HEART LIKE MINE by Amy Hatvany (and previous winners announced too!)

Congrats to NOVA aka Sparkle - you have won HEART LIKE MINE! Email stephanieelliot(at)gmail.com with your full name and address to receive your book!


At the end of this post, previous winners are announced,

please see if you've won a book!!

Heart Like Mine

Amy Hatvany

As with all of Amy Hatvany's books, I have fallen in love with her characters. I started Heart Like Mine and found myself sneaking moments to read it. We got to hear Grace's story - the woman who was newly engaged to a man with two children who had no desire for children of her own. She was fine with the every other weekend parenting gig.

Then we hear Ava's side. She's the 13-year-old who's pretty lukewarm to Grace, but she only has to deal with her twice a month so she does her best to manage the arrangement - it's not that hard. At first. 

The most surprising and exciting part of the book that I was not expecting was we also got flashbacks of the ex-wife, Kelli's story. (When I discovered that we were let in on Kelli's life, it was like a bonus for me! Like the reader was being let in on a really cool secret -- definitely the icing on the cake for me with this book!) Kelli is Ava's mom, and it's not a spoiler to let you know she dies early in the book, which means Grace is thrown into a parenting role to Ava and her young brother Max - a role she had no desire to be in.

Here's the back-of-the-book blurb:

 

Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllister never longed for children. But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace decides that, for the right man, she could learn to be an excellent part-time stepmom. After all, the kids live with their mother, Kelli. How hard could it be? 

At thirteen, Ava Hansen is mature beyond her years. Since her parents’ divorce, she has been taking care of her emotionally unstable mother and her little brother—she pays the bills, does the laundry, and never complains because she loves her mama more than anyone. And while her father’s new girlfriend is nice enough, Ava still holds out hope that her parents will get back together and that they’ll be a family again. But only days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances—and soon, Grace and Ava discover that there was much more to Kelli’s life than either ever knew. 

Narrated by Grace and Ava in the present with flashbacks into Kelli’s troubled past, Heart Like Mine is a poignant, hopeful portrait of womanhood, love, and the challenges and joys of family life.

Amy's books are the type where when you get to the end of a chapter, you can't stop reading. It's that simple. The chapters were simply titled by the character's name. So I'd read a "GRACE" chapter, and think, "OK, I have got to get to bed." Then the next chapter would be an "AVA" chapter, and I'd think, "NOOOO! I NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT AVA'S THINKING NOW!" … and on and on it went… it's a vicious delicious cycle, these Amy Hatvany books - they suck you in, and you're turning pages to find out who's doing what, who's thinking what, and what is going to happen next. 

Her characters are absolutely, positively normal, real people. Doing real things, and facing real challenges and Amy writes with such heart and writes such realistic themes, you might as well be in the room with Grace while she's handling a situation - whether she's trying to break up a squabble between Ava and Max or whether she and Ava are attempting to bake a cake!

In Heart Like Mine, Grace's fiancé Victor is a restaurant owner. This one is really simple: If you'd like to win a copy of Heart Like Mine, tell me your favorite restaurant! 

Did YOU win a BOOK???? CHECK HERE!!!!
(please email me at stephanieelliot(at)gmail.com and send your full name & address so I can send out your book!):

Market Street 
Erin G. 
(YOU won TWO BOOKS see below - how LUCKY IS THAT?!?!?!)

The Sunshine When She's Gone (two winners)  
SLM8803
Erin G.

A Whole New You 
EKB


Covet 

FAITH'S PAGE 

And yes, as usual, I have to include this, so please read:
If you're new to Booking with Manic, thank you for stopping by! We love new readers! Some notes - If you're entering to win a book, please leave a comment on this post and use an identifying name when commenting. It's usually a great idea to include an email, which I will never give out to anyone else. You can only enter once please. You'll need to check back here in a few days to see if you've won the book -- I will either list the winner in a new post OR highlight the winner's name at the top of this post, or tell you where you can find the winner's name at the top of this post. I do NOT personally contact the winners. It is YOUR responsibility to come back to see if you've won. Most books are supplied directly through publishers, publicists and the authors. Winners will receive books directly from the publisher or author within 3 weeks from the time you provide me with your address, unless I send you the book (sometimes I will). Sorry, but we can only ship to U.S. and Canada so if you're from another country, thank you for coming by to read and discover new authors, but we can't send you a book. Any questions on how I run the blog or suggestions on who you would like to see featured, please email me at stephanieelliot[at]gmail.com. Thank you for your support!