4.5 stars

Chloe is going through an existential crisis. After almost dying, only to be saved by a heart transplant, her entire world is different. She is constantly questioning the world around her—what does it all mean, what is time, what makes us who we are, what happens to us when we die. Her new heart doesn’t feel like it belongs to her, especially when she starts to have very vivid dreams that lead her to have memories of places she doesn't know.

This was a really strong debut. I thought the writing was fresh and really beautiful. Especially when Chloe was dreaming, the writing was very descriptive and visual. This is a unique book and very engrossing. I flew through the pages as I followed Chloe on her journey to self-discovery. I thought Chloe was really interesting and incredibly strong for going through such a traumatic experience. This is such a unique event that most 18-year-old girls don't go through. I definitely cried a little bit—what a surprise, right?

The only thing that bothered me had to do with the logistics and rules of the book in regards to some characters and events that happen towards the end of the book. . I can't say much else without a big spoiler alert. However this did exceed my expectations and I definitely recommend anyone who a different kind of YA contemporary that will surprise you.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a difficult book for me to review because up until a certain point, I was sure I would be giving this book 5 stars. I mean, I was really digging it, until...the biggest switcheroo I've ever come across in a book before. I mean, I don't even know what to label this book anymore, because it masquerades like a contemporary romance, but turns out to be....magic? Science fiction? Just a big, unsatisfactorily explained plot hole?

I really love the characters. Chloe is a great YA protagonist. Not only is she recovering from a heart transplant, but she's also going through a lot of typical teenage issues, like identity and the weight of heavy decision making in the form of college applications. She's also experiencing unexplained memories of people and places that she doesn't know but feel so familiar. Is it that she's experiencing a cellular transfer of memories from her foreign heart? Who knows? Chloe feels like a real person with real worries and teenage love and yearning.

I also really love Kai. He's such an interesting partner to Chloe's new life post-heart transplant. I enjoyed the author's descriptive, well-written surfing scenes with Kai teaching Chloe how to ride the waves. I liked their banter together and their relationship is really fun to read and watch grow over the course of the summer.

I also enjoyed Jane, Chloe's friend(?), who tries to pull her out of her shell and is there to help investigate the mystery of her heart donor. Their scenes together are a lot of fun to read and I enjoyed the Nancy Drew-esque mystery-solving they do.

Now, here's where things get tricky for me. I loved the plot...until I didn't. I feel like Takaoka really had me and I was really enjoying the rise and fall of Chloe's grappling with her new life post-heart transplant. But then she goes and throws a wrench into everything in the last 25% of the book. I can't be specific, because of spoilers, but the big reveal about Chloe's heart donor is just...too much. It isn't explained nearly well enough to satisfy me and I just feel tricked into thinking this book was one thing and it ends up being something else entirely. I don't like how it feels like it ends on a completely un-earned plot twist that, for me, feels more like a plot hole. It feels like Takaoka didn't know where to end this book, and so she took this weird, strange path instead of one that probably most people were expecting. I was almost disappointed that it seemed like she was going to end with a cliche, but she did me one better and ended in a complete fantasy scenario that doesn't make any sense.

So yeah, I'm pretty bummed. I won't be recommending this book because I don't want anyone else to suffer what I did. Yes, the writing is good (until it isn't), the characters are real and heartfelt, and the romance angle is...perfect until it isn't. But all of these things are ruined by the ending.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book so quickly and this one took me less than twenty-four hours to finish. It’s a short book, but I was so utterly consumed by it, and the only reason I didn’t finish it faster was because I literally could barely keep my eyes open and had to go to bed. To put it simply, I adored this book.
Let me begin with the story itself. I went into this not really knowing what to expect. The book follows Chloe, a seventeen year old girl who undergoes a heart transplant and then begins to have strange after effects such as memories that aren’t her’s and repeated nightmares. It dove into how Chloe was emotionally handling the situation, and how what had happened had derailed her entire life plans. What I really appreciated was how Chloe felt like she didn’t know where she was going. She’d grown so used to having her future set in stone, but then her life changed so much that she questions it all. Chloe was a likeable enough character and while there wasn’t much time to flesh her out, I found that the author did a good job of letting the readers know who she was. I also enjoyed the other characters, Jane and Kai, and would have loved even more details about each of them, especially Kai.
My main reason I didn’t give this book five stars was because of the ending. I don't really want to say too much but I wasn't quite convinced by the plot twist. I have very mixed feelings about it, as I didn't necessarily hate it, nor did I love it. It felt like it didn't quite fit the rest of the story and I truly believe that if the author had spent a little more time with it, then it could have been pulled off successfully.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this novel and if I had been reading it at home and not at work then I probably would have cried. It did a good job of making me emotional, and that's definitely one of the main things I look for when I read a book. If it doesn’t make me feel something, then it’s not a good book in my opinion, and this one definitely made me feel something.

“Here’s one of the many things I thought I knew that turns out to be wrong: you need to fall in love to end up with a broken heart.”

Everything I Thought I Knew is an ambitious, genre-bending, unique young adult novel. I went into the book only knowing it was about a high school student who recently received a heart transplant, and expected a typical contemporary, coming of age story. While the first 75% of it ran along those lines, the final section was a complete 180.

I have heard some people really enjoyed the first part and dislike the plot twist- but I was the opposite. I didn't hate the beginning, but it was pretty average to me. I didn't love our main character and often found myself exasperated at her decisions. The main thing I was interested in was the concept of cell memory and the more sciency concepts (oh, and the love interest!).

"What makes us who we are? Do we actually have souls that exist apart from our flesh, blood, and bones? Or are our personalities determined by the cells that surge through our bodies and the codes embedded in our DNA? Where do our thoughts and memories fit in?"

I admit I kind of saw the basic idea of the plot twist coming, but I didn't guess the full extent of it. I enjoyed how it was executed, but still feel like it needed a little more development. The ending is something that will appeal to some people who don't need things fully explained or wrapped up, but I personally hate the feeling of finishing a book and still being confused. I want to understand what happened, but it is like that feeling of having something just out of your grasp and not quite clicking.

This was a really impressive debut and I look forward to seeing what Shannon Takaoka writes next. I found the whole book easy to fly through and the ending particularly engrossing.

Overall, if you like YA contemporaries with genre-bending elements and don't mind slightly open/confusing endings- I would highly recommend this book! However, if you prefer your books to fall squarely into one box and wrap up neatly perhaps give this one a miss. I fell in the middle, but am definitely glad I read it!

★★★☆☆.5 stars

Thank you to Candlewick Press for this ARC

Release Date: 13 October 2020

While the start and middle of Everything I Thought I Knew have everything I love in a book - heartwarming story, building romance, struggling friendship, introspection following trauma - it is the ending, the glorious, surprising, on-my-gosh-no-way, ending that makes this book so gosh-darned amazing. I was shocked, stunned, honestly a little traumatised. It is honest, brilliant, amazing, and defies the realms of possibility just enough to have you questioning everything you thought you knew.

Chloe is lucky. Or so everyone tells her. Lucky when she collapsed and her heart failed that she didn’t die. Lucky that she received a heart transplant. Lucky she can continue her life. Eight months after her transplant, Chloe is finishing high school via summer school and watching her friends move away to college. Things are changing for Chloe. She does’t feel like the same person. She is sneaking away to take surfing lessons from the gorgeous Kai and has recurring dreams about crashing a motorcycle. Flashbacks, seeing people, knowing things she shouldn’t know. Something is wrong and so she starts to search for answers.

Honestly, the less I say about this book the better, because I don’t want to spoil anything. The surprise, the journey, the twists are all so worth it. I love it when I discover a book I can shove (literally) into the hands of my students and say, don’t worry about what it’s about, just read it, you’ll love it. Everything I thought I Knew is exactly that kind of book. Heartbreaking, uplifting, challenging, eye-opening, so much fun and yet I couldn’t stop crying. This book delivers all the emotions.

If you love gut-punching realistic fiction, then Everything I Thought I Knew is the perfect book for you.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

This was a really unique YA novel, and I liked Chloe as a character. It was deep and interesting. I will definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Life is what happens when you make plans.

Chloe has plans. Her body did not come in agreement with those plans. Her life changed. Her plans changed. She changed.

Chloe's heart is failing. Her life is put on hold. Until finally a heart is available and she is able to have a life saving heart transplant.. All goes well and the anti-rejection medication is doing its job. Chloe finally is able to come back to life. Her life.

She returns to school to finish her studies and earn her diploma. She meets new people. She has new hobbies.
Her life before the transplant and after the transplant feel like two different worlds. And her memory. The memory of riding a motorcycle, of playing fetch with a particular dog, of a man sitting at her bedside, of a home that she has never seen before.. Chloe is an intelligent young woman. These memories did not exist prior to the heart transplant. Thus begins the true awakening of Chloe, the life she is now creating around her, and the start to a new beginning. Filled with beautiful highs and heartbreaking lows, this is a wonderful read for teen/young adults and adults alike. It is so worth it. Bittersweet is okay every now and again.

Oh, did I mention the love interest, Kai?

Thanks to NetGalley, Candlewick Press, and Shannon Takaoka for an ARC in return for an honest review.









plants and cellular memory.

Chloe, a cross country runner and great student in her senior year, has a heart transplant. She is now in summer school so she can graduate, suddenly likes to surf, is having weird nightmares of dying and memories that are not her own! Is the new heart the 'culprit'?

With a POV that dabbles with cynicism and is absolutely personal, the author successfully puts us into the protagonist's headspace. Her musings made me stop reading quite a few times, sparking a whole new train of thought for me, making me philosophize the meaning of life, the universe etc. Not that the narrative is complicated, on the contrary its 'laid back' attribute makes you feel quite comfy.

The descriptions are wonderfully detailed, not only setting the scene, but making you feel like a friend is telling you a story.

I loved exploring the questions this book raised like: How do you deals with a life altering incident? Does almost losing your life really change you or does your true self come to the surface. Also: Is the heart more than just an organ? Can it possibly have a 'memory"? Can memories and feelings live on after death?

Fundamentally messing with the sense you have of reality, the book then pulls the rug under your feet and gets even weirder. And more emotional. I had tears wanting to be shed in my eyes for the rest of the book. I couldn't read fast enough and it felt like I was holding my breath.

Some (like me) will wish that happened sooner or the book dealt with this new mystery even more. Truth be told, I wish we got more of an 'answer' but cannot deny how thought provoking it is. Shannon Takaoka certainly has a voice needed to be heard.

3 1/2 stars rounded up.

17-year old Chloe has her life set out for her. Her academics and athletics are on par to get her into a great university and set her up for life. Until out of the blue she is struck down during track with a suddenly urgent need for a heart transplant.

When she is given the gift of life, her world is turned upside-down. She keeps having flashbacks of people and experiences that she does not recall having. Slowly she begins to wonder if she is either having a mental breakdown, or something even crazier- cellular memory.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I think we got a raw look at what it looks like to have a new heart and how there can be guilt as well as joy with that blessing. Coming to know the family of the donor is hard, and this story did a great job at setting the stage for what it would look like. Without any spoilers, the ending threw me for a loop. I almost brushed it off and wouldn't accept it, but I thought the author ended it well.

Thank you NetGalley and Candlewick Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This incredible book explores in an inventive way many universal themes that YA readers will relate to and be engaged with. The issues are presented in an age-appropriate manner and will certainly have students talking about mental health, relationships, and identity. The overall plot is addictive and will keep readers turning the page as they go along with Chloe on her journey. Highly recommended.

An interesting look at the effects of one teen's heart transplant. I loved how this book explored Chloe's outlook on life- both her new outlook and her past. I have yet to see any book, let alone YA, attempt to touch this subject. As a reader, I felt like I was given a unique chance to walk in the shoes of someone whose experience is very different from mine. I always love the chance to grow and learn from books like this.

As a debut, there are some flaws that you'll see in the writing, but they are easy to look past. I truly enjoyed this touching story of a girl learning more about life than she ever knew before.

Thank you so much to #netgalley and Candlewick Press for the ARC.

I was not emotionally prepared for this book. I thought it was going to be good from the blurb, but I didn't realize it was going to be that good. Chloe has it all and her life is on a great path, until it a simple fall changes her life forever.
This is truly a beautiful story about life and how sometimes the track you are on, will forever change, and you will need to change with it.
I don't like retelling the story in reviews, because that is what the blurb of the books are for. This book is so much more then what the cover tells you. It is a wonderful story about life, living and even love. The only ONLY thing I felt was not really needed was the "twist" that the book has. Thankfully it still didn't take away from the heart of th story.

Thank you again!

I could not access this title. I need a mini file for my kindle.. any way you can send me in that format?

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I’m not sure where to start with this review! I really enjoyed this book. Up until the end, it was very interesting and fun to read.

I liked how this book showed the hardships of life after a transplant. I liked how the main character had to find herself and figure out what she really wanted. I liked Chloe’s character, but I felt like sometimes she got very annoying. I loved Kai’s character and Jane. I enjoyed how Jane got her life together.

I was very disappointed with the ending. I wish there could’ve been a happier one! I was very confused about the ending. It didn’t really explain anything. I was also very confused about Emma. She was friends with the main character one minute, then the next she wasn’t, and then she was again.

Overall I’d recommend this book to contemporary lovers who are okay with a little heartbreak.

This book was super enjoyable and very meaningful. It was well-written and this is not some light read to pass time. Your mind is really filled with some thought provoking storylines.

First of all thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this book.

This was a book that’s usually not the type I would go for. That being said I actually enjoyed this very much. The writing was engaging and the story very interesting and believable.

The issue I have is with the end. It just felt like there was so much unexplained and left open.

Even with a not so awesome ending this was still a solid read and I’m glad to have gotten the chance to read it!

The first part of the book would have been a 4 star, it was the ending that brought it down to a 3 star. Chloe and her journey with her heart transplant was the good part of the story. Also showed how it changed her friendships and life at home. The drop in stars happened when she figured out her "donor". Even with using a parallel universe there were too many plot holes. The ending needs to be worked out more.

I’m not sure what drew me to this book, whether it was the promise of a look into this interesting phenomenon, or simply that you don’t get a lot of YA books based around teen who have had transplant surgery, but as I was reading it, my thoughts kept coming back to my patient - that is, when I could tear myself away from this engrossing masterpiece.

The book follows the last half of senior year/summer after of Chloe, our protagonist. A high achieving, social, athletic 17 year old, she is training for her cross-country team when she becomes dizzy and passes out. When she wakes up in hospital, she learns that she has a genetic abnormality which has caused slow heart failure - and it’s irreversible. She needs a transplant, or she won’t live much longer.

The rest of the book follows Chloe a few months after the life-saving transplant. She is learning how to live again, and who she really is. She finds herself having desires and wants which are entirely out of character for her - including wanting to learn how to surf. With the help of a tutor called Kai, she learns, and is soon spending her free time out on the ocean, learning to surf.

Things are not all rosy however. Chloe keeps having the same nightmare, over and over again. She’s speeding down a road; wipes out; and the world goes dark. Then, nothing. Soon the odd thoughts and (what feel like) memories are beginning to haunt her during the day time. Who is the man she saw sitting by her hospital bed after her transplant? Who does the silver pitbull belong to? Why does she instinctively know how to do things; how to get to a certain house?

There is romance in this book, but it’s not the overwhelming drive. With the help of Dr Google, Chloe learns about and unproven theory called “cellular memory” - where the cells in the body all hold memory, not just the brain cells. She finds articles about people who have gained skills they did not have before their organ transplants. The book follows Chloe as she struggles to reconcile the “new” her with the her before - is studying worth it? Why was she so focused on always moving forward, doing every little thing to get the edge over other students? - and also to come to terms with what her awful dreams are telling her.
I don’t want to spoil the book, so I will move on here!

The writing is beautiful - I honestly couldn’t put it down. I haven’t been reading a lot since lockdown here, and this was one of the first things I read that really hooked me. There is an element of realistic-sci fi, but I found that the story was so well written that suspension of disbelief wasn’t hard. There was a moment where I was a little “uh, not sure about this”, but the author has been so skillful in weaving the real with the slightly fantastical, that I was able to carry on without any ill-will or misgivings.

The friendship aspects in this book is one of my favourite. I actually stopped and screenshotted a page (the new NetGalley App doesn’t allow highlighting as far as I can figure out), because the portrayal of a friendship was so on point. Chloe is talking about a friend: “She is my friend. I want us to stay friends. But maybe that’s not what she wants, or needs, anymore.” If that line didn’t break me a little… It’s very common in YA to see friendships either remain whole (after a fight or such), or simply go from BFF to enemy in a heartbeat. This attitude is something I am still working on at 30 (more now than ever!), and I was so pleased to see that it was included here. With all of the relationships in the book, the author acknowledges that there is no such thing as perfect; that people change; and that it’s okay for friendships to change over time. This is something we all come to at some point in our lives, and I think it’s an important theme to speak to in YA as it’s not something we are taught in school.


Overall, this book was wonderful.

Content warnings: medical scenes, some blood, risky behaviours, language, drug and alcohol use.

Rating: 5 Stars

The Quick Cut: A girl struggles to move on with life six months after her heart transplant.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Candlewick Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Although organ transplants are a common occurrence in today's medical community, they are much more complex than they seem. Having a new organ from another individual is truly taking a piece of them. However, do these parts play a role in who you become post transplantation? This is one of the questions brought up in the story centered on Chloe.

Chloe has spent her life trying to get good grades and make all the right moves for a solid future. However, when she collapses during a cross country meet, life spirals out. It turns out she has a rare heart condition, which requires a transplant. Now she's six months post operation and struggling to keep her life going. Suddenly she's struggling in school and finding herself interested in new hobbies (along with new nightmares). Is she getting more than a heart from her donor? What is happening to her?

This story has an intriguing premise, but I couldn't keep myself from nit-picking as I continued to read. While the post transplant lifestyle and it's struggles are well covered, the way the book grazes over that transplant waiting period bothered me. The way it's written makes it look like waiting on the list is easier than it actually is.

In addition, the book seems to struggle between two premises: keeping a magical aspect to the story and discussing the possibility of cellular memory being real. The author attempts to balance both and fails to realize either in the process. That plot twist ended up frustrating me more than anything.

Cellular memory is a fascinating concept that I think would have played out better in an adult novel. The audience would've been more interested in the idea than young adults will be.


A struggle to balance two ideas makes this story fall flat.

My rating: 3 out of 5

This book was good, if not a bit predictable. I think teenagers will really fall for its sweet message. It's easy to like Chloe, and her struggles seem real. I am not trying to spoil the book, but there is a plot twist that is really too much, and that's where to book veers off. I think maybe teenagers won't mind the drama.