I don't have much to say about this book because it was a DNF for me. It didn't work for me for many reasons. The love between Eva and Gabe seemed unrealistic and I had a hard time following the story line with all the jumping around between the characters' time periods. I also think Gabe's reaction was unrealistic, you know what I am talking about if you have read the book, or you will if you read it. The cover is beautiful and there are some beautifully written scenes through out what I read but it was sporadic.

Here are some other reviews of this book. I heard another blogger was doing this but I don't know who...so if you link other reviews on your post when you have a DNF please comment and I will add you as the inspiration for this and link you. Enjoy the links. ( )

This has a lovely cover, though it isn't particularly original to have a beautiful girl with long hair staring out at you from the cover of a teen novel these days. However, I found the book boring. The plot bounces between two narratives: Gabriel, in the past, is about to marry Evangeline, but then their Acadian village is invaded; Eva, in the present, has a (sudden and unbelievable) romantic obsession with mysterious but attractive loner Gabe. Neither narrative worked well enough to draw me in; either the characters were boring, or the plot was. Though I will say, Shaw did a good job making the two voices distinctive while still having the same undercurrent of poetic romanticism. Romance isn't really my thing, however; I don't doubt that teen girls who love romance will eat this up. I'll be over here rolling my eyes. ( )

ANXIOUS HEARTS left me lovestruck. It is a relatively short novel, but it pulled me in completely and had an almost cinematic quality.

I will admit to liking the present day parts of the novel narrated by Eva better than the ones set in the past and narrated by Gabriel. I liked the epic quality of Gabriel and Evangeline's story, but I didn't feel particularly connected to those two characters. Plus, Gabriel was a little bit too intense for my tastes. I appreciated the fact that his love for Evangeline drove him to such great lengths, but his interest in her before he even knew her bordered on obsession. On the other hand, I found Eva and Gabe's story almost comforting. Their passionate, sudden relationship began in high school, which I find very true to life. Many high school relationships flare to life suddenly and burn brightly. The difference between most high school relationships and Eva and Gabe's is that, even after losing one another for quite some time, their love survived.

In the years that Gabe is absent from Eva's life, she does not wither away or pull away from life. Gabriel, on the other hand, nearly died in his quest to regain his beloved Evangeline. I'm glad that Shaw wrote Eva as a strong character who carried on with life even after losing the love of her life. Eva does go through a difficult time after Gabe goes missing, but she eventually puts the shattered pieces of her life back together and forges on. I think that is a wonderful message to send, especially in a novel that could easily take the route of lovers falling apart when seperated. I like that Eva could be a girl in love and still be resilient. ( )

Gabriel and Evangeline, Eva and Gabe; two couples living more then one hundred years apart sacrifice everything to find what it means to love and be loved. Despite their differences both couples experience similar hardships and separation through distance, time, grief and death only to discover true love in the end.

Ever since that day under the docks when Gabe and Eva lost their shoes Eva knew that no matter what was to happen in the future, she would follow Gabe anywhere. But that was years ago, and although neither have talked to each other since that day, although years later Gabe disappears without a trace, she knows she would follow him still.

As children Gabriel and Evangeline played together but it was as they grew older that they realised their true feelings for each other. Even when on their wedding day when Gabriel and Evangeline were torn apart, neither would give up on the love they felt for each other, even if it meant they would lose each other in the end.

Anxious Hearts is a love story caught somewhere between dreaming, imagining and memories of a past life. It is a tale of longing, losing and finding love, but not all endings are happy ones. The alternate perspectives are the heart of this story with both Eva and Gabriel searching for the one person in their lives who make them feel complete. ( )

I had high hopes from this book with its premise being woven around one of the world's greatest poems ('Evangeline' by Longfellow), and it's stunning cover (yeah, yeah I judge books by covers lol), but was sadly let down. Anxious Hearts is a story which follows the romance of two couples whom are two-hundred years apart, but yet resemble each other remarkably. It opens with Eva (present day) and follows with Gabriel (200 yrs in the past). This pattern of present day then 200 yrs before continues throughout the entire book, and while I completely understand why it was handled that way, it was rather annoying. If I sat the book down for the evening and picked it up the next day, I was having to give myself a refresher in order to remember what had been going on.

To be honest, I did find myself preferring the story of Evangeline and Gabriel to Eva and Gabe. None of the characters really have much depth to them, but it was much worse with Eva. It felt like she had the depth of a puddle. If the story had continued passed where it ended, I could see how Eva could have developed into a wonderful character. Unfortunately, Anxious Hearts did not allow for her to blossom. The romance between Eva and Gabe also bothered me, and at times I was having unwanted flashes of Edward and Bella. Blah.

Like me, a lot of adults read the YA genre and normally I don't feel older than the material—there's usually something I can relate to—but I really felt my 27 years while reading this. So, if you are looking for a fluffy, syrupy read then this is the book for you. For those who want more meat and less saccharine, I'd advise you to look elsewhere ( )