Open Heart by Emlyn Chand

It isn't too often that I give the second book in a series a higher rating than the first.  I really liked Farsighted (I gave it four stars) but Open Heart was a definite 5.  Farsighted was told from Alex's perspective.  This book picks up where Farsighted left off, but Alex's girlfriend Simmi is now the narrator.  It appears that each of the five books in this series will all be told from a different character's point of view, which I think is a brilliant idea. 

Simmi and Alex are getting ready to begin their junior year of high school.  Simmi is struggling with her gifts as well as her feelings for Alex.  He professed his love to her and is over the top with his affection, but she does not share the same feelings.  They are best friends, so she doesn't want to hurt him, but she is intrigued by Dax.  They have barely had an opportunity to talk to each other, but she feels an immediate connection with him.

Simmi does not deal with her struggles well.  She becomes bulimic as a means of not only coping with her weight, but also her emotional stress.  Her struggles are discussed in detail and I wanted nothing more than  to reach out and help her.  We also get to share in Simmi's love for theater and music as she prepares for her role in another school production.

I thought I would be on Team Alex, but I couldn't help but convert to Team Dax as soon as we got to know his character.  He could actually give Noah Shaw a run for his money on my fictional boyfriend list, which is not easy to do.  Aside from the potential danger his gifts can cause, he is near perfection.  He is attractive, well dressed, and well spoken.  He planned an exceptional date night, but is far from suffocating.  AND he plays the piano.  That is always a winning characteristic in my book.  On top of that...he wrote a song for Simmi.  I was absolutely blown away by the gesture and immediately fell in love with his character.  

The next book in the series, which will be released May 21, 2013, is told from Shapri's perspective.  She is best friends with Simmi and Alex and her gift is the ability to see and talk to the dead.  This book sounds fantastic and I can't wait to get a copy, BUT....I also can't believe Emlyn is making us wait TWO years to get our hands on Dax's story.  OMG....that is cruel and unusual.  Obviously she is saving the best for last, but this is going to be pure torture.   

As a preview...here are the covers for the last three books in the series.