My original evaluation was this book was it’s good but too long with too many characters. By the end though, I see why all the characters are necessary. However jack was predictable. The author should have focused more on the murders and motive. The ending was sick to me and dropped my ratings.

When Saphy receives a heart transplant she becomes obsessed with Flora, the donor, known as Sleeping Beauty, who was strangled and left in a coma.
The first half of the book is an introduction to the characters, especially Saphy and Fern, Flora's sister (who are the narrators of the book), their lives, their friendships, their losses and Saphy's recovery. The author thereby builds suspicion and tension but at a too leisurely pace for my liking. The second part seems to pick up and increase the pace but by that time some of the twists are not so unexpected and you suspect practically the whole plot before you get to the end.
Still, this psychological thriller is entertaining if you're not looking for too much action.

After reading the premise for this, I had to get my hands on it. A heart patient receiving a heart transplant from a girl who was almost murdered and left in a coma.

Saphy has received a new heart who belonged to a girl named Flora. As Saphy is learning to live again and adjust, she becomes curious to who her donor really was. When Flora’s family decide to meet the recipient, it feels like Flora is still a part of their lives.

Soon, Flora’s sister becomes close to Saphy. She wants to know everything about who Flora was. Who was Flora’s attacker? Most importantly, why would someone want Flora dead?

This story was terribly boring. It read like a drama. A family reliving the life of a dead girl, and the one who wants to be living it. NOTHING even happened until 80% in the book. This could have been cut down by 100 pages. I completely understand character development, however, there was just too much bland conversation and repetitive questions.

I did enjoy the ending. Saw the twist a million miles away. I’d like to thank Bookouture, NetGalley, and Teri Terry for an ARC. All opinions are my own. Expected publication date February 13, 2024

Saphy has a heart condition and is on the transplant list. Flora has been in a coma since she was attacked and has been declared brain stem dead. When Saphy receives Flora’s heart it should have been the start of a renewed zest for life but instead she becomes obsessed with Flora and her family. When recipients of some of Flora’s other organs are attacked, she begins to think that her life may be in danger too.
The story is told from the dual points of view of Saphy and of Fern (Flora’s sister) and the first half of the book is mainly about the transplant, how the recipient feels and how the donor’s family deal with their grief. There are some red flags and hints that all is not as it seems and as a reader you begin to wonder who can Saphy trust and who has their own agenda. The pace picks up and it feels like a race to work out the puzzle. There are some fabulous twists and turns to the plot, secrets are revealed and clues add up for a tense finish. Saphy is one of those characters in a book who seems to repeatedly make the same mistakes eg why did she say that aloud or why did she get in the car, why didn’t she listen to her friend’s advice? Does she have no sense of self-preservation? Her pet cat was a better judge of character sometimes. I liked Flora’s sister Fern who changed for the better over the course of the book.
I have read and enjoyed Teri Terry’s Slated and Contagion series which were YA thrillers and I think The Patient is aimed at a slightly older audience. I enjoyed the complex plot and the scattering of clues and red flags throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley, Teri Terry, and Bookouture for allowing me to review this ARC!

Saphy has a heart condition that is requiring her to need a transplant. Some place a woman (Flora) is dying (from an attack) and she will be donating her heart. What transpires after is a mix of betrayal, hope, mystery and thrill! When people who receive Flora's other organs turn up dead Saphy is worried, then she finds out information from Flora's past that directly relates to her and her safety too.

This book was so good! It kept me invested the entire time I read it. It has perfectly developed characters that, while reading, you didn't know who was good and who was bad. I tried hard to figure out what would happen at the end of the story and it still caught me off guard. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery/thriller. The mystery behind Flora's death, Saphy's transplant, and their individual pasts was a perfect ending! I really liked this book!

Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture and Teri Terry for the advance reading copy of this book.

Tjis book is filled with twists and turns that I couldn’t predict! It kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat.
3 out of 5 ⭐️

Saphy gets a life changing heart transplant and soon realises that her donor was the adored ‘Sleeping Beauty’, AKA Flora, who has been a regular on the news. Soon after, Saphy becomes obsessed with Flora and integrates herself in Flora’s family but later starts to regret this when other people who were the recipients from Flora start being attacked.

I enjoy books with medical themes and the cover drew me in, therefore I was looking forward to reading this. I found the story compelling, interesting and entertaining. The story is told in two perspectives, Saphy and Fern (Flora’s sister), which I enjoyed. I connected with the characters, as well as the more minor ones, and found them very well written. The story itself is engaging and I enjoyed trying to work out what was happening. I liked the ending and there were a few twists I did not see coming! The only thing that I didn’t like as much was that it took quite a bit of time for the main action and the attacks to happen but it was fast paced from there and I was glued to the pages. Overall a great thriller and I will be waiting to see what this author brings out next. 4.5 stars. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this copy in return for an honest review.