Sarah Pinborough | CROSS HER HEART

Plot (via Goodreads):

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.

Review:

OH MY GOD! I absolutely loved Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough when I read it last year and this novel was high on my TBR (to-be-read) list for September. The minute I read the plot, I knew I needed this novel in my hands. Like, this is novel you admire before you even get to read it. The cover is absolutely stunning and even though this is only my second Pinborough novel, it's the kind of book you cherish every single word and really take your time reading. Luckily for me, I started this one on a Sunday and could really allow myself to be abducted by Pinborough's dazzling writing and kept me under her spell for hours. It was a glorious reading experience that will stick with me for a long time. 

Now the plot to this one starts off a little slow when it comes to pacing, but don't fret because Pinborough gives the reader an excellent plot told through the eyes of such fantastically written characters that I forgot I was reading a psychological thriller at first. Told through the eyes of three amazingly written women, I was simply hooked on their lives and interactions with each other, but in the back of my mind I had heightened sense that something was brewing that even the most accomplished reader couldn't even begin to dream up. Part One of this novel really gives you a great deal as to the current lives of these women and where they are at in life and what they are going through personally and I just simply adored them for who they are. The teenage girl in this novel is aggressive and full of teen angst, but you really still care for her and her mother and her mothers best friend flaws and all. Then Part Two happens and all hell breaks lose. 

Reading this novel was like being slapped in the face with information and a genius backstory in the best way possible. I didn't know what was happening, what was going to happen, or where this story was going at any point during my reading experience. It was suspenseful, psychologically addictive, and completely engrossing. This story is harrowing, suspenseful, and masterful. Between the current plot, the backstory that the reader just doesn't see coming, and the anxiety that filled me as I realized this was all going to come to a head and blow my mind was just overwhelming in the most illustrious way possible. I will say I loved this read so much and enjoyed it even more than her previous novel, but there was one revelation that kind of made me raise an eyebrow that I thought could have been alleviated and maybe done in a different way. Regardless, I loved this novel and I cannot wait to see where Sarah Pinborough goes next. Believe me, whatever journey she is on, I will be the first to buy a ticket and enjoy the ride.

Special thanks to William Morrow for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4.5/5