Every Borrowed Beat

Seventeen-year-old Sydney Wells has been given a second chance at life. Close to dying from heart disease, she receives a donor heart from a girl her age named Mia in a neighboring town who dies in a tragic accident. After eavesdropping on a nurse's conversation and doing some investigating, she's able to discover the donor's name and attends her memorial service and encounters Mia's best friend, Clayton. Knowing he would be creeped out by the idea of her showing up to Mia's memorial, she tells a lie about how she knew Mia, and as their relationship deepens over time, she ends up telling more lies to cover up the truth. As the two fall more deeply for each other, and Sydney becomes more attached to the idea of moving on with life, tension develops between her and a close online friend named Chloe who also needs a heart transplant. Every Beating Heart is a realistic look at the physiological and emotional turmoil that organ recipients can face while also examining common relationship problems such as lying. If you enjoy realistic fiction, be sure to check out this 2026 TAYSHAS winner!