Heart Like Mine

Heart Like Mine by Amy Hatvany
Published March 19, 2013

About the Book:

When a young mother dies under mysterious circumstances, those she leaves behind begin looking for answers in the past—and find a long-buried secret they could have never imagined.
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 the one 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 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 and hopeful portrait about womanhood, love, and the challenges of family life.

My Thoughts:  

I gave this 3 stars on Goodreads; would have been 3.5 if half stars were possible.  I would have given it 4, but the book ends very abruptly, with much left unanswered, and that drives me crazy.  Up to that point, I really enjoyed the book.  It's well written with well-developed characters.  The dialogue and situations are realistic, and it's written in a way that draws you in and makes you care about the characters.  It's told in alternating points of view between Grace and Ava, plus flashbacks from Kelli.  It's an interesting story with a great look at how grief affects people, family dynamics, and in Grace, a really strong female character.  Those things were all wonderful with this book.  The ending just really affected my thoughts on it, though.  I would have easily rated it 4/4.5 stars if it weren't for the ending.  I do look forward to reading more of Hatvany's books, as this was my first of hers and I really enjoyed her writing otherwise.  I hope the others have better endings.