When Nora, Ruby, and Cham discover that they’ve each been dating the same man, what starts as outrage quickly spirals into a plot for revenge. Together they hatch a plan to lure their boyfriend to a romantic getaway in a secluded cabin at the top of a snow-covered mountain.
Only what was meant to be harmless payback soon takes a chilling turn when their not-so-adoring boyfriend is found dead in the cabin.
Stranded and snowed in, the women begin to look at each other with increasing suspicion. And as tensions rise, hidden motives come to light. To survive, each woman must confront her own demons as they fight to uncover if one of them is the killer, or if something else lurks in the freezing wilderness, waiting to pick them off one by one.
This was my first book by Mallory Arnold, & the cover and title grabbed my attention. I went in mostly blind, but I was told it was a twisty, locked-room thriller with multiple POVs, and the audiobook had a full cast—who doesn’t love all that?? For the most part, this is fast-paced and very easy-to-follow, but it’s also unpredictable throughout. It starts out feeling like a revenge thriller but slowly morphs into something darker and gets chaotic towards the end.
The multi-POVs are told in first person, mostly following FMCs Ruby, Cham, & Nora, who join forces after discovering that they’re dating the same man, Jason. The story has a gripping start, with the women at a remote police station, injured after surviving a horrifying night, while Detective Mike Brown interviews them. The story then jumps back to before the women knew one another. On audio, I was immediately immersed because the prologue is told as a transcript interview in a high-production-value, multi-voice format. From there, the story jumps back to each woman separately dating Jason. He’s a con man using them all for their money and resources, and I REALLY disliked him. He changes his personality and vibe depending on the woman he’s with and is suave and affectionate. That said, I had to suspend my disbelief at how gullible and naïve the women were, especially when they agreed to give him large sums of money without asking many questions! When a wild series of events brings them together, and they realize they’re dating the same man, their nice days are over (thank goodness!!), and they want to teach him a lesson. Ruby’s inherited remote cabin is the perfect place to lure him somewhere he can’t walk away from.
I found the story immersive and entertaining overall, but I will admit that around the midpoint, the pacing slowed and things began to feel a bit silly. I stuck with it, though, and I’m glad I did because once I got past roughly the 65% mark on audio, the story kicked into high gear. Several over-the-top twists come one after another, & the story becomes more of a survival thriller with the women dealing with an increasingly dangerous situation.
The chapters are short to medium length, and there’s a lot of dialogue between the women, especially once things are going wrong. I enjoyed hearing them talk through difficult decisions and react to the terrifying things happening. I didn’t expect the story to take a cult-related turn, and I’ll be honest, cult stories aren’t my favorite.Having said that, the book doesn’t focus on the cult much but becomes more of a race-against-time survival story. The climax has dramatic confrontations that lead the women back to where the story began. There are a few last-minute twists that I didn’t see coming, although some of the dialogue is so over-the-top that they felt a bit satirical. If you enjoy exaggerated, soap-opera-like vibes, you’ll have a lot of fun. I liked that the epilogue gave the story more resolution and offered one final, small but thought-provoking surprise.
Despite minor pacing issues, a few silly plot points, and some over-the-top reveals, I still enjoyed this book. And if you’re considering it, I would definitely recommend the audio! All four narrators really commit to their performances and bring lots of expression, emotion, and personality to their characters, which helped keep me engaged during slower sections. If you’re looking for your next unpredictable wild ride thriller, definitely give this one consideration!
Narrator Performance
Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die is narrated by seasoned narrators Gary Tiedemann, Victoria Connolly, Stacy Gonzalez, and Alexandra Hunter in a full-cast production that’s perfect for this story.
Gary Tiedemann gives Detective Mike Brown a serious, authoritative voice in the opening prologue with an underlying suspicion in his tone that makes him sound questionable. The interview transcripts are interspersed throughout, with Tiedemann portraying Detective Brown as he interviews the women, and I enjoyed how his performance slowly becomes hostile. He becomes demanding as he pushes Nora, Cham, and Ruby for answers, and you can hear his frustration when they don’t give him the responses he wants. Tiedemann does a great job of making you feel like Brown’s knows more than he’s letting on. Tiedemann also narrates a chapter from Jason’s POV in a contrasting performance. He gives Jason a calculating, self-assured voice, making him sound like a master manipulator with no remorse for what he’s done. It made Jason very unlikeable, but very entertaining.
Connolly portrays Nora with a warm and almost too-trusting voice in the opening chapters when she’s watching a movie with Jason. You can hear how supportive she is when he tells her about his mother’s supposed medical problems, but she comes across as equally gullible, and I was yelling at her to wake up and smell the coffee! As the story unfolds and Nora discovers what Jason’s been doing, Connolly shifts the performance. You can hear more conviction, anger, and determination in her voice. One of my favourite moments comes during a sudden threatening situation when Nora has to quickly figure out how to survive—Connolly captures the split-second shift from fear to survival mode so well. There’s another shift in the hospital scenes, when Nora has lots of fear and concern in her tone as she tries to process everything and what she’s up against next. Then, in the epilogue, Connolly gives us a calmer, more centred version of Nora, which made her character arc feel complete.
Gonzalez gives Cham a completely different energy. Right from the start at her mechanic shop, she sounds strong-willed, feisty, and like someone you don’t want to mess with. There’s also an evident mistrust in her voice that sets her apart from Nora and Ruby. Once they reach the cabin and confront Jason, Gonzalez gives one of the most dramatic performances in the audiobook. She makes Cham sound confrontational and threatening enough that I was convinced she was capable of doing something drastic. During the more chaotic scenes later on, Gonzalez also does a great job of making Cham sound like the group leader. You can hear her trying to keep everyone focused and to hold the women together despite everything’s that’s happened. I also really enjoyed her transcript scenes with Detective Brown. Gonzalez makes her sound suspicious of his questioning and defiant, which gave her a real badass energy. Of the three women, I respected Cham the most, and Gonzalez’s performance really contributed to that!
Hunter gives Ruby a vulnerable, uncertain voice early on, particularly when Jason’s trying to convince her to invest $20,000 in his cryptocurrency scheme. She sounds blind in love and so caught up in his affection that I found myself rolling my eyes and yelling at her to wake up! As the story progresses, Ruby becomes the most psychologically complex character because of her dissociative fugue and the unanswered questions surrounding her biological parents. Hunter does an excellent job of making Ruby’s mental state feel increasingly unstable. The scenes where Ruby realizes she doesn’t have her medication and has symptoms of dissociation were standouts of her performance. I could really feel Ruby’s escalating paranoia and panic. I also enjoyed the shift in Hunter’s performance during the threatening scenes involving Ruby and the mysterious man who corners her—she suddenly sounds more fearless and proactive, and I was rooting for Ruby, and the delivery definitely deserved some fist pumps!
Overall, all four narrators did a great job bringing their characters to life and keeping the intensity high and story entertaining, even during slower sections or silly/over-the-top reveals. If you’re considering picking up this book, or if you enjoy unpredictable, twisty, over-the-top thrillers, this is definitely an audiobook worth checking out!
Narrator Performance
Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die is narrated by seasoned narrators Gary Tiedemann, Victoria Connolly, Stacy Gonzalez, and Alexandra Hunter in a full-cast production that’s perfect for this story.
Gary Tiedemann gives Detective Mike Brown a serious, authoritative voice in the opening prologue with an underlying suspicion in his tone that makes him sound questionable. The interview transcripts are interspersed throughout, with Tiedemann portraying Detective Brown as he interviews the women, and I enjoyed how his performance slowly becomes hostile. He becomes demanding as he pushes Nora, Cham, and Ruby for answers, and you can hear his frustration when they don’t give him the responses he wants. Tiedemann does a great job of making you feel like Brown’s knows more than he’s letting on. Tiedemann also narrates a chapter from Jason’s POV in a contrasting performance. He gives Jason a calculating, self-assured voice, making him sound like a master manipulator with no remorse for what he’s done. It made Jason very unlikeable, but very entertaining.
Connolly portrays Nora with a warm and almost too-trusting voice in the opening chapters when she’s watching a movie with Jason. You can hear how supportive she is when he tells her about his mother’s supposed medical problems, but she comes across as equally gullible, and I was yelling at her to wake up and smell the coffee! As the story unfolds and Nora discovers what Jason’s been doing, Connolly shifts the performance. You can hear more conviction, anger, and determination in her voice. One of my favourite moments comes during a sudden threatening situation when Nora has to quickly figure out how to survive—Connolly captures the split-second shift from fear to survival mode so well. There’s another shift in the hospital scenes, when Nora has lots of fear and concern in her tone as she tries to process everything and what she’s up against next. Then, in the epilogue, Connolly gives us a calmer, more centred version of Nora, which made her character arc feel complete.
Gonzalez gives Cham a completely different energy. Right from the start at her mechanic shop, she sounds strong-willed, feisty, and like someone you don’t want to mess with. There’s also an evident mistrust in her voice that sets her apart from Nora and Ruby. Once they reach the cabin and confront Jason, Gonzalez gives one of the most dramatic performances in the audiobook. She makes Cham sound confrontational and threatening enough that I was convinced she was capable of doing something drastic. During the more chaotic scenes later on, Gonzalez also does a great job of making Cham sound like the group leader. You can hear her trying to keep everyone focused and to hold the women together despite everything’s that’s happened. I also really enjoyed her transcript scenes with Detective Brown. Gonzalez makes her sound suspicious of his questioning and defiant, which gave her a real badass energy. Of the three women, I respected Cham the most, and Gonzalez’s performance really contributed to that!
Hunter gives Ruby a vulnerable, uncertain voice early on, particularly when Jason’s trying to convince her to invest $20,000 in his cryptocurrency scheme. She sounds blind in love and so caught up in his affection that I found myself rolling my eyes and yelling at her to wake up! As the story progresses, Ruby becomes the most psychologically complex character because of her dissociative fugue and the unanswered questions surrounding her biological parents. Hunter does an excellent job of making Ruby’s mental state feel increasingly unstable. The scenes where Ruby realizes she doesn’t have her medication and has symptoms of dissociation were standouts of her performance. I could really feel Ruby’s escalating paranoia and panic. I also enjoyed the shift in Hunter’s performance during the threatening scenes involving Ruby and the mysterious man who corners her—she suddenly sounds more fearless and proactive, and I was rooting for Ruby, and the delivery definitely deserved some fist pumps!
Overall, all four narrators did a great job bringing their characters to life and keeping the intensity high and story entertaining, even during slower sections or silly/over-the-top reveals. If you’re considering picking up this book, or if you enjoy unpredictable, twisty, over-the-top thrillers, this is definitely an audiobook worth checking out!
Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die is narrated by seasoned narrators Gary Tiedemann, Victoria Connolly, Stacy Gonzalez, and Alexandra Hunter in a full-cast production that’s perfect for this story.
Gary Tiedemann gives Detective Mike Brown a serious, authoritative voice in the opening prologue with an underlying suspicion in his tone that makes him sound questionable. The interview transcripts are interspersed throughout, with Tiedemann portraying Detective Brown as he interviews the women, and I enjoyed how his performance slowly becomes hostile. He becomes demanding as he pushes Nora, Cham, and Ruby for answers, and you can hear his frustration when they don’t give him the responses he wants. Tiedemann does a great job of making you feel like Brown’s knows more than he’s letting on. Tiedemann also narrates a chapter from Jason’s POV in a contrasting performance. He gives Jason a calculating, self-assured voice, making him sound like a master manipulator with no remorse for what he’s done. It made Jason very unlikeable, but very entertaining.
Connolly portrays Nora with a warm and almost too-trusting voice in the opening chapters when she’s watching a movie with Jason. You can hear how supportive she is when he tells her about his mother’s supposed medical problems, but she comes across as equally gullible, and I was yelling at her to wake up and smell the coffee! As the story unfolds and Nora discovers what Jason’s been doing, Connolly shifts the performance. You can hear more conviction, anger, and determination in her voice. One of my favourite moments comes during a sudden threatening situation when Nora has to quickly figure out how to survive—Connolly captures the split-second shift from fear to survival mode so well. There’s another shift in the hospital scenes, when Nora has lots of fear and concern in her tone as she tries to process everything and what she’s up against next. Then, in the epilogue, Connolly gives us a calmer, more centred version of Nora, which made her character arc feel complete.
Gonzalez gives Cham a completely different energy. Right from the start at her mechanic shop, she sounds strong-willed, feisty, and like someone you don’t want to mess with. There’s also an evident mistrust in her voice that sets her apart from Nora and Ruby. Once they reach the cabin and confront Jason, Gonzalez gives one of the most dramatic performances in the audiobook. She makes Cham sound confrontational and threatening enough that I was convinced she was capable of doing something drastic. During the more chaotic scenes later on, Gonzalez also does a great job of making Cham sound like the group leader. You can hear her trying to keep everyone focused and to hold the women together despite everything’s that’s happened. I also really enjoyed her transcript scenes with Detective Brown. Gonzalez makes her sound suspicious of his questioning and defiant, which gave her a real badass energy. Of the three women, I respected Cham the most, and Gonzalez’s performance really contributed to that!
Hunter gives Ruby a vulnerable, uncertain voice early on, particularly when Jason’s trying to convince her to invest $20,000 in his cryptocurrency scheme. She sounds blind in love and so caught up in his affection that I found myself rolling my eyes and yelling at her to wake up! As the story progresses, Ruby becomes the most psychologically complex character because of her dissociative fugue and the unanswered questions surrounding her biological parents. Hunter does an excellent job of making Ruby’s mental state feel increasingly unstable. The scenes where Ruby realizes she doesn’t have her medication and has symptoms of dissociation were standouts of her performance. I could really feel Ruby’s escalating paranoia and panic. I also enjoyed the shift in Hunter’s performance during the threatening scenes involving Ruby and the mysterious man who corners her—she suddenly sounds more fearless and proactive, and I was rooting for Ruby, and the delivery definitely deserved some fist pumps!
Overall, all four narrators did a great job bringing their characters to life and keeping the intensity high and story entertaining, even during slower sections or silly/over-the-top reveals. If you’re considering picking up this book, or if you enjoy unpredictable, twisty, over-the-top thrillers, this is definitely an audiobook worth checking out!
