‘Hearts on the Fly’ Book Review
In her most personal and vulnerable novel yet, Toni Shiloh blended an exciting sports story accented with the same troubling medical condition experienced by her father in real life. Hearts on the Fly is an exploration of human resiliency and seeing the light of the Gospel.
Main Themes
The plot of Hearts on the Fly is focused on the interpersonal conflicts between Val Elliott and her family, and the complicated history between Jabari Hall and the eldest Elliot sister. In this drama-packed novel, Val slowly realizes that she is allowing her entire life to be controlled and manipulated by her dysfunctional family. Everything she does is to keep the peace or make others happy. But does she have the courage to make her own choices and pursue the friendships that give her life, regardless of what her family thinks?
Jabari Hall is a professional hockey player and living his dream life…or so he thinks. When a freak injury and medical complications leaves him legally blind, his future with his team is in jeopardy, and he starts to realize how lonely his solitary life is. When a friend sets him up on a blind (literally and figuratively) with Val, who happened to be his ex’s younger sister, he is blind-sided in more ways than one. But Val is nothing like her control-freak sister and a secret friendship slowly forms as Val becomes the only stable and reliable thing in Jabari’s life.
The importance of friendship and themes of spiritual light/blindness are prominent and well-written into this novel. Forgiveness and family restoration are also an important theme that the book takes seriously. Val is on a journey of self-discovery, but keeps her relationship with God first in her life, which allows her to experience true freedom.
Faith Elements
The faith aspects are strong in Hearts on the Fly. Val finds her faith in God strengthened as she sets boundaries with her family and allows herself to be her own person without constantly bending to their unreasonable expectations. And Jabari has a beautiful revelation of his own spiritual blindness and comes to faith in Jesus. Characters encourage each other to pray, and Jabari is able to explore prayer and faith in touching ways that added wonderful depth to his character.
Family Friendly Considerations
For most of the book, the romance was clean, but it definitely picked up in intensity for the last few chapters. While nothing was technically immodest, the sheer volume of romance-centered scenes, a few highly passionate kisses, and one or two suggestive innuendos are not appropriate for younger audiences.
Interested in Similar Reads?
If you loved Hearts on the Fly, you might also love these novels!
- Behind Enemy Bylines by Kathleen Fuller
- Sometimes You Stay by Liz Johnson
