This was absolutely one of my favorite books of the year. It is unlike anything I have ever read. The prose was so beautiful, the imagery was stunning, and the concept so incredibly unique. The love story broke my heart. I eagerly await more work from this author.

When I read the synopsis, I thought it was way out of left field. Someone turns into a shark?! However, the plot just WORKS. That’s all I can say. What a beautiful story! I very much enjoyed it.

I don't give out five stars often, but Shark Heart deserves all five and then some. Emily Habeck crafted a love story like no other. While working through a terminal diagnosis, Habeck shows us the toll it takes on a marriage and how the couple can work through and overcome for their own sakes and the sake of their marriage. I was taken away by how deeply this story affected me as a reader.

This was such a unique and heartbreaking story. I really enjoyed the writing and the story itself was very creative.

*Shark Heart* by Emily Habeck is a novel that, on its surface, explores an absurd premise: a man turning into a great white shark. Yet, beneath this fantastical plot lies a deeply human story about love, identity, and the inevitability of change.

The characters, Lewis and Wren, are the emotional core of the novel. Lewis, an artist with dreams as vast as the ocean he is destined to embody, grapples with his transformation in a way that feels both surreal and heartbreakingly real. His shift from man to shark becomes a poignant metaphor for how we all change—sometimes in ways that are out of our control. Wren, on the other hand, is a study in resilience and denial. Her journey is marked by moments of quiet reflection and resistance as she attempts to reconcile the man she loves with the predator he is becoming.

Symbolism is woven intricately throughout the novel. The shark transformation can be seen as a representation of the inevitable shifts in relationships, the loss of self, or even the raw, primal instincts that lie dormant within us all. Wren’s recollections of her past, from the houseboat in Oklahoma to her enigmatic relationships, add layers to her character, symbolizing the ways in which our histories shape us and how we confront—or avoid—our own natures.

Habeck’s prose is lyrical without being overwrought. Her writing strikes a balance between the poetic and the accessible, drawing readers into a world that feels both familiar and otherworldly. The novel’s pacing allows for moments of quiet introspection, giving the characters—and readers—space to breathe and reflect.

In essence, *Shark Heart* is a novel that embraces the bizarre to tell a story that is deeply human. It’s about love in the face of the unimaginable, the struggle to hold onto one’s identity, and the ways in which we are all, in some form, transformed by time and circumstance. Habeck’s debut is a thoughtful and beautifully written exploration of the human condition, wrapped in the skin of a shark.

STRANGE book but in a very lovely way. So beautifully written I almost believed the premise, that's how well it was written. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher

Thank you NetGalley for this lovely read! I'm just a girl, raving about a shark book, asking you to trust me.
If you told me I would become wholeheartedly invested in the story of a man who turns into a shark I wouldn't believe you. SHARK HEART was the bizarrely beautiful book I never knew I needed.
Told in alternating timelines, the story follows Wren and her husband Lucas as he receives the devastating diagnosis that he will slowly transform into a Great White shark.
This layered story explored the nuances of change and was so much more than I expected. The plot was entirely implausible and I have no idea *how* it worked, but I could not tear myself away from these pages. The writing was stunning, the structure was unique, and the themes of love and loss in various forms simply shined.
Emily Habeck took a bold chance on an imaginative premise and I'm so grateful she did.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. I admit - I knew nothing about the book - I thought the cover was gorgeous and saw it everywhere, which is why I asked for it. This is not my usual genre.

Lewis spots Wren at the restaurant he is having a first date with someone else. After Lewis and his date leave, he circles back and asks Wren out on a date. As a no nonsense woman, Wren asks point blank - weren't you just on a date? He says yes, and she says ok to the date. Things progress quickly and they are married. However, right after they are wed, Lewis starts noticing changes in his body and goes to the doctor. For several weeks, he hides his diagnosis from Wren, but eventually, he has to come clean. He has a genetic mutation and will become a great white shark shortly. (I know, I know - WHAT???)

Stick with the story, it is written in a way, that you feel like you are there experiencing it all.

Shark Heart by Emily Habeck is a wild ride! I love everything about this weird tale of relationships and love. If you have trouble suspending reality, then this will not be the book for you. However, if you are willing to let go, then allow Habeck to win you over with her sensitive and insightful story.

The crazy premise of the story is that certain humans have medical conditions which, at some point in their lives, cause them to transform into animals. There is some treatment, but definitely no cure. The government monitors these individuals and eventually comes to control their lives.

I am in awe of the creative mind who thought of this story and then so perfectly describes the transformation of a man into a. great white shark. The details of how this transformation slowly (and then quickly) happens and affects a human's everyday life read so realistically. that I found myself believing that this is all makes sense and is very normal.

The underlying stories of love between a husband and wife and a mother and a daughter are so richly written that a reader cannot ignore the complexities of this emotion and the sacrifices one is not even aware of making for someone else.

The story was especially fun for me because, amid all of the speculative fiction, the setting is grounded in familiarity and reality. The setting is split between Dallas and southern Oklahoma with many references to the Chickasaw Nation. I currently live near Dallas, I grew up spending summers in souther Oklahoma, and I'm a member of the Chickasaw Nation. Trifecta!

I cannot recommend this book enough!

Thank you S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

There is nothing I did not like about this book. It has well-rounded characters, an interesting plot, superb writing, and a happy/sad ending. I loved it and has become an all-time favorite!

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. This was such a touching story about love and the transitive nature of love, in this book's world quite literally. Changes are so difficult throughout life and this book touches on many changes and many types of love and just when Wren gets somewhat comfortable with a person, they metamorphose into literally a new being. Her mother, her college crush, her husband and in way, another woman going through a similar experience. It's very different but very interesting read

This is a beautifully written poignant , but complicated love story. I really enjoyed how it was broken into scenes. This plot is not for everyone, but it has a beautiful and hopeful message.

Shark Heart has an unusual premise -- in 9 months, a man is going to turn into a shark! This is the story of a marriage and motherhood and what humans need. For fans of Choette or anything a little weird.

I don't think I will ever fully recover from this book. I loved every page, every word, every everything. The format, the writing, the characters, the story. It wrecked me in every way imaginable, but I know I'll come back to it time and time again because I know I'll discover something new each time I read it. It's a love story, yes, but it's also such an incredible exploration of what it means to be human, what it means to feel, what it means to connect with one another. I'm obsessed.

This is one of those must read books of 2023, even if it sounds super weird, I highly recommend taking the plunge. Just do it!

This book was so bizarre...I just couldn't connect with it. Many people have found it endearing and apprecited the abstract nature. If this is your type of read, give it a try. Just not my cup of tea.

This story was definitely different! And I definitely thought about it for a long time!
We're in a world where people can get "sick" and start turning into animals...and we're following a couple where the husband has been diagnosed and is turning into a shark.
It's endearing and sad to see the wife struggle with this change in her husband...knowing he will be a literal shark soon.
Very deep, very strange and definitely different, it is worth a good read!

I loved every sentence of this small, weird book. I have been recommending it like crazy. I love the way the disease is presented and treated in the novel. We can't and don't understand it, but we know it's fatal. It's like real human illness.

Shark Heart was weird and wild and wonderful. This fantastical story definitely won’t be for every reader, but if you’re able to look beyond that, you’ll love what you discover in Lewis and Wren. I kept wanting to read, prolong chores, looking forward to the end of a work day just to come back to this world, which hasn’t happened for me in a long time.

Sharks are my spirit animal and this book combined sharks with a book about love and family. I didn't realize how many emotions this book would take me through, from laughing to crying my eyes out. What an incredible book!

Thank you to Simon Element and #NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.