Whispers in Eternity

Fantasy author Buchmann (Indigo Infinity, 2014, etc.) begins a new series with a romance that reaches across the border between life and death.

Sixteen-year-old Noelle is a track champion headed for college scholarships until she collapses at a state meet. Doctors soon discover that she has a heart condition that requires a transplant to cure. However, they tell Noelle that even with a new heart, she’ll never be able to run again. Left adrift without her passion in life, she decides to start over at a new high school, aiming “to just get through the year and graduate.” But ever since her surgery, her once-blah singing voice has inexplicably become gorgeous, so she’s drafted into the school’s a cappella group. She’s surprised by how much she likes it and begins to think that she may have found a substitute for running. Then she meets the good-looking, mysterious Gabe at a roadside memorial for pop star Gavin McGregor, who crashed his motorcycle the night of Noelle’s transplant. Eventually, she learns a supernatural secret about Gabe, Gavin, and the source of her new musical talent. As she and Gabe fall helplessly in love, will Noelle lose sight of her future as she clings to the past? Gabe and Noelle’s everlasting bond may cause some readers to roll their eyes, but there’s more to the book than just teenage romance. Buchmann takes time to establish a full life for Noelle, who continues to worry about homework and hang out with friends even as she deals with ghostly events. Minor characters, such as Noelle’s parents and acquaintances, are also well-developed, and readers will be able to feel their lives going on in the background as Noelle tells her story.

A well-crafted love story about music, mortality, and living life to the fullest.