Book Reviews

Book Review: Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough

Media Type: Physical Book
Title: Cross Her Heart
Author: Sarah Pinborough
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: Hardcover; 341
Release Date: September 4, 2018
Source: Publisher / TLC Book Tours
———————————————
Genre: Thriller / Mystery

HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart

Recommended to: Readers who enjoy slow burn thrillers with excellently executed twists.

Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Lisa lives for her daughter Ava, her job, and her best friend Marilyn, but when a handsome client shows an interest in her, Lisa starts daydreaming about sharing her life with him too. Maybe she’s ready now. Maybe she can trust again. Maybe it’s time to let her terrifying secret past go. Then her daughter rescues a boy from drowning and their pictures are all over the news for everyone to see. Lisa’s world explodes, and she finds everything she has built threatened. Not knowing whom she can trust, it’s up to her to face her past to save what she holds dear.

Oh, this book. Where to start? I honestly did not expect to be so addicted Cross Her Heart. My original plan was to start this, and then read it in between other books that I’m working on at the same time. Since, normally, Thriller/Mystery books take a little time to really get going. Well, scratch that idea. Sarah Pinborough’s book is a slow burn sure, but one that just keeps you on your toes as every single turn. She expertly pulls you one way, then the other, never really allowing you to settle in. In short, I flew through this book. I’m really pleased about that.

It’s going to be rough to say a lot about this story, because I absolutely don’t want to give anything away. The joy of discovery is half of the fun of reading this book. What I can say, is that Lisa’s character is perfection. Both her and her daughter are fully fleshed out people who you’ll slowly finding yourself falling in step with. Even Ava’s teenage petulance made me smile. There’s something wonderful about reading a story like this and feeling like the characters could be your next door neighbors. In the case of a story like this, there’s always something vaguely ominous about it too.

When I say that twists abound, I’m really not kidding. Cross Her Heart has a steady pace that just grabs you by the hand and tugs you along, never letting go. Even when you stop in your tracks because of what’s around the next corner, it just pulls you along. I so appreciated the fact that nothing in this story felt forced. Every action, every plot point, felt expertly laid out. I felt like I was being told a real story which, like I mentioned above, added to the unease I felt while reading this book. I thought I knew where Sarah Pinborough was taking me. I was so wrong.

If you’re looking for a very well written, very quick moving Thriller this is your next read.




FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.