If you were sick and needed a new heart, it would be a miracle if one day there was a shiny new heart available. What if that new heart came with baggage that could transfer to its new owner.

What if that heart belonged to a sadistic killer? In The Broken Heart, Casey is about to find out and it will have consequences that she could never imagine. Poor Casey Phillips is in a rut. Her constantly drunk husband spends his days at work and his nights drinking and reminiscing about an ex girlfriend. Her son, Owen, has the sociopathic hobby of crushing birds under his 6-year-old sized shoe and scaring his parents. Her only joy is her baby girl, Eleanor, but to bring her into the world, she had to sacrifice her own heart. Now, Casey waits on the organ donor list waiting for a new one. Luckily for her, a new heart shows up after a man gets into a horrific accident. It’s the miracle Casey needs to move her life forward. Unfortunately, that heart belonged to a serial killer whose hunger for blood didn’t end just because his life did. 

The concept for The Broken Heart is what initially drew me into this book. The thought of a piece of you being replaced by someone else and that person’s own essence showing through is truly a terrifying thought, especially when it’s such a crucial part of yourself like a heart. What kept me going through the book is how well written it was. The thoughts, feelings and environments are so well portrayed that you can see them like a movie in your mind. The only downside is that some of the metaphors and similes can feel the slightest bit pretentious. One part in particular had me feeling like it was just a little excessive. During the accident which caused the death of the donor, there were so many adjectives being thrown around, it was hard to keep up. Maybe I just had a problem with the idea of a “pregnant moon” and that’s my own issue to deal with. Regardless of some of the overly painted pictures, you can feel just how rotten Casey’s life has become. Jack, her husband, is so unlikable that some parts are hard to read. As a mother, the thought of your own child possibly being a budding killer is a terrifying thought and the one light in her life's in danger from her first born. The stress is palpable. You are rooting for Casey all the way until the very end. 

Overall, The Broken Heart is a moderately paced and gruesome horror read. Trigger warnings for those sensitive to rape, violence on children and excessive gore. If you are like me and don’t get squeamish easily, this is a fun read for the spooky season. It will leave you feeling out of breath, uncomfortable and thankful for your own organs. While the ending was a bit on the “meh” side, everything leading up to it was a hell of a ride.