This book takes you on an insightful journey through the emotional, psychological and sexual aspects of development of three teens. Siblings Link and Ellen each has a "special" relationship with their friend James. Ellen thinks about her brother James' relationship with Link only after a friend calls her attention to them as "a couple"; and what that means to her own attraction for him. Link searches for a gender identity; James struggles through one; and Ellen tries to understand as she loves them both. The characters are vague in the positions they take but they are real as today's adolescents. However, I do not see the relevance of the one-time sex between Ellen and Link, since their characters remain ambiguous right up to the end. For those who think teenagers are from another planet, this book will give you a preview of their confusing world and help you understand what they go through in this phase. ( )

This book is an honest, straightforward look at developing sexuality, same-sex relationships, family life, selflessness, respect and love. I would highly recommend it for teens and parents who want a straightforward respectful approach about what it means to be gay. It is a little sugar-coated with regard to the potential societal problems that may arise for gay people but overall, it is a non-judgmental look at the thoughts and feelings of young people searching for their sexuality. ( )

Written by Garry Freymann-Weyr, My Heartbeat is about a young girl who is “totally madly in love” with her brother’s best friend, James. Link and James have shared an understanding of sorts since they were children; Link
is the math genius and track star and is best friends with James, the brooding artist. The attention the duo attracts is not only from Ellen, Link’s younger sister but is also from almost the whole female population that attends the school. One day Ellen is asked if Link and James are a
couple. Her young, naïve mind begins to wonder and is soon found asking if her brother is gay. Link’s denial and James’ strong love for her and Link force James and Ellen to become a duo of sorts while Link’s personal affairs are sorted out by his new girlfriend. All Ellen can do is draw (her newfound love and talent) and hope that one day Link will come back
and everything will be alright again. Ronnie

Summary:
Ellen the main character in the book is 14 and her brother, Linc, is 16. Linc’s best friend is James, 17, and since Ellen has no other friends, he's her best friend too. All three spend all their time together, but even so, she's surprised when a classmate asks her if Linc and James are a couple. This is a dilemma because Ellen has been in love with Linc since she can remember and now there was a possibility that her brother was gay and in love with the same guy.

When I think about My Heartbeat, my strongest impression is of its cover. I suppose it’s because of the iconic feel to it: green and red and kind of Hallmark-ish, simplified human figures in bold black outline. Two larger figures facing one another, joined at the arm, a red heart floating over them, while between them a smaller red figure is pushing them apart. The combination of cover and jacket description, about a girl who wonders whether her brother and his best friend (on whom she has a crush) are a couple, implied a plot about a jealous or upset kid sibling trying to break them up. If anything, though, it feels throughout the story as if Ellen is trying to pull Link (her brother) and Jamie (his friend) together. So, my strongest impression of this book is its rather deceptive cover, and a story that turned out to be different from what I was expecting.

Well, away from the book that was not and onto the book that was. I found it weirdly bloodless. Ellen doesn’t have much of a world beyond her preoccupation with Link and Jamie. There’s an odd twist with Ellen and Jamie entering a relationship of their own: this could be interesting if anything came of it, but the fact that it doesn’t seem to inspire any discernible conflict among ANY of the characters, whether the three principals or Ellen’s parents, is both disappointing from a storytelling point of view, and a bit incredible. I mean, what isn’t at least conceivably problematic about this relationship? The ambiguity of Jamie’s sexuality, the age difference between him and Ellen (he’s college-bound, she’s 14)...Is Ellen competing with her brother or is she offering herself to Jamie as a substitute? Do any of the characters find anything wrong with that? IS there anything wrong with that?

These are all interesting threads that are implicit in the text, with little in the way of real exploration. For a narrative that involves a lot of thinking and introspection on the part of the main character, there isn't a lot of grappling. It all feels very loose and shifting. Maybe that is the point, but it doesn’t feel entirely credible and it doesn’t make for a very illuminating or interesting read.

accurate depiction of complicated love. ( )

Fourteen-year old Ellen is in love with her brother Link's best friend James. She struggles to come to terms with a potential love triangle that the three of them may share.

This intense story of Ellen, who is from an intellectual and solidly upper-middle class New York family, had the potential to be off-putting or uninviting to less affluent readers. However, the complicated relationships are so well-drawn and fully alive with wonder and angst that the characters are believable and, most times, even likable. The language is a bit "high brow" at times, but that can be a welcome vocabulary challenge for some readers. In classrooms, this can be a book that examines various degrees of tolerance and acceptance, or lack thereof, concerning issues of gay or questioning teens. It is understandable how this engaging book was chosen as a Printz Honor Book. ( )

Ellen, 14, has always envied the closeness shared by her brother Link and his best friend James. Some people at their school think James and Link are a couple. When Ellen asks them, Link backs away and James and Ellen grow closer, eventually becoming a couple themselves. Ellen also confronts "unwritten" laws about homosexuality held by many people in society, including her father.

Other books to try: Hard Love, Postcards from No Man's Land, "Hello," I Lied, Love and Sex: 10 Stories of Truth, True Believer

Other books by the author: The Kings Are Already Here, When I Was Older ( )

My Heartbeat is A Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book and a recipient several other awards. Ellen is entering high school and finds herself in love with James, her brother Link's, best friend. However, she does question her mother and confronts James and Link about their relationship and sexuality. The story is told first person by Ellen through very pretentious vocabulary and conversations. ( )

Ellen loves her brother Link and his best friend James more than any other two people in the world; but things get much more complicated when a girl at school asks if Link and James are a couple. Are they gay? What does gay even mean? When she decides to ask, things get even more complicated than before and Link and James no longer speak to each other. Ellen has always thought James was super cute, but is it okay to date a boy who used to date your brother? Is it okay to date a gay boy at all?

This is a very well-written novel that approaches homosexuality in a real way. The boys in the story aren’t exactly sure if they are gay or not, though one has had sex with other men. Ellen is very open abut it all and asks great questions which can inspire readers to do the same in their own lives instead of simply living in fear that a loved one may be gay. The story is very touching and you can really feel Ellen grow and learn throughout the story. This is one book that is definitely worth the time to read. ( )

This book is the book I wish I'd written. It effortlessly takes the reader through one of the best and more emotionally complicated coming of age stories I've ever read. Ellen's feelings for both James and Link are honest, believable, and very age appropriate, but the boys' emotions are what makes this, as subtly as they are expressed within Ellen's narrative. My Heartbeat is an amazing book. I'd recommend it to anyone. ( )

Ellen is fourteen and fascinated by Link, her older brother, and his best friend James. One day, a girl at school says something which makes her see their friendship differently - are they, in fact, lovers? Link cannot deal with her questions - James has made him happy but he has never let him too close. James, on the other hand, is more willing to discuss things with her but while he and Ellen are getting closer to one another, Link is drifting away from him.

A well-written novel for teens. ( )