Lisa can never fully be at ease as she cannot quite put her dark past behind her. A past she has worked very hard to keep secret from everyone in her life including her daughter Ava and her best friend Marilyn. Her priority is to keep her daughter Ava safe and to give her the best life she can.

Ava feels her overpotective mother is overbearing at times. She would much rather spend time with her group 'my bitches', her boyfriend Courtney and especially the man she is now smitten over, having mysterious, secret chats with him on Facebook.

Marilyn and Lisa work together and do just about everything together. Except to share their innermost, shameful secrets.

We all lead double lives on some level, don't we?

But Lisa's secrets about her dark past come to light in an explosive manner, ripping everyone's life to smitherines! Do their respective relationships ever stand a chance of rising from the ashes again? Will they be able to see beyond the devastating secrets and lies and remember the Lisa they thought they knew and loved?

My thoughts :

The first part of the book provides a good amount of background to the story. The plot is seamless though, and one knows from the author's writing style that something is coming that will change everything. Once that happens, the pace picks up nicely right through to the end, with delectable red herrings along the way, causing the reader to distrust and or question almost all the characters to some degree. I just love when that happens!

This is a well rounded, fleshed out novel, with fully developed characters and themes of family, friendship, murder, past regrets, betrayal and revenge, domestic and child abuse as well as the dangers of social media. The author was certainly not afraid to tackle several difficult subjects and the story is better for it, providing plenty to keep the readers mind intrigued until the very satisfying and unpredictable end. Only one or two implausibilities kept me from giving this the full five stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first Sarah Pinborough novel and will look forward to reading more of her work.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

I really hated this book.
First it contains very, very upsetting child abuse and neglect themes and you cannot really tell from the book blurb. If I knew what it was about I'd never read this book. Unfortunately having read a few good books from Sarah Pinsborough before, didn't even imagine it was about this horrible events. And honestly, it comes so late in the story, first we have a teenager girl, Ava and her friends, a worried and clingy mum, Lisa with obvious secrets. Then something happens and it turns into something entirely different. It's not even dark and bleak. Everything is in your face with obvious, open details, as if it's written on purpose to make you cringe. As if Pinsborough took a tabloid story and transformed it into an unbearable, long and grotesque novel. Sorry but didn't work for me.
Also need to say a word or two about the reveal of `who was it`. Honestly: Mention someone once or twice in the beginning then oh yes it was them all along? It felt messy.
Overall I didn't like this book at all, and I wish there were ratings for the books about this upsetting themes as I have lost the count of the times I have read a novel being ended up disgusted and upset. I like mystery/thrillers and I don't read them expected to get upset. Please bring a rating system to the books as the movies does.

Lisa has a beautiful daughter, best friend and a job she enjoys, but is hiding a secret from the past, as her daughter Ava grows up and starts fighting for more independence, Lisa pushed back trying to keep Ava close, by part two we know what has happened get ready for a shock!! A fantastic book full of turns and twists.

Writing a follow up to Behind Her Eyes was never going to be easy, but Sarah Pinborough has grasped that challenge and delivered a novel full of pace, characterisation and more twists than a bag full of pretzels.
Told in the voices of three characters, and switching between past and present, this is the story of three women, each of whom has a secret she will keep to herself as long as she possibly can.
Lisa and Marilyn met at the employment agency where both work and have become close friends. Theirs are adult secrets; secrets that they are very much afraid of anyone finding out; secrets that control their lives. Lisa’s 16 year old daughter Ava is a bit of a wild and sulky child, but then what teenage girl isn’t at that age? She too has a secret, but this secret is one that warms her heart and keeps her upbeat, though she will only hint obliquely to her friends about it.
Each of these women has depth to their character and that helps to make them both engaging and believable, although we are never quite sure if Lisa is a reliable narrator, or whether we need to question Marilyn’s friendship with her.
Pinborough takes this domestic setting and into it she drip feeds tension, secrets and unsettling occurrences to create an atmosphere of dark foreboding and your heart begins to pound that little bit faster as the book gathers pace.
Time is taken to explore relationships and develop characters so that by the time you get to the crux of the story you feel each has depth to them and you are quite emotionally engaged with their stories. The relationship between Ava and her mother rings true; often volatile and sometimes overly restrictive on Lisa’s part.
But just as you think you have got to know and understand each character, and that you have discerned what secrets they are holding, Pinborough turns your expectations inside out and completely surprises the reader.
This book works because the characters are so well drawn, but also because Sarah Pinborough is an excellent storyteller. She writes extremely well and her book is propulsive and compelling. Her plotting is sound and she weaves the strands together with skill and finesse, twisting the thread every few chapters until you are so caught up you cannot get free.
If you like secrets, lies, betrayal and a strong, tense narrative from your domestic noir, look no further, Cross Her Heart has it all.

This book. THIS BOOK. Damn. Where to start?

First things first, I was expecting this to be a standard thriller with the usual twists and turns. Not always a bad thing, I kept reading at the very start in hopes that the writing style would be good enough to boost the books predictable plot.

I. Was. Wrong!

This book did not head off in the direction I was expecting, and then did it again… and then did it again! When I was expecting a standard plot concept this was a massive surprise and made this so much more enjoyable. On top of this, the writing style was also really enjoyable for me personally, and I liked the way that the characters were switched between. It was a little confusing at times, but that was purely because I had an eARC from NetGalley and so the formatting of the file wasn’t 100% finished up yet. There are mini headings for each character (they were just interspersed a little randomly in the eARC) so there should be no confusion for those buying the book!

You will be chopping and changing who you believe to be “at fault”, shall we say, for the plot this book revolves around, and I promise you will probably be wrong at least 9 times. I was wrong many more than that! Every person has their own secrets and this is played up beautifully by Sarah Pinborough to keep you on your toes and guessing until the last second.

My one negative about this book is that the ending wrapped up a little quickly, but at the same time we learn all we need to and we get the closure needed for this genre. Maybe I just didn’t want the book to be over! I need more of her writing! I’ve not yet read Behind Her Eyes but it is 100% going on my tbr after this amazing thriller.

5/5 stars and one I would recommend to anyone who loves this genre! Also, the British cover is stunning so that’s a plus! (The American one not so much but hey, maybe they just know the market really well). I just wish that there would be a sequel about Simon and his past! But I think that’s a little too much to wish for 😉

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in return for an unbiased (I promise!) review, and to Sarah Pinborough for this amazing novel.

OMG! I loved this book! From the very first sentence I was hooked. Who did it? Who is hiding what? So fantastic!

For me, this was even better than Behind Her Eyes! Characterisation was excellent and the multiple viewpoints effective. It's tricky to review this more fully without giving things away but I'll definitely be recommending it to thriller fans.

OMG I loved cross her heart and devoured this in 24 hours!!
I had read "behind her eyes" last year and really enjoyed Sarah Pinborough's writing style and was looking forward to this next thriller, this I thought was definitely worth the wait.
The book is split into short chapters on a timeline of before, now and after and also split into it being told from the perspective of one of the main characters. This book does not need me to go into the plot as this is definitely best coming in blind. The beginning was little slow but this was due to the scene setting and character familiarisation which in hindsight gave this a good base and it was probably only slow due to my neediness to dig deeper into this chilly thriller.
This psychological thriller is full of twists and turns that will turn everything on its head and make you rethink everything you thought you knew. This is a suspenseful, gripping and enjoyable thriller that I would totally recommend.
I would like to thank Netgalley and harperCollins UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Pinborough has done it again: Cross Her Heart is a masterpiece; an incredible journey that’s more twisty and turny than the Tasmanian Devil doing The Twist on the Waltzers during an earthquake.

Initially though I admit I was unsure – the early part of the book felt similar to several others I’ve read recently and I thought I knew where it was going so I was a little disappointed, but – give it a few chapters and then BAM! Pinborough is truly a Grade-A expert in pulling the rug out from under the reader.

You need to know as little as possible about the plot and, to be honest, I would even try to avoid the synopsis that’s on Amazon (the one above is taken from NetGalley and Goodreads). All you really need to know is that this is a thrilling, shocking and heartbreaking rollercoaster of a story; I read most of it with my stomach clenched in anxiety and was pretty close to tears at some points.

This is an amazing book and I recommend it to anyone who likes a dark and serious psychological mystery thriller. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the ARC of Cross Her Heart and thank god for Sarah Pinborough!

Lisa is celebrating her daughter Ava’s Sixteenth Birthday when she first thinks that things might be a little off.

She tells herself she is being paranoid. No one knows where she is.

For Lisa is harbouring a secret that threatens to turn her whole world upside down should anyone ever find out.

Ava thinks her mother is over protective, smothering, and longs for freedom. Her friends from her competitive swimming club and her boyfriend Courtney offer some relief. But Ava longs for more.

When an older stranger starts messaging her on Facebook, she cannot help but be drawn into his more mature world. To prove to everyone that she is a young woman, and not a kid anymore.

When the unthinkable happens and Lisa’s secret is exposed to the world, their lives are suddenly put in danger. Sadly, I can’t comment anymore without revealing too much.

I will say this though, that I actually enjoyed this even more than the authors previous #WTFthatending.

To me, this novel is more plausible, more realistic and therefore more chilling when you consider what could happen.

At last a book in which I haven't guessed the ending before I've got there . As this book is based on secrets around the 3 characters Lisa , Ava and Marilyn the author did well to keep the main secret hidden to the very end which made the book a real breathe of fresh air.

This is a fast-paced and gripping thriller full of twists. It centres around three women: Lisa, her teenage daughter Ava, and Lisa’s best friend Marilyn. Each of them has a secret. Their relationships are held in a delicate balance until the day one of the secrets comes out, forcing a domino effect. It’s hard to say much more than that without spoilers. The writing is tight, the plot is well-paced and full of just enough dark corners and red herrings to keep you guessing, and the characters are likeable despite their flaws. There is one element that didn’t really ring true for me, but overall I did really enjoy the book and thought it worked well.

Cross your heart and hope to die - promise me you'll read this compelling novel from Pinborough!

Dark yet light-hearted, love and hate combine for a perfect tale, set up to lead you to the conclusion only to pull the rug and leave you amazed. Magic!

This review is necessarily short as I think any reader will benefit from knowing very little about the story and its characters. Discover it as I did, with no expectations and be amazed. I will certainly be seeking out more of Pinborough's works.

With thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and author for the ARC.

I read this book in two seats. It starts slow, but I found myself quickly immersed in this novel full of surprises and revelations.

CROSS HER HEART is about three women, three strong, determined, and brave women, all of them hiding secrets. Lisa is forty years old, she has a sixteen-year-old daughter, Ava, a good job, and a great best friend, Marylin. But Lisa is also afraid, afraid of a past that still terrifies her and that it’s now catching up with her.

Ava is a normal teenager, drinking, occasionally smoking, and worrying about boyfriends and school exams. She has a secret that she is keeping not only from her mother, but also from her best friends. But her mysterious Facebook admirer is not the only secret Ava is keeping.

Marylin has been Lisa’s best friend for ten years, since they started working for the same company. They spend a lot of time together, in and outside of work, but Marylin has never told Lisa that her life is not at all what it seems.

What I love about this author is that she completely and repeatedly takes you by surprise. I thought I knew exactly what was going on, who not to trust, and it turns out I was completely wrong. Every few pages there were new revelations, some I had already figured them out, but most were unexpected, and there were so many twists that kept me on the edge of my seat.

The characters are very well-crafted and developed. The relationship between mother and daughter is well explored. Lisa, because of her past, is an apprehensive and overbearing mother, always checking on Ava. Ava, like every sixteen-year-old, is annoyed by her mother’s attention but also feels guilty when she snaps at her. I also enjoyed reading about Lisa and Marylin’s relationship, how strong their friendship is, and how much they trust each other, secrets aside.

Secrets, obsession, and betrayal are at the center of this haunting and compulsive book (which is out next week) and I’d like to thank HarperFiction for providing me with an early copy.

What a remarkable book. As you would expect from Sarah Pinborough this is a tale with plenty of twists and turns.

From the start it is told from the perspective of 3 characters, The Mother, The Daughter and the Mother's Best Friend (a fresh voice is added later). The story flows well and is an okay read until you get to the WTF moment where SP pulls the rug out from under the readers feet and you have to re-evaluate all you have read so far and all you thought you knew. From that point on the story gets a lot darker, the reveals keep coming and the rug keeps getting pulled.

I was hooked from the beginning and got through this in two days/nights. Sorry if this is a bit sketchy but I am trying to avoid spoilers (trust me, you'll thank me later)

This could easily be the book of the summer

This is a brilliant, twisty story that will have you hooked from the first few chapters.
There are a few shocks in store as you go through the book but this is what I expected from Sarah Pinborough.
It’s hard to write a review without giving away any key parts of the story but I can say this is a gripping story about friendships, relationships and secrets.
We all know the saying “Cross your heart and hope to die,” well this is very apt for this book.
I really liked the main characters and felt a real connection with them - especially as the story developed.
I highly recommend this book.
Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I’m not entirely sure where to start or how to review this book without spoiling the book for anyone who’s yet to read it! You are best off going in blind and finding out the plot twists and turns for yourself, and i am fairly adamant that you won’t work out the ending on your own!!

Told from mainly three view points, Lisa, Ava and Marilyn and switching between present day, Before and After it is a quick paced storyline that keeps on throwing plot twists right until the very end. Just when you think you have it all figured out and you become slightly disheartened at the predictability, it pulls the rug out from underneath you and throws you off completely!

All three women have their own secrets they are keeping adding more layers to the plot line giving each of them their own story as well as their combined story, all of which are perfectly believable and told with compelling sensitivity even if some of them aren’t particularly likeable!

This is a really great quick read that you will struggle to put down until the very end, and if you love psychological thrillers you have to read this book!

Cross Her Heart will be published in kindle format on the 14th May 2018 and in Hardback on the 17th May in the UK

This story is told by three people; Lisa, her teenage daughter Ava and Lisa's best friend and work colleague Marilyn, someone has something to hide but which of them is it and how will it affect their lives if that secret is revealed?

I loved Sarah's previous book, Behind her Eyes, so when I saw this one I was very excited to read it.  Right from the first page I was sucked into the story and didn't want to put it down till I'd finished it and I read it in less than 24 hours.  It's a compelling read, very dark and mysterious and there were many times where I was convinced I'd worked out what was happening only for the author to deliver another twist that catapulted me off in completely the opposite direction and back to square one wondering what the hell was going on here!  I loved how the chapters flowed seamlessly between the three timelines; Before, After and Now which kept me gripped throughout.  Sarah Pinborough is fast becoming one of my favourite authors!

I would like to thank HarperCollins UK for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and on Amazon on publication day.

I really enjoyed Sarah Pinborough's previous novel 'Behind Her Eyes' so was looking forward to this next title 'Cross Her Heart' immensely - and I wasn't disappointed!
The story follows the lives of Lisa, single mum to 16 year old daughter Ava, and her friend and colleague Marilyn. Although the plot is a slow build-up we very quickly discover that all three women are hiding secrets. Lisa it seems is running from someone or something in her past, Ava is dealing with all the trauma of being a teenager and conducting an illicit, online relationship with an unknown older man and Marilyn is busy attempting to keep up the illusion that all is perfect in her life and marriage. It is not long before these secrets are exposed - some in quite dramatic fashion!
The story flips between present day and 20-something years ago to Lisa's childhood and cover some very shocking events that provide the background to a tense and gripping climax. I found myself rooting for the main character Lisa but it is fair to say that nothing and no one was at it seems in this story and at times I felt truly heartbroken for the girl that she was all those years ago.
I'll say no more for fear of spoiling except to say that this is a thoroughly entertaining and thrilling book - a highly recommended 5 stars!
Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and author for an ARC.

I thought this book was going to be the usual single mother/teenager angst type story. Oh my goodness! How wrong can you be? This story was dark and sinister and yet there was love, loyalty and true friendship too. There were shocks and surprises one after another and I couldn’t read this book quickly enough to satisfy my thirst to know the ultimate outcome. A definite must read.