EVERYTHING I THOUGHT I KNEW by Shannon Takaoka

One heart. Infinite possibilities. I thought I knew what this book was about, but it surpassed everything I imagined. I was lucky to receive an ARC of EVERYTHING I THOUGHT I KNEW by writer, editor, and public relations consultant Shannon Takaoka, but I strongly recommend you snap this up (or place a pre-order) when this young adult debut novel releases on October 13, 2020.

WHAT I THOUGHT I KNEW:
17-year-old Chloe collapses during track practice and discovers she desperately needs a heart transplant or she’ll die. Suddenly, years of preparing to attend a top college are  thrust aside, causing her to feel increasingly distant from her highly competitive and driven friends. After recovering from the transplant, she feels guilt from living only because someone else died. And she ends up somewhere she never expected – Summer School – in order to graduate. Suffering from a recurring nightmare about crashing a motorcycle she doesn’t own and developing memories of people she never met, Chloe finds solace in learning to surf with a hot, sensitive guy named Kai, but keeps it from her justifiably worried parents. Her behavior with a surfboard becomes increasingly reckless, making it seem that she might have a death wish.

WHAT COMPLETELY BLEW MY MIND:
I don’t want to reveal too much about this totally mind-bending book. So I’ll just say that that Chloe undergoes such a huge transformation post-transplant, she begins to question everything she knows about what makes us who we are, as well as about the nature of life and death. The author does a wonderful job explaining scientific details as well as stretching the boundaries of reality. Wait until you meet Kai. You will never, EVER be able to forget him.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO:
Don’t just take my word for it! Get your hands on this book as soon as you can. To contact Shannon, go to her website: shannontakaokawrites.com. To find her on twitter, go to @shannontakaoka. By the way, she’s part of the #roaring20sdebut author group that includes our own Josh Roberts, author of WITCHES OF WILLOW COVE. You can read his posts here, or contact him via @joshwhowrites.