Their Monstrous Hearts follows the story of a struggling writer named Ricardo. One day an unexceptected knock on his door leaves him the sole heir to his grandmother Perihan’s estate and famed collection of butterflies. With nothing to lose he arrives back home and discovers his late grandmothers diary. He soon finds himself immersed in the mystery of his grandmothers life and her strange passing. Will he be able to figure out what lurks behind her written pages or will the monsters consume him first?

My thoughts: Overall I enjoyed this story. I found it creative and after listening to the authors note a lot within the pages felt more meaningful. I thought the narrators did a good job being the story to life and keeping me wanting to continue listening. I don’t feel like this is a horror novel, but more of a mystery/thriller with magical elements. It would be a great starting book for those looking into starting their horror reading journey! The slow burn was a bit hard at times to stay interested in but I really enjoyed the last couple of chapters and how the twists came together for the ending! I would give this book 3/5 stars. 🖤🦋

Thanks to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC of Their Monstrous Hearts in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

I absolutely loved this book. It's beautifully written and full of rich symbolism. Although it’s a longer read, I didn’t mind at all; I found myself eagerly looking forward to diving back into it every day. I also highly recommend reading the author's note at the end.

I truly wanted to like this book. I just struggled to get into it. I also struggled to get into the audiobook. I wish that the narrator used more range in his voice and made me want to be more invested in the story, but I just wasn’t.

Thank you so much to @htp_hive @htpbooks @harlequin_audio and @_mira_books_ for the #gifted #audiobook!

Sorry Dua Lipa, Their Monstrous Hearts was a miss for me. And that's so hard to say because this book was all about butterflies and I'm obsessed with butterflies. I decorate with them, I plant native plants in my yard with the sole purpose of giving butterflies places to lay their eggs, I even have my own collection of them that I have pinned! So a story featuring a paranormal, almost magical system of butterflies is something I should have eaten up.

Alas, I did not think the writing quality was there. This was an interesting idea with poor execution. The story-within-a-story was weird, the characters were bland, and the pacing was way off. I had no idea what was going on, but not in a cool way where I wanted to figure it out. More like in a confusing way where I was uninvested. The ending ended up being interesting, but I can't say the journey was worth it.

But the butterflies were really cool!

This book started out strong for me and I was enjoying it but then it just fell flat for me. I lost interest. Some books are just not meant for you and that’s okay.

Th beginning of this book started off strong, but as we continued the story it became boring. The best part of the book for me was Perihans manuscript/diary. I really liked seeing her story unfold, but the constant backing forth felt a bit jarring.

The author did a good job of describe the green house and the elements of the butterfly.

I just felt like Riccardo wasn’t fully flushed out at a character and that made it hard for me to really care what happened to him. It was very slow and the horror elements took awhile to come into play.

Overall, I don’t know if I would recommend this.

Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin audio for the ALC!

DNF @ 40%

The story is so very disjointed and confusing and I’m bored reading this right now. The two narrators were great though and were got me to the 40% mark.

Thank you to the publisher for an eARC and ALC. all thoughts are my own.

This was a slow read—but not in a bad way. Their Monstrous Hearts takes its time, and while I found the pacing sluggish at points and wished the characters were more fully developed, I’m glad I stuck with it. By the end, it pulled me in.

The story centers on Riccardo, a struggling writer who inherits his grandmother’s villa in Milan, along with her butterfly collection. As he settles into the house, he begins to uncover bits and pieces of her past through old diaries, and that’s when the story starts to shift. There’s a quiet unease that builds—not traditional horror, but something more emotional and unsettling.

I had a hard time connecting with the characters at first. Riccardo felt distant, and some of the supporting characters didn’t leave a strong impression. But what kept me going was the overall mood and the way the story slowly revealed its themes around grief, memory, and inheritance. It’s less about plot and more about what those things feel like—and Turhan captures that feeling well, especially in the second half.

This won’t be for everyone. If you’re looking for a fast-paced story or a clear-cut mystery, this probably isn’t it. But if you’re okay with a quiet, slower read that leans into introspection and emotional tension, there’s something rewarding here.

First of all that cover is absolutely gorgeous!! This book has very dark and gothic vibes. More creepy and weird than horror for most of this book. The last few chapters were definitely horrific though. The writing was so detailed and beautiful. I could truly picture the world and the characters. Definitely a story I could see being beautifully done as a movie. I can’t wait to get the physical copy.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

Ricardo is a struggling writer in desperate need of a book to pitch to his agent when a stranger arrives at his door to tell him his grandmother has passed away and he has inherited her villa in Milan. So Ricardo packs up and head to Milan in hopes of being inspired, but nothing is as he remembers it -- there's something sinister beneath the butterflies and there's definitely something wrong with the greenhouse. And when Ricardo discovers his grandmother's diary, he starts to learn more about her life. But things seem a little too fantastical, and although he's sure it's a work of fiction, there's a few too many things that are starting to add up. He's hoping her diary will help him write his new book, but he'll have to survive long enough to write it.

This reminded me of an old movie called the Skeleton Key but with a scary butterfly lady creature? I don't even know hoe to describe her. OKAY. Trying to keep this spoiler free, so let's start with characters. I really enjoyed the diary aspect and learning off the grandmother's story at the same time as Ricardo. There's a few scenes that really freak you out with the details in the writing, but for the most part it does feel like the story is moving slow. With that being said, as much as it felt slow there were a lot of times that I would look down and see I jumped another 15% into the audio without even realizing becuase I was just drawn into this. The butterfly aspect of things was really cool, and the ending was wild. I actually had to go back and relisten to it because it's such a subtle moment at first that you're like wait, what? And then you go back and you're like WHAT. Overall, this felt like a classic horror with a lot of subtle moments, despite actually seeing the monster pretty early on. I thoroughly enjoyed this and I'd 100% recommend it to people who enjoy a mystery with a side of horror.

Thank you to Netgalley, MIRA, Harper Audio and Yigit Turhan for the ALC!

“Sometimes when you find yourself in a dark place you think you’ve been buried but you’ve actually been planted…”

Ricardo is a struggling writer when he finds out he has inherited his grandmother’s villa in Milan after her mysterious death. Perihan’s house is nothing like he remembers from his youth and he stumbles upon his grandmother’s diary, which opens up a whole can of worms (or maybe I mean, can of butterflies? LOL)

This may be the most unique horror book I have ever read! Though it is a bit of a slow-burn (til a jaw-dropping twist), it was so rich in history and horror that it made me in think and truly stayed with me after. Told in dual points of view, Perihan’s writings were a big part of the story. I thought the narrators did a fabulous job on audio as well. I loved this book so much that I ordered a pretty finished copy before I even finished reading - I can’t wait til it arrives!

Although this book was a horror story, the love Ricardo had for his grandmother was evident throughout. The author’s note at the end explained Turhan’s relationship for his own grandmother and basis for writing the story. He has a beautiful writing style as well and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!

”Their Monstrous Hearts” releases April 8, 2025. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

To say I loved this would be an exaggeration, but I did enjoy it. I thought the PoV was unique and the story was eerie throughout.

Riccardo had the worst luck in family and I feel no shame in saying I was pulling for him. The story telling was good, but the ending was very unsatisfying. I really wanted Riccardo to come out on top where he could use this experience to turn his life around - even if he was a bit defeatist and melancholy.

This is again one of those stories where the title has you thinking of monsters, but throughout the journey you realize that humans and their insatiable greed and selfishness are the real monsters.

I felt so bad for the “monster” of the story. She lived a horrible existence with Parihan because of her abilities and ended up being belittled and used up by the end.

Note: I dual read this one: physical and audio. The audio was good and I liked how it switched back and forth from the mail and female narratives.

Riccardo, a struggling writer, has just had the electricity turned off in his Paris apartment when a mysterious stranger shows up at his door with news. Perihan,. Riccardo's grandmother, has passed away and left him her villa in Milan and her butterfly collection. Without options, Riccardo returns to Milan to claim his inheritance.
But the people Perihan surrounded herself with are very odd and lurking and always keeping tabs on Riccardo. And something is DEFINITELY wrong with the greenhouse. Nothing is quite what Riccardo remembers from childhood. Before the funeral, Riccardo stumbles upon Perihan's journal and is delighted to find out that she was also a writer. Because the story she weaves couldn't be real. Or could it?
I'm going to need more from Yigit Turhan! The writing was exquisite and this author definitely knows how to weave a story. Definitely a favorite so far for 2025. Who knew butterflies could be terrifying?!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this digital audio e-arc.*

DNF @ 51%

I really tried to get into this one but just couldn't. It's the slowest of slow burns and it felt like nothing was happening. There was a lot of telling rather telling; even when the build up was done well it would be capped by a sentence telling you exactly what the author wants you to think about that particular thing. I'm not sure if this is lost in translation thing since this is apparently the authors first book in English but there as just nothing that grabbed my attention.

I listened to the audiobook and every time the narrator switched to Perihan's manifest, the pacing came to a screeching halt. I finally gave up when I could feel my eyes glazing over every time it happened.

Thanks MIRA and Harlequin audio for providing this ARC to me!

Unfortunately, this story did not hold my interest and I believe that was a "me" problem rather than a book or audiobook problem.
I do believe the narration was beautifully done and enjoyed that aspect.

A dual timeline horror that slowly builds to a climactic and slightly rushed ending.

Disclaimer: I read this as a tandem read. I got a physical copy from the publisher Mira and an audiobook copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This book threw me in almost immediately with its premise. I have never read anything like this before, and I thought it was going to be a fantastic read. The premise was indeed interesting and provocative. But the execution lacked a little bit for me.

The dual timeline narration was a little one-sided for me. I don't feel like I got to know the main character Ricardo very well because I spent most of my time reading in his grandmother's manuscripts. I would've liked to have spent more time with the main character because towards the end of the book, I found myself not really attached and didn't really care what happened to him.

The manuscripts tended to ramble on a little bit as well. I feel like they got very repetitive in their narration and overtime. I really felt like I wasn't learning anything new. Once we got to the ending, I felt like it was all over very quickly after such a slow and steady buildup.

I would still like to read more by this author. This is a debut and I really feel like it can only get better. But overall, this novel was a solid and promising premise with just some execution issues.

a dark, murderous story of what happens when people cross set boundaries
Riccardo is a struggling author, losing his inspiration
when a stranger arrives at his apartment with the news of his grandmothers death and her villa in Milan that was left to Riccardo
hoping for a change of scenery and possibly a small monetary inheritance, Riccardo is shocked to find not the nostalgic home of his childhood but a run down version with a haunted greenhouse and butterfly collection that seems more and more monstrous
exploring the estate, Riccardo finds his grandmothers diary with hints to her mysterious death, this could be the story that changes Riccardo's career, if he can survive long enough to write it
THE AUDIOBOOK: the multi voice cast was wonderful for the dual pov and added to the accents in the book

I really struggled to connect with this book and story. Initially I was very interested but as the multiple perspectives and flashbacks were introduced, I felt it lost its relatability. The surrealist elements came out of the blue for me and increased my disinterest in the story.

Review: (no spoilers)
Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive an ALC of this book.

Slowly but surely I’m coming around to gothic horror and I think this book definitely helped with that. Normally, I’m an all-in, over the top, extreme horror reader and typically I find gothic horror to be a bit too slow- for too long, for my taste (I know that’s how gothic horror is supposed to be, just bear with me)
I love the emphasis on atmospheric elements in gothic horror. I love that we’re kept in the dark juuuuust enough to be left wanting more with each chapter. Every time that I thought I should pause the audiobook and do something else, the chapter would end with my jaw dropped. I flew through this audiobook.
There was also a slight fantastical element that I thought was VERY well done- I won’t ever look at butterflies the same way again.
My thoughts really encapsulate how I processed this story;
It’s always going to be a good idea to read the journals of passed loved ones
Taking butterflies and making them creepy is a talent
I really just loved this narrator 🤣

I’m finding more often now, that I enjoy being somewhat lost during a book because it makes the ending- the wrap up, the whole big reveal- SO much better. I caught myself asking “okay but how does this tie into the grand scheme of things?” AND WHEN WE FOUND OUT HOW IT TIED IN?!
*chefs kiss*

Overall, if you already enjoy gothic horror, I think you’ll like this book. If you want to dip your toes into gothic horror, this is a good start. If you want to see why I now love butterflies in horror, you should check this out 😉

This show burn gothic horror had potential, but I just couldn't get into it. It took too to get to the meat of the story, and I unfortunately found myself losing focus multiple times. I can see this resignating with some readers, unfortunately I am not one of them. Thank you for this ALC in return for an honest review.