Review: Alive by Chandler Baker

Alive  by Chandler Baker

Stella Cross's heart is poisoned.
After years on the transplant waiting list, she's running out of hope that she'll ever see her eighteenth birthday. Then, miraculously, Stella receives the transplant she needs to survive.
Determined to embrace everything she came so close to losing, Stella throws herself into her new life. But her recovery is marred by strange side effects: Nightmares. Hallucinations. A recurring pain that flares every day at the exact same moment. Then Stella meets Levi Zin, the new boy on everyone's radar at her Seattle prep school. Stella has never felt more drawn to anyone in her life, and soon she and Levi are inseparable.
Stella is convinced that Levi is her soul mate. Why else would she literally ache for him when they are apart?
After all, the heart never lies...does it?

Publishes in US: June 9th 2015 by Disney-Hyperion
Genre: ya contemp
Source: Disney for review.
Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC (advanced review copy). I am not paid for this review, and my opinions in this review are mine, and are not effected by the book being free. Series? no

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    I wanted to read Alive because I am drawn to books about teens dealing with illnesses. Heart transplants are also something that I have been very interested in, especially when the cell memory theory is thrown in, which is what the pain reminded me of. I figured she was experiencing things with the donor's death possibly, and the connections of him since the heart is such a personal organ. 

   I liked the strength of Stella, how she faced such hard things and still managed to have an attitude of facing the world, and focusing on getting back to school and regular life after being sick for so long. She has a sort of boyfriend Henry that she talks to and whose been texting and been there for her, but they haven't really been defined mostly because of Stella and her reluctance. 

   Family is a focus, even though of course Stella feels at times that her mom hovers and worries too much and also doesn't understand her. You can tell that Stella loves her toddler sister, but she also jokes with bitterness about her being the replacement or upgrade child since she was born after Stella got sick with the cardiomyopathy which is what landed her needing the transplant. 

   It does take a mysterious turn with the pain that she feels and like I said earlier I thought might be related to the death of her donor I really wasn't expecting a paranormal fantasy type explanations to be behind the mystery of the book but it makes sense even though it takes it out of the category of contemporary. 

    I like part of the romance for this one but not all of it. I wasn't fully convinced either way until the book was almost ending, which was fine because then it was sweet and it gave it feeling of the second chance love kind of thing for me.

   I did like how the book ended it was fitting for the story and actually pretty upbeat which is a little surprising considering how dark it was at one point.

Bottom Line: Enjoyable read with blend of contemp and fantasy element.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Are you an organ donor? Why or why not?