Matters of the Hart

If I could give this 10 stars I would.

Matters of the Hart follows Jaxon Hart in his junior year of college. I spent about half of this book in tears - Carter has such a gift in developing her characters in a real, personal, and relatable way. She did it again with Matters of the Hart; these are my favorite characters of her. Jaxon has this soft, brave, bold personality and comes into his own and finds his voice throughout this story. And Annika. Wow, Annika. She is fierce, strong, and SO worthy.

While this was a tough read to get through because of the subject matter; this is a book that everyone needs to read. I will shout it from the rooftops - this NEEDS to be read and heard! This is Carter's best work, in my humble opinion, and Annika and Jaxon's story will stay with me for a long, long time.

Before I begin my review of Matters of the Hart, I have a confession to make... I didn't read the second book in the series. I know, I know. I'm crazy, right? But almost every reader has that one thing that triggers them. The one style of book that they just can't handle reading, and for me, it just happened to be the subject matter of Hart to Heart. But honestly, maybe it's a good thing? Because if you haven't read the second book, or even the first book (which I did read and only gave three stars), then here is an honest opinion from a somewhat outside perspective for you.

Matters of the Hart was really really good. From the second I started the book, I fell in love with the characters. And while Jaxon was great, Annika was even more amazing. I connected with her so deeply that she has become one of my favorite female characters of all time.

And while the subject matter of this book may also be a trigger for certain people, I can promise you that it is done in the most genuine of ways. It isn't an easy read, but it an amazing story, and I got lost in the characters and invested in their lives. It's a beautiful depiction of how being broken can actually make you stronger.

I don't want to give anything away, so I won't say any more about the story. But as someone who is an extremely tough reviewer, this book is most definitely worth the read. I haven't read anything this powerful since "It Ends With Us" by Colleen Hoover. Everyone needs to read this book.

You had me at the hashtag on this one, ME Carter, and I can't wait to see what you come up with next.

Matters of the Hart is M.E. Carter’s best work yet. I cried, I laughed, I held my breath. Carter made me feel every emotion possible throughout this book. Matters of the Hart was beautifully written. Once I picked it up, I could NOT put it down.
Unfortunate circumstances may have brought the main characters together, but they both grow as people because of these circumstances. They overcome so much together and their love is so touching and sweet.
At one key point in the book, I swear Carter *micdropped* The scene was just so perfectly displayed and the emotions were so real. This is a book I will re-read because it made me feel so many things, and I want to experience that again.