Keely Johannsen idolized Mark Jefferson from the time she was a little girl. He was everything she wasn't: strikingly attractive, irresponsible, daring. They were friends, but then he took her to her first dance and gave her her first kiss. She was devastated when he died racing his Mustang down a residential street. Eight months later, she's still living in a grief-filled haze. She doesn't even look at boys until she meets a stranger outside Mark's house. Jonathan Michael Andrews III ("Tripp as in triple.") is about her age, tall, with light brown hair and coffee-colored eyes. He's everything Mark wasn't: cautious, reliable, considerate. He even volunteers at the hospital, entertaining children in coronary care. Keely finds herself drawn to Tripp, to his sensitivity and honesty, and he seems drawn to her. She's delighted when she discovers he'll be spending the summer with his aunt, Mark's mother.

Keely's heart starts to heal as she and Tripp grow closer, but as the summer reaches its peak, she discovers that Tripp is not who he says he is. He's been lying to protect a secret—a secret that could shatter Keely's heart all over again.

Reviews:

"HEART STRINGS" is a unique story. Tender, moving, funny, gripping and
intelligent, a perfect mix, excellently written with a wonderful ear for modern
teenager's dialogs. The serious issues - organ donation, recklessness, honesty -
melt seamlessly with the smoothly flowing plot.

“HEART STRINGS” by Betty Jo Schuler will capture your heart for eternity. Is it ever okay to withhold the truth? Tripp finds it extremely difficult to confide in Keely his secret. Should he take a chance and tell her the heart transplant he received was donated by her recently deceased boyfriend? How will Keely react when she discovers the truth? Will she believe Tripp truly loves her, or will she think it's Mark's heart? This tale isn't for only Young Adults, I recommend it for all those hopeless romantics. Kim's Reviews~~Reviewed by Kim Gaona