Cross Her Heart: A gripping thriller from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes, now a Netflix sensation! Paperback – 21 February 2019

Nice

Although you will eventually figure out the theme of the twists and start making correct guesses by the end of it, Sarah finds a way to surprise you someway or the other.I lost myself in the book and a book that has the ability to do that has my heart.

She's a great writer. I couldn't keep the book aside. The story however was a little predictable to me. But i definitely recommend buying this though!

This is such an amazing novel....all the Characters are written so well....if you are searching for a novel which is full of twists and turns then you should surely go for it.....itss amazing

A quiet mother , daring daughter ,a loyal friend and a twist that's bound to give you a whiplash!Grab this one as soon as possible.. I bet Yu can't stop reading till the end!

Cross Her Heart broke my heart into million pieces. One of the best emotional suspense thrillers you'll ever read. I was teary eyed at the end.

The best

OMG the twists and turns in this rare gem of a read made for one hell of a roller-coaster ride! The story centres around Lisa; a seemingly ordinary, loving, single mum whose priority is that of her only child. We learn early on that Lisa is haunted by the death of a young boy but just how she is connected to him isn’t revealed until about a quarter of the way into the book.Lisa’s daughter is sixteen-year-old Ava. Ava belongs to a swimming club where she is part of a close-knit group of four girls who she calls ‘my bitches’. The eldest in the group is Jodie. Ava has a close affinity with Jodie as they both have issues with their mothers. Ava because Lisa is claustrophobic and overprotective, and Jodie because her mother is never around. Ava has a boyfriend too, but she’s getting fed up with him and has become infatuated with a ‘mystery man’ who she has been chatting to online.Lisa’s best friend is Marilyn. To the outside world Marilyn has the perfect life but she carries a secret that she hides even from her best friend.When Ava is thrown into the spotlight through an act of bravery, she unwittingly uncovers Lisa’s secret past (a past that Ava knew nothing about). At this point, Ava already has issues with her mother but now she hates her more than ever, and escaping with the ‘mystery man’ she has met online is the only thing that keeps her going. When Ava goes missing the plot really starts to thicken and a whole web of lies and deceit begin to worm their way into the story.There are so many shocking twists in this book I could talk about but I don’t want to give any spoilers. There are, however, two main things that make this psychological thriller stand out. Firstly, whilst there are times when you will hate the protagonist for some of the things she has done, the author has developed the character so thoroughly and given her such an utterly compelling story, you can’t help but empathise with her too. Secondly, this characterisation is so tightly interwoven into the skilfully structured plot, one minute you will want to throw the book against the wall and the next you will almost set the pages on fire where you are turning them so fast.As well as being shocking, heart-breaking, and horrific, Cross Her Heart is also a story of love and true friendship. Lisa isn’t the only one who has been well characterised; Marilyn is fabulous and everybody should have a friend like Marilyn!In the same fast-paced style as the overall plot, the climax and the conclusion come in fairly quick succession, resulting in one of my most satisfying reads of 2018. I would recommend this book for anybody who likes Louise Jensen or Jane Shemilt.

Sarah Pinborough’s latest novel is one of those stories that’s going to stick in your mind for a long time after you read it, as the deeper implications of the story resonate. It’s a slick and pacey tale that presents its story from multiple points of view – a mother and daughter, and the mother’s best friend for the most part – with constant revelations that make you reassess what you’ve read so far. If you enjoyed Christopher Nolan’s movie Memento (the one told backwards) you’ll appreciate this – there’s the same pulling out of the rug from your expectations (and of all the twists in the book, there’s only one that I saw coming – although Pinborough seems to play fair with all the information there, albeit perhaps providing it from unreliable narrators).And if that’s all there was to Cross Her Heart, it would still deserve the time you spend reading it – Pinborough’s plotting and characterisation are as intricately woven together as ever – but there’s more to this book than that. It’s a novel about the secrets that we all keep in our everyday lives (whether it’s domestic abuse or the realities of caring for elderly relatives) – and the secrets that society as a whole chooses to ignore. We’re horrified at news of serial killers, but, as recent news stories have shown us, there’s a sick underbelly that traps others within it, children caught up in cycles of abuse that most people prefer not to think or do anything about. The most truly horrifying moment in this book comes when a mother doesn’t just turn a blind eye but actually bargains with an abuser. And you know deep in the pit of your stomach that that’s all too real.

This book follows Lisa, Ava and Marilyn after the events around them challenge the secrets they've been holding from everyone around them.It's really difficult to comment on the events of the book without giving away some kind of spoiler.. so I'm finding it difficult to explain why I just couldn't get into this book.The writing style makes the book feel like it should be quire accessible and not too demanding, but as the story goes on, the events get more complicated, the characters and their relationships more confusing, and I found that I just hadn't been gripped enough to want to fully understand all these complications.I didn't feel any real connection with any of the characters, simply because almost every other chapter felt like it was being told by someone completely different! Usually 2-3 POV's are enough for me. But this was just too much to have to juggle! At times the POV's were fast paced and exciting and it was hard to keep up, and at other times the POV's just felt like they were stalling for a chapter or so with little meaning for the characters.I do admire that the events of the story, and some of the contexts are very vividly described, so I did feel captured in parts by the writing, but alas a few chapters later, I was left feeling lost again and trying to work out the relevance.This book had some aspects which make it a good contender for a great thriller, but it just didn't feel capitalised on. It's a shame because I had heard many great things about this title - but just not one for me I'm afraid!I do accept that my slow pace of getting through this title definitely contributed to my experience of reading it. However I just couldn't keep track of what was happening or why. So I gave this book a three star review on Goodreads which I think is more reflective of my views. Unfortunately I don't think I'll be picking up another title by this author, as the style of writing just didn't grab me throughout.

An all consuming, dark and twisted novel that is expertly delivered with jaw dropping twists.From the moment I opened this book I was hooked. BAMM! It smacks you straight in the jaw and yells ‘ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?!’ Written from the viewpoints of three women, each chapter labelled with their name, you’re drawn into their lives and those others that surround them. As a reader you’re drip fed background on these characters and left to figure out who’s a victim and who’s guilty. It’s only when Pinborough starts interspersing chapters labelled ‘Before’ that you begin to grasp the full horror of the tale. I found myself trying to explain to others what was happening or what it was about only to realise I didn’t actually know! LolI don’t know if it’s because I’ve recently become a mum, or if it’s down to the level of detail but i found some of the chapters achingly painful and dark. Particularly when I see my daughter with her Flopsy bunny! So if you’re of a nervous disposition then this may not be the book for you.The characters than Pinborough has created feel real and the book more of fact than fiction which in turn makes it hard to put down or stop thinking about. In some parts it’s soul crushingly tragic how true to life this book could/can be.I loved Sarah’s writing style. Strong and relentless, twisting and twisting until you think you can’t figure out anymore. I’ll be sure to pick up more from her bookshelf!DEFINITELY worth a read!

I am a little late reading ‘Cross Her Heart’ by Sarah Pinborough as it was published in 2018. I complemented my reading with its unabridged audiobook edition for an immersive experience.‘Cross Her Heart’ proved a very twisty psychological thriller that moves between the perspectives of three women: Lisa, a single mother who is senior staff at a recruitment agency, Ava, her sixteen-year-old daughter, and Marilyn, Lisa’s best friend and co-worker. Each harbours a secret.It’s a novel that I would suggest best read ‘cold’ and so no further plot details to avoid spoilers.I have enjoyed Sarah Pinborough’s novels for ages with special love for those combining crime and horror genres. In recent years she has successfully moved into writing psychological thrillers.Overall, a highly engaging thriller. I completed in a single sitting as I found it impossible to put down.4.5 stars rounded up to 5.