Really good multi narrator thriller. Can someone really change over time, does their previous experience travel with them for life? Pinborough builds a complex plot and then moves it forward with skill to a neat closure. An author to follow.

Having read the marmite book which was Sarah Pinborough's Behind Her Eyes, with the #WTF ending, I really was interested to know how she was going to follow it up. Would it be as divisive with readers or would it be more mainstream? I dived in to find out...
The book is divided into 3 parts: Before, Now and After - but we start off, interestingly, with After.
"Don't come after me. Don't try and find me. Don't try and find us."
This made me want to find out who, why and where had they gone.
We then move on to the Now, where Lisa and her daughter Ava have a seemingly normal single parent - child relationship. Ava is 16 and pushing the boundaries of what her mum will allow her to do and where she can go; Lisa knows she has to let go of the apron strings but is too wary of what might happen. She knows Ava has a small, close group of friends from her swimming club and they are unlikely to do anything too outlandish as they need to train hard and keep fit for their swimming events. Apart from a couple of paranoid niggles all seems to be going well, as far as Lisa is concerned, until Ava is suddenly pushed into the media spotlight after diving into the river and saving a toddler from drowning. Then the world tips on its axis when the police arrive at the door.
At this point, we find out that the majority of the main characters in the story have secrets. Nobody seems to be who we have thought. A huge bombshell reveals that Lisa is in fact Charlotte, and there are shocking reasons as to her change of identity. Ava also has a former identity, and the facts behind this even shock her to her core.
Fortunately Lisa has made a close friend, Marilyn, and has started a new relationship with one of her new clients in her career, Simon. Both of them are sufficiently committed to her to be able to help her through some of her darkest days in recent years.
There are more shocking secrets to come out as the story unfolds. Sarah Pinborough manages to keep us turning pages at an ever increasing rate as the facts come tumbling out of the closet but I have to admit I had my suspicions regarding one of the characters at around the halfway point but I really hadn't joined up the dots sufficiently to work out exactly what their role was.
Brilliant writing from start to finish kept me invested in the story - definitely not as "weird" as the author's previous novel, there were a couple of coincidences and scenarios which tested credibility but nothing too questionable this time.
I will definitely be looking out for Sarah's next novel.

After the purely risible trash of the previous "adult" thriller from this author, comes another book that pitches a strong concept onto everyday, common-or-garden English characters. But it's still not exactly brilliant. Yes it becomes very good, but there is a lot to dislike about the opening third – the mother here is incessantly worrying about her daughter's safety, and telling us about it ad infinitum in all the chapters she narrates, while the sixteen year old concerned tells us how claustrophobic her mother is at every opportunity, and how all she wants to do is get her bones jumped by a mysterious ''him'' she's met online. That's not the whole of the plot, either, as the reason for the mother's insecurity, involving a dead toddler, and her best friend and colleague being a battered bride, all feature. Even petty office pilfering comes into play, all belaboured by the overwrought narrators. But if you get through that there are enough changes made, and enough high drama, to make you grateful for having stuck with it. The end result is a decent entertainment, but as far as final twists go, you'll have seen it coming from miles away. Three and a half stars.

I liked Behind Your Eyes, although I wasn't blown away by it like some other readers. I think Cross Her Heart is a weaker thriller that Sarah Pinborough rushed to release on the wave of success of her previous book. It is still well written, dark, engaging and very twisty... but the author's attempt to insert a shock element, which made Behind Her Eyes that special book which got everyone talking about, is obvious. I quite enjoyed reading Cross Her Heart, however some storylines were just ridiculous and the ending disappointing.

Having loved Behind Her Eyes, I was beyond excited to be able to read Cross Her Heart which was published last week. How would this new book measure up to the #WTFThatEnding hype of Behind Her Eyes? Well in my eyes, pretty good!! I think I actually enjoyed it even more and those of you who were disappointed by that book and felt a little cheated by it’s cross genre shocks, then I think you will feel much more comfortable with this more traditional psychological thriller. Don’t get me wrong, there are some major “WOW!” moments here and some shocks that will leave you spinning but there is definitely a more conventional vibe to the plot. It will certainly have you second guessing yourself as you get dragged into this dark and utterly terrifying storyline where you never quite know who you can trust.

I do adore an unreliable narrator especially when I’m not quite sure who it is! Here we are introduced to three women and the first part of this book covers their everyday lives. Lisa has a great job where she has just landed a new contract and possibly a new man at the same time. Her 16 year old daughter Ava has a boyfriend but seems to be enjoying an online flirtation with another man. Finally, there is Marilyn, Lisa’s oldest friend who is keeping a few secrets of her own! And they are all about to have their lives turned upside down by one unexpected and shocking moment.

I loved this book, it had everything I look for in a psychological thriller! It was dark, distinctly disturbing at times and I had no idea where it was heading!! Whilst I worked out one little bit of the resolution, there was so much more within this brilliant narrative to keep me turning those pages. But be warned there are some tough scenes to read in there and my own heart broke as I read them, leaving me confused as they completely turned around my feelings about one of the characters!! And don’t you just love it when that happens?!

Sarah Pinborough writes wonderfully engrossing portrayals of these women, bringing their conflicting emotions to the forefront of the storyline. And that turned one of the plot points into an impossible dilemma for me, especially as it contained an act of unspeakable evil and violence.

This is definitely a book that plays on your mind long after you’ve finished it. If you didn’t love Behind Her Eyes then please do try Cross Her Heart as it’s a very different style of book and as a lover of psychological thrillers, I really do rate it very highly!

Oh. My. God.

OK, so I am a genuine Sarah Pinborough fan. I’ve red Mayhem and Murder because historical crime fiction is *so* my bag. I read “Behind Her Eyes” a couple of years ago and despite having a slight inclination for Pinborough’s style and genre I was still pleasantly taken aback by that #WTFending. To say I have been waiting patiently for her next book would be an understatement. However Cross Her Heart is quite different to anything of Pinborough’s I’ve read yet.

he novel opens with a note ‘Don’t try and find us’ being left for an angry volatile man. At this point all we are aware of, is a sinister man in the background. The novel quickly introduces Lisa, Ava and Marilyn, with chapters told from each perspective. I found the mother and daughter relationship between Lisa and teen Ava fascinating. They have the usual, over protective mother and desperation to be and adult scenario.
Which all play out well, until small daily occurrences, start to set off Lisa and she doesn’t know who she can trust!

“In any gaggle of women, there’s always one you have to watch” – Marilyn

Marilyn has created the ‘perfect life’ which is far from perfect. Ava is trying hard to prove she can make adult choices, putting herself at serious risk. Lisa is trying to hold is all together. But they all have secrets, only some are more treacherous than others….

‘She is not the person she was then’

The complex mother and daughter stand-off, continually develops. Then one-day Ava saves a young boys life, leading to media attention and a plot explosion I never saw coming. It is at this point that the novel timeline changes and we get to see everyone’s secrets laid bare. By 150 pages in, I was absolutely engrossed in the plot and the characters. Sarah Pinborough really has excelled herself, yet again!

There are themes of jealousy, secrets, childhood trauma, revenge, scheming and rejection. The little twists build and build, keeping you constantly guessing and increasing the suspense with every page.

Cross Her Heart is a gripping thriller written from multiple female view points. It focuses on Lisa, a single mother who is overtly paranoid about the past catching up with her. We also hear from her angsy teenager daughter Ava, and her best friend Marilyn who is hiding her own secrets. I thought all the characters in the book were really fleshed out and whilst I couldn't necessarily relate to any of them, I enjoyed seeing the world from their vantage points.

Having read both Behind Her Eyes and now Cross Her Heart I have to be honest and say that Sarah Pinborough does not always base her books in reality. Whilst this is a little more grounded than Behind Her Eyes (which I did also really like) there were a lot of things I was incredible skeptical of. But regardless of that, I thought this book was gripping, if not a little too fast paced in some places. I still ended the book with some questions, and maybe that's because I felt like the last 1/5th of the book was rushed, the build up was so well constructed that I wanted the ending to be played out a little more carefully.

I'll definitely be looking forward to seeing what else Sarah Pinborough comes up with in the future!

A well written book that starts off as a nice tale of teenage friends that soon changes with twists and suspicion. This is the first book I have read by this author but will not be the last

This is a good book well written and it’s keeps you turning the pages. I can’t say I enjoyed it thoughas some of subject matters covered are quite disturbing at times. However it’s well executed and the plots has lots of twists

Cross Her Heart has atmosphere and mystery within its pages and I found myself gripped by the plot. Sarah Pinborough does a great job of making you think one way about a character before suddenly surprising you, and though I don't want to give too much away, I will say this is satisfyingly twisty.

The characters are a mixed bag of likable and annoying, but they all felt convincing and interesting to read about. For example, Ava - just through being a stroppy teenage girl - did get on my nerves at times, but you understand why she acts the way she does sometimes and you do feel like she could be one of many teenagers struggling with hormones etc! Meanwhile I really warmed to both Lisa and her best friend Marilyn but each had their own faults, too. You're never quite sure who is telling the truth, and I always love a story that makes you doubt everyone, including the main narrator!

There are some really upsetting themes in this novel - again, I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just say that some parts make for hard reading but they do add to the tension. Secrets and lies feature heavily, as does family strife!

I really enjoyed reading Cross Her Heart, and would definitely recommend Sarah Pinborough as an author - the other two books I've read by her, 13 Minutes and Behind Her Eyes, were brilliant reads! It's gripping, intriguing and the plot kept me turning page after page!

A captivating book full of secrets, twists and turns. An emotional, exciting book. Brilliantly written with fantastic characters.

Another cracker from Sarah Pinborough; this is smart, tense and full of twists. I just had to keep reading to see if I knew where the story was going. I loved how the book was written, giving the central characters their own voice and drip feeding clues as secrets were revealed. I can't wait to see what the author does next.

Free copy kindly received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read Thirteen minutes by Sarah Pinborough a little while ago and thoroughly enjoyed it so I was looking forward to reading this book. It certainly didn't disappoint.
It was a very engaging read right from the start, with so many layers within the story that kept me guessing until the end.
I loved the way the book jumped between POV's and between the past and present. It all helped build the story and flowed beautifully.
The book really played with my emotions and my empathy towards the characters changed regularly as well.
It's the best thriller I've read in quite a while.

Quite a page turner. I had to stop myself speedreading towards the end as the tension gathered pace. The story is told by three women, Lisa, her daughter Ava and Lisa’s best friend Marilyn. It is a dark tale of murder, madness and child abuse with plenty of twists and turns along the way.

This was a fantastic book and I was gripped from the start, I’ve done nothing but read the last two days and I found this to be compelling and gripping. The characters jump off the page and the plot draws you in and surprises you when you least expect it! Fantastic!

Sarah Pinborough's last novel 'Behind Her Eyes' divided opinion with its surprise ending - some hated it, others, like me, loved it. So knowing I was trapped for a 13 hour flight, I dived into 'Cross Her Heart' and had finished by the time we landed.
 
Lisa is always looking over her shoulder waiting for her past to catch up with her. Her teenage daughter Ava is waking up to womanhood and is a bundle of hormones experimenting with sex; of course keeping as much of this part of her life hidden from her mother as possible. Ava's father isn't on the scene and when strange things start to happen, such as a familiar Peter Rabbit toy turning up, Lisa starts to become more and more paranoid and is determined to protect her daughter from the danger she believes is lurking behind every corner.
 
Marilyn, Lisa's best friend from work is a rock to Lisa and Ava, and continually reassures Lisa that all is going to be ok. She knows something isn't quite right, but has absolutely no clue of the actual scale of the deception she's caught up in.
 
Cross Her Heart is a very fast moving novel with themes of secrets and lies running strongly throughout and a strong, surprising concept that leads to a great twist fairly early on. This gave me high hopes for the rest of the book, but in truth, I found the ending a bit too far fetched and the last 10% too packed. I am sure, however, that it won’t stop many readers from thoroughly enjoying this book. As always with this author, the writing is excellent, and the characters are believable – often flawed and not always likeable.

Sarah Pinborough has become one of those writers whose new book jumps right up my to-be-read pile to the top. On a fine sunny Saturday I sat out in the garden and devoured her newest book, Cross Her Heart.

This is gripping psychological suspense, with twists and turns galore, but enough clues to give the reader a chance to draw conclusions as to what is happening.

Lisa is a single mother with a good job, a best friend, a lovely daughter, and a secret.

Ava is a teenage girl with a protective mother, a group of friends from her swimming club, a boyfriend, and a secret.

But secrets have a habit of not staying secret, and the past doesn't always stay buried...

This is the second book I’ve read that has the same central premise to the plot which I just found too far fetched.
I quite enjoyed the book for the most part, although the language used by all of the characters annoyed me at times, I just didn’t see any need.
It was the final reveal, however, that spoiled it for me.
My thanks to Netgalley for this copy.

Thanks to Cross Her Heart, I now know what people mean when they say they have a "book hangover".  *nurses head*

I persevered in finishing reading this book, but found it all rather too far fetched. I would not recommend this book to others.