Don’t let the subject of Irreplaceable make you avoid this book. Yes, it’s about the death of a young loving wife and daughter from a tragic accident. Yes, it’s about the grief of her husband and mother. But it is also about the gifts she left behind, in particular, her heart.

When Isabel decides to become an organ donor, her husband Alex reluctantly signs the her donor card. When Isabel dies suddenly in an accident, he is reminded of that moment and has to agree to have her organs harvested. The sadness, anger, and feeling a part of himself as well as Isabel being gone begins.

Isabel’s mother, Bernice is a big part of Alex’s life as he struggles to deal with his grief. They were close before Isabel’s death and now seem to cling together to learn how to cope but keep Isabel’s memory alive. Things get complicated when Janet, the person who received Isabel’s heart learns who Isabel is and contacts Alex to thank him.

The person who caused Isabel’s accident, Jasper, is very unstable. He is brought into the picture when he begins to feel that Janet should be grateful to him. In his sick thinking, he feels that if it weren’t for him killing Isabel, Janet would be dead. He is an angry man who blames others for his faults and wants someone to acknowledge him in a positive way.

Irreplaceable taught me about how death changes people’s lives in so many ways, how people are brought together or torn apart, and how people react differently to it.

The characters are real. Their emotions are raw. I was able to feel and understand all of them. I may not have agreed with them, but the author Stephen Lovely portrayed them so that their voices were heard.

I am an organ donor already. I know that this book was not written to support this, but it did make the subject a major topic. I hope that people who aren’t donors will consider becoming one after reading this book.

Review courtesy of Parent Reviewers.