The perfect daughter is dead. And a secret is eating her family alive… Jenna knows they’re only telling her half the story. Where is Callie’s sister Sophie? She’s been ‘abroad’ since her sister’s death but something about her absence doesn’t add up. And when Jenna meets Callie’s boyfriend Nathan, she makes a shocking discovery.
Jenna knows that Callie didn’t die in an accident. But how did she die? Jenna is determined to discover the truth but it could cost her everything; her loved ones, her sanity, even her life.
A compelling, gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist from the author of the Number One bestseller The Sister.
What everyone is saying about The Gift:
‘My God! It’s a bloody corker! An exquisite writer… Louise has completely knocked it out of the park and brought us all another amazing thriller! MY FIRST EVER GOLD STAR AWARD.’ Emma the Little Bookworm
’Hells Bells! The Gift by Louise Jensen is an absolute cracker of a read it’s tense, gripping and thrilling. I literally devoured this book in one sitting, I love it when you read a book and the opening chapter grabs you by the throat… Louise Jensen has written a belter of a book that will keep even the most hardened psychological thriller lover glued to their kindle/book.’ The Book Review Cafe
‘Louise Jensen has this great gift of being able to drag you directly into the story and carry you along kicking and screaming! Drop everything and curl up in a comfy chair because as soon as you start this book you won’t want to do anything else!’ Angelnet Reviews
’I absolutely ADORE Louise Jensen’s writing… The Gift is full to the brim of twists and turns… superb!’ Damp Pebbles
’This book is a compulsive read – once you start it you’ll find it incredibly hard to put down again until you’ve finished it… I love the way that nearly every chapter ends on a mini cliff-hanger – it kept me turning the pages late into the night and eventually I decided I simply couldn’t go to bed until I knew the truth!’ Rather Too Fond of Books
‘I could not put this book down. I neglected all the house work and put off cooking dinner until I was finished… I loved every page.’ Renee Reads
‘My eyes were racing down the pages… had me guessing right up to the very end and I had tears in my eyes as I relived Charlie’s last moments… exceptional… It’s an addictive page-turner that begs time and again for just one more chapter until the whole book has been devoured and thoroughly enjoyed.’ The Book Magnet
‘Wow! What an amazing debut novel! Full of intense twists! Fantastic book to start off summer reading! Highly recommend.’ Loud and Proud Book Junkie
‘I loved this book, it grabbed me right from the beginning… it got under my skin, I felt intimately close to Grace and was rooting for her all the way… compelling and scary and unputdownable.’ Beady Jans Books
‘I genuinely struggled to put this book down… I can’t recommend this book enough, it’s made it to my favourites… I can’t wait for more books to come from Louise Jensen… A well-deserved five stars from me.’ Emporio Epidemicmore
After reading a novel by Louise Jensen last year, I tossed a few more on my TBR. This week, it was time to read one, and I selected The Gift. As expected, the title has many meanings, and only at the end will it all become clear. A twenty-something woman has received a heart transplant; she’s about ready to go back to work after six month but feels the need to connect with the organ donor’s family before beginning the next phase of her life. When she connects with them, a quest begins to understand exactly how their daughter died.
Phew! Talk about an emotional situation. Jensen tackles the intimate details of a dead person’s life, a living person’s frightening connections to her, and the unknown of all the drama that preceded the days before the car accident claimed the donor’s life. Callie and Jenna… Jenna and Callie… so very different yet so much the same. The POV of the novel mostly focuses on Jenna, the recipient, but we flash back to several moments with Callie, sometimes as memories Jenna has (under the assumption that one’s heart contains a bit of a person’s past much like their brain) and few from an unknown POV, someone being chased and hunted in the prologue.
Clearly, the suspense and tension were high. I invested in the outcome, but at times, it felt a little weak-plotted in terms of too much intentional vague language to throw us off the truth. Was it the fiancé who engineered the car accident? Was it really just an accident? The parents? The wayward sister? An unexpected affair? The boss? A colleague? All the while, Jenna is pushing away her own family because she’s becoming the reincarnation of Callie. It’s a good balance in much of the story, but at times, I disconnected and thought… I really just want the answer, so can we move it along?
That said, the writing is good, the characters are vivid. I wish Jenna’s friends and therapist weren’t so controlling. Truthfully, if Jenna wants to find out more about the donor, let her do it. With friends like them, who needs enemies, right? While not a huge issue, it did make me feel a little ‘eh’ about the supporting cast. No one really stood out, and when they came to life in the last quarter of the book, I wasn’t so much excited as I was curious what the reasons would be… I’d have been fine with any of the friends or family being the guilty party.
Since the story held my attention and I generally like the author’s storytelling approach, I’ll definitely read more. It’s an art form to write a book and have so many potential solutions; that’s to be praised. I’m hoping she steps it up a bit in future books (this was an older one) so that I can truly rave more about it. Probably 3.5 stars, but I preferred The Date, which was the first book I’d read by Louise Jensen… still tho, I’d say it’s worth the read if you like the author’s work and plots.
I have just finished Louise Jensen’s The Gift and I have to say this is a definite five star read from me. I hadn’t heard of this author before so I decided to give it whirl. I’m really glad I did.
Jenna works at a vet clinic, but she is also a heart transplant patient living on her own after a break up with her boyfriend, Sam. If that’s not trauma enough, read on. After the surgery, she begins to feel different. She’s forgetful and anxious, has dreams and memories she can’t explain, all of which are putting her career at risk. But worse, she is obsessed with her donor’s life. After meeting the family to pay respects and to thank them, unfamiliar sights and sounds become familiar. There’s also a noticeable personality shift, culminating in questions as to what really happened that night when Callie was killed in an accident.
After splitting with her long-term partner, Jenna digs deep to get to the truth of Callie’s death despite the danger in which she suddenly finds herself. Living alone and not knowing who to trust, readers will empathize with Jenna, a character with scars on her body and in her mind, where her emotions are raw and so are her struggles. The author gives a powerful and intrusive idea of what it must be like to experience such a serious operation, compounded with her obsession with Callie. I think this is what made the book so unputdownable for me and also perhaps a certain cinematic vibe that transports you into the many layers of Jenna’s life.
Jensen has definitely done her homework; Cellular Muscle Memory – an interesting case in hand. I always appreciate the research authors put into their work and this is no exception. The ending was as satisfying as the rest of the book and delivered well beyond my expectations. You can’t help being stirred by Jenna’s story and where a certain residue will remain with you for weeks to come. Definitely another author to watch.
Sat on the edge of my seat from the beginning to end.
I enjoyed this nail biting thriller but the only problem with it is the author never told you where it was happening in the world. It became obvious it was in Britain but where and this I didn’t know until the middle of the book. Since I have an Enlgish background, I was able to pick up on some of the expressions, such as crisps for potatoe chips, etc. but there was absolutely no setting. Very bizzare but if you don’t mind that I would recommend.
This book was a very informative and emotional read. It led you into the world of Jenna a girl living with a heart transplant. It touched on anxiety, fear, hope and uncertainty all while trying to find normalcy while adapting to life in a new way.
What I loved about this book was how determined Jenna was to unravel what really happened to her donor that night and other secrets that were intertwined in the story. She was very happy to have a second chance at life but at what cost? She felt that something was not right due to premonitions that she kept having which was kind of like a side effect ( called cellular memory) of having her heart. She felt what Callie felt when she was living and felt like Callie wanted a story told that she wasn’t able to. Something happened that night that Jenn was able to receive her heart but WHAT???
Her family thought that she was delusional and that it was a side effect of the rejection drugs she was taking but Jenna had a true connection with Callie and was determined to thank her by exposing all parties that played a part in what happened.
The only thing that I didn’t care for was certain people that were never mentioned again like Kelly and certain goings on that was never mentioned and left us wondering. Hopefully it’s leading to a sequel. I recommend this book. It is a rollercoaster of a ride and you will be up half the night trying to piece together this tangled web. Very good book!
Wow! Cellular memory is something I’d never heard of before reading The Gift. What an exciting theme to add to a psychological thriller. I can only imagine how much research the author had to do to bring this story to life in the way that she did.
I certainly felt for the main character, heart transplant patient Jenna, and I tensely hoped that she would get to the bottom of the mystery. What happened to Callie?
I loved the pacing of the novel as well as the Callie chapters, they had me flicking through the pages faster than a sprinter leaping over the finishing line. After previously reading The Surrogate, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed as I enjoy Louise’s style of writing.
If you love a psychological thriller filled with twists and turns, then this is your book. It never stopped surprising me, right up to the end. Fab and fast read!
Great book for a “Book Club “ to discuss the characters. Well written.
Love her books!
I love the idea of cellular memory used throughout this book, and how this cellular memory leads Jenna to solving the mystery of her donor’s death. Fascinating read, albeit quite “out there”.
At the beginning it was hard to put down. I really couldn’t put it down. But the resolution was very disappointing, and I had to go back to make sure I didn’t miss something. There were lots of guestions unanswered and the character development didn’t make sense at the end. It was a fast read but could have been better.
Read it in one sitting
It was okay….
Enjoyed this book.
Not what I expected
I couldn’t put this book down. Shades of supernatural. I loved it.