Title: Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
Lisa is living a lie and everyone is about to find out.
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.
But when her daughter rescues a boy from drowning and their pictures are all over the news for everyone to see, Lisa’s world explodes.
As she finds everything she has built threatened, and not knowing who she can trust, it’s up to Lisa to face her past in order to save what she holds dear.
But someone has been pulling all their strings. And that someone is determined that both Lisa and Ava must suffer.
Because long ago Lisa broke a promise. And some promises aren’t meant to be broken.
Review:
Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough is an enthralling, twist-filled mystery with a cast of characters who are keeping explosive secrets.
Lisa Buckridge is a hard-working single mum to sixteen year old Ava. Lisa keeps to herself and in fact, she only has one close friend, co-worker Marilyn Hussey. Lisa adores her daughter and she constantly worries about Ava’s safety. With Ava getting older, she knows she needs to loosen the apron strings but this is easier said than done. Lisa does not discuss her past but after Ava makes a heroic rescue, the resulting media attention exposes her secrets. The revelation completely upends her life and her relationships with Ava and Marilyn but Lisa cannot shake the unnerving feeling that there is more to the current events than meets the eye. Will her suspicions be proven right?
Ava is a typical teen who is ready to stretch her wings. Her once close relationship with her mum is fraught with tension as Ava pulls away and holds her secrets close. She has a close-knit set of friends she hangs out with and she has been quietly dating for the past couple of months. However, the most troubling new development in Ava’s life is her growing relationship with a stranger who friended her on Facebook. In the aftermath of the disclosure about her mum’s past, this friendship becomes her sole focus as Ava’s relationship with Lisa deteriorates.
Lisa is so wrapped up in her own troubles that she is not as attentive to Marilyn as she usually is. She notices that something is a little off with her friend, but Marilyn deliberately downplays her friend’s concern. Marilyn does not want anyone, including Lisa, to know that her private life is in shambles and she has not yet worked out how to fix things. However, after Lisa’s life implodes, Marilyn is blindsided by the shocking news and she has a hard time reconciling this information with the person she is friends with. As the situation with Lisa worsens, will Marilyn push aside her misgivings and trust what her instincts are telling her?
Although a bit slow-paced in the beginning, Cross Her Heart is an engrossing mystery that is impossible to put down. Finding out the truth about Lisa’s past, the identity of Ava’s mysterious friend and Marilyn’s secret keeps the pages turning at a blistering pace. With some fantastic twists and far-fetched turns, Sarah Pinborough brings this intriguing mystery to an edge of the seat, thrilling conclusion. An absolutely riveting and suspenseful read that fans of the genre do not want to miss!
