Saturday 1 September 2018

Release Day Spotlight & Review: I Give You My Heart by SarahJane Ford




I Give You My Heart by Sarah Jane Ford
𝗔 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀. 𝗔 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲-𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲. 𝗔 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁.
Alice Richards looked forward to watching the seeds of love she and her husband planted bloom and grow well into their old age. But her plans for the future shrivel up and die when she learns she has an inoperable brain tumour.
Determined that she won’t die in vain, she decides to become an organ donor. With a few precious months left, Alice begins documenting her fairytale romance—from their first meeting to the children they dreamed of having. She’ll pass on every detail to her heart’s next owner… along with careful instructions to send her husband reminders of her undying love. Before her time runs out, Alice must find the perfect candidate to guide her husband through unimaginable grief and hold the memory of their love in her heart.
I Give You My Heart is an emotional romantic fiction novel with an uplifting message. If you like strong-willed women, undying love stories, and honest portrayals of coping with a terminal illness, then you’ll love SarahJane Ford’s heart-warming epic.
An unmissable love story full of warmth, beauty and with a huge, beating heart. Perfect for fans of Cecilia Ahern’s ‘P.S. I Love You’ and Jojo Moyes’ ‘Me Before You’.




I'm not sure what I expected when I began reading I Give You My Heart. The narrative is definitely not what I envisaged it to be. It's thought-provoking and poignant yet uplifting and heartfelt too.

Alice is given devastating news – she has a brain tumour, grade four, inoperable and untreatable. With a life expectancy of six to nine month, she has some tough decisions to make. After rejecting the idea of life-prolonging treatment, she only has three months to live life as she knows it before irreversible symptoms take over. Knowing she doesn't have much time left, she devotes her time to enjoy what time she has left as well as setting in place her legacy.

The narrative alternates between the present and flashbacks to how her relationship evolved between herself and Alex; the love of her life. Alice's positivity and stoicism shine throughout as she accepts her fate. The back-story is fun and light-hearted and a lovely contrast to Alice's final months. It's heartbreaking, but the overall 'feel' of this novel is uplifting.

An honourable mention to the best friend any girl would love to have; Ryan. His total devotion to his best friend and his unwavering determination to fulfil her last request is admirable and brave. He definitely has a stronger character than Alice's husband, Alex. I found him to be weak. However, he is a thoughtful and romantic gentleman who is soon to lose his adored wife. So you can't criticise him for not always having a cheerful outlook when he is overwhelmed by the tragic situation unfolding before his eyes. I enjoyed the contrasts between the two men in Alice's life...she certainly was lucky with this aspect of her life.

Although this is a fictional novel, it is hard not to take on board the courage and feelings Alice had at the end of her life. It certainly makes a reader question their own mortality, but not in a negative way. I've not read either of the novels this one is compared with, so I can't make a judgement regarding that. However, as both are by highly acclaimed authors, the comparison is undoubtedly a compliment. I applaud Ms Ford for not only the originality of I Gave You My Heart but as a début author with tons of potential.

***arc received courtesy of Hearts and Minds Publishing Limited***

Author Bio – SarahJane is the debut author of ‘I Give You My Heart’ which is due to be published on September 1st 2018.
SarahJane was born in Scotland but grew up in the Cheshire countryside, which is home to her. After a few years living in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, where she went to secondary school, she has now settled back in Cheshire in a quirky flat surrounded by trees, birds and rolling fields.
A marketing professional since finishing her formal education SarahJane is delighted to be following her writing dream. She still works part-time as a Marketing Manager, whilst furiously penning her second novel.
Harbouring an adventurous spirit, SarahJane loves to travel, be surrounded by the wilderness or be riding Cornish waves.
SarahJane loves to read (ideally by the sea!). She was raised on the greatest love stories, which is where her romantic soul comes from. She is in love with love...Mr Darcy's brooding looks in Pride and Prejudice; Julia Roberts and Richard Gere's arresting chemistry in Runaway Bride; the intensely emotional Titanic; going weak at the knees for Danny Zuko in Grease; Cecilia Ahern's heartbreaking P.S. I Love You and Patrick Swayze's mega moves in Dirty Dancing. 



Giveaway to Win signed hardback of I Give You My Heart with a personalised message (UK Only)
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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