Max and Ali are the enemies to lovers, forced into close proximity but they have their own life demons to overcome and as teenagers this obviously means going behind their parents back and practically living solo with the occasional input from a grown up.
I really appreciated the writing style and characters within this and will be checking out more books by this author

Pub Date: 08/16/22
CW: death of a parent, cancer, depression, obsessions, hospitals

Like always, a big thanks to NetGalley and Sword and Silk for approving me for an eARC. Much appreciated.

I had to read this book kinda quickly to get my review out before it’s birthday, which was my fault for requesting the book so late and not paying attention to the pub date. But oh my gosh I had absolutely no problem getting it done before its birthday.

This review is gonna be short and sweet because I literally have no words.

YALL. OMG OMG. THIS BOOK I SWEAR. IT WAS SOOOOOOOOOO FRICKIN GOOD.

Ali and Max’s enemies to friends to lovers pipeline was *chef’s kiss* and their characters were both so relatable.

I SPED through this book, finishing it at three in the morning and eek it was so good.

The title fits the story perfectly, the story played out perfectly. I literally have nothing bad to say about this book.

Please for all that’s good and holy read this book on its birthday.

Strong female lead, enemies to lovers, and of course teen angst fill this book with an exciting story any YA reader will love
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Ali, after suffering a cardiac event at 17, is forced to move back to her hometown with her dad. She navigates her dad’s strict rules around her newly planted pacemaker and has to survive her childhood friend turned enemy.

My biggest issue with the book was the dialogue. It came across as contrived and unrealistic at times. Nothing completely out of ordinary, just sounded like written dialogue, especially between Ali and her father, rather than how I would expect a teenager and their parent to talk.

If you like books with strong female protagonists, sexy nerds, enemies-to-lovers, instalove, and teen angst, I have a book for you. A Heartbeat Away from You by Ann M. Miller is the story of Ali, a girl with a heart problem and a love for baseball, and her sexy next-door neighbor and archnemesis Max, who for some reason still holds a major grudge over some mean words from six years ago.

This book starts with a lot of teen angst, mostly from Ali. Max, who narrates half the chapters is better adjusted to his life’s problem, and a bit more sympathetic; however, as the story builds, it’s easy to fall in love with the characters and start pulling for them both to have a happily ever after. Both characters have their faults, as do their parents, and unlike a lot of YA, the parents in this story are present and active parts of the characters’ lives, which made the story more believable.

This book has a lot of things I loved about it from the athletic female falling for the non-athletic male, the way the characters clearly grow and mature throughout the book, and the presentation of the parents as fallible humans. I almost put this book down when on the first page, Ali says about her mom getting to go do her dream job for a year, “I understood she was getting a chance to follow her dreams, but what about my dreams?” Ali becomes kinder and more compassionate as the story goes on, but the first few chapters from her point-of-view were hard to read. The love story was engaging, and I read the book in one sitting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sword and Silk Books for this eArc of A Heartbeat Away from You. All opinions are my own!

Thank you Sword and Silk Books for sending this copy over to me! This was my first time reading anything by Ann Miller and I enjoyed it. I loved reading about Ali and Max’s enemies to frenemies to lovers relationship. I am all about Max, he’s smart, goal-oriented, loves his mom and according to Ali and all her friends, very easy on the eyes. Whats not to love about Max? Oh, he sometimes comes off as a bit egotistical and anal retentive. But I mean, once he takes down that guard, he’s very likable. Ali on the other hand… it was hard for me to like her. There’s strong-willed and then there’s just bad attitude. Ali comes off as someone who does not have a filter, had a ton of energy, impulsive, oblivious and/or doesn’t concern herself with consequences, and her world basically centers around herself. Now, yes, she did have a major accident that impacted her life smack dab in the throws of her teenage years. But is that an excuse for being a brat? Her character just kind of came off that way. I know she saw it as a second chance at life but I think to some of the people around her and the the readers, she came off as a brat. However, she does seem to come around/mature towards the end of the book. I enjoyed the ending, her father being proud of her, Max being her biggest fan, and Ali achieving the dreams she always wanted to achieve.
Thank you again for this copy, and if I post a review online for this book I will link it!

This author is a gem and if you haven't read her books you are missing out. Very well written with no errors that I could detect. An excellent excellent story. Engaging unique and compelling.

This YA sports romance about enemies-turned-lovers will give you all the feelings. Despite her recent heart surgery and pacemaker, feisty and athletic Ali is determined to pursue her hobby of playing baseball. Not even her family or new love - Max Delaney efforts, are enough to persuade Ali to retire from baseball. The two of them become entangled in complicated emotions that threatens both of their lives and futures.
A well-crafted narrative with charming characters and an intriguing plot, integrating genuine baseball specifics and what it would be like to live with a heart condition. From the first page, you'll be pulling for Ali and Max.

Beyond excited to read this book! Thank you very much for the privilege and opportunity. Full review to follow both here and on the blog. I love these types of books and as someone who has dealt with her fair share of health struggles over the years I am so excited to read Ali’s journey and how she doesn’t give up on what she loves or let her health stop her. I’m also exited to read the romantic aspect as well.