Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this E ARC!

This book was a delight to read, I much enjoy dark gritty books filled with magic and diverse characters!

I am not usually a YA reader, but I am a fan of books that deal with witchcraft, thanks to Alice Hoffman, so I decided to take a chance with Our Crooked Hearts.

Melissa Albert weaves vivid storytelling with dark subjects that instantly drew me in and kept me engaged until the end. I did not feel like I was reading a YA book, this could have easily been an adult book told from a teen's perspective. The dark elements that are in the book helped propel it into the adult world.

I actually listened to the audio of the book and enjoyed the narration of the two readers, Chloe Cannon and Emma Galvin, they added to the suspense and the intensity of the entire story and kept the pace at an enjoyable pace.

Told in dual timelines " in the city/back then " and " the suburbs/right now " the story is a look at a mother-daughter relationship. A coming of age for a teenager trying to become her own person away from her parent all wrapped in witchcraft. It is a creepy mix of mystery and thriller with plenty of sinister, dark, witchy fun

3.5 stars, rounded down
I experienced this book partially as an audiobook narrated by Emma Galvin and Chloe Cannon, and partially in print. I rate the audiobook as 4 stars because the narrators are superb and truly drew me into this surprising, creepy story.

This is a YA story told in two timelines--one in the present with Ivy, who sees a mysterious girl in the woods while coming home from a party, and one in the past featuring Ivy's mother Dana as a teen and young adult. Dana has a twisted past that comes out as the timeline progresses, and Ivy trying to unravel what happened to her as a child and now.

This is a tale full of witchcraft and an eerie unveiling of events. I know I'm dating myself, but this book reminded me quite a bit of The Watcher in the Woods, both the book and the movie. I was intrigued and entertained from start to finish, but I didn't find anything particularly groundbreaking here.

Something that really grated on me while reading the print version was the overuse of the word "gonna". When listening to the book, it didn't stand out quite as much as it did on the page, because sometimes it was used two or three times within just a couple of pages. It's a small thing, but towards the end it was quite noticeable.

Overall, it's a great story though and if you like creepy witchcraft tales, this will definitely be one for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a spooky, witchy tale. The layers within this book were great and kept me guessing throughout the book. This book was a great read and Melissa Albert has become one of my new favorite authors.

I went into listening to Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert not really knowing what to expect and it hooked me right away! The plot was incredibly intriguing and caught my interest from the very first chapter. This contemporary paranormal fantasy story was mysterious and magical in all the best ways. The pacing was excellent for a YA novel, with lots of action and forward momentum to keep the reader craving more. It is told through dual timelines which were masterfully interwoven and both equally engaging.

Something that I absolutely adored about this book was the exploration of Ivy and Dana’s mother-daughter relationship. This story, at its core, is about a mother and a daughter working through their differences and finding a way back to one another. It was such a tender story and one that resonated deeply with me as a reader who experienced some rough teen years with her mom but was able to mend the relationship. I found it very refreshing to read a YA fantasy where the romance was not a central theme. This book does have a minor romance plot, however that in no way overshadows the female relationships that make this book so special.

I really think this story will be impactful for young women who need to see healthy female friendships, families working through conflict, and men appreciating women who are more powerful than they are. There are some dark themes and I do think this book leans toward the upper YA, category.

As far as audiobooks go, I felt this story lent very well to the format! I really enjoyed listening to it and was able to track with the plot fairly easily. Ivy’s narration was good, however Dana’s was spectacular, I loved the emotion that was expressed in each of her chapters.

After finishing, I suffered from a major book hangover because all I wanted was to find another story just like this one. I will definitely be checking out Albert’s backlist and watching for what she puts out next!

Wowowow. This book was so good!!! I didn’t want it to end. It was Practical Magic meets The Craft and I was obsessed.

As much as I loved Dana and the backstory, I couldn’t get enough of Ivy’s story. I was fully invested in all parts of the story. The Who, the what, the why.

This story was fantasy meets just a kiss of horror/ thriller. It’s classified as YA, but honestly I feel it will bode well across the board of ages.

10/10. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. It’s a book I will definitely buy and recommend any chance I get.

Thanks so so much NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ARC!

I really wanted to love this one, but I just couldn’t get into it. I don’t know if it was because it was audio, but I couldn’t focus and kept restarting it. I was lost and confused by the premises and didn’t understand the point of the book.

If you’re a big fan of witchy stories or if you’re looking for a kind of creepy read for Halloween, it’s likely you’ll enjoy this book.

Otherwise, I’d say give it a pass. For the most part, it was fine. I guess what disappointed me the most is that it started off really strong, but it didn’t stay that way.

As for the audiobook, the narrator for Ivy was truly outstanding. She completely crushed it as narrators go. But the narrator for Dana was not nearly as good. Because of this reason, I can’t recommend the audiobook.

Unfortunately I can’t quote any lines because I don’t have the final copy in front of me but there’s just something about Melissa Albert’s wording that’s just so right. On my first listen of the audiobook, I connected to the mother, Dana. On the second listen, I connected to the daughter, Ivy. On the third listen, I wanted to quote it like Rocky Horror. This dual timeline story is about witchcraft but at its heart is the relationship between a mother and her daughter. This was my introduction to Melissa Albert and now I have to go back to The Hazel Wood, but you my reader need to read “ Our Crooked Hearts” by Melissa Albert. Add it to your TBR list, you won’t be disappointed. Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and FlatIron books for the audiobook ARC.

The premises of the story was a bit exhausted. The mother-daughter's turbulent relationship due to a secret. A magical mistake with repercussions, etc. etc. I wasn't too interested and I did drift away while listening

I did enjoy that two narrators were used to narrate the two timelines.

Thank you #NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to this.

I really struggled to get through this book and in the end it was a DNF. I think that maybe it just wasn’t a good match for me. I love the cover, the description appealed to me, the book started off strong but by 50 or so pages in when the story started jumping back and forth from point of views I felt lost. The many metaphors didn’t help either, I so wanted to love this book but just couldn’t.

I wasn’t sure what I was getting into, I loved The Hazel Wood, but I just couldn’t get into The Night Country. Our Crooked was amazing. Very different then most YA books, I’ve read recently. The perspective from both a young and older view hooked me.

I received this audiobook ARC free from Netgalley & the publisher. This is my honest opinions of the book.

This audiobook was slightly confusing in the beginning. There is multiple time lines going on. If you have problems following timelines, I would recommend that you physically read the book instead of the option audiobooks.

But once I got further in the book, it started to make sense and I begin to enjoy the book and was curious of how it was going to end. So don’t give up if you’re confused!

As a fan of Albert's Hazel Wood books, I was excited to read her latest entry. And, luckily, I was not disappointed. If you love magical stories that tackle real-world problems with plenty of lyrical writing, this is the book for you.

The book follows seventeen-year-old Ivy who is struggling to find her place in the world. She is not quite sure who she is or what she wants to do, and her life is further complicated by a seemingly distant mother who does not want anything to do with her. When dead rabbits start appearing in the neighborhood, her mother starts acting strange and Ivy is determined to figure out what is going on. Soon after, both Ivy's mother and aunt go missing and Ivy is forced to confront the secrets of her mother's past.

Albert skillfully maneuvers her characters through a world that is neither black and white nor good and evil. This book is perfect for an older YA or adult audience looking for a little more nuance in their magical books.

Witches, magic, mystery, a touch of horror, and a little romance sprinkled in, this book felt like The Craft with an added bonus. I really enjoyed the moody atmosphere, and the always present sense of danger in these two stories that jumped back and forth. Although I thought the ending was a little bit anti-climactic, Our Crooked Hearts definitely scratched that witchy, menacing itch I was having. This will make a fantastic fall read.

The two audiobook narrators did a great job. Emma Galvin can tend to have a little bit of a repetitive cadence, but she also does a good job of sounding like she’s actually in high school. So I still like her voice. I just wish she showed a little bit more emotion. Chloe Cannon was fantastic.

I thought Our Crooked Hearts was going to be really good based on the description of the book, I was a little disappointed after listening to the audiobook version though. The storyline itself was decent, I did enjoy parts of it and at times I was left wanting more, the overall story however, I was left unsatisfied. The ending especially didn't have enough for me. I was waiting for a more action packed ending but instead got a much lighter version and I felt like it ended abruptly. I also wanted to give my opinion of the performance of the audiobook itself, I found myself having to turn up and down the volume because the performers voices were so different and one was louder and one was very quiet. I didn't like that much either. Overall Our Crooked Hearts was a decent book, but since it left me feeling disappointed, I can't recommend it as anything more than that.

Spooky and enjoyable new story from the author of The Hazelwood series. An easy book to recommend to readers looking for a dramatic scare.

I thought I was going to love this book, but it just fell really flat. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters and I didn't feel invested in the story. Overall I just didn't enjoy this book and probably wouldn't recommend it.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story and I finished it in a day! This was a riveting, magical story that was a little weird, creepy, ominous and just so entertaining. Ivy and Dana characters are well developed and the plot was gripping until the very end, the story shows us that life can be messy and adding magic into it, it gets crazier. This is a must read.

4.5 Stars - Loved this YA witchy read! The story unfolds in two timelines: in the present day, through 17-year-old Ivy, and in the past, through her 16-year-old mothers eyes. This is a well paced dark fantasy, and the dual timelines work well together presenting the family history and mystery to the reader.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Chloe Cannon and Emma Galvin, who were both excellent. It was easy to follow the two timelines with the different narration styles.

Great read - especially recommended for those who like dark fantasy, witches, or even mother-daughter relationships/dynamics.