The Bottom Line
After being kidnapped and murdered, 13-year-old Kristin arrives to Spirit Paradise where she meets Jesus and receives an assignment from him to help her LDS family heal and overcome her death.
Pros
- Great Character Development
- Fabulous Mystery - Lots of Possible Suspects
- Gripping Page-Turner
Cons
- Disturbing Topic - Kidnap and Murder
- Lacks Important LDS Issues
- Lots of Missed Grammatical Errors
Description
- There were several, very important aspects of LDS life that were missing from this story, including:
- Fasting - Kristin's family and friends should have fasted for her, but it wasn't even mentioned.
- Family Home Evening - This would have helped Kristin's family, but it wasn't even brought up.
- Temple Attendance - Kristen's parents or other family members didn't attended the temple.
- Scripture Study - There was no mention of searching the scriptures for peace and understanding.
- It should not have been okay for the mom's friend, Dale, to come over when her husband was gone.
Guide Review - A Heartbeat Away by Rachel Ann Nunes - LDS Book Review
I couldn't put this book down! Partly because it's a great mystery and partly because I was so disturbed that I needed to finish it for my own closure. I was surprised with the lack of many LDS beliefs, such as fasting, scripture study, and temple attendance, which help us most during our struggles. These things should have been part of the main family's life style. I was also upset with the fact that Kristin's parents were okay with the repeat visits of the mom's old boyfriend, Dale, which never should have been acceptable. It sends a bad message. It is not okay to have people of the opposite sex visit you or bring you flowers when you're married! Overall I liked the story but I don't think it's appropriate for young audiences.
