Book recommendation: Broken by C.J. Lyons

Honestly, I first picked up Broken because of the cover. The broken-up heart just struck me, for some reason.

Then I read the summary on the back, and I knew it was a book I’d have to read.

As it turns out, I was right to be intrigued.

Broken had me hooked from the first page. The voice of the protagonist, Scarlet, is strong, and I immediately sympathized with her. This sympathy didn’t disappear as the novel went on – in fact, the further into the novel I got, the more on edge and concerned for Scarlet I became.

This is, in large part, because of the twists Lyons threw in. While I had an inkling of a feeling ahead of time about some of what happened, other aspects came at me out of nowhere – and yet, looking back, they make perfect sense. That’s a balance that can often be difficult to pull off, but Lyons did a wonderful job of it.

I also appreciated the way Lyons handled the medical aspects of the book. I’m not strong on medical terminology or diseases, but I didn’t have a hard time following what was happening with Scarlet. It was all explained well, without going into a information-overload dump.

Goodreads summary

The only thing fifteen-year-old Scarlet Killian has ever wanted is a chance at a normal life. Diagnosed with a rare and untreatable heart condition, she has never taken the school bus. Or giggled with friends during lunch. Or spied on a crush out of the corner of her eye. So when her parents offer her three days to prove she can survive high school, Scarlet knows her time is now… or never. Scarlet can feel her heart beating out of control with every slammed locker and every sideways glance in the hallway. But this high school is far from normal. And finding out the truth might just kill Scarlet before her heart does.