Review: The Space Between Heartbeats by Melissa Pearl

Note: This ARC was provided by Alloy Entertainment via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Nicky Tepper of two years ago is very different from the Nicole Tepper of today. She's part of the in crowd and she's basking in every second of it. She does what she wants and answers to no one, not even her parents. But when she's left for dead in an embankment after a night of drinking with her friends, she's in limbo. She's still alive but barely so and if she hopes to get back on her feet and live the rest of her life, she's going to need someone to actually care long enough to realize she hasn't run away, even if that someone happens to be none other than Dale Finnegan, the guy she and her posse bullied time and again.

The Space Between Heartbeats is a standalone young adult (YA) romantic suspense thriller from author Melissa Pearl. This is a revised edition of the original release in 2012 entitled Betwixt. There are two novellas set for release next month, The Space Before (a prequel) and The Space Beyond (a sequel), which I'm going to assume are also revised editions of the previously released Before and Beyond, respectively. While it may have the paranormal element of Nicole Tepper's spirit being able to speak with Dale Finnegan, it ultimately was more about learning what happened to her and who may have been involved.

Nicole is one of those lead characters that you try desperately trying to find some good in or else you'll end up hating her. She's a bully and she's bitchy and she makes no apologies for her bad behavior or for the bad behavior of the people she's been hanging out with for the last two years. She treats Dale badly most of the time, even when he's the only one actively trying to find answers regarding what happened to her and where she could be. There was a trigger incident that led her to becoming who she is today and it's a heartbreaking one. Once that revelation comes out, it's easier to realize the trauma she's had to endure.

It's difficult to not like Dale. The guy goes all out to help Nicole, even after she treated him like crap repeatedly. Trying to unravel the mystery was obviously not easy since it became more of a two-person effort and one just happened to be lying in an embankment somewhere in the woods. The twist as to what really happened that night was one thing and I did figure out who was involved after that revelation, but I was thrown for a loop as to what developed next. Overall, this was a great and intriguing read and I will definitely be on the lookout for the novellas.  The Space Between Heartbeats gets four out of five stars. ♥

Release Date: 08 September 2015

Date Read: 05 September 2015

Learn more about Melissa Pearl here.

Pre-order The Space Between Heartbeats on Amazon.