"The Wrong Heart" is painful, intense, and sexy. Right from the beginning the story had me crying. Melody and Parker had great chemistry. The healing process for both of these characters was beautiful and important. Hartmann wanted you to feel these characters, and I truly did. The plot was done well. I've never read any of Hartmann's books, but I think this was a great introduction to her work. Now, I am intrigued. I want to see how far Jennifer Hartmann's writing can go. The topics are sensitive ones so look up trigger warnings.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

This was my second read from Jennifer and I am hooked. This story was one of grief, pain, and trying to find your way out of the darkness. Parker and Melody each had their own demons to fight in order to move forward. Loved their story, even though it was a tearjerker. The epilogue was absolutely uncalled for 😭😭

Wow, this is not what I imagined this would end up being. Such a great read! I loved Melody with my whole heart. I was devastated and experienced the loss right alongside her. I loved the group she met with and the different people there. It was such a beautiful thing. Bree was truly one of my favorite characters. I also loved Parker's character development throughout the story. It was such a beautiful thing to watch him evolve. Such a beautiful but heartbreaking book. Loved it, though!

I received this book from NetGalley and Bloom Books to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

The Wrong Heart brought out all the feels and had so many great life lessons. Parker is a cranky and lonely man that doesn’t think he is worthy of love. Melody is a widow who is just trying to find herself again. They are brought together by this unexplained pull. After many breakthrough moments and heartbreak cries, Melody and Parker find their way together. This is a deep, sad, happy, heartfelt story.

If Jennifer Hartmann writes it, I will read it.

The Wrong Heart follows Melody as she navigates her new life after losing her husband. Parker, the moody, douchebag guy she meets at a Lifelines group wants nothing to do with anyone. Even sunshine and roses that is Melody.

My initial thoughts as I started to read this was - man I can’t stand Parker. Why is she giving him the time of day or even the benefit of the doubt? Until we get to 50% through, then I see it.

This story is heartbreaking. The author makes you feel like you are Melody. Makes you feel like you have lost your husband, you are grieving, you are trying to move on and to feel happy. I don’t know how Jennifer Hartmann does it, but she does.

Rating: 4/5

Thank you Sourcebooks and Jennifer Hartmann for letting me read this book!

This book started off quite strong and then the more I read the more I realised it wasn’t for me. Likely because I didn’t click with the characters and that’s what really makes a book enjoyable for myself. Although I didn’t love this one, I wouldn’t discourage people from reading it as others may appreciate it more than I did

Jennifer Hartmann has done it again. Oh boy I was crying within the first chapter of this book and I honestly don’t think I stopped sobbing much throughout it this book is beautiful it’s heartbreaking and healing the emotions I can feel for each character was so well done. Id give it more than 5 stars if I could

Sad. Very sad indeed. But it is beautiful story. Miss Hartmann knows how to write heart breaking story. It is so dramatic. Not so much banter or words exchanged and yet, I feel every sad, tense moments between the characters.

Hartmann's writing style is engaging, and her character development is top-notch. I found myself deeply invested in the protagonist's journey, rooting for her every step of the way. The plot twists kept me guessing until the very end, and the resolution was satisfying yet unexpected.

Overall, "The Wrong Heart" is a thrilling novel that keeps you guessing and leaves you wanting more. I highly recommend this novel and will reread again.

Wow. What an emotional rollercoaster.
It starts off with very loving and adorable banter between Melody and her husband Charlie. “It’s fatal”…”Clearly. The infection is spreading”… “Only a kiss can save me from a slow, painful death.”

Melody is the Sun and Charlie the Sky. They compliment each other. He is her soulmate. Unfortunately, life is fleeting. “What happens to the sun when the sky falls?”

This standalone novel is about two lost souls, Melody and Parker, seeing each other, helping each other heal and find love. Melody tries hard to maintain her bubbly self but underneath it all she is dying inside and not sure she can ever love again. Life dealt Parker a bad hand. He is dead inside, only holding on by a thread. He doesn’t know the meaning of love. Melody stubbles into Parker’s suicide support group meeting and disrupts his whole view of things. Their banter is charged. His dry sense of humor and occasional quick wit ignites something in Melody. How will they overcome their pasts, their reservations and secrets to completely bridge the gap?

I appreciate that it’s not instant love. The relationship between Melody and Parker grew organically. The disgust, the grudging reliance/ dependency, the anguish, the burning desire, the fear, the need, the trust, the betrayal, the love…. All the emotions felt authentic. The relationship was slowly explored and did not feel rushed.

Jennifer Hartmann’s prose is descriptive and beautiful.
“She’s glittering nightfall, pale moonlight, silver stars in midnight skies. She’s that beacon of light when darkness threatens and consumes. No, she’s not the sun… Melody is the moon.”

“You’re the moon”… “You’re the guiding light in a dark sky”… “You shine strong when the rest of the world is asleep…when no one is even looking.”

This is the third Jennifer Hartmann book I have read (Still Beating and Lotus). I really like her writing style and the dark topics she explores. She wrecks you emotionally before patching you back up. This one was a bit too patched up in the end. I didn’t care for was the epilogue, I thought the end was fine without it. I still loved the book and would highly recommend it.

Lastly, a big thank you to Jennifer Hartmann and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the ARC which allowed me to read and voluntarily provide an unbiased review.

TROPES/ THEMES: penpals, grief, depression, childhood abuse, suicide, opposites attract, slow burn, curmudgeon vs sunshine, opposites attract, strangers to lovers, second chance at love

it did not work for me. It did not make sense, i did not believe the characters and there were too many cliches for me.

An emotional journey that gutted me!

I really liked Melody and Parker but there were times I wanted to give them a good shake ... Parker for being mean to Melody at times and at Melody for taking whatever Parker dished out. I did find the story to drag on at times, but the twists and turns towards the end had me furiously turning the pages. Be warned that this book has lots of triggers.

Melody unexpectedly lost her husband and she's having a hard time. When she gets the email address of the man who received her husband's heart, she decides to contact him. Even though they don't know each other's real identity, they have conversations that just seem to come naturally. But when Melody attempts suicide her family urges her to go to counselling. She joins a group and is immediately drawn to Parker, a dark brooding quiet man. Parker has issues and when his sister begs him to go to counselling, he agrees as he can't say no to her, but he doesn't contribute to the group ... at all. When Melody, a beautiful ray of sunshine joins the group, he finds himself mesmerized by her. neither one of their lives will be the same again.

I received an early copy courtesy of Sourcebooks Bloom Books through NetGalley.

This book was everything and more, the emotions were intense, it broke my heart and made it whole again.

We follow Melody on her journey through grief and loss, and Parker as he navigates life after a traumatic childhood. Both have suffered loss, both have a different outlook on life. Melody with her sunny attitude and Parker bringing his grumpy vibes.

I truly thought the writing was beautiful, so many highlights where I just stoped in my tracks and had to take a moment. The emotions were intense and there’s some little plot twists that are totally unexpected.

I was engaged the whole way through wanting to watch their relationship grow. If you are looking for a romance that goes a little deeper, then this is a must read.

Be prepared to have the heart strings pulled!


The tea ☕️

🌤️- grumpy/sunshine
💔- grief, mention of child abuse, suicide
❤️‍🩹- healing
🔄 - plot twists
🌶️- 4/5

***warning - highlight quotes may give clues to spoilers***


—- Highlights ——



“You’re the sun, Melody March. The sun only knows how to shine.”


“Dr. Whitley has more patients to care for, more lives to save. More seasons to change.
Winter is here, and I think it’s here to stay.”

“He’s digging and digging, hollowing me out, pulling all my buried pieces to the surface. He’s a human excavator.”


“They’re kind of like tattoos, you know? Only, I’m the artist. And no one really knows what they mean except for me.” Her grin broadens, almost eerily. “I’m decorated in beautiful”

“Parker lets me touch him, really touch him, and I have no idea what it means. It’s beautiful, and it’s intimidating, but I’m not sure I understand it quite yet as we stand here in my kitchen beneath a busted ceiling, while my body starts to lean into him like he’s some sort of magnetic forcefield. Like I’m drugged and loopy, unable to hold myself upright, desperate to steal more of his warmth for myself.”

“It sounds like there’s a freight train on the other side of the door, but she is louder—her presence, her breaths beating against my chest in sporadic bursts, her pulse vibrating beneath my skin, the goddamn feel of her arms clutching my waist, so delicate and fragile yet so, so loud.”

“Yeah, Melody is louder…and I’m paralyzed by every decibel, by every deafening note.”

“She’s chipping away at my brick walls, and her sunny rays of light are seeping through the cracks, trying to bring me warmth.”

“I let her touch me—when I let her take my hand between her palms and drag a lazy finger across the creases, like she was carving herself into me somehow. Branding me with sunshine

“I just hold on to her so tight, I’m afraid I might break her. But I’m more afraid she’ll break me first.”

“No, she’s not the sun… Melody is the moon.”

“So, believe me when I say you’re more than just an itch. You’re a fucking revolution.”

“Melody March is a fucking revolution, and she’s come to overthrow everything I’ve ever trained myself to believe about women, about intimacy, about…hope.”

“What was that? What the fuck was that? It was just supposed to be sex—simple biology. A physical reaction.”


“it wasn’t supposed to be anything more than sex. I thought fucking you would get you out of my goddamn system, but all it did was bury you deeper. Bury me deeper. Now there’s no way out.”

“The contact does something to me—almost more than I can bear—and I arc upwards, my spine bowing, trying to get even closer. Trying to crawl inside his skin and build a home.”

Melody is heartbroken and trying to figure out how to live life without her husband, who tragically passed. Everyone sees her as sunshine but she feels like she’s just cloudy.
Parker has a very tragic past and basically shuts the world out. He doesn’t trust or care for anyone or anything except his foster sister.
Melody writes “Zeypher” (her husbands heart recipient) as “Magnolia” in hopes to have a connection to the last piece of her husband still. After her lowest night she ends up going to support classes and meets Parker. Everything is just lined up perfectly for them. She doesn’t know he’s the connection she’s been craving, and they both are just what the other needs. Parker describes them best, “She loved and lost… And I was lost before I could ever love at all.”
It’s just a totally emotionally driven, heart felt story. There’s parts that will tear you apart but also parts that put you back together.

The Wrong Heart is SO good! It’s extremely touching, well written and really takes a reader down the journey of grief and how to claw your way out. I loved the characters and how their relationship developed through heartbreak, grief and trauma. Alllll the feels with this one!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

Get the tissue BOXES out — you’ll need more than one box to get through this one. WOw….. I can truly say I have never read another book like this. I just picked this one up after finishing The Last Love Note which is about a husband dying too soon and the FMC potentially finding love again, so when I started The Wrong Heart, I had alllll these assumptions about what this book was going to be about & boy, am I glad I was WRONG. I cried so much during this book. There was so much pain, vulnerability, sadness, and… hope. This book was a tiny bit reminiscent of the book Group where individuals come together and share pieces of themselves. I did not see the plot twist coming and I love that I didn’t know that where this book was going. I loved all the side characters and the pacing of this novel was perfect. I could not put this book down and I am so glad I was able to read it. I will be thinking about this book for a while.

Jennifer Hartmann books never disappoint. I loved this story’. BUT that epilogue…whyyyyy, it made me so sad 😭

The way Jennifer Hartmann broke my heart and then managed to piece it back together is impressive. This story was an emotional journey that had me crying and laughing. This story grabbed hold of my attention and I could not put it down. The ending was beautifully and the characters deserved it all. The author handled the death of a spouse and suicide with such care. This was a beautiful story and will be recommended reading for our book club.

A good, emotional book I was not expecting! I'm thankful for the opportunity to have read this book!

The Wrong Heart is a standalone title written by Jennifer Hartmann.

Originally published in August 2019, rereleased on December 31, 2024.

*Loss of spouse
*Suicide attempt
*Grumpy/Sunshine

There is no other author out there that can rip out your heart, break it into a million pieces, and then glue it all back together again while making you fall in love with her story. Jennifer Hartmann knows how to write tragic stories and broken characters better than any other author!

This title will have you laughing and sobbing all within the same chapter! The story was so heart wrenching, the characters so heartbroken, yet they both deserved so much love and affection. They were true soulmates!

No OW/OM drama, no third act breakup, guaranteed HEA.

TW: death of a spouse, attempted suicide, suicide of side character(s), off page child abuse.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the opportunity to read and review this title!

Format: NetGalley ebook
Genre: Contemporary fiction, Romance
Overall score:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level:🌶️🌶️🌶️
Characters: Melody (FMC) & Parker (MMC)