Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this.

As I mentioned in my previous reviews, I read books 2-4 in a row so everything was pretty fresh in my mind. The world building is a little confusing / weak in my opinion so I’d recommend reading at least 3 and 4 together to avoid any confusion.

This book picks up after a bit of a time jump from where book 3 ends but the time jump didn’t really impact the plot too much. Both Jas and Felicity were in stasis of sorts for 8 months.

I’m so glad Felicity spent a good chunk of this book in her own body. I felt so sorry for her in the last book because she felt like nobody had ever seen her. I also was glad to see some context around Misha’s extremely rude last words to her in the last book.

I like Jas and I liked her story but I felt so much more drawn ti Felicity’s story. I almost wish it was only about her.

I didn’t mention this above but I read the first half of the book and listened to the second half. I definitely preferred the audiobook. Since this is first person POV, I loved that there were two narrators and I felt like each really captured the characters voices.

I can see myself rereading this series and I would likely listen to it as an audiobook.

One final note, I mentioned this in my review of THESE TWISTED BONDS but I did find the romance to be a bit mature for YA. Definitely suitable for older YA readers.

I hope Lexi Ryan continues to write in this world.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I requested this title not aware it was a series. My bookstore is a fan of this author & we are excited to always see more.

4/5 stars.
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. I am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
First of all, I LOVE Lexi Ryan's first three books in this series. It was so fun to jump back into this world and follow Jas on her journey. At times it was pretty dark and bleak, but the sun will rise again tomorrow and we get to see this beautiful character arc for Jas play out where she works through her trauma to come out better and stronger on the other side. I would have rated it 5 stars, but I felt like Felicity was missing a beautiful moment that she deserved in an epilogue scene. Altogether I highly recommend this series!

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books | Storytide and Lexi Ryan for the gifted eARC of Between These Broken Hearts! All opinions are my own.

Diving into this book right after a reread of Beneath These Cursed Stars felt... weird. Not bad, just weird. The decision to have Jas and Felicity basically sleep through 90% of the timeline up to Jas's 18th birthday? It felt like waking up from a nap and being so out of it you’re trying to remember where you are, who you are, and why you are. Much like your sanity in that moment, the plot was lost.

In theory, it made sense—but in practice, it left a lot of holes (I’m looking at you Enchanting Lady). Some of those connections felt a little too rushed and bordered on telling, not showing. The pacing also felt choppy. And now, with hindsight, I get it—Lexi Ryan was breadcrumbing us toward the big reveal. But here’s the thing: when your characters are confused and the readers are confused because the characters are confused, it can start to feel a little like a tilt-a-whirl. The whole “we don’t get to know until the characters do” thing is valid… but it can leave the reader feeling like they’re grasping at shadows if not done correctly.

All that being said—I did like the book. It leaned into darker elements, offered up some juicy betrayals, and dropped new lore that expanded the world in fun ways. But compared to the rest of the series it didn’t hit the same. The stakes were high, the characters were beloved, but the plot didn’t feel quite as magnetic. Still, it was a decent ending to the saga—just not the jaw-dropping finale I was hoping for.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

My review was posted to Goodreads and Amazon on 7/31/25.
My Instagram review will be posted on 8/10/2025.

This book had its good moments and it kept me turning the page, but it was sort of an underwhelming final to this duology. I had a hard time with Jasalyn's character throughout this book. I thought she would have grown more as a character, but it doesn't really happen until the last 50 pages. Hale's character development also seemed to go downhill for me.

I loved Misha and Felicity's story. If the entire book was about them I feel like it would have been a better story. Misha's magic could have been explored more, and how it was affecting his court and abilities as a ruler.

Overall, I felt like too much was crammed into this book to give each character and the trials they faced a proper ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this story.

Content warnings: depression, suicidal ideation, mind control, torture, loss of a sibling, murder

The final work in Ryan's These Hollow Vows series follows shadow princess Jasalyn as she fights to keep the evil Mordeus from taking over her body. The narration switches between Jas and Felicity, the shapeshifter who posed as Jasalyn in the previous novel.

Jasalyn and Felicity's stories are more intertwined than the form they sometimes share -- Jasalyn is in love with Felicity's brother Hale Kendrick. Both women must fight their demons before they can become the best versions of themselves.

Recommended for fans of the series.

Have you ever read a series where all the books in it become favourites? 💬

This is how I feel about all of Lexi Ryan's books. The These Hollow Vows duology is still to this day at the top of my favourites list. Now after reading the second trilogy and following Felicity and Jasalyn in the newest duology they're on the list too 😍

I absolutely loved Felicity and the way her power works and how she and Misha navigated this and their feelings for each other 🩷

I can see this one being a series I reread as the characters and story are just so full of high stakes and found family that I just wanted to be in the pages at times 📖

3.5 stars rounded down

I enjoyed all the other books in the series, and was really looking forward to this one (book 4). Although I did enjoy it, it was a little confusing switching between the POVs of the two FMCs.

Jasalyn is supposed to be 14 in the first book when she's kidnapped, now she's only 17. The MMC that's her love interest is 21. She also knew him when she was 14, and he was 18. For a YA book, the age difference of the love interests and the fact that there are open door scenes makes me feel a little icky about it. She's just underage.

The story also felt like it was moving slowly. Although a lot needed to happen, I feel like there was a lot that went on that turned out to be dead ends and wasn't all that helpful to the story.

Spice: 3-4 open door scenes (moderately detailed)
Language: moderate language (d, h, 1 f word)
Content: death, torture, thoughts of suicide, blood magic

Between These Broken Hearts was my first book by Lexi Ryan. I thoroughly enjoyed Jasalyn and Felicity's story. It was an interesting and unique premise. I will be recommending Between These Broken Hearts to my book club.

DNF at 50%

Gave up halfway through. I find it so icky that the love interests are 20+ while the FMCs are minors and they’re smut scenes involving those couples and lusting over each other. It’s truly gross and doesn’t belong in the YA genre. On top of that, this duology is truly and unnecessary spin-off to “These Hollow Vows.”

This duology having Jasalyn as one of the main characters is so annoying because she just whines all the time and has a victim complex. She created all these problems and if she actually listened and payed attention this book wouldn’t even exist.

Having this spin-off added so many plot holes and mentioned other kingdoms but instead of explaining the information as the story went it was all info-dumped

As I dove back into reading fantasy, I came across Lexi Ryan's These Hollow Vows series. I was beyond excited when she announced a subsequent 2 book series set in the same world following characters we love from the original series.

Between These Broken Hearts is every bit the emotional, romantic finale to this duology! I loved the dual romances—Jasalyn & Kendrick’s slow-burn connection and Felicity & Misha’s tender moments. The story dives deep into grief, healing, and hope, with fast-paced tension that kept me turning pages.

The ending conflicts felt a bit rushed and unfulfilling in their conclusion, but the heart of this story - its characters and themes -still shines. A magical, heartfelt conclusion perfect for fans of romantic YA fantasy.

Ughhhh my heart my heart my heart! 😭😭
✨💞
This book has me in full tears a few times!
How are you gonna finally give my girl Jas the love she deserves and she can’t even kiss him! Ugh slow burn from hellll! Jas has a ring that’s practically making her a ghost. With bending people to her will until they loose eye contact and then forgetting everything once she walks out of the room?! Is she truly missing or was she just here?! Ugh poor Hale and all his quests to always be by her side! 💔
Then we have our wild king who accepts all beauty as it is!💞 The forbidden love to enemies back to lovers again ugh! He is betrayed and hurt while she’s trying to accept it’s about what’s on the inside and not what she looks like. It’s a reminder of not to judge a book by its cover, to love the flaws and truly accept the beauty in someone fully as they are and not asking for any changes!
This entire series is about acceptance of who you are and how to endure this path we call life.

The magic and quests within this story are so cool and unique. My mind was blown! Lexi truly captivated me and painted a clear picture of their world and all the struggles they faced! I loved how the book reacts to them and all the goblins. This is a must read series if you love the unseelie/seelie courts dynamic.Personally I ate it up! The second duo-logy was my favorite I would be so bold as to give it 4.5 🌟 My only critique, you wouldn’t be as impacted without reading the first duo-logy. This should be considered a full series. When I originally requested NetGalley for this arc I didn’t realize it was basically like a continuation of the saga. It is said they are two standalone inner connected series, I do not agree. Give it all the love it deserves! 👏🏻 I wanted to give a full and honest review so I started from the beginning and I’m so happy I did because it really tugged at my heart strings.
💞💞💞💞👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Big thanks again to NetGalley and HarperCollins publishing for the great opportunity to read the book asap! Even bigger thanks to Lexi because girl, my heart needed that

4⭐️ Another wonderful story from Lexi Ryan. This wrapped up the duology nicely. Very much enjoyed the turns that happened to answer questions from Beneath These Cursed Stars which I definitely recommend.

Jasalyn is still fighting her demon while trying to understand what is happening to her. Answers must be found as she may not make it past her birthday if they aren’t. Then there’s Felicity. She has been found out but must continue to play her role. The oracles prophecy haunts her and there is only one person she can rely on. But can she truly.

Thank you to @netgalley, Harper Collins, and the author for the advanced reader edition.

Between These Broken Hearts was a most anticipated release and @writerlexiryan didn’t disappoint! I couldn’t put it down. The plot had me completely hooked and I fell right back into this story.

The romance? Absolutely swoony. Both romances had me in my feels for different reasons and I loved them with my whole heart.

The many characters MAKE this story. I adored how fiercely protective they all were of each other, and every side character felt like someone I’d read a whole book about.

I also loved the threads of mental health and body positivity woven throughout.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5
Steam: fade to black (mild detail)
TW: dm for details
🤍Thank you to the publisher for the arc of this anticipated release coming out July 22nd

3.75 ⭐

That time jump at the beginning was a little jarring, but I loved the pacing and high stakes! I loveddddd Misha and Felicity with my whole heart- romance and storyline wise. Jasalyn's story line was so fascinating to me, predictable, but still fascinating. I didn't care too much for Kendrick though lolol

This series is definitely one of my favorite newer YA fae fantasy series, and I'm sad it's over. I wish we got more of the goblins because I just know they're sitting on some insane lore!

This was an excellent end to the series. I’m so glad we got Jas and Misha’s stories! I only wish we could have seen Bash again. There were some steamy scenes but they had very minimal detail, almost fade to black but not quite.

Between These Broken Hearts was such a satisfying conclusion to the series! I loved that it’s split into two duologies. The first two books focus on Brie (and you definitely need to read them), and the second two books focus on her sister Jas and another girl named Felicity. Splitting the storytelling between both of their POVs allowed us to get to know more characters on a deeper level, experience the action and danger from different perspectives, and fall in love with two swoony men.

If you want a YA romantasy filled with fae, magic, morally grey heroines, star-crossed forbidden romance, and high-stakes courtly intrigue where every alliance feels like a betrayal waiting to happen, this is the book for you!

Thank you to EpicReads, Harper Collin’s Children’s, Harper Collins, NetGalley, and Lexi Ryan for the ARC.

📔Between These Broken Hearts
✏️ Lexi Ryan
📆 July 22, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

READ IF YOU LIKE:
🔥 YA romantasy
🔥 morally grey heroines
🔥 fae & human kingdoms
🔥 magic & prophecy
🔥 court politics & intrigue
🔥 swoony star-crossed romances
🔥 dual POV

Rating: 5 /5
I received an ARC for my honest opinion.

Forbidden romance, YA fantasy, with found family, great MF characters and of course great MM characters and a great wrap up of a series. Amazing plot, filled with plot twists and turns, and unexpected complications, fun magical system and politics.

I loved that even if you have never read These Hollow Vows, you will be able to understand what was going on, but I HIGHLY recommend that you do because I loved that book as well. With Ryan’s writing she gives you a recap without it being an info dump but trust me read those because it is amazing. I just love Ryan’s writing style so much, she doesn’t just throw info at you but slowly gives it to the readers throughout the book. The pace of the book is fast with a lot of thinking, but at the same time so much action and it doesn’t feel rushed at all. You will see the characters finally being able to get the answers that they need and what we have been waiting for. There is a lot of emotional depth in this book, and I know a few times I was on the edge of my seat, scared to see what was going to happen next. The characters in this book are really what make it shine.

In this book you will get multiple POV but the main ones you will see are between Jas and Felicity. I loved that their stories were intertwined together. You will be picking up where book 1 left off and you will see where Jas is still dealing with the curse that is about to happen in 11 days and trying to figure out how to fix everything. You will see Felicity trying to be better at doing what she wants and not what everyone else wants from her or what she thinks she has to do for others. The growth between these characters individually was top notch; getting to see Felicity's growth and acceptance of herself and what she can do, I loved getting to see her finally stand up for what she wants. I loved that with Jas you will see her going through a mental health struggle. Ryan handled it with care and respect. I could understand why she was having a hard time with everything. You will see her warring with herself on the what ifs and should have could haves.

You will also see other characters and see how they contribute to the book and trust me they help the main characters so much, but they also have a lot of growth as well. Misha is one of my favorite characters. However, be ready this author with the characters, their journey, their heartaches, their trials and the regret and love, is just so raw that you will find yourself loving them and hating them when they mess up. I have loved everything that Ryan has written, and I can’t wait to see what is next.

I want to thank NetGalley and Harper for the opportunity to review this book.

This was a good ending to the series. I like the world that Lexi Ryan has created but I will say the story it was a bit slow for me and found myself putting it down a lot to take a break. I was thrown off by the big time jump in the beginning, I don't think it was necessary. I enjoyed Misha and Felicity's relationship, you could feel the longing and attraction. With Jasalyn and hale I feel it was he opposite I just wasn't convinced by their connection. I did like that both female main characters were represented as strong and able to work though their problems. Overall is was an ok read, still will keep and eye out for the authors future works.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollin's Children's Book for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

3.5 ⭐ 0 🌶️ 4 🎧

I really enjoyed the conclusion to this duet. It was exciting and suspenseful, fun and sweet. I was so happy to see some of my favorite characters get happily ever afters and getting to see my Hollow Vows friends again was the best.

The audio was great. Lauren Ezzo, Katharine Chin and Casey Holloway all did a wonderful job with these characters and I really enjoyed this listen.

Thank you Harper Collins for the advanced copy.