I absolutely adored Becky Hunter’s debut novel so felt very lucky when I was invited to read this beautiful second novel. It was absolutely incredible and I didn’t want it to end!

The premise is so unique and this story captured me from the opening line! I loved the main character Emery who we meet when she is only five years old. She is in the garden with her family when her heart stops and she dies for the first time. Emery has a heart condition that means her heart can literally stop beating at any moment, and when this happens she relies on those around her to know what to do and restart her heart again. Each time Emery’s heart stops, she finds herself in an in-between world where she meets Nick. His purpose is to help people adjust to the fact that they have died, and help them before they move on entirely. But with Emery, his experience is unique, because she is the only person he has ever met more than once.

This story was so clever in spanning Emery’s life moving through her childhood, teenage years through to adulthood. I was so invested in her life and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. I really liked seeing her changing familial relationships, romantic relationships and the different places she lived. I feel like I went on a real rollercoaster of an emotional journey with Emery too, and there was never a point when I wanted to put this book down. I could so easily have devoured it in one sitting!

I found the locations Emery finds herself in each time her heart stops really clever too, and I always enjoyed seeing Emery and Nick’s interactions. I particularly liked that we got to learn more about Nick too, as this added another really interesting element to the story.

I adored this beautiful story so much and honestly cannot recommend it highly enough!

Overall, "Meet Me When My Heart Stops" is a cute and atmospheric story with an interesting idea behind it. After a while, however, the storyline became repetitive and predictable.

Becky Hunter explores the concept of afterlife with a fresh eye, toying with the trope of an unfinished earthly business, yet at the same time creates a probable scenario of how a serious illness may affect the entire family system, as well as the person who suffers from it. Emery's attitude towards life, her paralysis to commit to something more permanent is believable, and she's not always the most sympathetic character to follow.

However, I found the romance between Emery and Nick a bit disturbing, considering their first encounter when the protagonist is still a toddler.

Emery's heart stops for the 1st time when she was 5. Before she is resuscitated, she meets Nick. And everytime her heart stops from then on, she spends time with Nick. She feels a connection to him. But is she rushing through her own life and missing out just to spend time with Nick?

Very much enjoyed this book, well written and lovely.

Thanks to Netgalley for this reader's ARC in return for my honest review.

Absolutely beautiful heart warming story of Emery! The book begins as Emery is a young girl, and follows through her life. I loved the characters, the descriptions, the whole story!
Becky Hunter is an amazing author and I am always looking forward to her next book.

What can I say about this book except that it deserves to be massive. I don’t want to give too much away, except to say that in it, Becky Hunter has created two of the most beautiful relationships I’ve read in a long, long time, alongside a main character who felt so incredibly real to me that I laughed when she laughed and mourned when she mourned. This is a beautiful book.

This is so wonderfully sentimental and sweet. Absorbing, entrancing and a world building read. An unusual story but one that I was so invested in the characters. Definitely one to pick up, and this will stay with me.

I really enjoyed this novel a lot more than I thought I would.

It is not my usual type of book but I can be a bit of a sucker for a romantic guilty pleasure. In this book, we meet Emery who dies (for the first time) aged 5. Emery has a heart condition which means that her heart stops when she experiences sudden pain, shock or excitement. After she does, she meets Nick, something of a guardian angel whose job it is to guide her into the next world. However, Emery isn't really dead and her heart can be restarted which means the time she spends with Nick is fleeting.

Over the course of the novel, which charts Emery's life, she dies a number of times and meets (and falls for) Nick a number of times. But the only way to be together is for Emery to die .....

This was a really heartfelt, poignant novel and it really does tug on the heartstrings. I enjoy books which are set over the course of a person's lifetime as it really immerses you in their life and Emery is a really strong character.

Definitely an enjoyable read and thanks to Netgalley and Atlantic Books, Corvus for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Please don’t let the opening scene scare you into not reading this book.
During the first few pages I was like oh no, I’m not going to enjoy this. But let me tell you, this was fantastic and the first few pages can be forgiven ( and a little misleading if I may say ). Beautifully written, a reflective read and one which I will recommend.

Emery has a heart condition, a rare condition whereby sudden shocks or pain can stop her heart beating. The first time it happened she was five years old.

What a book! From the opening pages this book had me totally immersed in its pages, one chapter became twenty and lights out didn't happen. Read cover to cover in under 24 hours this wasn't perfect but it was a very good read.

Heartbreaking, heartwarming, unique, funny and compelling all in one - do yourself a favour don't read reviews, there will be spoilers and I don't want this one ruined for anyone.

A charming love story with wonderful characters, beautifully described. Emery's ageing is well covered as she grows from a fairly petulant teenager to a woman with purpose. I suppose if you believe in 'soul mates' and 'one true love' it will be more your type of book than mine and this is by no means the fault of the author who has a real gift for describing emotions and brought tears to my eyes more than once. For me it needed to have some purpose as to why this happens to Emery.

Another sweet and lovely read from Becky Hunter. Meet Me When My Heart Stops is a tender and heartwarming albeit a quiet story about Emery - our main female protagonist - who whenever her heart stops beating due to a rare condition dies and meets Nick in the afterlife for a moment, but as soon as her heart resumes beating she finds herself back to her normal life.
This follows Emery from the beginning of the story when she is 5 years old and dies for a minute, then over the course of the novel we chart her life.
It’s not a very plot heavy book with twists and turns, but a more character-driven, quiet contemporary read with a budding romance with Nick. I did wish there more pace and more of a tension to the story - I found the fast half a bit slow and predictable, but the second half when she’s older and nearing middle age more relatable. I thought there were be life lessons like in Mitch Album’s The Five People You Meet When You Die, which wasn’t the case here. This novel is light and easy to read. I just wish there more depth to the writing. Still a sweet and reflective read.

When I read the first few lines my heart sank and I thought oh no not another one of these! I nearly dismissed it. But I’m so glad I persevered it was unlike any book I’ve read before and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s hard to summarise without giving the story away but it’s a two tiered most unusual love story concerning Emery and her family. Quite wonderful

Straight into my Top Twenty Books of all time. Unashamedly Romantic. Beautifully written. Deliciously Inventive. Poignant and tender. I'm so sad I've finished this book.

Highly recommended.