✨BOOK REVIEW✨

The Wrong Heart by Jennifer Hartmann

This is my fifth book by JH and unfortunately I couldn’t quite connect with this one like I have her others. This one is being re-released by Bloom Books, pub date is tomorrow!

Quick synopsis: “When my husband died, he left my broken heart behind. He left another heart behind, too—his. I know it’s wrong. I shouldn’t be contacting the recipient of my husband’s heart. I don’t even expect him to reply...
But there’s a desperate, twisted part of me that hopes he will.
No names. No personal details. Just a conversation. The only thing I have left of my husband is inside him.”

This was a very emotional read and dealt with a lot of heavy themes that somewhat turned me off after a while. With JH’s older titles, I find myself skimming through the extra cheesy sections. I can only read about so many sun and moon metaphors without rolling my eyes. It just takes me out of the story & I’ve noticed her newer titles have way less, thank goodness. Melody seems entirely too sweet and nice (I take my FMC’s with sass and a side of snark please), while Parker was just a jerk for majority of the book.

Read if you’re looking for:
🩷 a lot of dark themes
🩷 grumpy/sunshine
🩷 a slow burn
🩷 grief
🩷 an emotional read

Also, I’d skip the epilogue 😉

Thank you to @read_bloom & @netgalley for allowing me to be an early reader - all thoughts were my own! Publishes tomorrow!!

💖Parker & Melody💖

This is my first @author.jenniferhartmann book… saw it on @netgalley and applied because I’ve heard good things and wanted to buddy read it with @jpreadss …

Yallllllll. I was NOT ready!!! Jennifer Hartmann is a mean mean lady 😂.

First off, it’s very rare that I cry, let alone, SOB like a little baby when I’m reading!!!

I was broken, then broken some more. Then kind of put back together then nope…destroyed again!!! And if that wasn’t enough she keeps throwing twists at you and has you questioning your sanity. Then you get to the end and you’re like, okay, that was a wild ride! Then you read the epilogue and WTF ?! Epilogues aren’t supposed to make you cry!!!
When it’s finally over, just as with a rollercoaster, I’m ready to do it all over again!

❓Whats the next book I should read by her?
✨NOT Still Beating… I don’t think I could handle that one.

Overall, my thoughts were that I loved her writing style!!! She writes amazing sex scenes. The chemistry and the intimacy was radiating off the pages. The depth the characters have was having me feel some type of way throughout. Especially with all the powerful quotes. The growth that Parker showed was tremendous and done so perfectly. I wish I couldve jumped in the book just to hug him though! Even Melody’s growth was admirable. The found family with this was so moving. The way they all helped each other and didn’t give up on Parker really made me stop and think of the quote “be kind, you never know what someone is going through!” Oh, and the mental health /suicide aspects were handled with such grace. As someone who struggles with mental health I felt this book very accurately depicts the different ways you could feel lost/depressed/suicidal. I appreciated that so much.

Thank you to @netgalley & @author.jenniferhartmann for this copy🫶🏻 I highly recommend!

✨check triggers before reading✨

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• The Wrong heart
                               By Jennifer Hartman •
                           ☆☆☆☆.5

▪︎ Thank you for allowing me to read an ARC of this beautiful story in exchange for an honest review.


The blurb intrigued me from the get go and it didn't sound like my typical read, so I was excited to dive in.

This is a beautiful story of lost souls trying to keep their head above water. The characters face dark demonds that break your heart. The characters development is creative, accurate and painfully wholesome.

** Check trigger warnings

This was a good book. It was interesting, and had a storyline I hadn't read before.

With that said, it felt long. Too long. I was almost bored at points, and that really took me out of the story along the way.

Melody and Parker were both tortured souls, who found each other in a surprising place. I'm glad they could heal themselves, together.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.75/4 ⭐️

I feel very indifferent at the conclusion of this book. While i enjoyed the plot and story, I feel like the first about… 30-40% of the book was really slow. I was bored and actually put the book down for 10ish days before picking it back up.

I didn’t feel connected to either of the MCs. I enjoyed the FMC more than the MMC, but I feel like the book revolves around very sensitive topics and it didn’t feel like the depth to their growth was there.

The MMC just felt off… I almost felt like the character wasn’t fleshed out enough for me. When you find out why he acts the way he does, I didn’t feel connected to him at all and so it didn’t feel like excuse enough.

I still enjoyed the book overall. It tugs at the heartstrings as Jennifer’s books often do, but it just felt a bit off for me.

I would still recommend and I will always read anything Jennifer Hartmann puts out, but this one just wasn’t my fav!

Oh man! Jennifer Hartmann is quickly becoming one of my new favorite authors, even though she makes me cry with every single book.

Definitely check the trigger/content warnings before reading this one!

I received this re-release from NetGalley, and I'm in LOVE with the new cover.
The content in this book was so incredibly heavy but very, very real and raw. Melody and Parker’s journeys were so incredibly heartbreaking yet beautiful at the same time.

With Jennifer's books, I always have so much highlighted, and this book was no exception. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from it:

"I'm the sun, and you're the sky."

"Some people don't want to be noticed, but maybe thats exactly what they need."

"Scars tell a story."


Thank you, NetGalley, Jennifer Hartmann, and Sourcebooks Bloom Books, for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely heartfelt writing!! Jennifer Hartmann always knows how to make me cry by the end of her books and this is just another example of perfection. So glad to have this as my final read of 2024❤️❤️

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6907306624


https://www.instagram.com/p/DEQqn5KSbXx/?igsh=MTI2aG5xMTNycDV1aA==



Thank you for the early read. I thoroughly enjoyed this booo & finished in one sitting. I love Jennifer’s writing but The Wrong Heart will always be one of my favorites.

So, when I marked this as currently reading there was a different cover to the book I’d been approved for & I thought “this doesn’t look like a book I’ll enjoy” AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHY WE SHOULDN’T JUDGE A BOOK BY THEIR COVERS because I loved it. It’s not your typical lovey dovey gushy romance it features heavy topics so I’d check trigger warnings before diving in but they are covered so respectfully.
You really end up connecting with both of the main characters.
This is my first by Jennifer Hartmann & I’ll be adding every single book of hers to my TBR and reading them in 2025!
Easy, easy, easy five star!

An emotional rollercoaster that beautifully blends heartbreak, healing, and hope. This poignant story pulls you in with its raw intensity and keeps you captivated with its deeply layered characters and tender romance.

The book centers on two broken souls—Melody, who is grieving an unbearable loss, and Parker, a man consumed by his own pain. Their journey toward healing is both gut-wrenching and heartwarming, filled with moments that will make you cry, laugh, and swoon. Hartmann’s writing is evocative and unflinchingly honest, making every emotion leap off the page.

Rating: 5/5
Recommendation: Perfect for readers who love emotionally charged stories with flawed, resilient characters and a romance that feels achingly real.

This story follows Melody who tragically loses her husband in front of her. Melody struggles getting past the events and ends up joining a suicide support group. At these meetings she meets a man named Parker who is dark and Moody and she feels drawn to him. Overall the book was good. I would recommend this book. I enjoyed Melody and Parkers interactions.

This book instantly in the first few chapters pulled at my heart strings and made me tear up!!! Then through out this book several different times I teared up. Why do you have to write such traumatic books! 😭 I loved everything about this book, even though it made me cry. Parker really angered me in the beginning but hearing his story through out and knowing all he endured making him into the person he is really made me rethink my hatred for him! I truly loved Melody and I am so so happy she got her happy ending, she deserves it. Such a heart wrenching book. Highly recommend anything by Jennifer.

Jennifer Hartmann has once again proven why she’s a must-read, and for me, an auto-buy author. The Wrong Heart delivered everything I hoped for and more, solidifying Hartmann’s talent for weaving raw, emotional narratives that resonate deeply.

This book is a masterclass in transforming trauma into something achingly beautiful. Hartmann has a unique ability to craft stories that feel both devastating and uplifting, allowing readers to experience the full spectrum of emotions. From heartbreak to hope, her storytelling grabs hold of your heart and doesn’t let go.

I found myself completely captivated by the poignant writing and layered characters. Hartmann creates a world where pain is tangible, but so is love and healing. Her words are a reminder that even in the darkest moments, there is light to be found.

Every page left me wanting more, and I was genuinely grateful for the chance to immerse myself in this book. Jennifer Hartmann’s ability to explore heavy themes with grace and sensitivity is unmatched, making The Wrong Heart a story that stays with you long after the final page.

If you haven’t yet experienced her work, this book is a perfect place to start. Prepare for a reading journey that will break your heart, mend it, and leave you marveling at the power of love and resilience.

4.25⭐️
2.5🌶️

Couldn’t put this book down, this had me instantly hooked! Deeply emotional and an unconventional type of romance. Check TW before reading this, while I wouldn’t call it dark romance there are definitely difficult themes of abuse, grief, and suicide.

Loved the first half and would have given it 5⭐️, the second half took some turns I didn’t particularly love but it was still an incredible story. If you want something emotional that you can easily finish in 24 hours pick this one up!

Jennifer Hartman always RIPS MY HEART OUT. I will never not recommend one of her books and this was no different. There’s no other words, read this book!!!

If my memory serves correctly, I had a first time experience in this book. The prologue is 2 pages long, and it made me cry. That’s it. No actual context, didn’t know the characters, nothing. Real tears.

I don’t say that as a negative, because by now I have learned that Jennifer Hartmann’s books do that to me. They are deep, broach difficult topics and relationships, and break you apart to put you back together. I absolutely loved this one, and Melody and Parker will be engrained in my mind for a good long time.

Synopsis:

“I had my future all planned out.
A fairytale. Then, on my five-year wedding anniversary, my dreams shatter. My husband is cruelly ripped away from me, leaving my broken heart behind. But he leaves another heart behind, too…His.

Drowning in grief, I reach out to his heart recipient, while seeking solace in a support group for fellow lost souls. Determined to find the bright, optimistic woman I used to be, I never expect what awaits me there. Enter Parker.

Dark, brooding, emotionally detached. He’s the opposite of me in every way, yet I’m inexplicably drawn to him. As our bond deepens, so do the secrets that come to light, challenging everything I thought I knew about love and loss, and blurring the line between heartache and hope.”

Thank you @netgalley and @read_bloom for the opportunity to read this one!

Review of The Wrong Heart by Jennifer Hartmann
* * * * *
This author has become a great interest of mine on her emotional and powerful reads, as this particular novel captures pain and loss in so many ways and views as two broken people bound together work through their wreckages.

Once upon a time, Melody was happy.
She had a man she loved with all her soul...and then she lost him. She kept losing from there. Soon enough, she was starting to lose herself.
She was not okay.
One email she should not have sent ends up being a lifeline and friendship she did not expect: to the man who now owns her husband's heart.
Then, another man takes her attention: a grumpy soul in her help group.

Parker was not all sunshine and cupcakes, not matter how many dozen are given to him.
He's angry and cold and wants no body to love him, even the sweet Melody who appears to try and open him up.
He does not want to anything to do with her. He doesn't want to think about her, or be around her...even when he ends up spending nights with her in the rain or shadows allowing her light to fill his new heart.

Its cheesy and soppy, in the best way possible. It's that ansty read you need some of the time. That forbidden love that is diverse, even when secrets spill out and reveal truths we weren't even ready for.
Two messed up people with an indeniable connection and attraction, that just seem to keep getting caught up on the craziest situations.
Totally agree that the dark is the best secret keeper.

It’s Jennifer Hartmann, y’all… AUTOMATIC ♾️♾️♾️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Period. JH rips my heart out by the roots, stomps on it, and ever so gently puts it back in my chest. All with her WORDS! TWH is HEAVY! This is NOT a “light and fluffy” read, so check your triggers. It’s worth every word, though. Parker and Melody are just plain REAL. They both have a tortured past and play a part in each others’ healing process. TWH checks all the boxes: emotional roller coaster, PLOT TWIST, SPICE, HEA, and snarky banter. The EPILOGUE!! 🥹 Oh, y’all… Just stop whatever you’re reading RIGHT NOW and read this one! Forever a J Hart fan!! Many thanks to Net Galley for the ARC!

Thank you Bloom Books for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a few of Jennifer Hartmann's books and knew going into it, to expect a heart-wrenching story. That is exactly what this book is, however, I had the hardest time connecting to either character. I flew through the first 15% and the last 10%, but found myself dragging my feet towards the middle of the book. Her writing is beautiful and the characters go through so much growth together, but there was something about this book that made me not completely love it. I am looking forward to more of Jennifer Hartmann's books in the future because I love her writing style and the deep messages behind all her books.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

I have really enjoyed this author! She has a way of bringing such emotional depth to her stories and the plots are always out of the ordinary. From the very first paragraph you are drawn into the story, invested in the outcome...and then the author rips your heart out and makes you blubber like a baby. After all of that, however, you are put on a journey that slowly rebuilds, leading to healing and love along the way as we make our way through angst and heartache.

Charlie and Melody were head over hill in love until one night a tragic accident ends their fairytale romance. Parker is a broken man who receives an email from Melody reaching out to the recipient of her husband's heart.

The writing is absolutely beautiful and takes you on an emotional rollercoaster but so worth the ride. My only complaint with this author is she does add a lot of steam to her stories. I enjoy more of the intimate connection of our couple through the poignant words and deeds and don't need the open-door scenes to feel the love. Just my personal preference...

Another solid read from this author!