The emotion of this book is so raw and it hit me hard.
This is a well written book with well developed relatable characters. The ending hit me in the heart

I am not leaving a review due to the fact that this book did not interest me enough to finish the story.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

'The Heart Keeper' by Alex Dahl - what a story! The central character Alison, wife, mother, step-mother is such a relatable character, and my heart bled for her. For who would not want to hang on to just the smallest piece of their beloved child, who they had thought lost forever!
It is barely twelve months since Alison's young daughter, Amalie, drowned in a terrible accident...on Alison's watch. The burden sits heavily on her shoulders, her stepson is increasingly scared of her erratic behaviour, and her husband blames her for what happened. Alison is an emotional mess, barely holding things together in the face of her lost; and then she learns that the little girl who received Amalie's heart lives only a short distance away.
'The Heart Keeper' is a tale of grief to the exclusion of all else; it is also a story of guilt and failure and the unbreakable bond between a mother and her child. Alison goes on to do some terrible things, and yet despite her actions she remains a figure of sympathy, someone the reader continues to care deeply about.
I give this book 4 stars.

Every now and then you come across something special and 'The Heart Keeper' certainly stands out as one of my books of the year. This is a clever psychological story by Alex Dahl that gradually winds you in with the story of Iselin and Alison bonding who are different in many ways while also having deep common emotional ties. One cannot help having empathy for each as their friendship moves even closer and noticing different agendas starting to appear that gradually unravels with dire consequences.
Well written, original plot. My review is independent and thanks to NetGalley

I requested this book not realizing I had read it already. I thought it sounded familiar, but the cover threw me off. This is a great book. It shows how a tragedy can be turned into something good. However I did not anticipate a hidden dark plot at work here. Big shock!

Alex Dahl is an author I enjoy for creepy compelling reads. Ones that make you think about how you would act in a certain situation. Feel fear on behalf on her characters is another good ingredient in her books. This one will get you thinking, your mind whirring and your heart beating for more reasons than one.

This story was also disturbing. Compelling about why organ donors should remain anonymous too! When a woman loses her daughter, her grief is raw. Boy did this part of the novel really tug and wring out the heart strings! Two stories come into play from two mothers whose emotions are red raw and so so powerful. The donor’s mother however starts to become very creepy and unsettling. It got very intense at this point as the mother then starts to effectively stalk the child who received the heart from her daughter.

This is not your Nordic thriller but a very intense look into motherhood and loss, grief and emotional turmoil. It does bring up some very uncomfortable and though-provoking questions though!

It wasn’t for me. I felt it veered between serious and hard to believe. I have no knowledge of these matters but found parts uncomfortable and hard to read. Scary thing is that the way we’re going with technology etc at the moment, is this really as far-fetched as it sounds?

A story of a mother's heartbreak and the ends she will go to to try and reconnect to her deceased daughter. I loved this book, it starts off slowly and gains pace as the story progresses, told through the eyes of the mother of the donor's daughter and the mother of the recipient's daughter. Thanks to NetGalley for my copy in exchange for my honest review.

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A truly intense, yet intriguing read that had my full attention from start to finish. I found the whole plotline fascinating. Add in a little mystery of what's gonna happen next, and I was hooked!
A superb read! Cant wait for this author's next!

Excellent book with a clear cut depiction of characters. The storyline is fluid and constant, and my concentration never waived. Highly recommended.

Hearts are wild creatures, that's why our ribs are cages.

What if memories, and the essence of a person, are held, not only in the brain, or the soul but in every single cell of the body? Would these cells then somehow influence or change their recipient in the event of organ donations? A study published in the online journal eLife suggests that traces of a lost memory might remain in a cell’s nucleus, perhaps enabling future recall or at least the easy formation of a new, related memory. Alison and Sindre lost a daughter, Oliver a sister, a senseless accident that took the life of a six-year-old child. How does anyone recover from this kind of loss, especially a mother when it happened on her watch? Alison feels Amalie everywhere, in her room, in the soft evening breeze, in the impossible beauty of the tight pink rosebuds in the garden, in the shimmering light of the uncountable stars strewn across the infinite darkness of the night sky, but Amalie is gone, or is she? Her heart was transplanted into Kaia Berge and made a healthy life possible for her, so she can now go to school, play in the park and have a future.

Alison's life has fallen apart, and she cannot move on until, with the help of Oliver, she discovers who the recipient of Amalie's heart is and befriends the family without them being aware that Kaia has her daughter's heart beating inside her chest. Then her life takes on a new meaning……..

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, especially being a biology teacher, and it has given me a brilliant idea for a research project for my students. I always say to the children – mine as well as my students – listen to your heart. You instinctively know what is right for you, no one else can understand, only you.

Saphira

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

This book was an emotional journey and touches on the subject of organ donation. I was emotionally connected to the characters.

This was an intense and emotional read that was really hard hitting in places. A well written and sensitive plot handled well.

4 stars! Intensely emotional. Unforgettably heart-wrenching. Deeply thought-provoking.

Alison is lost in her grief after her five-year-old daughter, Amalie, drowns in the lake. She is consumed by guilt, as she was the one watching her that day. Alison and her husband decide to donate Amalie’s organs, feeling comfort that Amalie can help to save other children. Iselin’s seven-year-old daughter, Kaia, is the recipient of Amalie’s heart. Being born with a heart condition, Iselin has watched Kaia struggle to survive for her entire life. Shortly after, Alison stumbles across a magazine article outlining Kaia’s miraculous recovery through the heart transplant. Could part of Amalie be living within this young girl? Would she recognize any signs of Amalie in Kaia?

The emotional impact of this book hit me hard. Alison’s grief completely consumed me. It was a gut-wrenching, impossible to ignore sadness that reached my core and had me shedding countless tears within the first several chapters. I felt so deeply for her character and situation that I had to take breaks from reading to dry my eyes and regroup my thoughts. The power behind this author, Alex Dahl’s, writing is undeniable. I had deep sympathy for Alison from start to finish, hoping for her to somehow find comfort and peace and be able to move forward in life.

This book is separated into three parts. Part 1 was the most powerful for me, leaving a devastating and unforgettable emotional impact. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire book, but found that Part 2 and Part 3 lost some of the emotional intensity, focusing more on the storyline, rather than the emotions involved.

This was a Traveling Sister read with Norma and Brenda. I’m so glad I had them to share this emotional journey with.

Thank you to Vicky at Head of Zeus for providing me with this ARC to read and review!

I like the originality of this story, it is realistic and makes you appreciate why organ donations should be anonymous, with neither the donor family nor the recipients having knowledge of the other.

This is an intense family drama, rather than a Nordic noir thriller. It is slow-paced, and deep, dealing with the darkest and rawest of human emotions. Parents will relate to the grief the donor's family feels. Although the mother's action is extreme, so is losing a child and her actions are believable.

Told from two viewpoints both mothers, their stories start off separate then become dramatically connected. The characters are complex and strange but mostly authentic. Understandably this is an emotional story, and whilst I admire its characterisation, delivery and the simplicity of the plot that resonates, I found it exhausting to read.

One to read if you like intense drama.

I received a copy of this book from Head of Zeus - Aria via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Two Mothers, one grieving, two daughters, one gone and the other given a second chance

The Heart Keeper is an emotional, heartbreaking story that explores a mother’s grief and guilt that turns into an obsession.

Alex Dahl does a great job capturing the grief of a family after the death of their daughter and sister. Each dealing in their own way that really pulled me into their lives. I was turning those pages as fast as I could to see how this story comes together in the end. We see how grief and guilt start to unravel our grieving mother and she starts to become obsessed with the idea of having a second chance with her daughter through her daughter’s heart keeper.

The ending had me on the seat of my chair, holding my breath and rooting for the characters and feeling very satisfied with how the story wrapped up. I highly recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Victoria at Head of Zeus and Alex Dahl for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Moving, heart-wrenching & raw!

THE HEART KEEPER by ALEX DAHL is an interesting, enjoyable and entertaining read that had quite the emotional, profound and unique premise. I haven’t read too many books in regards to organ donation and I found that quite intriguing. I wouldn’t necessarily say though that I was totally immersed in this story but I did definitely feel at times an intense emotional pull.

The story itself is a scary, horrific and heartbreaking one that definitely plants you right into the storyline with all of its dramatic highs and lows. But I wouldn’t say that it was all that thrilling or had me on the edge of my seat in anticipation until maybe towards the end. Then I was breathlessly awaiting the outcome.

ALEX DAHL delivers an intriguing and well-written read here with determined, honest and relatable characters. I especially enjoyed Kaia and she had me totally loving and rooting for her. The concept and the actual things all heart related was pretty palpable and extremely touched me as a reader. You could definitely feel the author’s heart here within this story.

Norma’s Stats:
Cover: Intriguing, heartfelt, moving and an extremely fitting and meaningful representation to storyline.
Title: An intriguing, interesting, meaningful and extremely fitting representation to storyline. I absolutely love the title of this story! Perfection!
Writing/Prose: Well-written, sincere, captivating, moving and readable.
Plot: Slow-building, steadily paced, interesting, heartfelt, moving, touching, and unique.
Ending: Intense, heartfelt and satisfying.
Overall: I think this book will be much better perceived if you go into it knowing that it is more of a strong family drama rather than a full on heart-pounding thriller. This book definitely resonated with me as a mother. Would recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Victoria Joss at Aria / Head of Zeus and Alex Dahl for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

This is the second -crime- novel written by a new and talented Norwegian female author, Alex Dahl. The first one, titled ''The Boy At The Door'' was a big success and I was eagerly expecting the publication of ''The Heart Keeper''. Finally, I got lucky and won a free ARC by the publisher in Netgalley, and I began reading it immediately. Overall, I can say that it was a rather satisfying experience, even though it doesn't strictly fall under the Scandi-Noir genre. In fact, ''The Heart Keeper'' is a moving story about the desperate attempts of Alison, a mother of a little girl (Amalie) who drowned at her watch, to deal with her profound grief and feelings of guilt, that result in a bizarre situation where Alison convinces herself that her daughter is still alive through the body of another 5-year-old girl, Kaia, who carries Amalie's freshly transplanted heart in her little body. It is due to this inane belief that Alison seeks contact with Kaia's mother, Iselin, and begins slowly to get closer to the little girl's life. As anyone can imagine, a situation like that is doomed not to end well for all the parties involved.
This is not a novel that counts on its intricate, complicated plot in order to keep the reader engaged, but is mainly focused on the two main characters, Alison and Iselin, who are also the two narrators -in first person- of the story. Alex Dahl is a gifted author who offers great insights in the world of emotional turmoil that Alison lives in and the descriptive parts, especially in some parts of the book, can be considered as an example of writing quality prose. On the other hand, the main flaw with ''The Heart Keeper'' lies in its weak plotline and its predictability which takes away a lot from the book's magic. Strictly in terms of plot, ''The Boy At The Door'' was a better book than this one, but one ought to recognize the maturity of the writer's writing style which promises better attempts in the near future.
Alex Dahl is a new, rising star in the notorious Nordic Noir genre, and she continues the fine tradition of other famous Norwegian female crime writers, such as Anne Holt, Karin Fossum and Unni Lindell. I would definitely recommend it to the genre's hardcore fans but keep in mind that this is not an intricate, labyrinthine story in the style of Jo Nesbo, but rather a book reminiscent of Karin Fossum's character-oriented crime novels.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ARC of this title.

After reading this fabulous read I’m gonna go back and read the authors previous book The Boy at the Door as I’ve heard great things about that one too.

I’ve not read many books about organ donation so after reading the blurb I was looking forward to reading it. I wasn’t disappointed as I loved this story.

This is a raw and an emotional story that will pull on your heartstrings. The characters are strong, real and relatable which I loved. From start to finish the author takes you on a heart breaking story with highs and lows. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author in the future

The Heart Keeper is a raw, very real tale of two women and two young girls. A look at pain, angst obsession and when it goes a bit too far. I was obsessed with this book and I've just purchased Alex Dahl's first book. An author to watch out for! 4/5