Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and Erin Stewart for the opportunity to read Every Borrowed Beat in exchange for an honest review.
Every Borrowed Beat follows Sydney, a girl diagnosed with heart failure at the age of fourteen, dubbed the "sick girl," and awaits a heart transplant. For those who love Five Feet Apart, this definitely has those vibes, but it follows the post-transplant story, exploring the excitement of life, but also the guilt of another's death in order to survive. These feelings can be challenging to navigate, and I would say Stewart explores these concepts through. a finely crafted novel.
Syd is on a mission. She wants to know more about the person her donor heart came from. Following an overheard lead in the hospital, she tracks down a girl named Mia who lived only one town over. A few months post-transplant, Mia's family is holding a birthday service at the cemetery for her, and Syd decides to creep; she just wants to know the person whose heart she now ahs. She know she can't be found out; what would she say? So she hides in a mausoleum...where Mia's best friend Clayton is hiding too!
Certainly Syd cannot tell Clayton who she is and why she is there, so she says she was in an online Ukulele group with Mia. One lie turns into many, and one can see how this might go if Clayton, et. al. are to find out. In the meantime, Clayton finds some solace in Syd as a "good friend of Mia's" and invites her to help him complete this vision board that Mia left in Clayton's treehouse.
Together Syd and Clayton explore the photos Mia left, trying to complete Mia's bucket list for her while also aiming to fill the blank middle space: what did she want?
Behind the scenes is Syd's best friend, from an online support group, Chloe. She is also waiting for a heart, and with Syd now on the side of the living, priorities get construed. Syd is enjoying life, maybe a little bit too much when she puts her best friend on the wayside and possibly overexerts what she is doing with her new heart. Post-transplant care is very specific and crucial. Hiding this aspect of herself from Clayton might just be Syd's undoing.
I loved this novel from page one. It is well-written, impossible to put down, and explores so many aspects of the human condition. Syd and her family prayed for years for a heart to come in, but that means they were also praying for someone else to lose a life so that Syd could live. There is happiness in the family moving forward, but also this aspect of guilt that Syd feels, especially as she explores the life and person Mia was. One key take-away is that transplant patients shouldn't feel guilt; it's not their fault someone died, and people volunteer to be organ donors. But the reality is, people will feel guilt. I like the mention of the other organs Mia donated to save lives, and how meaningful the letter was to the family about one of the donations. I think that really helps the family with moving forward on both ends, giver and receiver.
There is also an exploration or relationship and survivor's guilt. Clayton blames himself for his best friend's death due to the nature of the sequence of events. Others place blame on him too, and he want's to make things right and have a clear conscience. It is hard to move forward when one is stuck under the waves of those emotions.
More positive aspects are learning how to live and love, after literally spending life in a dying state for so long. Learning to live and move forward with the value of life and everything it holds can be a challenging life change. Syd loves reading young adult romance books, but she has never had the opportunity to experience romance itself due to her previous condition. Now that she can, she doesn't want to over do it, but romance is an integral aspect to life and what we may find importance in.

This book is so full of life, one can tell the author, who explains their own experience at the end, has really poured her heart into making this novel something phenomenal and impactful, a story sure to stick in the heart of everyone who reads it. Perfect for a young adult audience while offering insight into an experience they may not be familiar with, or connecting to those who seek stories they can relate to when there isn't much out there as such. Also a great read for adults who want to explore the value of life and revisit the whimsy of being a teenager in love.

Sydney is finally off the waiting list. She got her heart transplant that allowed her to live another day. But the guilt that comes with the heart overwhelms her. In order for her to live, someone else had to die. Mia, who died and gave up her heart to Sydney, has a best friend named Clayton. Sydney meets Clayton and the two become close friends as time goes on. Clayton makes Sydney feel excited and happy, and she realizes that this may be love. But lies and guilt tower over Sydney, making her feel undeserving. Can Sydney sort out her feelings before all her guilt and grief consume her?

I have to say that this book was kinda sad. The beginning was really sad and sort of depressing. The words that Erin Stewart chose were heartwrenching and full of emotion. This book was really heartfelt (no pun intended).
Rating: 9 out of 10

📖 Title: Every Borrowed Beat-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Erin Stewart-new to me author

📅Publication date: 3-11-25 | Read 3-10-25

📃 Format: e-Book 352 pgs.

Genre:
*YA
*Romance

Tropes:
*h illness-heart failure
*coming of age
*tear-jerker/heart wrenching
*small town
*book lover-h
*secret identity

👆🏾POV: 1st person single-Sydney

⚠️TW: life-threatening illnesses, organ donation, grief, drug addiction-mentioned, survivor's guilt, and an abusive, alcoholic father

🌎 Setting: Cherry Hill, UT

Summary: Sydney is post-op from a heart transplant, finally maybe to leave the house and live again. She wants to know about the girl Mia who donated her heart. She meets Clayton, Mia's BFF, and Sydney lies about knowing Mia from an online ukulele group. Clayton wants to finish Mia's vision board with her photography and enlists Sydney to help.

👩🏾 Heroine: Sydney Wells-17, diagnosed in 8th grade, spent 3 years on the donor list waiting for a heart

👨🏾 Hero: Clayton Cooper-lives w/ his Nana, his mother is on drugs, father is MIA. Blames himself for Mia's death

🎭 Other Characters:

* Mia Stoddard- teen girl who Sydney believes gave her heart
*Tanner -Mia's brother, blames Clayton for Mia's death
*Chloe Munoz-Sydney's BFF, heart failure in ICU

🤔 My Thoughts: A heart-wrenching story of a girl given another chance at life. She faced trying new things- riding on an ATV, swimming in a pond, and falling in love. All of this happened while Chloe was losing her battle with the same disease. This was a deep dive into organ donation, life/death, and first love.

Rating: 5/5 ✨
Spice level 1/5 🌶️kissing only

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children's | Delacorte Press, and Erin Stewart for this ARC🩷! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

🩵💛 Every Borrowed Beat ARC Review 💛🩵

Thank you so much to Erin Stewart and Delacorte Press for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Every Borrowed Beat is a standalone YA contemporary romance. Sydney never expected to receive a life saving heart transplant, but now that she has, she feels lost. She becomes fascinated by the person who donated her new heart and ends up meeting Clayton. Can they overcome their fears and build something new together?

This was an interesting read. Sydney definitely went through some struggles and I did enjoy her growth in this book. Clayton was an interesting character and I found myself wanting to know more about him. I would have enjoyed seeing some of the book from Clayton’s PoV. I struggled a little bit with the concept of the main plot, but once that was resolved it got better

Overall this was a three star read. I enjoyed the characters and their growth, but personally would have liked additional PoVs. This book does have some potential triggers, so please check if you’re sensitive. This book did have a romantic plot but had YA levels of on-page spice, so one flame for spice

If you’re a fan of contemporary YA with bucket lists, grief and learning how to move on, then absolutely pick this one up.

This book was such a different take on the usual “sick” person story, and I really liked it! Instead of focusing on the illness itself, Every Borrowed Beat dives into what happens after—what it’s like to live with someone else’s heart and the emotional weight that comes with it.

Sydney, who just got a heart transplant, is struggling with survivor’s guilt and feeling like she has to live a life worthy of her donor. That’s how she ends up on a road trip with Clayton, her donor Mia’s best friend, trying to honor Mia’s dreams. Along the way, Sydney and Clayton slowly fall for each other, and I loved watching their relationship grow. It felt so natural and sweet, even with all the heavy emotions they were dealing with.

The book hits on a lot of deep topics—grief, guilt, finding purpose—but it never feels too overwhelming. The romance and humor balance it out perfectly. If you love heartfelt stories with emotional depth and a road trip full of healing and love, this one’s definitely worth picking up!

Get the Kleenex ready when you read this book. As the sibling of a multi-organ donor, this one really touched my heart. Our main character Sydney gets a heart transplant after being on the waiting list. A beautiful book that reminds us that behind every heart recipient, there is a donor family who has suffered a great loss.

A wonderful powerful story about life. The way this story pulled at my heartstrings 😭 I even shed a tear or two. The emotion I felt while reading the was very real. The characters really made you feel like you knew them personally and were on this journey it's them. I can see this being made into a future movie for sure!

*4.5

I didn't expect this book to make me cry but it definitely did. It was a bit weird reading about a character with my name but they don't say it too often so it was fine. Sydney just wants to live but she feels so guilty about her heart. I totally understood where she was coming from and can't imagine being in that position. The romance with Clayton was really cute but her and Chloe had me sobbing.

I received an arc through netgalley.

The amount of times I had to close the book because I was on the verge of tears. OMG this one was amazing. It hit me in all the feels, and I absolutely adored it. I can't wait to see what else Erin does in the YA genre.

very powerful, very sweet, very well written. i loved the protagonist's character and i loved the other side characters too. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

This story was both beautiful and tragic, serving as a poignant reminder that there is often beauty found within darkness. To begin this review, I want to emphasize that I thoroughly enjoyed this novel from start to finish, although there were a few minor aspects that slightly troubled me. However, before addressing those, let’s focus on the numerous positive elements. The cover is absolutely stunning, serving as an enticing piece of art that initially captured my attention, and the synopsis only heightened my eagerness to delve into the story.

Furthermore, I was impressed by the plot, which was engaging and well-paced, offering enough detail without becoming overly verbose, effectively captivating readers from the very first word. I also appreciated the character development; the author skillfully portrayed their growth, showcasing both their independence and interdependence. The incorporation of themes such as found family and romance added depth to a narrative that could have easily veered into darker territory.

That said, my minor concerns included the third-act breakup, which felt somewhat illogical to me, as well as the slightly unsettling circumstances surrounding the main characters' initial meeting. In conclusion, I believe this was a thoughtfully crafted and significant narrative that deserves to be told, and I would be eager to read more works by this author.

Oh, my heart 🩷💔😭

"Mia gave me a heart. But you? You gave me the chance to use it."

Sydney should be dead. But now, she has a second chance at life and it’s all because of one girl: Mia. Sydney becomes obsessed with learning everything she can about Mia, the girl whose heart beats in Sydney’s chest. When she meets Clayton, Mia’s best friend, she can’t let him know who she is. So instead, her and Clayton build a friendship that may blossom into something more. Meanwhile, Sydney comes up with the Mia Project: a way for everyone across the world to live out Mia’s bucket list and post photos on socials. Maybe that will help her discover who Mia was and who Sydney post transplant is. Mia’s best friend, Chloe is on the transplant list and when things take a turn for the worse, Sydney needs to look inside her heart at what’s truly important.

This was…wow. These type of books always gut me and always put life into perspective. I think I cried pretty much the whole time, but that’s not a bad thing! This book made me feel things so deep that I don’t even want to go into depth about right now.

I loved the characters! Sydney is just a girl who is trying to find where she fits in her new life. She doesn’t know if she deserved a second chance and is working it all out. Clayton is devastated by his best friend’s death and is trying to make sense of it all. Chloe’s outlook on life and hilarious sayings and depth really held the story together. She’s waiting for a heart, but hers is huge and kind.

Overall, this story was beautifully tragic and I couldn’t put it down!

This was a pretty good, I wasn't as invested as I usually would be, however I think the story was good. Thank you for letting me read this book

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ EVERY BORROWED BEAT by Erin Stewart

I was such a fan of The Words We Keep that I decided to give this one a shot and I'm so glad I did. I went in blind (as I always do) and boy did this one get me. I cried probably 3 times? Once in public. (Sorry to all the parents in the lobby at my kid's gymnastics class, but here we are.)

This is such a tender story with so much meat to it. I knew absolutely nothing about transplants in general, so I was grateful that the book was so clearly well researched. The "quest" type plot is always a hit. The characters were flawed, but loveable. Chloe was probably my favorite. Clayton makes an A+ YA book boyfriend. And the thing about this was that I felt like Stewart did such a great job of balancing the contemporary themes with the romance. One didn't overtake the other.

I would recommend it for contemporary lit circles at grades 7 and up. Definitely one to keep on your radar.

I believe this will 100% be a bestseller. A beautiful story of a girl who gets a heart transplant and all the guilt that comes along with it. Why did she get the heart and not one of her friends that also needs it? Why did someone else have to die for her to live? I can only imagine that I would struggle with this too if I were in her situation. She has to come to terms with how to live and move forward.

I think this story is unique, because most books about sick teens explore the before transplant times and are usually about when they are at their sickest. This book is about what it’s like for someone who gets the second chance.

I won’t lie to you, you will need tissues for this one. About 3/4 of the way through, I was crying. This book is beautiful, tragic, and uplifting all in one.

There is romance, but it is very much PG, nothing spicy. This focuses more on second chances and finding yourself.

Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

This book is tragic. It will tug your heartstrings. The moral reminds me of Meet The Robinson, MOVE FORWARD.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Erin Stewart for the ARC. All opinions are of my own.

Wow just wow, I usually avoid sad books but I am so glad that I read this book.

This book is beautifully written taking you along on a journey with a teenage girl who just received a heart transplant as she tracks down her supposed donor and inserts herself in to the donors family and friend’s lives.

This story is heartbreakingly beautiful and I highly suggest it even if you’re not usually one who likes books that fall on the sadder side.

Thank you netgalley Random House Children's | Delacorte Press for the arc

6 hearts
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

It’s hard to give an accurate rating when your tear-soaked face covers your eyesight. It’s powerful, hopeful, and other fuls you could think about.

Sydney has a second chance with her new heart, but with life, comes guilt. She wants to live, but don’t know where to start, When you have been the dying girl for so long, you forget if life is worth living and how. Clayton is wrecked with a different kind of guilt, not being able to save his best friend, Mia. If he had done something different, maybe she would still be here.

It’s amazing how getting only Syd’s pov feels complete. It’s her story.. They help each other but it’s up to them to move on. Ehem, sorry MOVE FORWARD as Syd would say.

To anyone out there who feels heartbroken, over pain, guilt, regret, longing, love, life or death, remember you are HERE, we’re in this TOGETHER , and move FORWARD.

P.S I dedicate the last heart to Chloe.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Erin Stewart for the ARC. I hope I could touch other hearts as you did mine. All opinions are of my own.

This was a really cute and sweet YA romance. It truly made me feel all the emotions. The plot and the storyline were great and flowed perfectly. I really enjoyed the characters and thought the story was delivered perfectly.

This book was a very enjoyable read. I read it in a few sittings and was hooked after just a short time reading. The story was well paced and the characters were well developed.