They say the first year of marriage is the hardest and Wren and Lewis are learning that the hard way when a few months into their marriage, Lewis receives a life changing diagnosis. He is slowly turning into a great white shark. What follows is a story of marriage, motherhood, metamorphosis, and letting go in this intergenerational story.

This is my favorite book I have read this year and I think it will be hard to beat it. This story just worked for me in so many different levels. The writing is so beautiful. I cannot believe that this is a debut. This book is my favorite kind of weird. One where we are put into a world just like ours but something is slightly different. In this world, different diseases transmute people into animals so while Lewis’ diagnosis is very strange to us, it is not really strange in the world of the book.

We follow Wren and Lewis as the learn to cope with his changing body but we also get a glimpse into Wren’s past from even before her birth. There is some casual queer representation in this story as well that I love seeing. This story is told mostly in vignettes and snapshots into these characters’ lives and what is left unsaid is just as impactful as the words on the page.

The cover of this book markets itself as “a love story” which is always an interesting thing to say because “a love story” and a “romance” are not one and the same. I love books that have a romance in them that doesn’t have to end in a happily ever after. I love the aching melancholy in knowing that a happy ending probably isn’t going to happen for these characters from the very beginning of the book.

It has been so long since I have been so deeply enamored and moved by a book. I cried several times reading this and I can’t recommend it enough for people who can accept a world that is a little different from our own but in such a beautiful way.

Shark Heart was an unexpected look at marriage, parenting and embracing adventure and the unknown. As the book unfolds, Lewis, the main character, starts realizing he is morphing into something new…a great white shark. Watching his relationship with his wife grow into one of caretaking and preparing to see a change in their relationship, Wren must grow and adapt too. I loved the family arc that is told, the backstory paving the way for growth and change, as characters realize they can grow through the situations that face them, responding differently, perhaps, than their family before.

I had a hard time wrapping my head around the description of a book described as witty, charming, and funny, and the main plot of the metamorphosis of a newly married man into a great white shark.

I was quickly impressed by the book, by the grand ideas of love, loss, grief, and joy, by the relationships that last and change and transform the participants. I went into this book incorrectly believing it would be a bit absurd, and not at all to my taste. I left the book with a sense of beauty and devastation and love for the intricacies of life in all of its various incarnations.

My thanks to NetGalley for an awesome read.

Lewis and Wren are just married and living in a world where humans receive a new category of medical diagnoses, similar to cancer, that involves humans morphing into animals, and even giving birth to animals. Shark Heart sounds bizarre, but is told in a way that I can totally imagine living in this world, feeling these feelings that author Emily Habeck so eloquently writes about. Parts of the book are written almost as poetry, or as thoughts a person is thinking, vs narrative prose. Reading this book while on vacation in Maui, snorkeling every day, I felt a bit of what Lewis must have felt as a shark, swimming in the ocean, occupying the sea with all its mysteries.

I also relate to Wren’s personality, and that made me connect even more with this book. She’s logical, steadfast, dependable. Even though I would not consider myself a fan of magical realism, I really loved the nuance of the writing and how she communicated the humans’ feelings in the book. I also loved a recent popular book of a slightly similar approach, Remarkably Bright Creatures, and would recommend Sharkheart to fans of that book. I look forward to what author Emily Habeck writes next. Also recommended for anyone who likes character studies in their novels. Don’t hesitate! Give this genre-defying book a shot! 5-stars. Release date: 8/8/23. 384 pages.

Thank you, Simon Element imprint, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley, for providing an eARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

@_simonelement @netgalley #sharkheart

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 metamorphosis 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.

RATING: 5/5
PUB DATE: August 8, 2023

I would read anything that has advanced praise from Anthony Doerr, but I was especially drawn to the magical realism this book offers in tandem with a story about grief, family and love. Shark Heart absolutely delivered! This novel's powerful characters are sure to stick with you well after the story ends, and the way the author played with form really works with the context of the book.

Wren reminds me of myself in many ways-- she's logical, sturdy, and always striving for perfection. The author does a fantastic job showing her metamorphosis through the novel as Wren continuously turns to love in the midst of struggle. In addition to Wren's story, there are two additional parts in the story that feature her mother Angela's story and Lewis's life as a shark. I wasn't sure how I felt about these being placed toward the back half of the novel rather than being weaved into the main storyline, but after finishing the book, I think this was the right decision. It already has me wanting to reread the book to connect some of the dots between Wren's and Angela's stories.

My heart felt extremely heavy with every page of this story, but I still highly recommend reading if you're looking for a novel to make you feel something.

*Thanks to NetGalley for exchanging an e-ARC of this book for an unbiased review!

I really loved this story. It is beautifully written and believable, despite the impossibility of it. I loved how some chapters were just a few lines, written like poetry or song lyrics. It is a wonderful story of unconditional love and acceptance that feels apropos for the world today.

When I read the synopsis for Shark Heart I knew I needed to read this book. It was fantastic. Im already looking forward to what's next for Emily Habeck.

Thank you to net galley for the advanced digital copy.

StoryGraph review in link. Thank you for the book!!!

I really enjoyed reading this. The characters really developed throughout the story and I liked that there were a lot of metaphors in the story. The cover is also really nice.

I devoured this book in one day! It's the best book I've read all year. I'm still thinking about it since finishing it a week ago. I'll be honest; I was very skeptical given the premise that the protagonist turns into a great white shark. Do NOT let that deter you from reading this book. It is so beautifully written and captures love and heartache so poignantly. I just can't say enough about this book. Run, don't walk, to get a copy. I look forward to seeing what else this author has in store for us readers. I'm not giving any specifics about the story because you should go into with fresh eyes not really knowing much to capture the magic of this story.

Lewis gets his mutation diagnosis in the first year of his marriage to Wren. They say the first year is the hardest, and that’s if both of you are human.

Shark Heart is a great debut novel that defies genre classification. On the surface, it is about a man turning into a great white shark, but that is not actually the central storyline in this quiet and gentle book. It sounds like the book would be absurdist—and it is—but it is also the tender love story of Wren and Lewis, a deep dive into the character and psychology of Wren, and an exploration of different literary styles. Jumping between beautiful prose, poetry, and short chapters written as plays, this book is about both transforming the human body and what it means to write a novel.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this manuscript.

What a strange, but lovely debut novel. Emily Habeck's prose is stunning and thoughtful. I found myself stopping multiple times to savor her words, to linger on ideas. The stories played out in Shark Heart are unique and touching. They explore familiar topics such as love, loss, parent/child relationships, and loneliness, within the context of a bizarre medical phenomenon that exists where humans mutate into animals over a period of time. Habeck's characters, when faced with their human mortality, are cerebral in their attempts to understand themselves and the people they love.

I would have enjoyed reading more post mutation character development, and could've probably read an entire book on the process alone, as it was a fascinating concept to me.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster, Net Galley, and Emily Habeck for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

It’s hard to know what to expect of a story that revolves around newlyweds who face being separated when a strange medical condition will transform the husband’s human body into that of a great white shark. Emily Habek’s Shark Heart is a love story unlike any I’ve read before.

The first 50% of the book bounces between the couple’s present dealing with the Lewis’s diagnosis and transition into a shark and flashbacks to his courtship and engagement to Wren. I loved these two opposites attract characters (Wren is a reserved, no-nonsense fund manager and Lewis is a failed actor, gregarious dreamer and involved high school drama teacher). I really felt for them as they dealt with this tragedy that upended their lives, yet didn’t change their love for one another.

What lost me was a significant portion of the second half of the book was told from the point of view of Wren’s mother as a pregnant teen with uninvolved parents and an abusive boyfriend. I wanted to get back to the original plot. Overall though, the book is beautifully written, the author plays around with interesting formats like screenplays, free verse, and extremely short chapters, and the love between Lewis and Wren is both touching and heartbreaking.

Lewis and Wren are newlyweds when Lewis gets devastating news. He has a rare medical mutation condition where he will become a great white shark. As they deal with his transition, we also look back at Wren’s childhood and life.

This is such an amazingly imaginative plot. Don’t let its oddness turn you off. It is done in a way that makes it seem entirely normal and if this world. It is our world.. with just an odd rare medical condition where humans will mutate into animals. It was so interesting reading about and watching the transition. I want more of the mutation stories! I loved how the two different generations tied together and I loved how the theme of love was woven into every part of thehttps://www.netgalley.com/member/book/281316/review# story.

“He was an aimless kite in search of a string to guide him to the world, but instead he’d found Wren, a great, strong wind who supported his exploration of the sky.”

Shark Heart comes out 8/8.

Creative and captivating story! Just reading a short blurb about the book you may wonder how you could fall into the story, but it’s very well written and I was sad when it was finished. It’s a love story but more a story about endurance and strength and making the most of each day we are given. A fresh and new author!

Emily Habeck's debut novel easily earned 5+ stars from me. This is truly one of my favorite books of 2023, and I absolutely cannot wait to read everything she will write following this masterpiece.

The abstract of the book did not initially draw me in; happy newlyweds have their futures shattered when the husband receives the diagnosis that he is mutating into... a great white shark. But yet, this book had me invested in every character from the first short chapter.

While the romance undertones are evident from seeing "A Love Story" in the title, this is in fact multiple love stories interlaced. It is a story of a great big love cut too short, a first love that was extinguished by fear, the evolution of love into abuse, a mother's love that was complicated but pure.

It is expertly constructed, with repeating concepts represented from multiple angles and storylines. For example, I loved how the difference between being lonely and being alone was portrayed across multiple perspectives. Further, the writing is captivating and unique, with certain sections written like a screenplay, tying in one of the main character’s dreams of the stage.

This is a work of art, lyrical, soulful, heartbreaking, comical. I am not the same after reading it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Simon Element, and S&S/Marysue Rucci Books for the opportunity to read an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I picked up this book because of its gorgeous cover--the plot sounded like it could be gimmicky, but I took a chance. I'm so glad I did. This is a beautiful book about, above all, love. I'm sure those who have cared for an ailing spouse or relative will see themselves in Wren's story.

Habeck chose to not go into detail about how these mutations started developing or the science behind it, and I think that was a wise choice. It's not needed; that's not what the story's about. It's about how these people choose to live their final days together, how they adapt to the changes they can't control, and how their love persists despite it all. After part one concluded and the timeline shifted to Wren's mother Angela, I wondered about that decision--I was so invested in Wren and Lewis's love story, and I deflated a bit when we left their world. I stayed the course, and the reason behind Habeck's narrative decision revealed itself.

I won't spoil it here, but if you find yourself with similar misgivings, I urge you to keep reading.

This is such an odd book that I had no idea what I was getting into! It's the story of Wren and husband, Lewis whose lives are anything but ordinary! When Lewis is diagnosed with a disease that will literally turn him into a shark eventually, they must of course change their lifestyle to accommodate this as he begins to crave raw fish and meat. Alternating in time between past and present, the novel shows us Wren's background (which is every bit as odd) interspersed with the present as they navigate the weird chemical transformations in his body and mind. I enjoyed it even as I cringed sometimes thinking of how this would play out in real life! So maybe don't read this at the beach...but enjoy its quirkiness!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This book is actually fairly heavy. It is also unlike anything I’ve ever read before. There are themes of change, loss, and magical realism (mixed in with medicine and biology!)

I really enjoy animals so I was curious about this book. It was off to a great start and I definitely recommend for the literary quality. However about 78% in something happened that really should not have shocked me, but I was triggered. The situation was just too close to home in description.

I recommend this book still because it is worth checking out but I do recommend looking at triggers prior. It was a solid 4 star read up until that triggering point for me.

Wow, what a book. Super quirky and different but I read it in basically one sitting…. A super emotional read but this was an unforgettable story.