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Your Heart Belongs to Me

3.3 of 5 stars 3.30 · rating details · 9,100 ratings · 809 reviews

From the #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense comes a riveting thriller that probes the deepest terrors of the human psyche—and the ineffable mystery of what truly makes us who we are. Here a brilliant young man finds himself fighting for his very existence in a battle that starts with the most frightening words of all…

At thirty-four, Internet entrepreneur Ryan...more

Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages

Published October 27th 2009 by Bantam (first published November 25th 2008)

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Jan 22, 2009 Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I have a saying that if you can make it through the first hundred pages of a Dean Koontz book, you won't be able to put it down. This book is a perfect example of that. Though it doesn't have the usual formula recognizable in many of Koontz' books (several different stories that are woven together just in time for a momentous conclusion), it does have the usual Koontz "surprise:" things are not what you thought they were.

In short, this had all of the things that I have come to love in Dean Koon...more

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Nov 27, 2008 Bill rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I pretty much read this book in 2 sittings...I was that excited for some new Koontz. I thought it was great too. It's a great example of the new style of writing he has taken on in the past 5 years or so, yet totally unique in a sense that...I guess in a sense that he broke all the rules of classic storytelling. I literally turned page after page just wondering why he was taking the story where he was, and when it was all said and done I was sort of speechless. After finishing the book I felt li...more

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Oct 26, 2009 Miss Kim rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, end-pissed-me-off, disliked-the-hero

Gah! Is someone going to come up with a cure for my compulsion to force myself to finish books that suck? I am a fan of Koontz, but this one is not worthy of a recommendation.

Ryan is a 30 something dotcom phenom. He starts to have heart problems and becomes paranoid that someone close to him is poisoning him, because he has barrels of money. It turns out he needs a transplant. He gets hooked up with a doctor that will get him on the top of the list 'at any cost'. He tells no one about his issues...more

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Feb 06, 2009 Donna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was another Koontz dud to me. A rich, young internet guru suddenly starts having heart problems. But instead of accepting it as just "life sucks sometimes - even for the rich" he gets paranoid & starts thinking someone has done this to him, i.e. poisoning. So he tries to "take control" and find out who is plotting against him. Thus begins his downward spiral. For some reason, I just couldn't connect to this character or even commit to a decision - is he crazy or is he sane? There is ver...more

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Feb 02, 2009 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 999-challenge, audio

Your Heart Belongs to Me is about a 34 year old internet entrepreneur, Ryan Perry. He learns of a terrible medical condition that limits his life to a year if he doesn't receive a new heart. The first thing Ryan does is begin to search for an answer about his condition. Years later, Ryan is visited by a woman claiming that she wants her heart back. And she's willing to use violence to get it.

I loved this book! It had romance, it had drama and mystery. Koontz's use of the English language is AMAZ...more

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Jan 03, 2010 Joel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: do-not-own, fiction, read-in-2009

Until the last 40 pages or so, this felt like the Koontz book that might finally convince me to stop reading his new books. Then it was vaguely redeemed in the final pages. I do mean vaguely, though. The explanation of things is actually not very impressive, we find out that significant information was left out of the earlier story so that the reader can't too easily guess what was happening, and the wrap up is too tidy. The only reason I found it vaguely redeeming was the way it changed the sto...more

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Jan 15, 2009 Kristy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

not typical Koontz - there was some mystery ALthough pretty early on I figured out where the story line was going with the organ donor thing not being on the up and up but I did not know who fit in where . No big surprises - it's very easy to figure out the second DR. was up to no good and the only thing you were unsure of turned out to be his paranoia - which I guess I was disapointed there was not more to the plot at that point!!! It left you with having to buy into his seeing "spirits and sup...more

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Sep 23, 2009 Elaine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio

just bought the audio Audible.com

A rich dot commer becomes ill and after visiting his doctor who tells him the possible causes of his enlarged heart could be poisoning among other things, Ryan quickly becomes suspicious of people, preferring to eat out of vacuum-sealed containers as a little-to-late precaution. His suspicions include watching other drivers on the road – don’t know what he expects in this latter suspicion.

This story has been more than enough in substance to hold my interest and...more

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Dec 10, 2008 Ellyn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dean Koontz is normally an automatic read for me (although I never got into the sequels for "Odd Thomas") and this book lines up with his most recent releases as diverting enough, but it didn't wow me like his early work. Super-rich bachelor Ryan discovers he has a year to live and is put on a heart transplant list. A year after receiving a heart, he finds himself prey to a stalker who claims that the heart belongs to her. I liked the end, but the story was kind of slow and choppy and the supern...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Al rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

From the #1New York Timesbestselling master of suspense comes a riveting thriller that probes the deepest terrors of the human psycheand the ineffable mystery of what truly makes us who we are. Here a brilliant young man finds himself fighting for his very existence in a battle that starts with the most frightening words of all... At thirty-four, Internet entrepreneur Ryan Perry seemed to have the world in his pocketuntil the first troubling symptoms appeared out of nowhere. Within days, he's di...more

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Feb 26, 2011 Matthew Tait added it · review of another edition

At 34, Ryan Perry has achieved his life’s ambition and then some: the head of successful software outfit and social-networking site that has seen him accumulate millions. Not only is he a Forbes magazine entrepreneur, Ryan is also dating an attractive fellow/surfer journalist (Samantha Reach) who isn’t far away from accepting his marriage proposal. So when he suffers a mild heart-attack and subsequently learns of its defect, his once placid world is altered radically. Ryan only has a short time...more At 34, Ryan Perry has achieved his life’s ambition and then some: the head of successful software outfit and social-networking site that has seen him accumulate millions. Not only is he a Forbes magazine entrepreneur, Ryan is also dating an attractive fellow/surfer journalist (Samantha Reach) who isn’t far away from accepting his marriage proposal. So when he suffers a mild heart-attack and subsequently learns of its defect, his once placid world is altered radically. Ryan only has a short time to live … and will not live at all unless he finds a new heart.

Initially, I thought the premise of Your Heart Belongs to Me dealt with a fascinating condition that has been around since the first heart transplants – cellular memory. The theory (and stories) revolve around the notion that the brain is not the only organ that stores personality traits and memories; there have been many documented cases whereby a surgery patient has displayed new tastes in opinions, cravings, and other mild variations of habit. To a certain extent, this does form a basis of the novel … but it is only on the peripheral side-lines as Koontz tries his hand at marrying a slew of imaginings.

After switching physicians and a transplant success, Ryan goes on with life … albeit lacking Samantha. Then follows a reign of psychological persecution that makes his original fears of poisoning seem tame by comparison: some invisible phantom has access to his private quarters, can manipulate his security, and has taken to leaving him gifts such as gold heart pendants. His paranoia moves into an investigation that uncovers a world of voluntary euthanasia and identical twins. Some consider Koontz’s work to be tame, but try envisioning a house full of real corpses embalmed exquisitely for art’s sake. Personally, I am a fan of his somewhat flowery and obsessively metaphorical prose, but others might find it a little over the top and long-winded this time. There is little dialogue, and a lot of inner rumination by our protagonist.

When the plot-payoff finally arrives, the reader with either vehemently applaud or cringe with disappointment. Here there is no middle ground. By and large, Your Heart Belongs to Me is a book about subtext and texture. Seeing patterns to the plot not from the surface theme but from the implicit meaning of the tale … the things that the modern mind rejects on a conscious level. This is mid-range Koontz, but any author who can, without fail, elicit a tear from me in the closing stages of a book is an author who is ultimately doing something right.
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Dec 02, 2008 Friend the Girl rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of the best of Dean Koontz

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I would have given this book four stars, but the last three pages really spoke to me, and for those three pages alone, five stars.

The premise is that a rich, fairly young man needs a new heart, and gets one in the nick of time, but it's only after he's adjusted to his extended lease on life that the weirdness starts. What was surprising was that roughly half the book deals with the pre-transplant life, and the threatening menace isn't really a huge part of the book. What was surprising, in a ver...more

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May 20, 2013 Lobna sameer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I listened to the audio-book of the novel and at the beginning I felt like this is just a traditional story of someone who is paranoid and thinks everyone around him wants to kill him. or this is the traditional story of a guy in a relationship who finds out he only has few more months to live and so he tries to fulfill his life's dreams and fight his disease and enemies to live as long as possible. or this could be the traditional story of someone going through a heart transplant and then he st...more I listened to the audio-book of the novel and at the beginning I felt like this is just a traditional story of someone who is paranoid and thinks everyone around him wants to kill him. or this is the traditional story of a guy in a relationship who finds out he only has few more months to live and so he tries to fulfill his life's dreams and fight his disease and enemies to live as long as possible. or this could be the traditional story of someone going through a heart transplant and then he starts to see visions or whatever. or maybe even a combination of all these traditional stories. in short this novel seemed to be classic and boring. but never had I been more wrong.
the story takes very surprising twists and whenever you start to grasp the plot and predict how things are going to work out, things change. which is what I enjoyed most about the novel. Its nice to see that the novel covered a long period of time in the characters' lives, moving swiftly between years and events, yet the transitions were very smooth and was necessary to skip unnecessary narrative of boring events.
interestingly enough these twists in the story plot match the moral of the novel. things aren't always what they seem, you have to look between the lines, and sometimes you should let things unfold at their natural pace. don't go too fast, don't be too competitive, don't jump to conclusion or over think. Just let things be.
the characters of the story were well built. I loved how descriptive it was and I dare say that I finally found my dream house described in a novel in Rayan's house. Rayan might not be a relatable character as he is an extremely rich enterprenure, but he is relatable to as a human. you see your self doing the same things he did and thinking the same stuff he thought.
the only reason why I won't give this novel 5 stars is that I believe it could have been even better had Rayan been actually working as a chairman of his company and surrounded by other business enemies. this could have given the opportunity for even more twists and surprises
I didn't know anything about Dean Koontz when I started the novel, but he is now on my favorite authors list(less)

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Nov 24, 2012 Cindy Scinto rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm a new Koontz reader and read this book to do some comparative reading for a fiction book proposal.

The story was interesting as it follows a young man's paranoia and mystical dreams after collapsing with an enlarged heart. He's in a relationship, but as he nears death, he places distance between his girlfriend and reality.

When confronted with needing a heart transplant, the main character takes some character driven steps to be sure he survives.

The ending contained a powerful message, but...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Tommy Bones rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A 34 year old Internet success, Ryan Perry has everything he needs or wants at his fingertips. His relationship with Samantha, a 28 year old author, began through business and slowly progressed to be more personal. While they're not engaged, Ryan has proposed to her numerous times, only to be softly rejected every time. While his life isn't perfect, it's hard to think of anything about which Ryan could make a complaint.

Being an avid surfer, Ryan meets Samantha on a beautiful day to do some surf...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Wade rated it 2 of 5 stars

I thought it was okay. Nothing particularly creepy or thrilling occurs until the final third of the book, and even then it's not the usual Koontz page-turner. It took me four days to get through this one; most of his books are one-day reads for me (and I mean that as a compliment). Ambiguous, untidy ending, but I'm okay with that. Would've liked certain questions answered/addressed, though.

Also, a minor complaint about the synopsis on the back of the paperback edition. It begins with a great ho...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Harry Kane rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When one looks at the reviews of any new book of Mr. Koontz, there are three basic staples:

1. “I’ve read many books by Koontz but what happened to him? His new stuff is crap and this is no exception. I’ll still buy the next one. If you want to try him out – go for my favorite books, which are…”
2. “I’ve read many books by Koontz but then something happened. With this book he makes a comeback! It’s as awesome as my other favorite of his, which are…”
3. “I’ve read many books by Koontz but what happe...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Donnell Bell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My husband and I recently took a trip to the library so he could feed his passion -- nonfiction -- while mine of course is fiction. As I looked around volume after volume of tomes, I did something unheard of, I checked out a book. As a writer, I prefer to buy my books and support the craft, but Dean Koontz' Your Heart Belongs to Me, virtually leapt off the shelf.

I have to say if I was judging this book from a writing contest perspective -- where many say: Is there a good balance between dialogue...more My husband and I recently took a trip to the library so he could feed his passion -- nonfiction -- while mine of course is fiction. As I looked around volume after volume of tomes, I did something unheard of, I checked out a book. As a writer, I prefer to buy my books and support the craft, but Dean Koontz' Your Heart Belongs to Me, virtually leapt off the shelf.

I have to say if I was judging this book from a writing contest perspective -- where many say: Is there a good balance between dialogue and narrative? -- I would have to score this book low. However, this book which is in a three-part series and full of mundane workings of a man awaiting a heart transplant held me spellbound.

Why? I've been contemplating that question for weeks. The book breaks every rule in Donald Maass's Writing the Breakout Novel. We learn what he eats for breakfast, dinner and lunch, his preferences on TV, how much he sleeps, and yet I was flipping through pages.

The book is full of description of setting and yet I remember each and every detail as though I finished this book yesterday. When Koontz does slip into dialogue, which is flawless and natural, and changes scene to advance his plot, I'm there and my eyes are fixed on the page. His research was impeccable and I was in the head of a man who, although rich beyond words, was desperate to live, but vulnerable because he could lose it all literally with the end of a heartbeat.

The times his protagonist has an episode where you think he's about to have a heart attack, I was clenching my fist then taking my pulse. This book wasn't the typical Dean Koontz grab the reader by the throat and don't let him breathe until the last page thriller. It was more. In this reader's viewpoint Mr. Koontz practices psychological warfare on the purchaser. Which one of us us hasn't on occasion touched his chest for reassurance that his heart is still functioning properly?

On the cover jacket, one of the critics writes, Dean Koontz is a wordsmith.

This reader concurs. And that's why he was able to break every supposed writing rule in the book, and why this reader couldn't stop reading. In the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, the contest I coordinate, one of the tie-breaking statements that exists on the score sheet reads: This manuscript is superb - masterfully written.

I now know the meaning of the statement. Your Heart Belongs to Me is such a book. Mr. Koontz, you're amazing. (less)

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Feb 26, 2012 Frank rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you are familiar with Koontz then most of his writings are pretty much taken for granted. Still some books are better than others. I see a lot of reviewers struggled with this one but it touched me maybe because it had more realism with my life than it did with others. Sometimes Koontz offers more depth than many of his readers can understand because it is in realm they have never experienced (that s not a fault of of the reviewer). Maybe they have not had the experiences that relate to a par...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Dany rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was awesome! I think Dean Koontz was brilliant. (view spoiler)...more It was awesome! I think Dean Koontz was brilliant. (view spoiler)[I was so caught up in Ryan Perry's paranoia. I was completely taken by surprise by the ending and went back and reread the entire book again when I was done. I was so certain that Ryan was going to end up being schizophrenic that I didn't even catch what actually transpired. There was subtext beneath the subtext. DK painted this story with his words. The last chapter seems out of place at first but it can be compared it to an epilogue. I was so entertained by DK's style and sometimes felt hypnotized by it all. Very surreal for me at times. DK really took me into Ryan's head and I didn't know for sure what was real and what wasn't. Samantha had me guessing. The first chapter, I lol 3 times about the sandals, the bears, and Dr. Suess. Loved Cathy Sienna's 5 roots of violence and taproot of violence statements. It was my 19th DK book and I still think it's one of his best that I've read after having completed 52 novels of DK's. I just loved this book! I'm so impressed. DK said in an article that he wrote this entire book in a flow state. I noticed this quote from Ryan Perry in YHBTM, "Sometimes, when he fell into a hyperactive flow state while writing a piece of software, Ryan passed days like a hermit, living in his pajamas and shaving only when his beard stubble began to itch." I wonder if DK wrote YHBTM wearing his pj's? I never caught onto the possibility of illegal organ donation. I just watched a couple of movies on the subject too but still that didn't clue me in. I was so caught up in Ryan's self deception that I "hated the truth" right along with him. I haven't gone back and read a book again back to back but once or twice before in my life before YHBTM. I really enjoyed this book the 2nd time around and seeing it from a different point of view. At the end, when Violet is telling Ryan all the "implicit meanings" that he should've inferred from what Dr. Hobbs implied, I was like, wow, I didn't even catch one of them the first time! I loved the paraphrasing of Poe's poetry. And reading chapter 31 again was really creepy, knowing exactly how Lily's heart was taken. The sadness hearing the church bells knowing it was Violet ringing them for her sister. Well, I could go on and on. (hide spoiler)] I really got into this book. I loved all the metaphors and symbolism. Every chapter had something that made me think "wow!" It's one of DK's best. (less)

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Sep 13, 2011 Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fall-2011, god-awful, thriller-mystery

I hadn’t read Dean Koontz in a long while, and was excited to read Your Heart Belongs To Me. The Book Summary had me hooked! Thirty-five-year old Ryan Perry feels better than ever one year after a heart transplant that saved his life. He’s ready to get back to the business of life and to his have beloved Samantha – if she’ll have him back. He has his life that Cardiomyopathy almost claimed.
But on the transplant anniversary, he finds candy hearts on his pillow. The next night a heart pendent is...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Bobby rated it 1 of 5 stars

Let me first start off by saying I was reluctant to pick up another Dean Koontz book. I read the synopsis and thought it would be a good February/Valentines thriller. In the past I have read Tick-Tock, which once I accepted the story was going to do whatever it wanted to, found it to be alright, and later read that Dean Koontz had meant for the story to have a comical infusion which made more sense but was still slightly unsatisfying. Next came Hideaway, a good story with a horrible almost nonex...more Let me first start off by saying I was reluctant to pick up another Dean Koontz book. I read the synopsis and thought it would be a good February/Valentines thriller. In the past I have read Tick-Tock, which once I accepted the story was going to do whatever it wanted to, found it to be alright, and later read that Dean Koontz had meant for the story to have a comical infusion which made more sense but was still slightly unsatisfying. Next came Hideaway, a good story with a horrible almost nonexistant climax. I liked Demon Seed. The Face of Fear was okay. Despite my past experiences with Dean Koontz, I decided to take the risk and read Your Heart Belongs To Me. For about the first 130 pages the reader is jerked around following Ryan Perry's poorly jusitfied parinoia, and irrational impulsive decisions. On the cover of the book is a highly embelished quote from The Denver Post's review, probably only because Irrational Ryan makes a random stop in Denver, drives aimlessly until he comes upon a park that is "familiar" before returning to his hotel to retreat to his unconvincing delusions and parinoia. At page 138 the story finally delivers what the synopsis promises, a killer who torments Ryan with heart themed gifts and cannot be kept out by locks. FINALLY Ryan's parinoia seems justified because someone is actually coming after him. There are many allusions to Edgar Allen Poe's poems. I liked The Raven allusions peppered into the descriptions of Ryan's parionoid fear. At 243 the story falls off a cliff and there is no stopping its plummet. The connective tissue of the explinations is very weak. The motive and surrounding details are so out there that they severely undermine the first 130 pages. Ryan's redemption is also very colorless. The descriptions of Ryan's parents were left out for the most part except for a giant sentence on pages 266-267. When the reader later meets Ryan's father Jimmy, the character is so bad it damages the book. Jimmy belongs in a stoner comedy movie, he undercut all the tension, and any other emotion the poorly constucted events that unfolded once Ryan arrived at his father's house were able to muster up. The whole, "Call the cops, Im bleeding to death." "Wait I have to hide my stash of pot" is atrocious, if Dean Koontz was going to do that at least make the drug something of substance (pun ha!) where addiction would not make his actions so stupid and comical but understandable. I lost pretty much all care for what happened after that, if the writer dosn't care then why should I? The last chapter is so bad it's disgusting. What happens to Ryan? Oh how sweet, he gave away his fourtune and is living at St. Christopher's Ranch, an adoption center/school? for handicapped orphans! But wait! Don't forget the golden retrievers and Labadors, Dean Koontz! We know you like them, you have a book about a talking dog which I have not read and think I will stay away from after this, but let's put them in this story too! Because golden retrivers and Labadors will make everything golden and fuzzy..... You can tell Ryan has turned into a standup guy, what other kind of guy would refuse reconstructive plastic surgery for his ear and missing patches of hair and exploit, I mean, help handicapped children (cheap and almost insulting plot device). What is one of the first things Sam hears Ryan say after years of being apart? "Rudy here...is going to be a great dog groomer...He's already pretty good except he doesn't like the part where you have to express their anal glands." What a great thing to say to the woman you wanted to marry and have not seen for over three years; the anal glands belonging those gosh damn cute show dog golden retrivers. Sam leaves feeling touched and drives away only to stop and cry under some trees and think about life, because if Ryan can abadon his success to go live with the monks, nuns, and crippled children, then she should have no doubts about living life or becoming a successful writer despite three best selling books. Oh how I love happy endings. I hope when I vomit it soaks this shitty book so no one will be tempted to read it.(less)

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May 15, 2011 stella yip rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dean-koontz, owned

at first, i thought this is just your typical psychology book. but it turns out not . i did heard about this kind or organisation which they provide fresh, healthy organ to those who are in dire need and can afford it. which means, their client are probably millionaires and are desperate to live. but that just make them criminal and a murderer as the donor is been forced to die (literally) in order to give the organs to the client. humans have a tendency to fight for survival and they'll do anyt...more

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Feb 03, 2011 Mark N. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After having finished Koontz's "Your Heart Belongs To Me" today on my lunch hour, I found this website after doing a Google search to find out what others thought of this particular book. After having read a number of the reviews for it here, I think it's safe to say that for many, the book didn't live up to their expectations.

Given the short summary of the story to be found on the back of the cover, I think it's easy to get a false impression of what one might be in for with this book. If one i...more

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Aug 01, 2010 Maciek rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crap, thriller-mystery-suspense, read-in-2010, reviewed

Another horrible creation from Dean Koontz. Once one of my favorite guilty pleasures - his books, while flawed, were entertaining. But now? Dissing his new novels is so easy it's not even funny.

Your Heart Belongs to Me (2008) is an attempt at a medical thriller, in the vein of Tess Gerritsen and Robin Cook. The premise is as follows: Ryan Perry, a 34 year old disgustingly rich guy has a heart problem and is in desperate need of a transplant. He recieves one, but soon starts receiving messages f...more

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Feb 22, 2010 Dlora rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense-thriller

I was very annoyed with this book. Koontz writes well and I still enjoyed many of his insights, but I was irritated with the protagonist's behavior. Very wealthy and very healthy, 35-year-old Ryan Perry learns that he has an enlarged heart and he reacts with full-blown paranoia. The doctor tells him that his heart problem might have been caused by several things, perhaps a disease, or poisoning, or a genetic disorder. Ryan jumps to the conclusion that he is being poisoned, perhaps by his girlfr...more I was very annoyed with this book. Koontz writes well and I still enjoyed many of his insights, but I was irritated with the protagonist's behavior. Very wealthy and very healthy, 35-year-old Ryan Perry learns that he has an enlarged heart and he reacts with full-blown paranoia. The doctor tells him that his heart problem might have been caused by several things, perhaps a disease, or poisoning, or a genetic disorder. Ryan jumps to the conclusion that he is being poisoned, perhaps by his girlfriend of a year that he has been trying to convince to marry him or by his house- and yard-keepers who love him like the child they never had. He hears odd tapping noises when he is alone and experiences disturbing prescient dreams and moments of deja vu. Finally Ryan wonders if he had been "loath to accept a mortal diagnosis about which he could do nothing [so he had:] busied himself seeking a bogeyman whom he could more readily engage in battle." Alternately, he wonders if perhaps his compromised heart function and the medications he was taking could have caused some of his paranoia and paranormal experiences. But it took a third of the book to get to that explanation! I was seriously put off.
He gets a heart transplant, his relationship with is girlfriend is seriously compromised, he fires his housekeepers, and then more odd things happen to fuel his paranoia again. But I don't want to give away the story.
Despite my irritation with the storyline, I did appreciate many ideas Koontz threw in the story: "Ryan Perry envied the cardiologist for his family and for the evident richness of his life, which was quite different from--and superior to--his riches." "Life was a struggle requiring optimism and confidence." "Be to do. Not: Be to be done to. . . . Exist to live, never exist to exist. Existence is an entrance, not an exit. To be or not to be is not the question." "We can shape our fates, but we can't control them."
In the story, Ryan's girlfriend was writing a book so there were several comments about the art of writing a novel that intrigued me. I was especially entranced with the idea of subtext in a novel, "the underlying, implicit meaning of the story, which the writer never directly expressed. Not all works of fiction had subtext; perhaps most did not. . . . Readers did not need to be consciously aware of the subtext to enjoy a story fully, because if the tale had been told well, they would subconsciously absorb the implicit meaning. In fact, the emotional effect of the subtext frequently could be more powerful when the reader was not able to put it into words, when it slammed him hard without his quite understanding by what he had been slammed." I guess when I finish a story and ask myself what did that mean?, I am wondering about the subtext. Thinking about subtext almost made me want to read this book all over again looking for it! I wonder if Kootnz's subtext in this story was that if we try too hard to control our lives, we lose important things and go a little crazy. Hmmm. It almost makes me want to give this novel a couple more stars.(less)

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Feb 04, 2010 Julie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Your Heart Belongs to Me was my first Dean Koontz novel. I had always wanted to add a Dean Koontz book to my "reading repertoire," but never really got around to it. Truthfully, they always looked a bit too scary for me. Not scary in a fun sexy "don't take me too seriously" Charlaine Harris way. As you can tell from my bookshelves, I like that type of book. Koontz, however, seemed scary in a "leave the light on at night," "cower in the shower" sort of way.

And yet, when a friend of mine lent me t...more

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Dec 26, 2009 Neil Cokeley rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Dean Koontz fans they might like it!

Recommended to Neil by: I saw it when it came out!

Shelves: wouldnt-read-again

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 27, 2009 D.M. rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: thriller/horror fans

Shelves: thrillers

I would classify this latest novel by Koontz as a pretty typical weekend read. Fans will receive what they have come to expect from this from a long list of his psychological/horror thrillers.

The story pursues several themes, one of which concerns a love story between the main character of Ryan Perry for the enigmatic Samantha, who he adores and longs for in the confusion of the circumstances which unfold. Perry is a wealthy, successful creator of software with the world at his feet but develop...more I would classify this latest novel by Koontz as a pretty typical weekend read. Fans will receive what they have come to expect from this from a long list of his psychological/horror thrillers.

The story pursues several themes, one of which concerns a love story between the main character of Ryan Perry for the enigmatic Samantha, who he adores and longs for in the confusion of the circumstances which unfold. Perry is a wealthy, successful creator of software with the world at his feet but develops cardio-myopathy and requires a heart transplant. Perry's world turns upside-down when he thinks that someone is trying to kill him and so he goes into himself in an attempt to try to unravel 'the real' of his unfortunate circumstance, from that which has beset his mind and might merely be irrational thought and paranoia.

Within this theme, Koontz has described something very well, that in which strange circumstances have made way for the character of Perry to suffer much confusion (which Perry tries to unravel with the advantages of wealth and connections) within the context of a personal journey. Much is given to Perry's thoughts about his love for Samantha, which I feel goes on a bit much without a satisfactory outcome, and at the expense of the thriller side of the tale. Koontz builds up a scenario of one particularly strange character who uses dead bodies as 'art' but does not necessarily go anywhere with it and though the threat on Perry's life is throughout the novel, the outcome is only drawn in as a tie-up to a chain of events.

Although Koontz's novels are clever, and interesting, I find that much of what he writes has a very light touch, which I found in the two 'Odd Thomas ' novels I have read of his. I think there is room in his writings for a less delicate approach, as I have found in reading them that when the action does take place it's placed in such a manner that actual physical events lose some impact.

Like I said in the above, it's the sort of novel that one can pick up on a Friday and have read by Sunday. It won't disappoint if one reads it for the sake of some light to medium-weight reading enjoyment.
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Apr 06, 2009 Laren rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

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About Dean Koontz

Acknowledged as "America's most popular suspense novelist" (Rolling Stone) and as one of today's most celebrated and successful writers, Dean Ray Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers around the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of character, mystery, and adventure that strike to the core of what it means to be human.

Dean R. Koontz has also published under the na...more

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Quotes from Your Heart Belongs To Me

“Human beings are such knotted, desperate pieces of work-it's a rare thing to know one completely, to the core, and still love him.” — 96 people liked it

“No, if there's any ultimate redemption, it would be because I passed though your life without scarring you, and did not diminish who you are.” — 21 people liked it

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