**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net** 
 Alive is one of those young adult books that has such a cool concept, that you can't not read it. Alive is about a teenage girl that gets a heart transplant, and then some strange and dare-I-say-it... creepy, things begin to happen. You cannot tell me that story doesn't sounds, original and flat out awesome, can you? Nope, I didn't think so. Alive is a great read. One that will leave you more than a little spooked.Stella is a character that I think could be very polarizing in the young adult book world. I can certainly see people getting frustrated with her, but it was really easy for me to put myself in her shoes and imagine how hard her recovery and every day life must be. I haven't gone through anything as traumatic as having a bad heart or needing a transplant, but Stella is a very easily relate-able character. 
 Sure, she gets a bit of first boyfriend tunnel- vision, and sure she takes a couple craps on her friends, but put in context of everything that was going on, I got it. Now, don't get me wrong. I didn't give her a free pass for being a crappy friend more than once during Alive. In fact, I wanted to shake her every single time I imagined Henry's hurt feelings. Stella kind of went on a path of teenage destruction in parts of Alive. She is lucky that her friends are so awesome, because I know a lot of people that wouldn't not put up with half of her decisions. I know it seems like I am hating on Stella. but I'm not. Because even through everything I just mentioned, I was still on Team Stella. Why? Because of Chandler's writing. Chandler Baker made me care for Stella, because I understood Stella's motivations. 
 I love Henry. I shipped hard for him in this book. Levi totally creeped me out. He was not a bad boy that made me swoon at all. But then again, how could anyone steal my attention from Henry. I just wanted to hug him from the very first text that Stella sent him. (and I hadn't even met him yet!) 
 Chandler's writing was the highlight of Alive for me. It was thought provoking writing. I loved the idea that an organ might not just be an organ. That it might carry some impressions, and history from its' previous owner. That concept alone has a ton of ramifications, and interesting ideas to explore. Alive is the product of that thought, and I loved seeing where Chandler Baker took it. So whether you end up loving Stella or hating Stella, I think there is something for everyone to enjoy, and to think about, in Alive. 
 This review was originally posted on Book Briefs