her. The first half of the book is a bit on the slow side and only springs to life as she begins to solve the mystery when there is action aplenty. Good style of writing but maybe some bits of it could've been shortened. Loved the cover and I would definitely pick it up for a closer look if it was on a bookshop shelf.

I loved this book! It was so beautiful! Characters were sublime and the plot was otherworldly!

Casey is a bright and vibrant student, backpacking with friends when she contracts a deadly tropical disease. Her condition leads to cardiac failure, and she is in desperate and sudden need of a heart transplant. Casey’s parents are devastated, and begin to say their goodbyes to their only daughter – but at the last minute, a viable heart is found and Casey is given a second chance at life.

Healthwise, Casey is back to normal after completing the required rehabilitation – but emotionally, she is like a completely different person. Quiet and withdrawn, Casey begins to avoid her family. Her agoraphobia is brought on by fear and the violent nightmares that keep her awake at night. She resorts to extreme measures to stay awake, including drugs and other borderline criminal activities – even her job as a computer hacker straddles the line of legitimate work, catching the attention of local police. However, no matter what she does, the night terrors continue to get worse.

After Casey injures herself while in the midst of a nightmare, her grandfather comes to live with her in order to monitor her health. With his help, Casey decides that the only way the nightmares will stop is if she discovers their source once and for all. She begins a frantic search to get to the root of the problem, putting her health and wellbeing at risk once again. Along the way, Casey makes a shocking discovery about the donor of her heart, who was killed in suspicious and potentially violent circumstances. As she delves deeper, Casey realizes that her dreams may be based in reality, and she cannot trust anyone around her.

There’s not much else I can say without spoiling the fun of letting this thriller unfold for the reader. Casey’s story has great pacing – it’s plot-driven, but also has interesting characters, even in the background. The medical and technological issues are not completely explained in a convincing way, but it didn’t matter because the story was fun and exciting enough to carry me along. The novel is packed with intrigue, terror and villains, and even though there are paranormal aspects, it’s easy to suspend disbelief and just go with it. It also happens to have an Australian setting, and the backdrop of Melbourne and the surrounding areas are interesting while not distracting from the story. The Recipient has its flaws, but the entertainment value makes it well worth the read.

I received this book from Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very suspenseful. I thought the story dragged in a couple of places but when it caught speed...it flew. Heart recipient, Casey Schillinge, is a great character...not a whiny door mat but a stand up chick that gets a little...okay more than a little... nuts. Add a friend named Sasquatch, a wise grandfather, an over protective father, and sexy but weird doctors and you've a story that will keep you guessing and steal your breath away. I bought this for our library and I have recommended it to many readers. This is a great but dark story.

I did not know what to expect when I requested this book via NetGalley. I had never read any of the author's work but the books seemed like it would be interesting. Was I right!!!! This book is very good and the premise is a good one. A young lady reiceved a heart from a donor. Things are fine until she starts experiencing nightmares and her whole persona changes. Is she taking on things, thoughts, feelings from the donor? Read this book and find out. The beginning of the book seemed to be a bit busy, but stick with it. You will be glad you did. The ending was very, very good. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC of this good book in return for my honest review.

Great story! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

Found this on Netgalley. And why not I enjoy thrillers, particularly ones of international variety. This wasn't particularly thrilling though and for that matter not all that exotic either, Australia here seems peculiarly American, even if elevators are lifts. A basic plot involves an organ recipient who along with the lifesaving gift receives some interesting extras, like agoraphobia, fondness for art and violent memories, all belonging to the former owner of the said organ. When three years of pot and trying to ignore the situation don't work out, the young woman sets of to investigate what happened to her organ donor. Pretty straight forward plot, executed competently, if not excitingly. I wasn't particularly drawn in by it and it was somewhat too long for what it was, but it was perfectly serviceable and might entertain a less discriminating genre fans. Thanks Netgalley.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC.
Alas,not my kind of story.

I appreciate this author granting me the wish of reading this book because I have been very excited to give this a go. Unfortunately this book was just not my cup of tea don't get me wrong I think the plotline is great and love the cover, the book is well written. But from the beginning I felt like the story was slow to get to anything with some meat. I like books that captivate me from the beginning all the way through but this book fell short for me from the beginning I just wanted more to keep me wanting more.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read The Recipient.
A young woman with heart problems is fortunate to receive a transplant at the time she needs one desperately. Fast forward - now a young adult, Casey, is still adjusting to her new heart. But Casey suffers from alot of worries - she can't sleep, she can't go outside, she doesn't like crowds, and she likes to be alone.
Soon Casey finds that someting is really going on with her heart and she searches to find the answers with the donor. That's where the nightmare begins.
Fast paced and engrossing. Good Beach Read!

Casey Schillinge is a young woman who is dying. She contracted a tropical disease and now needs a heart transplant. She is fading away .. a little at a time and her parents can do nothing but watch. But then the call comes in the middle of the night and Casey's life is going to change in ways no one can see coming.

Three years later, she is a shell of the young woman she used to be. She's withdrawn from everyone, suffers agoraphobia. She has night terrors and is afraid to go to sleep. She has memories, but they don't seem to be hers. No one understands ... no one believes her.

When she absolutely cannot take any more, she begins research into why she can't sleep. She's tried alcohol and drugs, sleeping pills, exercising hours at a time ... anything to be able to sleep without the nightmares haunting her.

What she first discovers is the donor of her new heart ... and her tragic story. As she seeks and finds more and more information, she realizes her dreams are not dreams .... but a real life nightmare.

It's really hard to pigeon hole this story. It's more than a psychological thriller ... more than a paranormal adventure ... more than a mystery. It's the journey of someone who refuses to quit, will not give up, and pushes herself out the door when she's so frightened she may faint. She is a lot stronger than anyone gives her credit for.

The beginning is a bit slower paced, but it does well in revealing just who Casey is ... and who she was. Once her investigation begins, the action and suspense becomes almost non-stop. WOW! what an ending! The entire story premise is a good one with skillfully defined characters. It's entertaining and riveting!

There have been perplexing reports of organ transplant receivers claiming that they seem to have inherited the memory, experiences and emotions of their deceased donors, and which are causing quirky changes in their personality ( http://www.namahjournal.com/doc/Actual/Memory-transference-in-organ-transplant-recipients-vol-19-iss-1.html)

Many thanks to the author / Central Avenue Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.