The Heartbeats of Wing Jones is a heartwarming story about family, running, and finding oneself. It had aspects of magical realism which was a bit weird. I loved the family dynamic in this one.

The Heartbeats of Wing Jones sounds perfect for fans of Breathe, Annie, Breathe! This book was jsyt unfortunately not for me at this time.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Heartbeats of Wing Jones by Katherine Webber.

Wing Jones is half Black, half Asian, and doesn't feel like she fits anywhere. Constantly overshadowed by her charismatic older brother Marcus, and crushing on Marcus' best friend Aaron, she's constantly seeking her own place and identity. But when Marcus gets in a terrible drunk driving accident, leaving him in a coma, Wing discovers a new coping technique, running. And she surprises everyone, including herself, that she is phenomenal at it. Can running not only offer an escape to the fear of losing her brother, but also a new identity and community that she's always hoped for?

This was very endearing. The characters and family dynamics were so precious. I though the way they handled guilt and shame was done very well. I loved the "coming of age" that Wing went through, as well as her relationship with Aaron and herself. A very heartwarming YA book that I would be happy to recommend to any youth or adult.

DNF

The voice here didn't work for me, and I believe the voice of the MC is really what makes or breaks a contemporary novel. This one didn't click with me as a reader, so I DNFed rather than forcing myself through and feeling meh or negative.

The Heartbeats of Wing Jones was a cute heartfelt YA contemporary novel. I absolutely LOVED the running element of this story and how Wing found running as a way to cope with tragedy and the resulting family struggles. Her family played such an integral role throughout the story and the family dynamic was absolutely phenomenally written (I couldn't get enough of her grandmas!)

However, the 'romance' in this book was unnecessary and, personally, I don't think it added to the book. In fact, I feel that it would have been stronger without it altogether. Additionally, her imaginary animals (spirit animals?)... umm yeah... not a fan. Lastly, the ending was rushed with little resolution which left me feeling dissatisfied.

Overall, a very cute book and I really did enjoy reading it.

Wing Jones doesn't mind living in her brother's shadow; she looks up to her football start brother. But one night he gets in a drunk driving accident that kills two people, injures a third, and leaves Marcus in a coma. Suddenly Wing doesn't know what to do with herself and becomes a pariah at school, until she finds track and learns that her speed could turn things around for her family.


Also she hallucinates a lion and a dragon and that shit comes out of nowhere and really bothered me. It didn't add anything, and seemed to play on Wing's ethnicity as "magical" in a way that...just wasn't incorporated enough to make me think the white author had done the research necessary to make it NOT exotifying.


Wing's family, her grandmothers especially, were a great part of the novel and it was nice to see such a strong inter-generational group of people supporting each other. But after the initial emotional fallout from the accident, the novel got fairly repetitive and seemed to go off a different track, leaving behind the Marcus plotline for the sake of Something Totally Different. The book felt like two plots that weren't enough for whole books themselves so they got shoved together to make one full-length novel.

to be posted 6/25/2019

I love Wing! What a great read! Important issues are visited such as bullying, family connections and what can happen when a young person makes a bad choice with terrible results that affect many. Wing and Aaron are adorable. The family’s mixed ethnics/races adds some magic and makes it extra special.

I wasn't able to get into this one. I tried until 27% and decided it just wasn't for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read this title.

THE HEARTBEATS OF WING JONES by Katherine Webber is a sports contemporary with beautiful writing that will pull you in! After seeing a blurb by Jandy Nelson, I was intrigued by it! I think this will suit a younger audience quite well. It features a dynamic main character, interesting family dynamics, and a cute little side romance. I think something important to mention here is that Webber did pretty well with including diversity. I really liked the multicultural aspect of the novel.

Personally, this is not a favorite, but I think I will look out for Webber's books in the future.

Thanks so much to Netgalley for providing this copy.

I, unfortunately, did not get to this book in time to read it for prepublication review. I did, however, buy my own copy and I read about half of it before I put it down. The story was okay and the authors writing style was very beautiful but I just found myself becoming disinterested very quickly. I never wanted to go back to the book while I was reading it after I sat it down.

Loved this book so much. Wing helping her family by joining the track team and having her crush there was a bonus.

This is one of the best realistic fiction books that I have read in a long time! The issues that the protagonist faces are universal and well-written. The characters are fantastic and the story is riveting. I hand this book to my reluctant readers and they devour it. We need more books like The Heartbeats of Wing Jones!

Delacorte Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Heartbeats of Wing Jones. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Marcus Jones had his ticket out of their town as the quarterback for their high school football team, when a terrible car accident has the potential to end all of his dreams. His sister Wing, two years younger, who was already being bullied for being different because of their Chinese mother and black father, has to summon the strength to go on for the sake of her family. When her brother's best friend Aaron helps Wing to become more than she realized she was capable of, will all of her secret dreams come true?

The Heartbeats of Wing Jones is a YA romance, but the realism helps to set it apart. With pertinent social issues such as bullying, underage drinking, and severe poverty, this book is one that many teens will be able to relate to. My favorite character is Wing, as her determination and drive despite difficult circumstances make her someone worth getting to know. I would recommend this to YA readers, especially those still in their teens, because of the message of The Heartbeats of Wing Jones. Although there is a lot of adversity within its pages, the overall feeling of the book is quite positive.

I was not aware this was a sequel when I requested it. When I started the first one in prep for this one, I realized this title was actually not for me. Thank you for choosing me to read and review this title still.

Wing Jones has always lived in her older brother, Marcus's shadow. In her southern hometown during the 90's, people do not accept Wing and her Chinese African American heritage, she is a freak. Whereas her brother shines through his winning personality and skill with football. Wing is forced into her own, when her brother is the drunk driver during a deadly car accident. While he is still in a coma, Wing must deal with her anger at him and desperation for him to survive. The school has turned on both Jones children, and Wing finds an outlet in running. She begins to explore her feelings for Marcus's best friend, Aaron. Wing begins taking control of her life.

I really enjoyed this novel. There were many different issues driving this novel, but they were all beautifully addressed. I felt the presence of Wing's imaginary dragon and lion was unnecessary, but it didn't detract from the overall narrative. I love that Wing and her family are multicultural and they are just dealing with life. This is a traditional romance book, which provides a unique cast of characters. Loved it!

I was so excited about this book, looking forward to it to the point I included it in my list of 2017 novels I needed to get my hands on. Unfortunately, when I did, I realized my expectations were just too high.

The Heartbeat of Wing Jones is simply okay. For a novel built on a horrible tragedy – Wing’s older/football star brother Marcus drunkenly drives home from a party one night, killing two people and seriously injuring a third – I would have expected the novel to actually focus on the accident and fallout. In a way it does, but for the majority of the novel, Marcus is in a coma in a hospital where Wing refuses to visit. Practically overnight the school’s golden boy has been branded a murderer, and Wing says she’s brutally tormented and bullied because of it, but apart from dirty looks and one girl who calls her a freak, the students essentially pretend she doesn’t exist or don’t even notice her.

There’s an oddly supernatural element where Wing is visited multiple times by both a dragon and a lioness and this is never fully explained. I get that this is somehow related to her ethnicity (half Chinese, half Ghanaian) and I’m not even going to touch the diversity aspect. Wing and the sole LGBT character were both defined by what they were, rather than who they were and I couldn’t help but feel that side of their characters were tacked on in an attempt to say “Hey look! There’s a POC character AND a lesbian! HOW DIVERSE!”

Sadly this wasn’t the book I had been hoping for. However, if you’re looking for a book about a girl who runs and crushes on her brother’s best friend, this is definitely the read for you.

While I was reading the first few chapters of The Heartbeats of Wing Jones, I thought I would not like the story. I thought it was weird because I am sure that this is supposed to be a contemporary novel, so I didn’t get what was up with the dragon and the lioness. To be honest, I still don’t get it after I closed the book, but I must tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. This is the first book I’ve read in a sitting for a long, long time, and that says a lot about how much I enjoyed this book.

The Heartbeats of Wing Jones is unlike any story I’ve ever read. It combines family, love, racism, sports, and self-discovery into a books that’s only a few hundred pages. It centers on Wing Jones, who has always lived in the shadows of her older brother Marcus, a football star. But everything changes when Marcus gets into a drunk driving accident that kills two people. Marcus himself is in the hospital, barely surviving. Then Wing discovers that she can run, and run she does. She joins the track team and proves to everyone that she can shine as well as her brother.

I don’t usually like books that center on sports because I tend to be clueless about them, but this one caught me by surprise. I really liked how sports played a huge role in the story, and how the main character grew by joining a sports team. I loved the journey Wing took in order to make everyone accept her, and to finally accept herself for who she is - quirks and all. The self-discovery and self-acceptance the main character went through was phenomenal, and it was definitely what made me love this book so much.

The family dynamics is unique. When Marcus got into the accident that landed him in the hospital, Wing’s family became consisted of only women. Two grandmothers, her mother, and Wing. Although there was not a “man of the house,” all four women worked hard in their own ways to help the family in the time of grief and financial instability. Although they may be stubborn, they do care very much for each other. The family also consisted of a number of races. Wing is a mix of being American, Asian and Black, and it really sends across a message of breaking racial barriers.

Overall, this book is surprisingly amazing and deeply enjoyable. I do recommend it to anyone who is interested. I swear, this book will not be like any other book that you have read.

This is one of those books I simply don’t have much to say about. I enjoyed Wing Jones, but I didn’t think it was anything revolutionary. I loved the character growth Wing undergoes throughout the book, and I also really loved how central a role Wing’s family played in her life (her grandmas were probably my favorite characters in the book). I wasn’t completely sold on the romance, though. One other thing I adored about this book was the setting: it’s set in Atlanta (my city) in the 90’s! I loved the homage to my city– I saw a lot of the city I know and love portrayed in this book, even though the story leaves off shortly after I would have been born, lol. I really appreciate that the author didn’t whitewash Atlanta. In that vein, though I really appreciated the diversity in this book, I felt as though the author (a white woman) was maybe writing outside her lane at times? The cultural elements seemed well-researched and respectful, but the authenticity of a true #ownvoices book was missing. Idk. I’ll update this post once I do more research into her writing process and once I find reviews by people who are part of the cultures portrayed in the book. The bottom line? I liked this book; I just didn’t love it.

Wing Jones struggles with fitting in. Half-black and half-Chinese, the only person at school like her is her older brother Marcus, who has no trouble fitting in thanks to being a popular football player. After her brother's decision to drive drunk leads to a tragic accident, Wing is having a hard time coping. Marcus is in a coma, her family's financial situation is getting dire every day and bullies at school are giving her a hard time about Marcus.

Wing just wants to run. She feels the fire inside and goes out late one night and runs. When her brother's best friend Aaron finds her running, he insists on her talent and decides to train her for track. As they work together their feelings grow, and Wing grows as a runner. When the stakes get too high, however, Wing is determined to run and her feelings for Aaron are put to the side.

I really enjoyed this book!

I can’t say I went into The Heartbeats of Wing Jones with any expectations but wow was I impressed with what I encountered! Wing Jones comes from an unconventional family — biracial, two outspoken grandmothers, a single mom and her old brother all under one roof — and oftentimes, she feels a bit out of place. But the one thing she does have in common with everyone else? Absolute pride and love for her popular, star football player brother Marcus. Then, one night, Marcus falls into a coma after driving drunk and killing two people and his family is left to deal with the aftermath. There’s grief, rumors, the sudden hatred directed towards her him, medical bills to worry about and Wing’s own confusing mess of feelings. I thought the author portrayed her internal turmoil so accurately. She hates what her brother did but at the same time, she can’t help but feel grateful that he’s still alive. And it’s during this time that Wing starts to find who she is. In her grief, she strangely finds herself turning to the school’s track to run like she’s never run before. Aaron, Marcus’ best friend, sees her and recognizes the incredible talent she possesses. They begin running together and soon he becomes mentor, friend and as expected, something more. I was very much swooning over their relationship but more importantly, I was drawn to Wing’s journey and the dynamic in her close-knit family. Even if you haven’t been in her exact shoes, it’s easy to relate to her feelings of insecurity and then pride at finding something for herself. I will say the ending did feel a tad too abrupt but otherwise, what a book!

Do I recommend? Yes! I pre-ordered after reading it! That is, until I discovered that the gorgeous UK cover was already out so I ordered that instead.