Every Borrowed Beat by Erin Stewart
on March 11, 2025
ISBN: 0593710665
Genres: Realistic Fiction, Romance
Format: Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

“Every Borrowed Beat” is a young adult contemporary romance by Erin Stewart. Teen Sydney received a donor heart in a transplant months ago and thinks that she has found out who her donor was. She travels to her memorial to learn about her, while pretending to be an online friend of Mia (her possible donor). She meets Mia’s friends and learns a lot about who Mia was, but she is still hiding that she might have Mia’s heart. Stewart does an excellent job portraying the complicated feelings that come with receiving transplants, especially from donors that died.

Author Stewart details in her acknowledgements (and thanks) all of the people who helped her create a realistic and comprehensive novel involving organ transplant, including a transplant coordinator, Donor Connect, and a heart transplant survivor. This book is a suggested purchase for YA collections where realistic fiction is popular.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.