Review: Heart-Shaped Hack by Tracey Garvis-Graves

Heart-Shaped Hack by Tracey Garvis-Graves
Published: August 25, 2015
Source: Purchased e-book

When Kate Watts abandoned her law career to open a food pantry in Northeast Minneapolis, she never dreamed it would be this difficult. Facing the heartbreaking prospect of turning hungry people away, she is grateful for the anonymous donations that begin appearing at the end of each month. Determined to identify and thank her secret benefactor, she launches a plan and catches Ian —a charismatic hacker with a Robin Hood complex—in the act.

Ian intrigues Kate in a way no man ever has. But after learning he’s snooped around on her personal computer, she demands retribution. Impressed with her tolerance and captivated by her spirit, he complies and begins to slowly charm his way past her defenses. Time spent with Ian is never boring, and Kate soon finds herself falling for the mysterious hacker.

But Ian has enemies and they’re growing restless. In the hacking world, exploiting a target’s weakness is paramount, and no price is too high to stop an attack. And when Kate learns exactly how much Ian has paid, she’ll discover just how strong her love is for the man who has hacked his way into her heart. [goodreads]

I've decided I am a hit or miss with this author.  I read her debut, On the Island, a few years ago and was really swept away by it.  But since then, I haven't been as wow'ed by her stories.  This one though, definitely held my interest, but I wouldn't claim it as a favorite.  There were equal part enjoyable moments, as well as other times that didn't quite sit well with me.  So I'm sort of on the fence as to how I'd rate this novel -- maybe somewhere in the middle?

The story begins with Kate working in her food shelter, where she receives an anonymous donation that basically pulls her non-profit business out of the almost going under zone.  She is gracious for the donation, but also skeptical and wants to discover who this mysterious giver may be.  I had hoped that the mystery played out a bit longer.  I felt that by Ian revealing himself right away, sort of sucked the romance out of the story.  Perhaps they could have met, but he could have revealed his identity as the donor later on?  Anyway... as she gets to know Ian, she also realizes that his personal identity is quite the mystery.  His professional life as a computer hacker soon surfaces, but still possesses its own mysteries as to who Ian truly is.

The tone of the novel felt quirky and humorous in just the right moments, which I think deflected what could have been some seriously awkward moments.  Especially when Ian hacks into Kate's computer, looking at her credit card activity to reveal where she is.  To be honest, that screams CREEP FACTOR to me.  Yet, Kate's personality, even though she was skeptical at first, went with the flow.  I'm not sure how realistic that would be, because let's be real -- if a guy you barely knew owned up to looking at your credit card activity, wouldn't that freak you out just a bit?  But alas, the joy of fiction.. I knew not to take it too seriously.  And as Kate did, I went with the flow and kept an open mind.

As the story progresses, so does their relationship.  Their feelings deepen, but so does Kate's questions about Ian's true identity.  What started out as fun and games, is now taking on a more serious tone.  As the story reaches its climax, I found myself swept away again as Tracey Garvis-Graves has that effect on me.  In these moments is when I remembered what I enjoyed about her writing -- the balance of humor and emotion which causes me to keep reading, cresting til the very end.  Though the novel possessed some questionable plot lines, and had me second-guessing the character's intentions, it definitely held my interest.  I'm definitely sticking around for what's to come from this author.

On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves

On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves
Published: August 16, 2012 by Penguin
Source: Gifted from Jess - thank you!

When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a tropical island trumps the library any day.

T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn't bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family - and a stack of overdue assignments - instead of his friends.

Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island. Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter.

Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.'s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man. [goodreads]

This novel was recommended to me profusely by one of my good friends, Jess from Gone with the Words.  I always trust her judgment in books, but something about this one held reservations for me.  Could it be the teacher/student relationship? Or my unknown fear of being trapped on a deserted island?  Whatever the reasons, they quickly vanished as I made the decision to finally read this novel -- and what a beautiful, most unexpected journey it took me on.

Anna is spending the summer in the Maldives, a grouping of tropical islands, for the summer tutoring T.J. who has spent some time out of school due to being sick with cancer.  Now that he's on the road to recovery, his parents thought a family vacation for the summer would be a good idea for T.J. - but they also wanted him to catch up on his studies, so that's why they enlisted the help of English teacher Anna.

Anna and T.J. take a later flight than the rest of his family, planning to meet them there.  On the way their journey goes terribly wrong, sending them to what should have been their deaths -- a plane crash in the middle of nowhere, deserting them on an uninhabited island.  My nerves were shaken up at this point, terrified of what lied ahead for them.  I quickly turned page after page, in search of their rescue, hoping and praying along side them, only to lose hope as their dehydration set in and their resources became limited.

This book is about human survival, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.  Our bodies need water to live, just as our hearts need companionship to survive.  The relationship between Anna and T.J. was predictable, but it occurred at such a slow, easy pace, allowing the reader time to understand their situation and believe in their need for one another.  Before I read this story, I thought their relationship would bother me, but honestly the difference in their ages faded away as their love for one another grew stronger.

The means these two went through in order to find food, seek shelter, and stay alive in the raw elements of nature really grabbed my attention.  If I were ever to be in this situation, I honestly have no idea how or even if I'd be able to endure what they went through.  Though some parts felt a little too easy, like Anna's suitcase washing ashore just when they needed it most, I tended to look past that and just believe that convenience was needed for the story to progress in the manner it was meant to be told.

On the Island goes further than I had expected, a fateful twist about half way through carried the story in a new direction, which caused me to keep reading, never wanting to put the book down.  I feel as though I am walking away from this novel, away from Anna and T.J., as if I knew them.  Their story really took form, and as dramatic as it became, it felt tangible seeping from the pages.  If you're on the fence about this one, as I was before, I strongly urge you to give it a go.  Take a chance with this story, it may just surprise you.