Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one. I thought that the story was too slow and judging by other reviews I would have had to stick around until 90% mark for it to really get going... I couldn't do it.
I also had an issue with the audio, I don't mind listening to the accents but I think that they should have picked one, accent or no accent, instead of switching back and fourth, it was distracting imo.

A mysterious stranger shows up at Riccardo’s apartment with some news: his grandmother Perihan has died, and Riccardo has inherited her villa in Milan along with her famed butterfly collection.

The struggling writer is out of options. He’s hoping the change of scenery in Milan will inspire him, and maybe there will be some money to keep him afloat. But Perihan’s house isn’t as opulent as he remembers. The butterflies pinned in their glass cases seem more ominous than artful. Perihan’s group of mysterious old friends is constantly lurking. And there’s something wrong in the greenhouse.

As Riccardo explores the decrepit estate, he stumbles upon Perihan’s diary, which might hold the key to her mysterious death. Or at least give him the inspiration he needs to finish his manuscript.

Sadly, this one just wasn't for me. The narrator for the audio books was wonderful. I appreciated the author's unexpected twist at the end, but for me, it was not worth reading the entire book for. This story is unique, I wish the author had spent more time developing all of the characters.

Let me start off by saying the audio version of this book GREATLY influenced my rating. The narrators: Luca John Filiz & Tina Nakhleh Falkenbury were absolutely FANTASTIC.

Termed as a “gothic horror,” I can kind of see it but it felt more like dark folklore. I was never really “scared” but rather intrigued by the lore of what was happening.

But then we get to that TWIST and while I kind of saw it coming, not in the magnitude of how it all went down. Because that ending had me like 😳🫣😵‍💫 And I can now see why it was ultimately classified as “horror.”

I’m not a major horror reader so I can’t say this is like others but it had the same vibes as those horror films that end with a shock value and honestly—I really liked it!

As this is a debut novel, all I can say is bravo! And I can’t wait to see what else you give us!

{I was gifted a complimentary copy of this audiobook. All reviews are my own.}

Thank you so much for this book! I was very excited to read it as I’ve seen many of my favorite bookstagrammers get a copy as well! I will say though it was not my favorite. There wasn’t anything in the beginning to draw me in which I think was my biggest issue with the story. It felt very slow. The narrators were not the greatest either as they did not help to hold my attention. I felt like I didn’t know what was happening or what the point of the story was going to be especially with it being so slow.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this enticing story as an ARC.

Their Monstrous Hearts by Yigit Turhan was a wild ride from start to finish.

We meet Perihan and are quickly met with a scene that can only be described as ominous. From there, we meet Ricardo, the grandson of Perihan, who is an author struggling with writers block, but also struggling with his current living situation.

An old friend of his grandmother's comes to find him and convinces him to leave Paris and to return to Milan as a family tragedy happened and his presence is required.

This story had an aura of mystery and eery secrets! I enjoyed reading Perhian's manuscript and thoroughly enjoyed the way the author created a beautiful and terrifying blend of two lives being told together. One from the perspective of Ricardo and the other from Perihan.

This book was NOT at all what I expected, but it was better. It was a definite 5-star read. The last 30 percent of the book left my grappling for answers.

Pick this book up if you enjoy horror, mystery, family secrets, and horrible creatures!

Butterflies symbolize metamorphosis, change, enduring and overcoming while emerging beautiful and reborn. But what if that transformation is more sinister than you thought?

Their Monstrous Hearts feels like a fairy tale, as told by Hans Christian Anderson or The Brothers Grimm. The darkness on the original tellings of the stories especially. Dark, brutal, sinister.
We follow Ricardo as he is given his recently deceased grandmother's Milan villa. The story bounces back and forth between the present with Ricardo navigating this new place and new cast of characters, and the past as told by his grandmother's diary/autobiography. But there are fantastical tales woven into her writing. And what started as a whimsical discovery of his grandmother's upbringing, turns into a frightening and haunting conclusion.

Their Monstrous Hearts tells a story about transformation, not being content or happy where you are or with who you are. There are many implications to that and I think the author does a very good job of conveying it better than I could try to summarize.
Check this one out. It's for anyone who has felt like an "other" for sure. And anybody who likes dark fantasy and fairy tales without all the dumb elves.

The narrators did a great job, especially with multiple accents. It was hard to tell what their real voices were.

Ricardo is a struggling writer, just minding his business, when a random stranger shows up at his apartment to tell him his grandmother, Perihan, has passed away. Not only that, but he’s inherited her home in Milan and her super famous butterfly collection.

When I tell you this slow burn horror was everything, I mean it. The pacing starts out fairly slow hit the end really comes around to 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

And hello- the physical copy of this baby is STUNNING.

DNF this audio book didn't work for me. I am sorry I really thought it would. I just could not vibe with the story or the narrator.

Thank you Netgalley for this audiobook arc.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this Audio ARC!

I saw the cover of this book and was drawn in immediately, but I also feel like I was deceived by the cover. A struggling author suddenly inherits a villa and a butterfly collection, so he moves into his grandmother's old villa and discovers a creepy manuscript that was written by her before she died. I kept waiting and waiting for something to happen, but it felt like other than the parts of the manuscript nothing ever did, at least not to make me believe this is a horror book. I think if I had spent less time expecting the horror elements to materialize then I probably would have enjoyed it more, but in the end, it just let me wanting.

While the ending pulled it all together, I found this to be all tell and no show. The authors note was very sweet and it did make me enjoy the story as a whole a bit more. It wasn’t until about 80% that I started becoming completely invested in the story. I will still recommend this to other readers because I know there are people who will enjoy it

I had really hoped that I would enjoy Their Monstrous Hearts by Yigit Turhan more. The premise sounded right up my alley, but it ultimately did not deliver the way that I wanted it to. In this story we follow Riccardo, who is a struggling writer who inherits a villa in Milan from his recently deceased grandmother. He decides to move there with the hope that the change of scenery will inspire him to finish his manuscript. There he discovers a run down estate filled with his grandmothers collection of butterflies, her mysterious old friends and a greenhouse that holds dark secrets. Though the writting is atmospheric and richly detailed, the story just fell flat for me. I would pass on this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review. These thoughts are my own.

Thank you to NETGALLEY for the ARC of this title. Truly an engrossing gothic horror. Let's not even talk about the SUPERB cover art. I would eagerly read more from this author.

I was provided an ALC and an ARC of this book via Netgalley and the team Harlequin, all opinions are my own.

This was a strange book for sure. It is told from the perspective of Riccardo, a struggling writer who can't make ends meet and can't find the word to put on the page. His agent is begging him for the draft of his first novel after reading a short story that blew everyone away. At the peak of his despair, a man shows up with an envelope that could change the direction he is going and possibly pull him out of his downward spiral. The man has worked for Riccardo's grandmother, Perihan for many years, and she has just passed away. Riccardo has been summoned back to Milan to attend her funeral and deal with her estate as her sole surviving relative. There he finds an old journal that spans her lifetime and tells a story that reads like a fantasy novel. These journal entries are told from Perihan's perspective, and we learn about her life and why butterflies are so important to her story.

Overall I thought the pacing was a bit slow. I'm not sure if it was the frequent POV and timeline switches or what. I didn't particularly connect with either character, though I did prefer Perihan's journal entries more than the Riccardo perspective. It felt like Riccardo wasn't doing anything but reading a book for most of the novel, then at the end everything happens all at once. This does have some suspenseful moments and mild horror elements, but I felt like it needed more. This does have a really cool premise and is filled with symbolism

I appreciated that there were two narrators in the audiobook, one for Riccardo's perspective in the present and one for Perihan's perspective when he is reading the journal. The chapters don't have a clean break for the point of view to switch as Riccardo will be doing something, then he will pick the journal up and start reading, so it was a nice touch that the narration changes as he picks up the book and puts it down.

A writer experiencing writer's block suddenly inherits a villa. When he travels to Milan, he does not expect to be involved in a mysterious situation. After coming across his grandmother's personal diary, he begins to learn about a part of her life that he would've never guessed and the meaning behind those butterflies she collected, which seem to hold a deeper meaning.

I received an e-ARC and ALC! The narrators did an excellent job bringing the characters to life, and that, along with the production, made for an enjoyable story.

Definitely recommend this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-arc and ALC!

I'm not quite sure what I expected when I picked up a family secrets/ butterfly horror book. But this was more and also less, so I am struggling to rate it and write a review. I wanted some more body horror and less interpersonal horror. Although there was more interpersonal horror than I wanted, it was really well done, so I can't really complain about it. So even though this type of interpersonal horror isn't my favorite, the book did leave me thinking and a big group of butterflies will bother me from now on. So that is successful horror.
I want to put in a plug for the audiobook and its narrators. The audiobook was exceptional! The narrators voices really made the characters come alive. If you are thinking about reading this book, I would definitely recommend the audiobook.

An atmospheric, dark, slow burn horror- filled with multiple POV's, family secrets, twists and turns, and an ending that will SHOCK you!

Alternating between Riccardo's POV in the present day, and his grandmother, Perihan's manuscript from the past, we get a deep dive into the truths of her mysterious death. This story was very detail heavy, and lagged just a bit at times (for me) - however, these details were needed and by the end of it I was stunned.

Overall, a very strong debut for Yigit Turhan and I can not wait to see what else the author puts out.

Their Monstrous Hearts by Yigit Turhan is a tale about what happens when your inheritance may cost you your life? Riccardo inheritshis grandmothers home and as a struggling writer welcomes the idea of this gift... at first. After a bunch of wild occurances and disturbing behaviors told through journal entries, Riccardo is not sure if he has bit off more than he can chew. The audio quality was crisp and clear and the narrator perfection.

Their Monstrous Hearts was such a deranged, magical, dark tale. It starts off slow, but when it really gets going, I was stressing. 🥲 I was kindly gifted the audiobook and loved how well done the narration was. The ending is so wrong and I loved it - I realize I’m weird for that. I enjoyed the diary entries that gave us insight into such a magical, yet depressing story Riccardo’s grandmother, how she came to have the butterflies anxiously what the butterflies are capable of. If you enjoy dark family secrets, magical realism and a dark, gothic atmospheric setting, this makes for a quick, haunting read. Thanks to MIRA and The Hive for my advanced audiobook. Their Monstrous Hearts is available today.

I have to thank Net Galley as well as Harlequin audio for my advanced audiobook copy.

I enjoyed the story of the grandmother and felt that her storyline really drove this story for me. I felt Riccardo's was necessary. It just didn't pull me in until the ending. I also will mention that I think with the audiobook, it was easier to get into the story for myself than if I would have physically read this one. The narration was such a fun listen and made it go by faster, especially with the descriptive parts.

That ending, though! I knew something was funky, but I would have never guessed that would be the route it was going!

Rating is 3.75 overall! Beginning had me interested, middle lost me a little, ending had me shocked!

First and foremost as always thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. This was an incredibly good read! The story was beautifully written and the characters were flushed out really well! Definitely worth the read!