By Alaina Merchant, Panther Paw Editor
Content warning: some content in “Heart Bones” may not be suitable for all audiences; reader discretion is advised.
“Heart Bones” by Colleen Hoover follows the tragedy and romance of Beyah Grim’s life. Beyah grew up without a father figure since her dad lived across the country. As for her mother, she was always out worrying about guys and ruining her life. With that, Beyah had to know how to work the stove by the age of six to be able to eat.
Beyah was a very intelligent girl in school and played volleyball which earned her a full ride scholarship to Penn State. At the age of 19, she worked at McDonald’s until it was time to leave for college. However, on a random day after work, a turn of events happened.
When she got home, her mother was unresponsive on the couch. This was a recurring cycle for Beyah; however, she usually woke up. She called for medical help and got news that her mother had passed. After they left, her landlord had told her she was evicted since no one had paid rent in over five months which only left her confused because her father paid the rent. The only person she could call was her dad that she hadn’t talked to since she graduated.
While starting off the day with an awkward reunion and running into a guy on the ferry, her day was off to a rough start. When she arrived at his summer house she met her stepmother Alanna, her step sister Sara, her boyfriend Marcos, and the same boy she ran into on the ferry, Sampson.
Over the summer both Sampson and Beyah got closer and made a deal to not fall in love since they both had to leave by August. Beyah and Sampson had started asking each other personal questions about their lives. However, Sampson didn’t want to answer any questions until the day they left.
They both end up breaking the promise, and the meaning of the heart bones comes to life as Sampson reveals many dark secrets he’s been keeping from everyone.
In my opinion, this book shows how well Beyah can be independent, but that doesn’t mean others can’t help her on the way. She learns to let people in and to trust. It really shows the meaning behind the title and how everyone grows together in certain ways.
The Panther Press 