From start to finish this book keeps you hooked. Nothing is as it seems, nobody is who they seem, so how are you going to work out what is happening? A simple, happy life seemingly gets torn apart because of a secret from the past - but the twists and turns will keep you guessing all the way to the end. A compelling read for all lovers of psychological thrillers.

This book kept me hooked.

You think you know the story but you don't - the twists and turns and slow reveal of the real truth behind, was very well done.

You have tears in your eyes when you find out Charlotte's childhood story and then Daniel's is revealed and oh how you hope that their parents are in prison. And never coming out.

But you never suspect what Katie did. Not until her history is revealed too and her mother's action causing such a reaction.

An excellent, cleverly crafted story, well told with empathy and understanding of how childhood trauma can affect future behaviours.

Wow where to start. I really don’t want to say to much about the plot as you really just need to read this book.

The story is mainly told via three peoples account: Lisa, her daughter Ava and Lisa’s best friend Marilyn. The story also jumps about from present day to past but there as no confusion as everything just fits in to place really well.

This is one book that will genuinely keep you hooked from the first page. There are plenty of twists and turns and just when you think you have everything worked out something else happens to blow your theory !!

This really is a great read and if you love psychological thrillers you have to read this book but be prepared for it to fully take over your life until the very last page.

When Lisa finds a children’s stuffed toy outside her house, she knows something is wrong. Very wrong. Only one person could have left it, and they aren’t supposed to know where she is. Panic rises – and builds even more when things that mean nothing to anyone but her keep happening.

It’s no wonder she is paranoid. And no wonder she is driving her daughter – 16 year old Ava – crazy with her constant need to know where she is and what she is doing. It’s also no wonder that Ava rebels, doing almost the opposite of what her mum asks her to do.

With this type of set-up, you know things aren’t going to go well for either Lisa or Ava. The question is how is it all going to go pear-shaped and why. Does it have something to do with Lisa’s secrets, or the ones her best friend Marilyn is hiding? Whose past is about to rear its ugly head?

I do like this kind of book, where you question everyone and everything, even though I’ve been on a bit of a downer with them lately. That’s because they do follow a formula and can feel stale if they aren’t done well. Cross Her Heart was, I am pleased to report, done very well – a bit of a relief really as this is the third Sarah Pinborough book I’ve read and, so far, one was great (The Death House) and one not so great (The Language of Dying).

Saying that, it’s not fair to compare because they are all very different books. This is what you could class as a standard psychological or domestic thriller. It follows the aforementioned formula and so you kind of know what to expect. What makes it a great example of the genre is the plotting, which is really tight and full of unexpected twists and turns, and the characters. I genuinely liked Lisa and Marilyn (Ava was a bit bratty but she was also 16 so I’ve let her off on that count). I thought they were well written and real.

It all made for a highly enjoyable read, with perhaps my only reservation (and why it would get 4 versus 5 stars) that the end, though a shocker, felt a bit unreal. I didn’t believe in it enough. Still, well worth a read, and something I would be happy to have on my shelves.

Have you read it? What did you think of the ending?

I am a huge fan of Sarah Pinborough's books and this one was no exception. It's fast paced with plenty of twists for any thriller fan that will leave you on the edge of your seat. For me I found it hard to connect with the characters a bit, they all seemed to grate on me a little, but I still loved the read. The huge twists and turns are what's pivotal in a book like this, and I'm pleased to say that Sarah really knocked it out of the park. A disturbing domestic thriller that will leave you peeking from behind your eyes at times.

Sarah Pinborough has a varied back catalogue in a number of genres, from YA fiction to horror, fantasy and science-fiction, but her recent move to HarperCollins has seen her work head in perhaps more of conventional mainstream psychological thriller direction. There were genre elements to her previous novel Behind Her Eyes however which didn't please everyone, but the book proved to be a popular bestseller. Her latest novel Cross Her Heart however is very much on more conventional ground in the very popular female paranoia/male aggression thriller genre. Even within that however, Pinborough demonstrates familiar qualities that elevate this above the crowd, but there is also another Pinborough characteristic that is a little more problematic with Cross Her Heart, and that's a tendency to go somewhat over the top with unconvincing twists, revelations and resolutions.

Even if it does feel rather conventional in its three-part, three-act structure, Cross Her Heart at least starts out promisingly developing a situation that has enough intriguing hints to suggest that there's a lot more that we don't yet know about going on beneath the surface. One area the Pinborough is strong and insightful in is the dynamic between females (see Thirteen Minutes) and there's a particularly troublesome one that exists here between 40 year old single mother Lisa and her 16 year old daughter Ava, both of whom - for different reasons obviously - are at difficult stages in their lives. Each also have issues and pressures with their own female peer group, Lisa with work colleagues, Ava with her school friends and colleagues from her swimming club. There are however clearly things that both mother and daughter don't speak to each other about, and underlying both their difficulties is a man, and it may even be the same man...

We don't initially know much about Lisa's background, but hints and concerns - and an opening prologue that indicates that there's a man looking for revenge for desertion - suggest that she's run away from an abusive partner. Ava doesn't know anything about her father and, having just turned 16, she's less interested in boys of her own age and more intrigued by a mysterious older man who she has been in contact with via Messenger. Ava is hoping and expecting that they might meet up finally just as soon as her exams finish. That's troubling enough, but there are other little strange events going on in the background however that may just be Lisa's fears and paranoia or it might be something more sinister. Certainly as far as Lisa's friend Marilyn is concerned - Marilyn even getting her own viewpoint sections in the book - there are clearly issues of abuse in her seemingly perfect marriage that Marilyn has managed to keep hidden from everyone, even Lisa.

The first part of Cross Her Heart is relatively straightforward then in how it sets up a situation and hints at things to come. Everything you think you know however goes out of the window in the second part, and obviously I'm not going to reveal any of that in this review. Suffice to say that the second half lays suspense thriller on top of the social or relationship dramas that have been outlined well in the first section. There are even some connections to real-life news stories that give the story an added sense of realism and credibility that you don't always get in paranoia thrillers of this kind. These things unfortunately do happen in real life and the background details, motivations and personal circumstances are never covered as thoroughly as Sarah Pinborough lays them out here, so there's almost an element of social commentary here.

Unfortunately, that tends to get overshadowed by the trappings of the genre that demand a further raising of the stakes in the third act, with all its obligatory twists and turns. Part three certainly goes for the emotional jugular as all the tensions (particularly in that highly volatile female dynamic) reach a head, but Pinborough nonetheless still manages - for the most part - not to fall back on lazy characterisation in terms of how the male characters interact with that or have a part to play in it. It gets a little overheated certainly, but by this stage you should feel involved with the characters and feel like you're starting to get a handle on what is really at stake in their lives. There is a deeper truth to be found in the baring of souls in this way, and it rebuilds the basis of relationships in a way that gives them greater meaning. Sadly, all the good work is undone by Pinborough's weakness for endings, Cross Her Heart descending unnecessarily into Scooby-Doo level Grand Guignol that cheapens all the good work done before.

Great book. Full of twists and turns. Keeps you guessing right till the end. Sarah Pinborough has done it again.

Loved this book. Loved the way flowed the characters all fitted an easy to follow.
Loved the way you got to the end without working out it was Katie that killed Daniel.

Love Sarah Pinborough's writing, and eagerly looked forward to this after enjoying "Behind Her Eyes". This is another great read. A great cast of characters, fab premise, and so many questions keep popping to mind all the way through about characters motivations, secrets they try and keep behind closed doors, and what they're willing to do to accomplish that!

As you'd expect with Sarah Pinborough, nothing is quite what it seems, but try as I might, I didn't quite have it figured out - love a book that challenges you like this and would definitely recommend.

I was excited to pick up this because I loved the authors debut novel and everyone I’ve recommended it too has loved it too. With that book I was shocked, which is what i primarily want in a thriller. This book however didn’t really shock me and I felt like I saw all the twists coming. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to keep reading to see if I was right, but overall my enjoyment in thrillers is linked to how surprised I am!
That being said I was still entertained by how everything played out and I liked the small dose of feminism it provided. I also enjoyed the multiple perspectives so that you could get all sides of the story.

Cross Her Heart is a compelling thriller that will draw you in. There are a number of different layers to this book and as the plot unfolds you are fed more and more information from past and present.

The characters are fantastic and the plot line is creative. A genuinely great read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction and the author for the chance to review.

Review: This is a book that everyone who loves these genre should read. 

I found myself racing through this I just had to know what was going to happen next. It makes you stop and think, that you never know what is going on in other people's lives. 

An amazing book. I must read more by this author.

Lisa is a mum on the edge desperate to keep her daughter safe as strange things start happening, a rabbit toy, a song and photos going missing though she has normal worries like does Simon a friend she likes fancy her and is her daughter happy with her boyfriend.



Ava, Lisa's daughter isn't interested in Courtney fully though as she agrees to meet a stranger online. Saving a life could cost her hers, as well as her baby's.



Marylin works with Lisa and lives with her abusive husband, Richard.



Only as events resurface from the past and Lisa's actions, we learn of Charlotte, her younger self. Her sinister self and what she presumably did...



Ava hates her, Marylin moves on with Simon, Charlotte though needs to help the police find her daughter and fast, just who is B?



Jon the drunk ex, baby Crystal and Charlotte were once a family now it's all splintered, can anyone be saved now a body has been found and one's missing, tied up and drugged while the other's on the run...



Sinister happenings from the first chapter, thrilling developments and multiple identities mask the true culprit throughout the book to keep us guessing all the way till the end. You don't want to miss this as a mother fights to protect her child.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Wow!!! What a book! Sarah Pinborough has excelled with the storyline of this, there have been so many different angles it has kept me enraptured to the very last moment. #CrossHerHeart should be an essential read for all!

Gripping story. Proves that nobody knows everything about a person. What makes a person who they are?

A great read, although somewhat an well-worn storyline. A bit frantic towards the end, compared with the pace of the rest of the book.

My Review: I am a huge fan of Sarah Pinborough’s last book Behind Her Eyes and it went straight into my Top Ten books of 2016 even though it hadn’t been officially released until 2017. I am also a huge fan of psychological thrillers and therefore when I was given an Advanced Copy of Cross Your Heart I was a tad excited (actually I think I may have jumped up and down several times and punched the air in glee).

When I started this book I was in hospital having just had major surgery on my neck and maybe the morphine had something to do with my first impressions, but I will admit I was slightly disappointed. The start of the book seemed to me (as an avid psychological thriller fan) very similar to at least 3 other books I’ve recently enjoyed with the storyline, however there is a moment (and no I won’t tell you where) when this book flips you on your head and you can’t help thinking OMG I did NOT see THAT coming, and then the story really starts.

I won’t rehash the story here, but I will say that this book has so many twists and turns you end up slightly dizzy (although that may still be the morphine). With a story told through 3 fascinating characters points of view, alternating from past to present, Sarah Pinborough keeps the reader gripped and truly on their toes throughout.

A highly addictive, clever and fast paced psychological thriller with several OMG moments and enough red herrings to keep fans of this genre guessing throughout.

Lisa is protective of her daughter, Ava. Maybe over-protective. That’s what Ava thinks anyway. All Ava wants to do is spend time with her friends doing the sort of things other teenage girls do. She has a secret, though, and it is one that spells danger. Lisa, on the other hand, prefers to keep herself to herself, classing Marilyn, a work colleague, as her only friend. Both of these women also have secrets but which of them has a secret so dark that its discovery could change the life of everyone forever?

Sarah Pinborough’s previous book, Behind Her Eyes, was one of last year’s most talked about books, partly due to the #WTFthatending hashtag that was all over social media. It was a book that certainly divided opinion but as someone who really enjoyed it, I was excited to see what Sarah would come up with next.

Lisa and Marilyn are all incredibly flawed characters and it was easy to see how they found themselves drawn towards each other. While Marilyn’s secret is not too difficult to figure out, Lisa’s is truly shocking and not one I saw coming at all. This reveal turned the book on its head and made me question everything I had read. It is hard to say too much without giving away the plot but it is very clever writing from Sarah Pinborough to make you like and loathe a character at the same time.

Ava’s story was probably the one that disturbed me the most as, from the start, there was a sense of foreboding as she communicated with an unknown ‘friend’ on Facebook. Although it was inevitable that this liaison would come to no good, it was not in the way I expected. Another clever piece of writing that, once again, highlights the dangers of social media.

While Cross Her Heart does not make you gasp in the same way as Behind Her Eyes, there are definitely enough twists and turns to keep you guessing due to all of the secrets being kept by the three main protagonists. I loved how the author dropped in a bit of information almost in a blasé fashion, making me wonder if I’d somehow missed a bit of the plot, only for it to be addressed later.

‘Cross her Heart’, was one of those novels which just keeps giving. The enigmatic Lisa, the over protective mother who suffers from panic attacks and has frequent flashbacks to a mysterious past involving a toddler called Daniel. She has recourse to an elusive Alison, her confidant, her shrink, who knows? Well dear reader, you’ll have to delve further as the plot definitely thickens. What you’ll discover about Lisa and poor little Daniel will take your breath away! It doesn’t end there for we are caught up in a plot planned over many years to wreak revenge on Lisa for breaking her promise made decades ago.

Lisa, a single mother, is living with 16-year-old daughter Ava. Ava is at that rebellious age and feels smothered by her mother. She longs for more independence and to be treated as an adult. But Lisa has good reason to keep a watchful eye over her daughter - Lisa has a secret past; a past that needs to remain buried. When strange coincidences begin to occur, Lisa is terrified her past is catching up. Someone knows the truth and is going to make her pay.

Cross Her Heart is a very well constructed and executed psychological thriller. Without spoiling the plot, I couldn't help but compare it to a notoriously heartbreaking real-life tragedy which occurred in Britain 25 years ago. It's one of those books that slowly draws you in. The tension builds until you have to know how it's all going to end.

Lisa is excellently portrayed. She's a damaged soul who has successfully rebuilt her life. She has a nice home, a good career, a loyal best friend and a wealthy man interested in her romantically. Yet her past is always there; a constant reminder of her guilt and who she once was.

The book's pacing is bang on the money and I loved how the dual timeline of 'then' and 'now' fitted seamlessly together; each giving the reader snippets information to keep the suspense gradually mounting. The ending pulled all loose ends together but wasn't entirely unpredictable.

Overall, it was a very good read and has made me want to seek out more books by this author.

(My Amazon review links will be updated to NetGalley upon publication of the book).