Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 02/01/2025 Seventeen-year-old Sydney gets a reprieve from death when a donor heart becomes available. Post-surgery, Sydney is grateful for the extension of her life, but she is also aware that in order for her to live, someone else had to die. Although she’s not supposed to, Sydney does some research and decides that her donor was most likely Mia, a girl who lived not too far away. Starting with crashing a birthday memorial service, Sydney becomes involved with Mia’s world, including Clayton, Mia’s best friend, who wants help to decipher and finish Mia’s vision board. The more time she spends with Clayton and the closer they get, the harder it becomes to tell him about the heart donation. She also feels guilty for neglecting her best friend Chloe, who waits for a heart in California and is fading. Still, Sydney is a lively, thoughtful first-person narrator, and the story ranges from joy to sorrow without lapsing into pathos. Readers looking for a poignant yet funny love story will find it here. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.