Shark Heart

Shark Heart by Emily Habeck was a phenomenal debut novel of marriage, motherhood, change, and learning to let go.

This is a story of love and marriage, of friends and family, of loyalty and despair, and learning how to trust in the one you love

The characters are richly developed with realistic everyday lives.
These characters are very well written they feel very real and true, the cast of characters within the novel are as well written as the two leads, I had proper feelings for them all.
A emotionally charged story about love, devotion and marriage.
Unique storytelling with a fascinating plot and well written characters.
Overall, I loved this book. I think the plot moved along well and the writing was just as great. I will continue to look forward to Emily Habeck's future publications!
Because these are the stories that I love reading!

“A sweeping love story that is at once lyrical and funny, airy and visceral, Shark Heart is an unforgettable novel about life’s perennial questions, the fragility of memories, finding joy amidst grief, and creating a meaningful life. This daring debut marks the arrival of a wildly talented new writer abounding with originality, humour, and heart.”

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Jo Fletcher Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I am unwell.

There was a publisher’s note at the beginning of this, stating that it made them bawl and to trust it even though the premise of “man turns into great white shark” is unusual.

Now, I personally don’t need persuading to read a book about a man who turns into a shark but I wondered how exactly it would make one cry and then it promptly broke my heart into a million pieces.

This was so well written, witty and funny in the way that makes you snort and then burst into tears. I had to put my kindle down repeatedly because my soul was being ripped apart by Lewis. Or Wren. Or her mom. Or the woman pregnant with birds.

I adore magical realism but I’ve never been taken through the full range of human emotion by it like Shark Heart has done. The hopefulness permeating this story was intoxicating. The play sections gave it a sort of lightness that I really enjoyed. Watching everything come together to deliver this, at the same time heart wrenching and heartening story was so fun and sad and tragic and hopeful and wonderful.

I can’t do this book justice in my review. Just know it’s a beautiful exploration of what it means to be human and that I can’t recommend it enough.

Thank you to Quercus and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This felt like it should have been somehow bizarre and fanciful - but the creature metamorphosis is just a normality in the world - the magic is in the love stories that surrounds it.
Absolutely beautiful .

This book shocked me, broke me and then mended my heart for a beautiful ending. Once and a while a book comes around that just makes you remember why you love reading and this for me, was it! From the beautiful description of the characters and their intricate relationships, to the factual and deeply fascinating way that Lewis starts turning into a Great White Shark, this story pulled me in hook, line and sinker. It tells a story in three parts, with arguably three women from three different generations at its core. The first part is about Wren and Lewis, a young couple who are deeply in love and months after they get married Lewis is diagnosed with a mutation disorder, he is turning into a Great White Shark. These mutations into animals are something that happens in this world often, but a Great White Shark is rare. The way that Wren cares for Lewis while she is losing him to this mutation is truly heart-breaking and at first I thought it was a metaphor for dementia but I think I may have been wrong about that. The second part is about Wren’s mother Angela. Her coming of age and falling pregnant with Wren at 15. The third part is back to Lewis but in a beautiful and odd way that can’t really be described well (not by me anyway!) I will be recommending this book to everyone I know. I’m sure it’s going to be huge.

4.5 rounded up

This is a love story but unlike one I have ever read before. Lewis and Wren meet and fall in love. They are utterly different, so opposite but somehow they balance each other out. He is arty, a school theatre teacher and outgoing, she is quiet, likes structure but their relationship works. When Lewis develops some odd symptoms a visit to a doctor eventually leads to a diagnosis that he will transform in the next nine months into a great white shark. What, I hear you cry?? Yes, that’s my reaction too! He will retain his human consciousness but his physical body will be that of one of the oceans most dangerous predators. The novel focuses on their story but also that of Wren’s mother Angela, her childhood and growing up.

I think it’s absolutely fair to say that this is one of the oddest, strangest and weirdest books I have ever read but it totally captivates me. At its heart it is a moving story of people who face the impossible, it’s about hanging on to love, but also coming to terms with grief, loss or with regret. At times it’s funny (usually Lewis, he’s quite a character) at others it’s sad, heartbreaking and occasionally disturbing. It’s fascinating viewing how Lewis and Wren react to the diagnosis and how they adapt or otherwise.

There are some magical realism elements and I particularly like these sections which are also a metaphor for how we change and adapt throughout our lives, such as via our bodies or through relationships. Life is also transient and one of those messages is to grab life by the scruff of the neck and relish those moments as none of us know what’s around the corner.

It’s written in a very different way too. At times it’s poetic, it’s vivid, at others it’s set out as a play or a movie and somehow the author cleverly makes it work. The ending is good, thought maybe a little neat. This is a very different and thought provoking book and one I’ll certainly remember. This is a fiction debut and all I can say is wow, what will follow this?

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Quercus Books for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This book sounds absolutely wild, but while reading it I never felt like I was reading a 'strange' book. The author is so impressively allowing me to suspend my disbelief, that this story where a man slowly changes into a shark feels totally realistic and devastating.
It's poetic and heart-breaking, a very promising debut.

An unusual premise, a heartbreaking love story. Love, loss and grief, and plenty of space for hope. I shed a few tears!

This is beautifully written and a n example of excellent literary fiction. It takes you via two narratives and will make you laugh and cry. It’s a strong 5/5 from me.

This is a about more than recovering from grief, it is a book about love, about connection, about the need to be present and let go of the striving for purpose. This is an extraordinary debut novel that demands to be reread for the many nuances missed along the way, the first time around. A book that cries out for discussion as I'm sure it will mean differnt things to differnt people, raise a myriad of questions and a slew of emotions.

I enjoyed the experimental nature of world building in "Shark Heart". On one hand, humans morphing into animals is a perfectly natural (yet painful) occurrence, on the other--this phenomenon may serve as a metaphor of illness with some snippets on how healthcare became more and more humane.

The oddness of the story doesn't cast shadow on very real issues, such as loving relationship with its' time cut short, complicated parent-child dynamics in lieu of handling life-altering illness, as well domestic and intimate partner abuse.

Very impressive debut.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for my free digital ARC in exchange for a review!

What an unexpected delight of a novel! I am not usually one for judging a book by its cover, but when I first joined Netgalley I spotted this one and could not resist it. Very glad to report that the contents match the stunning cover! 🦈🌺
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Shark Heart focuses on Wren and Lewis, a newly married couple who receive possibly the worst news you could get during your first year of wedded bliss: Lewis is transforming into a great white shark. In the world delicately crafted by Emily Habeck, some people are born with genetic mutations which see them slowly transform into various animals, from zebras to Komodo dragons. The first part of the book follows Lewis & Wren as they get to grips with the new state of their reality and try to plan for the future.
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I absolutely fell in love with both of these characters. Habeck brings them to life so vividly, when I realised the next section of the book was moving onto Wren’s mother I was genuinely devastated. But I shouldn’t have worried, as the author put just as much love and thought into Angela’s story as well, and soon enough I was enraptured with that narrative too. Habeck explores heavy topics like abuse (physical and emotional), parent-child relationships and health & illness with a light touch that never feels insensitive. The chapters are extremely short, some just a few lines long, but every word feels carefully chosen, imbued with warmth and tenderness.
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I find it hardest to write reviews of books I love with no criticism, I came to look for my notes on Shark Heart only to find I hadn’t taken any. I was utterly absorbed in the story, loathe to put my iPad down for even a second and leave these characters. The way Habeck explores various relationships, with some casual queer rep in there, hooked me completely.
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Gorgeous, striking prose, emotional depth, a unique concept - a definite favourite of the year for me!