The Recipient

Casey Schillinge is a young woman who is dying. She contracted a tropical disease and now needs a heart transplant. She is fading away .. a little at a time and her parents can do nothing but watch. But then the call comes in the middle of the night and Casey's life is going to change in ways no one can see coming.

Three years later, she is a shell of the young woman she used to be. She's withdrawn from everyone, suffers agoraphobia. She has night terrors and is afraid to go to sleep. She has memories, but they don't seem to be hers. No one understands ... no one believes her.

When she absolutely cannot take any more, she begins research into why she can't sleep. She's tried alcohol and drugs, sleeping pills, exercising hours at a time ... anything to be able to sleep without the nightmares haunting her.

What she first discovers is the donor of her new heart ... and her tragic story. As she seeks and finds more and more information, she realizes her dreams are not dreams .... but a real life nightmare.

It's really hard to pigeon hole this story. It's more than a psychological thriller ... more than a paranormal adventure ... more than a mystery. It's the journey of someone who refuses to quit, will not give up, and pushes herself out the door when she's so frightened she may faint. She is a lot stronger than anyone gives her credit for.

The beginning is a bit slower paced, but it does well in revealing just who Casey is ... and who she was. Once her investigation begins, the action and suspense becomes almost non-stop. WOW! what an ending! The entire story premise is a good one with skillfully defined characters. It's entertaining and riveting!

There have been perplexing reports of organ transplant receivers claiming that they seem to have inherited the memory, experiences and emotions of their deceased donors, and which are causing quirky changes in their personality ( http://www.namahjournal.com/doc/Actual/Memory-transference-in-organ-transplant-recipients-vol-19-iss-1.html)

Many thanks to the author / Central Avenue Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read The Recipient.
A young woman with heart problems is fortunate to receive a transplant at the time she needs one desperately. Fast forward - now a young adult, Casey, is still adjusting to her new heart. But Casey suffers from alot of worries - she can't sleep, she can't go outside, she doesn't like crowds, and she likes to be alone.
Soon Casey finds that someting is really going on with her heart and she searches to find the answers with the donor. That's where the nightmare begins.
Fast paced and engrossing. Good Beach Read!

I did not know what to expect when I requested this book via NetGalley. I had never read any of the author's work but the books seemed like it would be interesting. Was I right!!!! This book is very good and the premise is a good one. A young lady reiceved a heart from a donor. Things are fine until she starts experiencing nightmares and her whole persona changes. Is she taking on things, thoughts, feelings from the donor? Read this book and find out. The beginning of the book seemed to be a bit busy, but stick with it. You will be glad you did. The ending was very, very good. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC of this good book in return for my honest review.

Very suspenseful. I thought the story dragged in a couple of places but when it caught speed...it flew. Heart recipient, Casey Schillinge, is a great character...not a whiny door mat but a stand up chick that gets a little...okay more than a little... nuts. Add a friend named Sasquatch, a wise grandfather, an over protective father, and sexy but weird doctors and you've a story that will keep you guessing and steal your breath away. I bought this for our library and I have recommended it to many readers. This is a great but dark story.