Heart Stings by Heather Gunter

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Synopsis:

Everyone thinks of me as this happy and upbeat person. What they don't know is that I carry a deep, dark secret. Something horrible happened to me a year ago, and I have kept it quiet all this time. I was fine for a while, but somehow it’s chosen this time to come back, and it's eating at me--like a cancer.

I need to tell someone about it, I just don't know how. I'm pushing everyone I love away, including my mom and my best friend Charlie.

Then there is Will. Handsome, sweet Will. We went out on a date a while back, but then the incident happened leaving me crushed and him confused.

How do you tell someone you care about all of your secrets, and will they still want you when the truth comes out?

Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17840836-heartstrings

Review:

Unbelievably heart wrenching book.  I had tears running down my face the entire time.  And then at the end to find out that it was somewhat based on the Author's own story, I cried even more.

Tori is an amazingly strong high school senior who was raped about a year ago.  She never told anyone and just kept pushing down her feelings, her fear, her terrors.  But recently her nightmares are getting worse and she just can't hold it in any longer.  She finally breaks down and tells her mom and best friend, who are unbelievably supportive and she finally starts to be able to heal herself.  

Will is the boy she has had a crush on for forever, and who also has been in love with her this whole time. Tori is scared once she tells Will what happened, he won't want to be with her anymore.  The emotions Tori went through telling Will what happened and his emotions when he listened to her story was so raw and real.  

However, Will turns out to be more than just a nice guy who runs when the going gets tough.  He is so caring, supportive and protective of her.  He would do anything to help her get back to her old self and was so patient with supporting her along her path to not being a victim, but being a survivor.  It was wonderful to see how she was able to come out the other side of this horrific event in her life and have him waiting for her, encouraging her and loving her.

Without a doubt, Ms Gunter pulled on my heart strings and made me ache for all the characters involved. An amazing YA novel that I would recommend, especially to those with teenage daughters.  Not only was this a great YA love story, but also a great way to open up a candid discussion with your daughters.  -Tynna 
=French Kiss

Amazon Link: Heartstrings (Love Notes)
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/343646
Paperback copies available from Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/4387074

Author Bio:

When not writing or updating her Into the Night Reviews book blog, you will find Heather curled on the couch reading, surrounded by her children and four dogs. Her cravings for music and books are insatiable. One of her favorite things to do is sing and used to have a dream of becoming a singer. The dream has since changed and is now to become a full time writer. She holds a strong anti-bullying conviction and voices it regularly. She is the Author of Love Notes a YA novel and currently is working on the sequel titled Heartstrings. She resides in Canton, GA with her husband, 3 boys, 4 dogs, 1 cat and 2 ferrets.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Author.HeatherGunter

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/HeatherGunter5

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6923563.Heather_Gunter

Blog:  http://authorheathergunter.blogspot.com

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