Hannah Hart may have been burned by the breakup of her rocky marriage, but the ambitious Afro-Filipina model has big plans for her future. Her stunning looks and flawless skin provide the opening she craves to become a celebrity in the fashion world. Then an arsonist’s match brings Hannah’s world crashing down around her.While Hannah recovers from her burns, she is forced to accept help from the … help from the last person on earth she wants, her estranged husband, Jake Hart. Jake isn’t ready to give up on their marriage. The return of Jake’s teenage son from a one-night stand had been the catalyst for their breakup. Can Jake help both the son who resents his abandonment and the woman he still loves? He can do nothing about the scars on her skin, but can he heal Hannah’s heart?
As she struggles to rebuild her life from the ashes of her shattered dreams, does Hannah have the courage to give Jake a second chance? And is the world ready for a differently-abled model who will redefine what it means to be beautiful?
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A story about second chances with a lot of heart. What I loved the most was the characters were believable yet flawed. They’re so relatable.
Hannah is one sassy and funny woman. She has quirky thoughts and great character development. I adored Jake’s POV. He’s charming but not perfect, and still tries his best.Preslaysa Williams Healing Hannah’s Heart
This book I got as an ARC and it is a can’t put the book down kind of book. I loved the authors characters and her word building it was very good book. I would love to read more from this author.
Hannah is hurt physically in an accident and during her recovery she has to heal not only physically but mentally too. You feel everything as you read along her journey of more than healing, growth too. The characters are relatable and the story flows effortlessly. I received an ARC of this and volunteered to review it.
Loved it, I couldn’t put it down.
Wow. This was such an amazing full length story from this new author. Not only does the story give us some cultural information, it will tug on your emotions. There were several surprises that I wasn’t expected woven throughout the story. I truly felt bad for Hannah. I’m not sure how I’d react in the same situation. I think I need a sequel, because I would like to know what happens to the characters.
Wow! This book was fantastic and I couldn’t put it down. When I read a book, I like character development the most, especially when the author gets into the minds of the main characters with all their misgivings and feelings. This book nails that! The main character is a very successful black model when she is badly burned in a fire set by an arsonist. The self doubts that she has while picking up the pieces of her life, what she really wants to do with a future in a very scarred body, trying to overcome the negativity of the public toward a black woman, trying to piece together a failed marriage, and trying to decide how she feels toward her stepson, conceived through a one night stand by her husband leave the reader with thoughts that will linger a long time.
Must read this book
First, I want to thank Preslaysa Williams for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.
Healing Hannah’s Heart is Preslaysa William’s extremely powerful debut novel that will pull on your heart strings. In my eyes this Is a must-read book.
The graphic designer did an incredible job on the cover of Healing Hannah’s Heart. It is so beautiful.
Preslaysa speaks from her heart through the voice of her character Hannah. Hannah is an incredibly strong character in this book-in more ways than one. She has faced an incredible accident (I am staying away from treadmills for a while) and needs time to heal. However, her injuries are not the only things she needs to heal.
This book is about forgiveness, second chances, living in the now, letting go, etc. There are a lot of strong life lessons in this book.
Preslaysa captured my attention early on in the story and kept it throughout.
Many aspects of this book I really enjoyed. I could even see this being a movie on the Hallmark Channel. It has that vibe to it.
Unexpected major changes in the life of Hannah Hart cause her to question self worth, decision making and relationships. This story is filled with characters who have their own flaws and issues and yet, hope is found. Great story. I received a complimentary copy of this book. No review was required.
What a powerful story, told through the deliciously deep points of view of the two main characters, a husband and wife who are separated. Both have difficult pasts, tangled with all the ambivalence of the human condition. Hannah, a popular model, is caught in a fire which completely changes her life. Who caused the fire becomes part of the entire conundrum as these compelling characters work through uncertainties, betrayal, neighborhood gangs, risking vulnerabilities, extending grace and even forgiveness.
Yes, people want real and honest, and they crave second chances. A beautifully woven story.
**SPOILERS**
Actual rating, 4.5.
This was an experimental read for me. I don’t read a lot of books with heavy drama, but I really wanted to read this book since I met the author at a local author event I attended. I also read this as part of my Black History Month 2020 reading. Overall, the experience was emotional. The author’s style of writing is very inviting and personal. She is clearly talented in developing complex stories with highly flawed characters and produces something that should indulge lovers of drama. I am not a lover of drama but still recognize this book’s ability to make me angry as a clear sign that the author and her publishing team did something right. I’m glad I’ve read this book and have been recommending it to people I think will like it, but I didn’t like it. I do appreciate the experience of stepping out of my comfort zone to read something so well-developed and well-written that it’s okay that I didn’t love it.
Why this book made me angry:
1) I didn’t like any of the characters, especially the main character. With that said, I understand that in order to share a redemption tale you must have somewhere to start. Still, by the end of this book, I only kind of liked Hanna. I’m hoping that her hypocritical and woe-is-me outlook on like was intentional. There were tragic and violent things happening to this character that was completely outside of her control, but her reaction to these tragedies was all her. Most of the issues I had with her throughout 90% of the book were resolved in the last 10% but some stuff was never addressed. There was never any real acceptance, on the part of Hanna, for the wrong she did to her life and marriage by not telling anyone about what happened to her. Her choice to withhold the truth was just as bad as entering a marriage under a lie. Yes, she has a long-running internal monologue where she said something to the effect of “maybe things would have been different if I told him,” but she never says that to him. And while they are in marriage counseling, she never pursues trauma counseling. Plus, there were other things she did that just didn’t sit right with me. I felt like her story only worked because she was a famous model. Had she been an average woman, her life wouldn’t have bounced back so easily, not that it was easy to her.
2) I really didn’t like that the most likable character in this story, to me, was the husband who cheated on his wife. I pray daily to get over my hatred of people who cheat, but honestly, he was the most likable character, except for the fact he chose to abandon his child to please a wife that was, quite frankly, impossible to please until after being tragically burned. There are so many men in this world who want nothing to do with their kids and this man wanted to be part of his child’s life but walked away to try to fix his broken marriage (which was broken the day they said I do).
3) All the parents in this book made me mad: Jake, Hanna, their parent’s, etc…
4) It was unsettling the lack of remorse Tim had for his actions until he realized he would get in trouble. Clearly, this kid had been let down by every adult in his life, but to do what he did and then spend time with one of his victims and not really care or feel a need to confess until told to do so, was just weird. The kid might be a sociopath and now he’ll be molded into a truly hardened criminal behind penitentiary walls.
5) The racial stuff in this book was pretty accurate. Any anger I felt towards that part was simply because it was such a good reflection of reality. It’s the sad truth of the world we live in.
So, I know that was a lot, but just remember, these are only my feelings based on reading outside my comfort zone. I’ll gladly return to my world of escapism with fantasy and sci-fi for a few months. Still, I’d like to read more from this author.
Highly recommended if you love drama. If you don’t, proceed with caution.