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!

This is a slow burn horror story with a hint of historical fiction. This book was good. I wasn't expecting the ending.

I liked it but did not love it. I keep learning that slow burn isn't my thing. And it is especially hard when reading/listening to audio books. The narration, and the story telling is very beautiful and lyrical. It's a fairy tale. But one that isn't beautiful. But it is so so slow. And the horror doesn't really shine till the end.

This books in on point gothic. Mysterious house, mysterious family, family secrets, dark underlyings.. It all builds on this gothic fairy tale. And we have a diary that tells it all. You want to know the mysteries of the butterflies and this beautiful and enigmatic grandmother.. but also how long will it take? I wanted something more in between those diary entries.

I'm sure there will be readers that will love the prose and the style. But not me. I was 100 the cover buyer, as I'd pick this book just based on it! IT IS gorgeous.

Thank you to The Hive, Mira, HTP, and Harper Audio for the gifted copies!

Their Monstrous Hearts
Yiğit Turhan
Publishing Date: April 8, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🎧 Narrator: Luca John Filiz; Tina Nakhleh Falkenbury

Talk about judging a book by its cover… the moment I saw the cover of this one I was drawn in. I love butterflies and it was just so beautifully creepy. Then add in the Italian setting, it was one I knew I had to read.

The concept here was intriguing and had a lot of potential. Ricardo is a struggling author who has just inherited his grandmother’s estate and.. butterfly collection. When he arrives in Milan he also finds a manuscript his grandmother had been working on. As we read, we go back and forth between real life/present day and Perihan’s manuscript. It quickly becomes evident that something strange is going on. Perihan’s friends are always lurking around whispering, there is a mysterious greenhouse behind the house, the butterflies, and the manuscript tells a super eerie tale. Will Ricardo get the inspiration he needs to finish his book or is he in danger?

We spend A LOT of time in Perihan’s manuscript, quite possibly more time than we spend with Ricardo in present day. I found this made the majority of the book hard to connect with. Without a lot of time WITH the main characters it was just hard to feel invested in what was happening. I really like the book within a book concept, I just think a different balance would have hit better. The manuscript was bizarre and I found myself a bit confused by it for much of the book. Once we hit the last 20% or so the connection between present day and the manuscript start to weave together and that is where this book had its moment to shine. It just took a bit too long to get there.

🎧 The narrators themselves did a nice job with this one. However, the perspectives change suddenly and in a way that is not very clear. This in addition to the back and forth between present day and the manuscript, made it a bit confusing at times on audio. If I had to do this again I would either read with my eyes or do tandem.

3.5 rounded up
*Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for audio review copy*

What a sinister ending! The author did a good job with the atmosphere throughout this book. There was times it felt like the main character Riccardo was in a thriller novel where he was trying to scam his way into money. The realities of this being a slow burn horror makes me want to applaud the ending.

The emphasis here is on slow burn. If you can enjoy the build up the pay off is worth it. The build up for me was a drag which is why I could not give it a higher rating. However, I am sure there's going to be plenty of praise for this and I can't wait to see other people talk about it.

This one left me a little torn to be honest. I love gothic horror with it's slower pace that unfolds to the big reveal. And yet. The pacing here was pretty inconsistent. The beginning was fine and the ending was absolutely phenomenal, but getting there was almost painfully boring.

The author relied very heavily on metaphor, particularly butterflies to represent transformation. It was effective, but after a while, I felt like I was being beaten over the head with it by someone who really wanted me to notice the cool thing they just did.

This is by no means a bad book. I did enjoy it. The writing is beautiful and descriptive from start to finish. It's just not a *me* book. If I had the choice to go into it for the first time again, I may have skipped the audio and went with the actual text. The narrators did do a phenomenal job bringing these characters to life.

I think it's safe to say this was English debut jitters. This is still a book I would recommend to someone if they enjoy things slow and atmospheric, because that was here in spades. I still plan on trying more of this author's work, but this one was just a bit of a miss for me.

Thank you to Harlequin Audio and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this audiobook for the purpose of review. My opinion is, as always, honest and my own.

Their Monstrous Hearts is a slow burn horror.

Riccardo, a struggling writer trying to make ends meet, finds out that he’s the beneficiary of his late grandmother’s inheritance, which includes a villa in Milan, an intricate butterfly collection, and—most intriguingly—a diary. At first, he believes the diary’s stories must be fictional, as they seem too bizarre to be real.

While I found the writing style a little choppy and repetitive at times, I understand this is Turhan’s first novel in English, so I’m willing to cut some slack. The plot took a while to gain momentum, but trust me—the payoff at the end was worth the wait.

The Italian setting and atmosphere were fantastic, and the incorporation of butterflies into a horror element was unique and refreshing. The book reads more like a gothic mystery than a traditional horror, but it was still an enjoyable ride.

I received this as an audiobook ARC, and I have to admit the narration didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It felt a bit disjointed and clunky, which made it harder to fully immerse myself. But, despite that, I still found myself invested in the story, especially as it picked up steam toward the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This cover is BREATHTAKING.

I received a free copy of the audiobook via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a stinker. Riccardo is boring character with little depth beyond being a struggling writer who just can't get a good idea for a novel. During his darkest hour, he learns that his grandmother had died, and she's left him her butterfly collection (and huge house.) When we get to his grandmother's mysterious manuscript, her account of her life before marrying her husband is the most interesting this book gets, and the closest we get to a developed character.

However, the audiobook was the nail in the coffin for me. The male narrator does an accent for Ricardo that had me constantly thinking of Oskar from Hey Arnold. The female narrator is good, but if I have to spend time with Ricardo, I'm not going to make it through this book.