The Gift by Louise Jensen is the follow up novel to her phenomenal success, The Sister. I had high hopes for The Gift, but I felt, on a few levels it fell short. Jenna the main character is in dire need of a heart transplant, and a donor finally becomes available. The donor heart is from a young woman named Callie. After Jenna has her transplant and begins the healing journey, she begins to experience something called cellular memory, i.e., she can feel some of the same emotions the donor felt, wants to eat the same foods, very strong strange dreams, etc. This was something I wasn't completely aware of, and for that reason, it was sort of interesting. Beyond that, Jenna becomes determined to meet the donor's family, even though she is strongly advised against doing so, even by her therapist. It just doesn't seem like a good idea, and I do concur with that. However, that finding of, and getting to know the donor's family is an integral, if flawed part of this story. A false premise so to speak. Jenna became obsessed with Callie, obsessed with finding out how she died, and ultimately solving a great mystery. While a strong story on the surface, I could not overcome that storyline bias, and also found the writing needed some more editing for the book to read more smoothly.
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