I'm pleased I was given the opportunity to read this book but wow it did exactly what it said on the tin - it was heartbreaking.
It was very sad but well told and I cried a lot of the way through.
The description of grief is painful but real.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There was just something about the premise of Heartbreak Hill that intrigued me, and I couldn't resist adding it to my TBR. I was curious about the heart transplant element and how it would affect both storylines... And it without doubt turned out to be a powerful and moving read. The first part of the title seems to fit the story very well, and definitely make sure to have some tissues at hand before you start reading! Even dear old stone-faced me couldn't keep it dry this time around...

Heartbreak Hill won't be for everyone, and you definitely have to brace yourself for a LOT of focus on grief and loss. While there is hope and romance found along the way, this book is neither essentially happy nor uplifting, so if you are looking for something light to read this is not the book for you. If you don't mind strong emotions and a lot of sadness, Heartbreak Hill will offer you an interesting journey though. The heart transplant/donor element was fascinating, and it was what made this story stand out for me.

The story switches mainly between Nadia and Graydon. Nadia's POV focuses on grief and loss after her husband passed away and she donated his organs; Graydon's POV is all about second chances and embracing a new life after receiving a heart transplant. Together, these POVs offer you a rollercoaster ride full of emotions, although I personally think Nadia's POV is the stronger of the two. Her reactions felt more genuine, and everything she went through after the car accident was heartbreaking. It shows that grief is messy and follows no schedule, and her development was realistically done.

I was less of a fan of Graydon's POV, mostly because his behavior could get pretty frustrating at times. The steamy scenes put a damper on things for me as well, which just didn't seem to fit with the tone of the rest of the story... Then again, it's no secret that I'm never a fan. The romance itself I had mixed thoughts about as well, mostly because it didn't feel 100% genuine and the final solution was just a bit too convenient. The cellular memory element itself was fascinating though.

If you enjoy engaging and highly emotional contemporaries that focus on grief and loss as well as new beginning and second chances, you will most likely have a great time reading Heartbreak Hill. It's not a lighthearted read, but the journey is definitely worth it!

Not my first Heidi McLaughlin book and although I do generally enjoy her books this one didn't do it for me.
Probably because it was written in 3rd person which I honestly do not usually mind.
Will recommend for readers who prefer reading 3rd person and who love books about loss and overcoming grief.

Thank you Netgalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to read and share my thoughts.

Heartbreak Hill by Heidi McLaughlin for me was a very emotional read, which I look for books that can pull my emotions out. A man dies after a tragic accident and what follows is the story line, between his wife and children and the man that receives his heart. This book could be triggering for some people, but I would still recommend it to others.

I received and ARC from NetGalley and Montlake the publisher, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I was hooked from the start. Talk about having your heart ripped to pieces and slowly being put back together. I really enjoyed how the 2 main storylines joined together at the end and everyone got a HEA. I do think Reid and Grayson’s engagement happened super fast, like I had to go back and make sure I didn’t miss something. But overall I loved this book and will remember this story forever.

I was really interested in the premise of this novel, but ultimately was really disappointed in the execution. The characters felt very two-dimensional, the plot was wafer-thin, and the pacing was all off. These characters experienced a lot and despite this, I hard a hard time connecting with them. It felt like we were jumping from point A to B and so on quickly with little explanation. I feel like the story needed to be fleshed out more in the first half and the second half would have more impactful.

Born with a life-threatening heart defect, Grayson has been living on borrowed time. The uncertainty of tomorrow makes him push people away, helping Grayson to avoid any real commitment. One such person is Reid Sullivan, his coworker, neighbour, best friend, and the woman he's madly in love with. Nadia Karlsson makes a life-changing decision after her husband, Rafe, is involved in a tragic accident near Harvard Square. Her choice will unwittingly alter the course of Grayson’s future, and tie his fate unexpectedly to her own.

Grayson got a new heart after his gave out. The near-death experience had him wanting to get together with Reid and not waste anymore time. I feel like their relationship was rushed after they got together. They'd had feelings for the longest time but a proposal so soon after just starting to date came out of nowhere.

Somewhere else, Nadia was learning to cope with life after her beloved husband Rafe's death. Raising her two young daughters was quite the tumultuous task. I loved how family and friends rallied around her. The potential of new love was one that was carefully handled and I loved how it turned out.

The premise of this book had me intrigued. I had an idea of what would happen and was taken on quite the emotional journey. The surprising connections between these two groups of people were amazing. I especially loved the ending.

There were multiple narrators for each POV. I loved Reid's narrator but the rest were not as good. Still enjoyed the audio. Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steam level: 3.5🌶️ Open door, mild to moderate details

Holy emotional story, Batman! I have heard great things about Heidi's books, but have not read any of them myself. This was a heck of a place to start. The ties between Grayson, Reid, Nadia, and Rafe are strong and deeply rooted. Their story is one of sacrifice, pain, second chances, and ultimately, love. It is a beautiful story that will break your heart before piecing it back together.

This is an original 4 star story that will pull on your heartstrings.

Grayson and Reid have been best friends but they are both in love with each other. Grayson keeps her at arms length until his life altering secrets come to life. It might be too late.
Nadia and Rafe have been married for years and they share 2 daughters . Tragedy will strike them when they least expect it and one will be left to make difficult decisions. These 2 families will be reunited and the healing process can happen.

This story is like 2 stories that are interconnected. It’s about getting a second chance at life and at love. Loss and tragedy. Healing physically and emotionally. Forming ever lasting bonds. Hold on for this emotional roller coaster ride. Beautifully written with an amazing storyline. Bottomline this is a must read.

Told in the third person with an HEA. Although make sure to stock on tissues.

I read a lot of books during the year and this book was hard for me to get into. I didn’t like the main character and thought he could have treated Reid better throughout the book. I enjoyed reading Nadia’s chapters the most and was heartbroken for her. Overall, this book had a unique plot that I hadn’t read before. I’d recommend it to those looking for something different.

Heartbreak Hill was a story that dealt with a lot of tough subjects including death, dealing with grief, and a fresh start. I am a fan of not only the good emotional reads, but Heidi's writing. If you're not familiar please take caution.
Greyson has congenital heart disease, a fact he knows and a reason he has kept his crush in the friend zone. He doesn't think he has much to offer her. Greyson collapses after a basketball game and is taken to the hospital where he is kept in coma waiting for a new heart because his own has stopped working right.
Rafe Karlsson has plans to run a marathon. When a vehicle enters the race lanes, he is killed, saving a woman from the car, leaving behind a wife and two daughters.
Nadia was having to make a difficult decision to donate her husband's organs and save others. She had a supportive family but we all grieve differently.
While in the midst of grieving, she had to make a decision and still be the supportive parent for her daughters.
I was recently in Nadia's shoes when my husband suddenly died unexpectedly, no one can tell I how to grieve, and what do u do when your person is just gone? For me it's been 5 months and I still struggle.. there's no timeline for grief.

i unfortunately ended up dnfing this at around 30% - i found it really tough to get through and i don’t think i was in the right headspace for it. i do think it was beautifully written and it definitely had me crying, i will try to revisit it once i feel up to it.

thank you so much to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc 🫶🏻

This story was heartbreaking. I shed a lot of tears. There are two sets of stories here and both become intertwined. Grayson and Reid are best friends that had a one time encounter, and then Grayson put her firmly in the friend category (even though he wanted her for himself). Reid was ready to start dating other men since Grayson wasn't stepping up. Then he collapses after a basketball game and she finds out he has a heart condition that he has ignored for a long time. As he is laying in a coma,, she is angry that he didn't take care of himself and is terrified he won't make it. This is one couple.
Rafe and Nadia are happily married with two little girls. Rafe is running in a race and after pushing another runner out of the way, is hit by a car and is brain damaged and will not survive. All the the family is heartbroken but against his mother's wishes, she donates his organs so others may live. Nadia and the girls really struggle and notice that his mother really wants nothing to do with them. The girls get angry for their mother and they will see them less and less. It takes quite awhile for them to start to act normal again as they miss Rafe horribly. Rafe's best friend starts coming around to help with household chores, like lawn care, etc. The girls really like him and he tells them he is still their Uncle Kiran.
The sweet part of the story is that Grayson and Nadia had been a couple in high school and had parted ways. They hadn't been in love, just together. When their lives became intertwined, it was due to Rafe's doing. I found it very interesting that the story talked of the heart remembering it's past life when it's with it's new owner. Very interesting.
The story held a lot of heartbreak, but also new beginnings that started from a tragedy. This book was well worth reading and more than once.

I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an early copy of Heartbreak Hill. I loved the story. It’s about a man who dies saving a lady’s life and his wife gives the gift of life to others by donating his organs so he will live on. Both sides are heavily impacted. One by the loss of their loved one and the other by being given a second chance on life. Your emotions will definitely be all over the place. Heidi Mc Laughlin has written a very impactful and emotional story. I would highly recommend this book just have a box of Kleenex’s beside you.

It's been a very long time since I physically cried while reading a book, and while that might seem like a bad thing it's the opposite because of how good the story and writing were that they moved me so much.

I felt the story was so relatable and flowed so well. I loved all the relationships in the book.

This was the first book I've read by this author and I'm definitely looking forward to future ones.

Heartbreak Hill
By: Heidi McLaughlin

📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚

Breaks you from the beginning!

Omg in yet another book that Heidi McLaughlin tears you apart we get Grayson and Reid’s story. And Rafe and Nadia’s in a very emotional book about Love, Loss, Generosity and honestly two different people fighting to live and maybe even a little bit of permission to be happy whether from guilt or having no idea How. I’m on a book hangover and might be for a few days. Yikes I loved this book even through all my tears.

Authors Blurb: Grayson Caballero sees the glass half-empty. Born with a life-threatening heart defect, he’s been living on borrowed time. The uncertainty of tomorrow makes him push people away, helping Grayson to avoid any real commitment.
Then he meets Reid Sullivan and falls madly in love. The two work together at the Wold Collective, Grayson as a project manager and Reid in HR. They even live in the same apartment complex. But Grayson continues to keep his distance, despite their obvious attraction. And Reid’s not interested in waiting around.
When Grayson collapses at a basketball game, Reid learns he’s been keeping secrets from her. Now his life hangs in the balance…and a stranger from Boston holds the key to his survival.

Nadia Karlsson makes a life-changing decision after her husband, Rafe, is involved in a tragic accident near Harvard Square. Her choice will unwittingly alter the course of Grayson’s future and tie his fate unexpectedly to her own.

This book has everything I love in a book. Then you add that it's beautifully written and believable. It is easily a five star read. Written in multiple POV this story flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know you’re 80% into the book and loving every second of it. The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and anger. This is a love story that is created from friendship, loyalty and the need to make each other live again. It is not necessarily the fall in love kind of story but love created from tragedy. There are wonderful twists and turns in this book and I'm personally glad I read it. The book written in 3rd person was very well written and moved without any gaps in the story. I highly recommend this book it will keep you captivated to the very End.

Thanks Netgally for letting me read and review.📚💕

This story talks about very relatable topics..
How one thing can change everything
How one thing can change other's life
Truly leaves you thinking...
The story is well crafted, well presented.. a little bit slow but you keep interest while reading..
A story about friends, about family, about loss
.
Read if you like
Friends to lovers
Loss and grief
Second chances
.
.
Thanks to Netgalley, Author and Montlake for this arc

Hold onto your heart with this one, cause I will take you on an emotional rollercoaster. Heidi will pull on all the heart strings over and over again, right from the very beginning. It is beautiful in every single way.

Grayson is a basketball lover with a secret of his own. He falls in love with Reid, who works in HR. When he collapses during a basketball game, a stranger in Boston might be the key to saving his life. As four lives collide, all of them are forced to face their heartbreaking consequences of their own.

Without spoiling too much of the story, all I can say that this is a slow-burn romance. The first four chapters were interesting and engaging but it went slow from then.

I do not like both Reid and Nadia. I feel that character development needs to be improved on and so do the world building and plot. Some parts are implausible and far-fetched. Some are too convenient.

This doesn't make me cry although the ending is heart-warming. To be honest, the ending is clichéd and predictable. Overall, this is still an easy and delightful read although not the best.

Heartbreak Hill is devastatingly beautiful. It was honestly one of the best books I’ve read this year. The way Heidi McLaughlin navigates the subject of grief with the characters had me crying because I was feeling their pain.

I really enjoyed the three different perspectives as it gave a wider insight to the many feelings of one situation.