Name: Heart Failure
ISBN: 9783963243165

Chris Zett

An enemies-to-lovers lesbian medical romance about daring to open your heart.

Heart Failure

Lucia Correa

3.5 stars.

We meet up with Senior Attending of Cardiology, Dr. Jess Riley, a nine-month pregnant, soon to be single mom. She planned this pregnancy, just like she planned every other part of her life and so she scheduled a C-Section to take place in 10 days. She is in pain and makes her way to the hospital private garden area. She literally runs into ER Doctor Diana Petrell and former rock star, from Zett's previous book Irregular Heartbeat. Worried, Diana follows Jess and helps to deliver Jess's baby on the park bench. This was not part of Jess's plan. Nor was suffering acute heart failure. She agrees to go and recover at her Mother's house figuring her mom can help take care of baby Ella and she can stay in the apartment above her Mother's garage. What she didn't plan for was that her mother already had a tenant, Lena living in the apartment. Jess planned everything in her life, practically down to the minute - from her career to when she would have a baby. What she didn't plan on was having to move back home to her mother's to recover and help taking care of Ella. Much less falling in love.

This is a definitely opposites attract romance. Lena is the 2020s version of a hippie (or new age'er?), especially when compared to Jess. I lost count on the number of jobs Lena had, just trying to make ends meet. For me, Lena was very likable, while Jess was not, at least not at first. Jess is very goal oriented and believes only her way is best. Dare I say, self centered? Jess is unlikable for a good portion of the book because her journey to change was slow. However, any faster and it wouldn't have been believable.

Jude Silberfeld

Jess Riley’s career as a cardiologist has always been her first and only priority. At 37, she’s about to become a single mother, having decided not to wait for the perfect woman to have a family. She’s a planner, always following her plans to the letter since they usually work, but she’s misjudged how complicated and exhausting it would be to take care of her newborn daughter and keep her career on its tracks. When heart failure due to the pregnancy forces her to take a break and move in with her mother Maggie, her world collapses. Lena Walker is Maggie’s tenant and friend. She juggles three jobs to pay off debts she can thank her unfit mother for. Despite all she’s been through, Lena is sweet and patient, never letting anger and bitterness take over. And she’ll need patience with Jess…

Authors often say the second book is the hardest. Sure, when you’ve already been published, you know you can do it, but with this knowledge come expectations. And that can be really tough to deal with. So I’m often kinder on with second books.

Heart Failure did need a little kindness at first. Jess was so hard and rude I wasn’t sure I wanted to care about her. However, having read and enjoyed Chris Zett’s first novel, Irregular Heartbeat, a lot, I had to give this one a real chance. It got much better after a while, and I liked seeing the real Jess underneath the self-centred ice queen she let herself be when life got admittedly rough. She didn’t change completely and still had lessons to learn about becoming a nicer and kinder human being, and I couldn’t help thinking Lena deserved better.

Even though Heart Failure can be read as a standalone, it’s set in the same universe as Irregular Heartbeat and one of the main characters from that first novel appears quite often in this one. Not knowing about her background beforehand won’t stop you from understanding anything, but as I love reading books in order, I’d recommend reading the first one before this. 

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Heart Failure

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