Our Gifted Hearts
By Jennifer Kennedy

☆☆☆☆☆/5
This is a beautifully done retelling of Bluebeard. The plot was thoughtfully laid out, giving the reader enough mystery and suspense to stay hooked throughout the read.

Each character is written so well. The creeping sense that something isn't right was felt more and more as we got to know all characters. You really root for the FMC Fortune to conquer all that she is going through...even if you can't put yourself on what is actually wrong.

I read this in basically one sitting because I couldn't put it down, I was hooked and fully immersed in the story.

I will be pre-ordering this ASAP.

Publication Date:
October 13th, 2025

Our Gifted Hearts by @jennifer Kennedy

I was lucky enough to get this approved on Netgalley, and I quickly dived into the pages. I have read some of Jenny's work previously and love her voice and style, so I knew this would likely be the same.

Our Gifted Hearts is a thrilling, mysterious, and dark read. With vivid gothic description and a wonderfully isolated setting, it really sets the mood.

I loved how distinctive each character was, the way that their personalities are explored on the page, and we learn more about what is going on in that house and on that island.

There is a clever and subtle delve into the supernatural. It isn't thrown in your face with gimmicks, and you aren't really sure until the end what it is you are dealing with.

I felt for Fortune, her heartbreak and lack of self-worth, but also her fierce determination, and Mathis was just the perfect accompaniment.

One thing which I really enjoyed was the bird 'gift', it was such an unusual but great way of adding that extra dimension to the plot.

This is definitely a 5* review from me. I can't wait to see Jennifer soar with this book and her future works.

If you love a dark, gothic fairy tale, this one is for you. Our Gifted Hearts was such a captivating read!

We follow Fortune, a young woman accused of witchcraft. To avoid the hangman’s noose, she reluctantly marries a man she barely knows and flees to his remote island home. But safety is an illusion. Strange sights and sounds begin to haunt her, and her new husband, his mother, and the housekeeper all seem… off. Unsure of who to trust, Fortune teams up with her loyal raven and relatively new employee, Mathis, to uncover the family’s dark secrets. When she learns she’s not the first bride, she realizes she must act quickly or risk sharing the same grim fate.

Atmospheric, eerie, and utterly bingeable, this book is perfect for curling up with during the fall and winter months.

**ARC Review**
*Thanks to NetGalley, Jennifer Kennedy, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.*

**Our Gifted Hearts** by Jennifer Kennedy had me hooked from the very first page — no exaggeration. It’s one of those reads where you think, “Oh, I’ll just do a chapter or two before bed,” and then suddenly it’s 2 a.m. and you’re emotionally wrecked but can’t stop.

From page one, this story is an absolute whirlwind of heartbreak, and yet it’s laced with so much hope, resilience, and love that you can’t help but root for the characters through every gut-punch moment. Kennedy’s writing feels like she’s cracked open your chest and is just *rearranging* your emotions in real time. The pacing was perfect, the emotional beats landed hard, and every twist made me want to throw my Kindle across the room — in the best way possible.

This is the kind of book that sticks with you, the kind you keep thinking about when you should be doing literally anything else (like laundry, dishes, or pretending to be a functioning adult).

If you want a read that will break your heart, heal it, and then break it all over again — **Our Gifted Hearts** is *the* pick.

Rachel 💌 (fully in my “crying over fictional people” era)

Our Gifted Hearts follows Fortune, who marries into a mysterious family hiding dark secrets. As eerie events unfold, she must unravel the truth before it’s too late.

🌍World Building
The eerie atmosphere pulled me in from page one. Every scene felt off in just the right way—tense, mysterious, and full of secrets.

🧙🏻‍♀️Characters
Fortune was a great FMC. And even though I find her name to be pretty ironic 😂, she was smart, cautious, and kept her wits about her. I loved seeing how she handled everything thrown her way.

💖Relationships
Her dynamic with the new family was so tense and intriguing. She warmed to some, but knew to keep her guard up. The relationships felt uncomfortable at times but I think this is intentional to give you a sense of unease.

🌀Plot Twists
I was constantly trying to solve the mystery! I guessed parts, but the final twist about the family dynamic shocked me. And the ending? So satisfying—not rushed at all.

✨ Overall
This is a gripping story, with an eerie mystery, well-drawn characters and a twisty plot. The atmosphere stays unsettling, and the ending was the icing on the cake! Definitely a must-read!

This book pulled me out of an over-a-month-long slump and I couldn’t be happier!

Ok let’s start with the fact that this story is CREEPY AF! I don’t if I’ll sleep tonight but it’s totes worth it!

A dark, gothic fantasy with witchcraft, magic/gifts, ghosts, vampirism (of a sort), sinister nightmares come to life and heartbreaking themes of isolation, loneliness and a desire for freedom. Freedom from societal expectations, from the weight of the past and freedom from the burden of duty.

This also has a beautiful, barely-there romance subplot, a slow unravelling of a dark and twisted history and a desperation to escape an inevitable fate.

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. An easy, enjoyable, edgy read that will probably give my overactive mind nightmares for days but I still highly recommend it!

*very gratefully received as an arc.

Our Gifted Hearts is the story of a woman named Fortune fleeing her home after being accused of witchcraft by marrying a man she hardly knows. After a quick ceremony, she travels to his home on a remote island where strange things begin to happen. Is her new home really her sanctuary from danger, or an all together different kind of nightmare?

This book didn't take long to have me absolutely hooked. I stayed up all night reading because I was so interested in putting all of the pieces together. A dark, gothic, and often melancholy story, but the pacing never felt slow or dull. There were moments of sadness, grief, excitement, shock, disgust, and horror that had my heart pumping. As much as this is a gothic romance, it really takes a backseat to themes of trauma, manipulation, and women's autonomy. The characters were interesting, each harboring their own dark secrets, and I found myself wanting to know more about them than the story gave. Fortune was a character that was very easy to connect to with her resilience and quiet strength in the face of the darkness in her life.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed stepping into this world besides a few minor questions that felt unanswered and wanting the story to dig even a little deeper into characters, I would recommend checking trigger warnings for anyone that is on the fence about some of the horror elements. There are definitely a few dark/graphic moments, but nothing that felt gratuitous.

A novel of greener grass or is it? I used to hate that saying until I admitted to it's universal message and found myself in some situations. Don't be held back but things could be worse, there is no winning in life, just make choices you aren't going to regret.

Relationships are a complicated dance of trust. They are using each other for their own reasons and I just can't say anymore. She needs to get out, there are mysterious things and secrets.

The first novel! Congrats!

This book had me hooked from the very first line and fully in its grip by the end of chapter one. Our Gifted Hearts is haunting, atmospheric, and absolutely brimming with tension—both emotional and supernatural. I could not put it down.

Fortune is one of those main characters you root for instantly. She’s been through so much—loss, grief, fear—and yet she still has this quiet strength that made me love her more with every page. Accused of witchcraft and forced into marriage to survive, she ends up on an eerie, remote island with a husband she barely knows, and let me just say… this house? This island? Not giving “safe haven” at all.

The vibes are gothic and immersive in the best way—creaking walls, locked doors, tunnels that shouldn’t exist, and that constant feeling that something isn’t quite right. I was just as curious (and freaked out) as Fortune was. And don’t even get me started on the housekeeper and mother-in-law. Perfectly untrustworthy.

The relationship between Fortune and Isaac unfolds so slowly and carefully, with so much emotional weight behind it. It’s a romance, yes, but it’s also a story of healing, trust, and survival. Every little moment between them felt earned.

The writing is beautiful and lyrical without ever being too much, and the pacing kept me turning pages way past when I should’ve been asleep.

This is for readers who love a slow-burning gothic mystery with emotional depth, rich atmosphere, and the kind of romance that sneaks up on you. I’m still thinking about Fortune and that island, and I’ll be shoving this book at anyone who will listen.

An absolute standout.

A decent little gothic tale. It had a little same-y aura that comes with the genre, I think, that made things a little too predictable. But that's in a good old-fashioned way that makes it easy to recommend.

Young Fortune must flee her small village, accused of witchcraft, with the help of a stranger who proposes marriage. When she arrives at the remote island that will be her home, she finds herself with a husband who is absent for long periods of time, isolated with only her mother-in-law and the few servants for company. She soon discovers that everyone is harbouring some disturbing secret.
This atmospheric novel gives us the feeling of being immersed in a fairy tale for adults, with a sweet but strong and determined female character who faces terrible circumstances.
Perfect for fans of ghost stories and mysteries with a gothic touch.

Our Gifted Hearts delivers a haunting tale wrapped in gothic atmosphere, emotional complexity, and a slow burn of dread that creeps up on you when you least expect it. What begins as a quiet, almost pastoral narrative about grief and survival quickly unravels into something much darker, and I found myself completely absorbed by the quiet power of Jennifer Kennedy’s storytelling.

The story centers on Fortune, a young woman whose life has been shaped by past trauma and present isolation. Her world is small: a farm, a grieving mother, and a village that’s slowly turning on her. After a woman is executed for witchcraft, the community’s fear and suspicion land squarely on Fortune’s shoulders. What follows is a desperate choice—to escape the flames by agreeing to marry a stranger named Isaiah and leave everything she’s known behind.

At first, the promise of a new life seems like a relief, a way out. But Kennedy doesn’t give us a fairytale. What Fortune finds instead is a home thick with secrets, and a husband who is not at all who he claimed to be. The tension builds quietly, but with increasing intensity, and by the final chapters I had full-body chills. The twists hit hard, and the revelations are as shocking as they are heartbreaking.

Fortune is a deeply compelling character—stoic yet vulnerable, practical yet hopeful. You want to root for her, to see her safe, but the book never lets you forget that safety is a fragile thing. Her emotional journey—from repression to resilience—is written with care, and I appreciated how Kennedy layered in themes of generational trauma, misogyny, and the dangerous allure of escape.

The setting deserves its own praise. Whether it’s the hostile village she flees or the eerie island she arrives at, each place is so richly atmospheric you can practically feel the cold wind or smell the earth. There’s a quiet horror in how places can become prisons, and Kennedy captures that beautifully.

If I had one critique, it’s that some of the more dramatic reveals toward the end could have used just a little more space to breathe. Still, the impact is undeniable. I was left stunned, heart racing, and completely satisfied.

For readers who like:
-Historical fiction with gothic vibes
-Slow-burning suspense
-Themes of emotional resilience and the cost of survival

Final Verdict
Our Gifted Hearts is equal parts chilling and poignant—a beautifully written exploration of fear, survival, and what happens when you trade one kind of danger for another. Jennifer Kennedy offers a tale where every decision has weight, every kindness may be a trap, and nothing is quite what it seems. A deeply atmospheric, gripping read that left me shaken in the best way.

Grateful to NetGalley, Angry Robot and Jennifer Kennedy for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

This book grabbed me in from the start I loved the characters the storyline was amazing it was a page turner thank you for this read

An interesting novel is a very informative and chilling novel that shows that sometimes moving somewhere new doesn’t always solve your problems. I willbadmit thast maybe the novel would be happier after the main character got away from the conflict in her hometown. However, the place she ended up going to ended up being filled with suspicious secrets and people. However, when you think about all those things that happened made the novel much more interesting
We are introduced to a young woman named Fortune who after having a traumatic experience in her youth closes her heart off from love. She spends her days taking care of her aging mother and tending to chores around the farm. One day a woman from their village is executed for being a witch shortly after the execution the town decides to turn on Fortune accusing her of witchcraft.
After much encouragement from her mother Fortune decides to enter a marriage of convenience with a visiting stranger named Isaiah whose homeland is an Island where she won't have to worry about the people of her village coming after her. However, once she arrives she realizes that this solution was not ideal at all. She soon finds out the home is riddled with secrets and that her husband isn't the same caring and compassionate individual that she orginally met.

I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own

This book gave me goosebumps and I was shocked lol. It was so good. Almost towards the end of this book, it was so interesting like why are they doing this lol? I really enjoyed it. I loved it. The art on the cover is cute and it really does represent the story of this book.