I have always enjoyed JD Barker's stories. While this one is a bit of a sci-fi story which isn't my favorite, this one had enough of murder, mystery and wonderful characters to keep my attention throughout the entire book. There are some things in the story that deals with adult content, so if that isn't your thing, you might want to skip over them, but it does add to the story in my opinion. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from Net Galley.

A Haunting read which thrilled me to no end. The story was quite twisted and long. It was about a boy and a girl who met in a cemetery, and their story spanned 30 years over 750 pages.

A character driven prose, the author was simply captivating in the way he had written this complex tale filled with suspense and horror. Emotions coursed through me as I kept turning pages, some of them caused me goosebumps. The mysterious D added to the creepy aura of the story.

Detailed and mysterious, the story spanned different genre, and I was blown away by the sheer talent of this author in the way he gave equal importance to each aspect.

It was a thriller at the core of it and quite a one of its kind. Wow!!

What happens when you mix Great Expectations with a bit of early Stephen King and a handful of Robin Cook? She has a Broken Thing Where her Heart Should Be, of course. A totally effective mashing of all my favorite 1980s books with the 1861 Dickens tale. I guarantee you have never read anything like it before.

I suggest you just request this book (it’s on Kindle Unlimited too) right now. Don’t wait! Don’t read a summary or review. A great experience is awaiting you! Okay, you might want to read the excellent graphic novel adaptation of Great Expectations by Manga Classics first or the Wikipedia plot summary. But immediately afterwards, read this book. You won’t be sorry and its almost 800 pages fly by because you won’t want it to end. 5 enthusiastic stars!

Thanks to Hampton Creek Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

The book was very good from start to near the end. But God that ending was so cheesy. The Guardians of the Galaxy style ending is example of sloppy writing.

The writer is not so creative to come up with that kind of ending. Sorry I didn't like that ending.

Weird, suspenseful, and intriguing! Starts out kind of slow but builds steam along the way and becomes quite explosive toward the end. An ominous corporation, evil experiments, strange and mysterious people, unusual creepy deaths . . . and a love story! Great character development with a tale that spans many years.

I had no idea how massive of a tale this was when I first picked it up. Wow! Not only is it a tome of a book but it a saga of a story. It is centered around Dickens’s Great Expectations and the two main characters are Jack/Pip and Stella. As Barker weaves the story around an early meeting between these two as young children on August 8th and then almost yearly thereafter, you get the story of each of their lives throughout childhood and into adulthood.
This is a fantastical story that is also a romance and thriller and suspense in one. There is something for almost every reader and it is brilliant and intriguing throughout.
I highly recommend this. It is entertaining throughout and keeps you guessing.
Thank you for the early copy #Netgalley #HamptonCreekPress #SheHasABrokenThingWhereHerHeartShouldBe

EXCERPT: Pittsburgh had a lot of cemeteries. This particular one, All Saints Hollow, was one of the largest.

The mausoleums.

I didn't much like the mausoleums.

When we drove by a cemetery, Auntie Jo said you're always supposed to hold your breath to keep the spirits of the dead from finding you. I'm not sure why this rule didn't apply when you were actually in the cemetery, but if it applied anywhere, it would be at the mausoleums. The air was still here. I pictured the dead peeking out from the cracks in the stone, bony hands ready to reach out and snatch unsuspecting little boys, pulling us into those squat structures, never to be seen again.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: After the loss of his parents, young Jack Thatch first met Stella as a child—this cryptic little girl of eight with dark hair and darker eyes, sitting alone on a bench in the cemetery clutching her favorite book. Gone moments later, the brief encounter would spark an obsession. She'd creep into his thoughts, his every waking moment, until he finally finds her again exactly one year later, sitting upon the same bench, only to disappear again soon after.

The body of a man found in an alley, every inch of his flesh horribly burned, yet his clothing completely untouched. For Detective Faustino Brier, this wasn't the first, and he knew it wouldn't be the last. It was no different from the others. He'd find another just like it one year from today. August 9, to be exact.

Isolated and locked away from the world in a shadowy lab, a little boy known only as Subject "D" waits, grows, learns. He's permitted to speak to no one. He has never known the touch of another. Harboring a power so horrific, those in control will never allow him beyond their walls.

All of them linked in ways unimaginable.

MY THOUGHTS: When I read the promotional blurb for this book, 'SHE HAS A BROKEN THING WHERE HER HEART SHOULD BE conjures thoughts of early King and Koontz. A heart-pounding ride that creeps under your skin and will have you turning pages long into the night.', I thought 'Yeah, right.' I had not been having a good run with my reading. Nothing seemed to satisfy me. But this did.

I was consumed by it. I woke in the early hours of the morning after dreaming of Jack and Stella, and cemeteries, and read through the remainder of the night until it was finished with me.

And the blurb is right. She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be, is reminiscent of early King and Koontz. 'As the older woman turned, as she spun around, the wind caught the edge of her coat and I saw something beneath it, an image that is still as clear as day in my mind; the barrel of a shotgun resting against her leg.' .... 'The Gunslinger' was the first thing I thought of. But it is also so much more...there really is nothing to compare this to. It is in a class of its own.

Yes, this is horror, but it is plausible. Do we know what trials/medical experiments are/were being carried out? No, we only know what we are told. And as my favourite uncle was fond of saying, believe nothing of what you hear, and only half of what you see.

Although the main theme is horror, there's more. Barker writes with a tongue in cheek humour-
'What don't you do while I'm gone?'
'Open the door.'
'Except for the pizza guy.'
'Except for the pizza guy.'.....'What if the pizza guy is an axe wielding murderer and he wants to chop me into little pieces?'
'Well then, don't tip him.'

There is romance, and coming to grips with the reality of life and death, and adventure and heartbreak and action all wrapped into one package. And it works, brilliantly. I have in the past, and very recently, criticised authors for trying to pack too many genres into their work, of trying to be too many things to their readers. Barker proves that it can be done, and very successfully.

There are a lot of characters in this book, and yet it is surprisingly easy to keep track of them. Some of them are very ordinary, some are strange, and others just downright weird. All have depth and all, strangely, feel very real.

This book is eerie, and weird. It is enthralling and compelling. It will stay with me for a long time. I will especially remember it whenever I see a white SUV. This is a book that is going on my favourites shelf, and one that will be reread.

❤😱😱😱❤

#SheHasABrokenThingWhereHerHeartShouldBe #NetGalley

'The light of morning reached through my window and tried to grab me under my mound of blankets.'

'She wore her uniform like a hanger with feet.'

'Potential parents paraded through in search of a good find, not unlike bargain shoppers at a yard sale.'

'You don't answer any of my questions.'.....'Maybe you should stop asking questions.'

And one quote that I think is particularly pertinent right now:'Of all things, I believe I'll miss the night sky the most. The absolute vastness of it, the unknown. While we're down here, fighting our pesky little battles, we're really just a little speck on the shoe of the universe. Any problem life may present seems so small, so insignificant, when you simply look up and realise your true place in all things.'

THE AUTHOR: J.D. Barker is the international best-selling author of numerous novels, including DRACUL and THE FOURTH MONKEY. He is currently collaborating with James Patterson. His novels have been translated into two dozen languages and optioned for both film and television. Barker resides in coastal New Hampshire with his wife, Dayna, and their daughter, Ember.

A note from J.D.
As a child I was always told the dark could not hurt me, that the shadows creeping in the corners of my room were nothing more than just that, shadows. The sounds nothing more than the settling of our old home, creaking as it found comfort in the earth only to move again when it became restless, if ever so slightly. I would never sleep without closing the closet door, oh no; the door had to be shut tight. The darkness lurking inside needed to be held at bay, the whispers silenced. Rest would only come after I checked under the bed at least twice and quickly wrapped myself in the safety of the sheets (which no monster could penetrate), pulling them tight over my head.

I would never go down to the basement.

Never.

I had seen enough movies to know better, I had read enough stories to know what happens to little boys who wandered off into dark, dismal places alone. And there were stories, so many stories.

Reading was my sanctuary, a place where I could disappear for hours at a time, lost in the pages of a good book. It didn’t take long before I felt the urge to create my own.

I first began to write as a child, spinning tales of ghosts and gremlins, mystical places and people. For most of us, that’s where it begins—as children we have such wonderful imaginations, some of us have simply found it hard to grow up. I’ve spent countless hours trying to explain to friends and family why I enjoy it, why I would rather lock myself in a quiet little room and put pen to paper for hours at a time than throw around a baseball or simply watch television. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I want to do just that, sometimes I wish for it, but even then the need to write is always there in the back of my mind, the characters are impatiently tapping their feet, waiting their turn, wanting to be heard. I wake in the middle of the night and reach for the pad beside my bed, sometimes scrawling page after page of their words, their lives. Then they’re quiet, if only for a little while. To stop would mean madness, or even worse—the calm, numbing sanity I see in others as they slip through the day without purpose. They don’t know what it’s like, they don’t understand. Something as simple as a pencil can open the door to a new world, can create life or experience death. Writing can take you to places you’ve never been, introduce you to people you’ve never met, take you back to when you first saw those shadows in your room, when you first heard the sounds mumbling ever so softly from your closet, and it can show you what uttered them. It can scare the hell out of you, and that’s when you know it’s good.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hampton Creek Press (IBPA) via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be by J.D. Barker. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

J D Barker has received praise from a variety of established names and it is not hard to see why. This book is over 700 pages long and is all the better for this. The novel spans many decades and follows the life of the orphan Jack and his quest to be reunited with Stella who he meets at a young age. The supporting cast of characters also add an impressive depth to this brilliant tale. A shadowy organisation and things that are not as they seem are just part of the story

Charles Dickens is one of my favourite authors and there are many nods to the great man’s work in this tale and in particular Great Expectations. However, even if you have never read Dickens this will still be a great read.

I cannot recommend this novel highly enough (5/5) and hope that it goes on to be a huge success. I will be watching JD Barker closely. He has been likened to Dean Koontz and Stephen King and having read this it is not hard to see why.

Would I recommend this book to friends, family or anyone else? Certainly yes.

Would I read anything else by this author? Definitely yes.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in return for a fair review.

Wow! Talk about an edge of your seat book! This book drew me in right from the beginning. I’d love to have the characters evolved throughout the story. I also loved the story line. The only reason I gave this book a four was it because I felt like it drug on in some places. If you are a person who likes suspense with a little bit of mystery and action, then you will love this book. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

She had a broken thing where her heart should be by J.D Barker.
After the loss of his parents, young Jack Thatch first met Stella as a child--this cryptic little girl of eight with dark hair and darker eyes, sitting alone on a bench in the cemetery clutching her favorite book. Gone moments later, the brief encounter would spark an obsession. She'd creep into his thoughts, his every waking moment, until he finally finds her again exactly one year later, sitting upon the same bench, only to disappear again soon after.
A very good read. Very long though. Little slow in places. 4*.

This book!!!!!! If Stephen King and Justin Cronin had a love child this would be it.

On August 8th eight-year-old Jack Thatch meets Stella while he is visiting his deceased parents grave. Upon this meeting Jack becomes enamored with Stella and thinks about this strange girl every day thereafter with a hope to see her again. One full year later Jack once again encounters Stella in the graveyard.

Meanwhile “Subject D” is being held in a lab where his power is being studied and he is not permitted to speak to anyone…………

This is a hard book to review as I do not want to give away any of the details since they are all so essential to the story. I don't remember the last time I have flown through an almost 800-page book. This book was suspenseful and yet was packed with so much love. I did not want to put this one down and I feel a strong book hangover now. J.D. Barker, you are brilliant!!!!

This book was released on Tuesday, March 30th.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Hampton Creek Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book!

Boy meets girl. in a cemetery. Moments later, she's driven away in a white SUV.

One year later, the same boy, sees the same girl, in the same spot.

Is this The Portrait of Jennie? NO. This is a multi-layed, sci-fi, horror, thriller, mystery----a completely original work of art.

I love J.D. Barker and this book only increases that love.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and J.D. for the opportunity to read this book.

At almost 800 pages, I thought this book would be slow and drag on. This book was one of those that really grabbed me from page one and did not let go until I was done. A truly compelling read! Absolutely amazing! This book had everything I wanted in a good story—strong characterization and a fast-paced, twisty plot. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hampton Creek Press and J.D. Barker for a copy of "She Has a Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be" in exchange of an honest review.

Wow! This book is just wonderfully weird! I loved it. J.D.Barker is a genius. This book twists and turns and is a rollercoaster ride.
Highly recommend. Thanks Netgalley for my ARC copy in return for my honest review. Amazing!!!

She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be fits into several different categories of fiction: horror, suspense, science fiction, mystery, and romance. As such, it caught and held my attention on so many different levels. The novel follows Jack, Stella, and Subject “D” from the time that they are eight years old and continuing on until they are in their thirties and forties. Gradually they figure out the connection they have to each other and why. The final parts build in suspense until the novel reaches a very surprising outcome. And then there’s the last chapter . . . .

Running throughout the novel are references to and quotes from Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations and comparisons are made to several of the characters therein. (For example, Stella refers to Jack as Pip.)

This book is long (774 pages) but the story flows and before I knew it I was approaching the end. I had to read Parts Four, Five, and Six straight through, well into the early morning hours, to find out all the connections, both good and bad and how everything ultimately fit into place. I really enjoyed this imaginative story and I highly recommend it.

Super creepy. Better to read it during the day. Will have chills crawling up and down your spine. Want something different? Absolutely pick up this amazing book. Happy reading!

Unique, captivating and hard to put down. All of the characters are so well developed you feel as if they are friends. The two main characters, Jack and Stella, meet each other on a bench in a graveyard when they are 8. Their story continues until the age of 16 when Jack starts to learn Stella is magical in more than one way. The story starts to unnravel and slowly reveal itself. It is an extremely long book (almost 800 pages) but this one was a smooth read that draws you in from the beginning with a page-flipping abandon.. A cleverly crafted tale of friendship, love and coming of age. My first J.D. Barker and it won't be my last!

As a fan of Barker’s previous books I was looking forward to this one.
I didn’t realise it was so long (nearly 800 pages) but the time flew by.
The story starts in 1984 and takes us up to the present day. We follow Jack from age 8 on his journey through life and hear about his Auntie Jo who he lives with. Every year on August 8th, they visit his parents graves in the cemetery and this is where he meets Stella.
After the first time of seeing her Jack goes back to the cemetery several times but she’s only ever there on August 8th.
Stella is very mysterious and Jack is mesmerised by her the moment he meets her. She never gives him an answer to his questions so I think this adds to his yearning to see her again each year, to find out more about her.
There’s also a body found every year on this date which has been burnt to a crisp, but the clothes are untouched. Is this something to do with Stella?
Stella seems to have her own entourage but Jack realises some years later they are not to be messed with.
There is lots happening in this book and I loved the way it all slowly unravelled.
Yes it’s a long book, but it’s worth it.
Thanks to Hampton Creek Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

All I can say is Wow!!
Stella's touch can kill things and people. JD Barker's touch turns everything into gold. What
an absorbing and amazing book!

It is very different from the 4MK series (which is still my favourite series to date) but after reading the authors notes I can understand the need to write this book and all I can say is I salute you, Mr Barker.

It is a story of loss, sacrifice and ultimately of love. Because love can conquer all. It is a story that will make you sad at times and grind your teeth at other times. The characters are so well developed it feels like you know them personally.

An amazing and masterful piece of art.

Thank you to NetGalley
and Hampton Creek Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

I would first like to say that after the 4MK series I will read anything from J.D. Barker! I really enjoyed this novel. I had no idea what I was in for and I'm super glad I didn't read the synopsis so I won't say too much. But this book has action, love, and mystery. Very few times did I feel like this book was too long which I rare for a book of this size. With Stephen King I constantly feel like his books could be shorter but I only felt that once or twice and only for a short time. I absolutely reccomend this book!