Lindsay Harrel’s newest book is a beautifully told tale filled with travel and adventure, but also is the story of sisters, fear, control, and how to let God into your life.
This post contains affiliate links, please see disclosure for more detail. I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
About the Book:
After suffering from heart disease her entire life, three years ago Megan received a heart transplant. Although she’s strong and healthy now, she still continues to live in fear that something might happen if she strays from her perfectly ordered and regimented life. Her twin sister, Crystal, has long grown weary from living in the shadows of Megan’s illness. She has created a life for herself as an up-and-coming architect with a devoted husband, but Crystal clings to control and strives to achieve great things at work even at the expense of her relationships. Megan runs into Caleb, a man that also received a transplant and who was her best friend during their years of hospital stays. They had always dreamed of traveling the world together, Caleb taking photos and Megan writing travel stories to go with them. Caleb has accomplished this dream, but Megan is still living at home, working part-time at the library. He encourages her to step out and meet with her heart donor Amanda’s parents, and Megan takes a deep breath and goes to their home.
Amanda’s parents share her journal with Megan, in which she disclosed some dark things that had happened in her past, yet also included a bucket list of 25 items she wanted to complete all over the world. Number 25 was significant–“Give My Heart Away”, which Amanda had done for Megan. Megan takes the journal home and decides that she is going to complete Amanda’s list, all the while keeping a blog about her journey. Crystal has run into some issues at work and volunteers to accompany Megan, even though their relationship has been very rocky for years.
As the two set out on their quest to conquer the list, they both learn things about themselves and each other along the way.
My Thoughts:
What a beautifully rendered, heart-touching tale. At first I wasn’t too sure, it seemed pretty run of the mill and I didn’t really connect with Megan at all. Yet once she met Amanda’s parents and decided to go on the trip, I felt like she grew a bit of a backbone and became a distinct personality in the story. Megan’s fear is her biggest downfall. She is able to overcome some of it during the course of the trip, but it isn’t until the end where she learns how to surrender all of it.
I could definitely identify with Crystal and her attempts to control everything in her life because it felt so out of control for so long. How very true to find out that control is just an illusion, the more we attempt to control things, the more out of control they get! The faith journeys of the sisters are very real and authentic, and some of the observations and images are just beautiful. I particularly connected with one about Megan’s intense determination to reach the key to unlock the chains that kept her bound, only to find that Christ had already unlocked them for her, she just needed to take them off.
One of the best parts of this story for me was the fact that, when all is said and done, life doesn’t stop at the end of a great scene with a Happily Ever After and everyone walking into the sunset, holding hands and fading out. Even after good experiences and mountaintop moments, there is life to live the day after those wonderful moments, and that life is sometimes messy, unpredictable, and disappointing. Crystal’s story showed this in a way that I could really relate to, and we have to cling to Jesus to get our strength.
Bottom Line:
I highly recommend this heartwarming and soul-challenging novel. The focus on God to help us through our fears and to rely on His control is something everyone needs a reminder of regularly.
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