Shark Heart by Emily Habeck. When I read the synopsis, I have to be honest, it sounded liked a crazy book. I decided to give it a shot because of the reviews and I am SO GLAD I DID! This was one of my favorite books this year! I was a bit obsessed and just wanted to keep reading but not read too quickly because I didn’t want it to end! Give this book a chance! I loved it. Thanks NetGalley and S&S for the ARC!

My thanks to Net Galley and Marysue Rucci Books (Simon & Schuster) for an advanced copy of this e-book.

Imagine a world where people can experience a metamorphis into an animal/ fish/ bird. However, you don't know it is going to happen to you until your body starts changing. Lewis and Wren fall in love and marry. They have the normal young couple issues with their work, adjusting to life together, until Lewis starts to notice his body changing.

When you love someone who develops cancer or Alzheimer's, you have to watch them change and not always for the better, but you love them regardless. Wren loves and cares for Lewis like this. Given the title of the book, this is a love story, but just a little too "out there" for me ( and for other reasons ). Yet so many are loving this book and I wish this debut author continued success with her beautiful, creative writing.

This was the oddest, strangest, most unique book I think I’ve ever read, but it was beautiful and endearing. Nothing like I’ve ever read before.⁣
⁣
When I grabbed this book I was solely drawn to the cover. I had no idea what it was about. I saw “love story” and this gorgeous floral shark and was like huh, let’s try this.⁣
⁣
It was nothing like I expected but has some truly meaningful life lessons. ⁣
⁣
Lewis and Wren couldn’t be more opposite; he’s in theatre, lives this bright brilliant life in acting; and she’s quiet, unable to fully commit to people. ⁣
⁣
Lewis starts developing these odd symptoms and his mutation causes their lives as they know it to flip on its axis.⁣
⁣
Then we follow Wren’s mothers life and how it started. Her parents always fighting, her trying to run from the home, meeting a boy young and losing her virginity. He turns out not to be the great boy in the world. ⁣
⁣
Eventually Wren is born and her mother adores her. But then her mom also starts having odd symptoms. ⁣
⁣
It’s this unique story on metaphors and how we adapt and morph in different stages of our lives, in different situations like motherhood, marriage, friendship, childhood. It’s told in scenes for different sections.⁣
⁣
It’s just truly unique.⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m not sure where to start with a written review, as I can hardly find the words to verbalize my feelings about this book! So here are some disjointed, heartfelt reactions.

• Because of how chaotic life is right now, at first I was unsure if I’d be able to connect to the very poetic writing of this book. Good news- I did 🙌 It just took a while.
• Relationships of so many sorts were explored. Parental from both the parent and kid perspective. Friendships. Romantic. Toxic. Healthy. It was beautiful.
• Books that explore BIG topics like grief, change, and death (AKA life!) can do one of two things. Make me sad/scared and sink into a bit of a hole after finishing. Or hug me, let me meditate in a safe space, and come out on the other side a bit braver and content. This book does the latter. Bless.

And to think that all of those thoughts come from a book about a man morphing into a shark. Totally unexpected. Totally in love.

This is a unique love story and one that I did not think I would like. It is odd, strange, weird, and quirky and I absolutely loved it.
Many thanks to Simon Element and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 @𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.) We’re going to be hard pressed to find a more weirdly wonderful book than 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧 any time soon. After reading the synopsis and seeing that gorgeous cover, I knew this was a book I 𝙃𝘼𝘿 to read and am 𝙎𝙊 glad I did. It was a completely original reading experience, one I wish I could have deeply savored, but instead flew through.⁣
⁣
Debut author Emily Habeck tells the story of newlyweds, Wren and Lewis. Shortly after their wedding Lewis is diagnosed with the Carcharodon Carcharias Mutation, a condition that has him slowly turning into a great white shark. Yes, you read that correctly. Just accept it. In this story, people-to-animal mutations have been going on for a while. It’s widely known and reluctantly accepted. Though Lewis’s slow change is a big part of this story, it’s still only a part of it. This is also a love story. How can Wren do what’s best for Lewis? Can he survive without her? How will she carry on without him? And why did Wren enter their marriage as such a lonely soul?⁣
⁣
I feel like my words here don't do the book justice, but it’s difficult to describe without going too far. Just know it’s a book that will pull at your heartstrings and stay with you for a very long time. With a debut like 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 I cannot wait to see what Emily Habeck does next! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“‘I’ve been diagnosed with a mutation. Carcharodon carcharias.’..’A mutation . . . carcharias? Which one is that?’ The clear day with the too blue sky, and the too green grass, and the perfect orange daylilies was no longer a pleasant place. This patio would forever be the starting place of the end. ‘Great white shark.’”

I always mention that I struggle with suspicion of belief when reading. So a genetic mutation forcing a human to evolve into a great white shark?! Obviously not plausible. But this book has you believing it is. I got so lost in this story and with these characters that I was 💯 seeing that transformation in my head. It happened. It was “real”. I am in awe.

“Maybe life is a little magic after all. There can be no other way to explain it.”

I am just gobsmacked that this is a debut. Woah! This book was so full of heart and soul and imagery and lessons. I simply adored it. The writing was beautiful, the chapters were short, and the emotion was overflowing. This is a story that will stay with me. 🦈💙

“The world is a big and small place, and life, a terrifying and sublime journey.” 💙🔹💙

Thank you to @_simonelement, @marysueruccibooks and @netgalley for the eARC. Add this to your tbr guys, the hype is real!

This book is fundamentally about a man named Lewis who has a condition that causes him to change into a shark. It is a magical, fantastical, funny and emotional novel that has one of the most original plots I’ve ever read. 🦈 ♥️ ⁣
⁣
The sorry is divided into three parts, each telling the story of Lewis, his wife Wren and Wren’s mother Angela. Lewis and Wren are newlyweds when his metamorphosis begins to occur, and the author gives the reader a rich backstory on each of the characters. It is very poignant. I loved all the characters but Angela’s especially resonated with me. Her parents ignored her, her mother mistreated her, so of course she fell in love with a nonconformist free spirit. ⁣
⁣
“𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤’𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸: 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯.”⁣
⁣
 ⁣
The author uses an unusual narrative style that worked perfectly. I alternated between the audiobook and reading, and surprisingly, the narrative style had a very powerful impact on me when I listed to the audiobook version. ⁣
⁣
This is a magical story where humans can change into birds, Komodo dragons and great white sharks. It is filled with grace and dark humor and ultimately, hope. I read that the author has a divinity background and that fits perfectly with some of the themes in this book. I loved it!⁣
⁣
(𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.)

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect from Shark Heart but it was so beautifully written and I really fell for the story. The characters are so raw and real. I also loved the formatting of the chapters: some were short (half a page), some were scenes like in a play, and others were in typical chapter format. The mutations did take a little getting used to, but it seems to be set in a world where it’s not super uncommon to have some sort of animal mutation. I’m really curious as to what inspired the author to write this story.

I would recommend!

Shark Heart is my idea of a perfect book. There is absolutely nothing I would improve about this novel. I think the way it was written was so brilliant and very unique and really had me fall in love with the characters even more. I could not put this book down and stayed up well past my bedtime reading each exquisite chapter. If you just read the synopsis of this book, it does sound a little weird, but TRUST me, it is weird in the very best way possible. I will not stop thinking about this book for a long time and am already thinking of rereading!

This is a book you'll either L O V E or H A T E. I honestly don't see a lot of middle ground with this one. I want to start by saying that it was one of the most unique books I've ever read and I really loved the metaphorical connection she made with the husband's transformation into a great white shark with terminal/chronic illness. Through that lens, the story was quite beautiful - the pain of losing your loved one piece by piece.

What didn't work for me was the way Habeck told the story - short (sometimes just a single sentence), choppy sentence structure that kept me flying through the story instead of being able to sink into the beauty of what she was trying to convey. I didn't need a book within a book - that's not at all what I'm saying. It just felt like she thought she was packing a whole bunch of profound ideas in as few of words as possible, and instead of inspiring me, she basically made me feel like it didn't matter. And the subject was much too nuanced and important to be left wondering if I cared.

Also, right off the bat, I didn't love the relationship between Lewis and Wren. Again, it's evident that the author wanted us to see their deep love and commitment, and i felt anything but that between these two. They were borderline toxic and I just didn't buy it.

Had this book not previously been adored and endorsed by many other reviewers who I trust, this would have been a DNF for me!

Finished this book in one sitting. It is absolutely beautiful! The way the story flowed was flawless. The writing is gorgeous. It’s a book that will you won’t be able to put down!

I tend to avoid books with magical realism but I've heard a lot about this book so I decided to give it a try. This was one of the strangest books I've ever read, but it was beautifully written. In this world It is not uncommon for humans to mutate into animals and that is the premise of Lewis and Wren's story. Shortly after marriage, Lewis begins to mutate into a shark and what follows is a story about love, loss and humanity. This was a captivating read and yet so incredibly different from anything I've read before. I loved the short pieces of texts, the different sections and how the author stayed true to the theme of love, loss and humanity. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Shark Heart is when magical realism is written almost poetically. It’s a tale of two people in love, when Lewis discovers right after his marriage to Wren that he is morphing into a great white shark. Wren and Lewis have to navigate their love while Lewis changes from someone gentle and trustworthy for Wren to something potentially dangerous to Wren. The novel moves to then reveal Wren’s backstory of her parents and her childhood.

I will be honest, I was very skeptical based on the premise of this one but I was nudged by people I trust to read this one and I am beyond thrilled that I did. The premise was a hard one to get past until I began reading and then it sucked me right in. Shark Heart exceeded my expectations. Emily Hasbeck’s writing is simply beautiful (with short lyrical chapters) and she has created a unique concept (and it absolutely worked) - these two things for me are what make for a top ten read. The characters were compelling and multi-dimensional, and the story had humor and depth. I can’t wait to see what Hasbeck does next.

4.75 (which I will raise to 5 stars)

Thank you to NetGalley, MarySue Rucci Books and Simon & Schuster for the ARC

This will absolutely be in my top 10 of the year. What a beautiful, unique meditation on love. The pacing was just right and everything from the characterization to the structure was perfection. I cannot wait to read more of her work!

Pub date: 8/8/23
Genre: literary fiction, magical realism
Quick summary: Newlyweds Lewis and Wren receive shocking news - within a year, Lewis will transform into a great white shark. This is the story of how they come to terms with this change - interwoven with the experiences of Wren's mother, Angela, dealing with similar grief.

My expectations for SHARK HEART were sky-high after seeing five-star reviews from some of my trusted bookstagram friends. Good news: the book lived up to them! I inhaled the text in less than a day because I was so immersed in the strange world of this novel. The shark transformation could have so easily been a gimmick - but Habeck handled it so well. The depth of emotion I felt from Lewis, Wren, and Angela's experiences made this book unforgettable. Wren's story was especially poignant with the flashbacks to her childhood and adolescence. I also enjoyed the Oklahoma setting - Habeck brought this often-overlooked place to life in her narrative.

If you like magical realism, this is a must read!

Thank you to Marysue Ricci Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element for this ARC.
4 stars
This was such a fun, unique, touching read. It ended up being so much more than I expected, in the best way. The writing was beautiful, at times abstract but still understandable and relatable. I don't want to say anything about the actual plot, because I think this is one of those stories that is so much more enjoyable to go into when you don't know what's coming. I was always excited to pick it up, and it moved quick. I loved all of the characters, and I loved reading about both their human shortcomings and their growths. I'm just really in awe of the amazing way that Emily Habeck crafted this story, and I can't wait to read whatever else she writes. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys stories about family, about personal growth and loss, about love, or anyone who loves to read in general.

Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

While I know every one is absolutely raving about this book, I am going to be the minority here. 😅🙋🏼‍♀️

I give it 3.5 Stars

It was a very quick read with unusually short chapters, a lot only being a page long, and it was definitely a unique concept; but I did not like the back & forth, all over the place order of the story (personally). It switches point of views and timelines A LOT, and not in any particular order that I could tell.

I understand the author trying to portray dealing with loss, grief and even what it feels like to lose ourselves, and she absolutely did that. The last part was super emotional and gripping, but overall the story itself didn’t captivate me like I thought it would.

Overall, after hearing all of the raving reviews, I have to admit I was somewhat underwhelmed. I definitely can see why people are liking it because it is extremely thought provoking and I think the author will do great things in the future with her other novels, this one just wasn’t my personal favorite.

This is a most subjective review. Although this may be the most beautiful book ever written, I hated every moment of reading it. For one, there were enough plot lines to write 20 books some science fiction, some fantasy, so zoology some poetry, ye, even romance and yet….The chapters are short, some only a few words or a line, and the novel (?) still felt endless to me. It took me four days of continuous effort to finish Shark Heart. I was tempted to just not finish. But somehow, I persisted and at lasr just put it down with a final, relieved,.thud.

The story is about Wren and Lewis, two thirty-five-year-olds who find each other and a deep, abiding love. Wren is fund manager, Lewis a failed actor/playwright now a high school drama teacher. Presented as if it were a known condition, Lewis is diagnosed with a genetic mutation that will see him turn into a great white shark over time. Go ahead and suspend disbelief. It won’t help. You will either dive in and enjoy it or you will wonder why Simon and Schuster ever bought it. You may think it’s crazy enough to be made into a film. You may throw it across the room or, you may just adore it.

Thanks you to MarySue Rucci Books and Simon & Schuster to sending me this ARC.

At first I was thinking what the hell am I reading? But this plot was handled so well. Lewis and Wren live in a world where animal mutations are a normal occurrence, but a great white shark mutation is a rarity. The story flows nicely and is overall very touching. The interlude about Wren’s mother Angela was a bit long I thought, but the stories are connected. Be patient with this one, it’s worth it.