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Fear Street Super Chiller #4
Broken Hearts
There’s someone out there, someone who kills on Valentine’s Day. Josie and Melissa are scared, especially when they receive threatening valentines. Then the murders begin. Who is sending these horrible valentines to the girls of Shadyside High? And who will be the next to die?
228 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1993
58 people are currently reading
1838 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,679 books18.6k followersRobert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews
December 11, 2018
Another in the ‘Super Chiller’ sub-series of Fear Street, with a higher page count allowing Stine to really flesh out the characters and give them great backstories.
After a horseback riding accident which sees 16 year old Rachel seriously hurt and needing constant care, twin Josie shuns her responsibilities of helping younger sister Erica so that she can spend time with boys.
During the lead up to Valentines Day, Josie begins to receive anonymous death treats through a series of cards.
With numerous ex-boyfriends there’s plenty of suspects who wants Josie dead.
There’s some really great characters in this novel, Josie selfishness is perfectly captured.
You really feel for Rachel who has become a shadow of her former self.
With plenty of red-herrings, the reveal was a big surprise!
After a horseback riding accident which sees 16 year old Rachel seriously hurt and needing constant care, twin Josie shuns her responsibilities of helping younger sister Erica so that she can spend time with boys.
During the lead up to Valentines Day, Josie begins to receive anonymous death treats through a series of cards.
With numerous ex-boyfriends there’s plenty of suspects who wants Josie dead.
There’s some really great characters in this novel, Josie selfishness is perfectly captured.
You really feel for Rachel who has become a shadow of her former self.
With plenty of red-herrings, the reveal was a big surprise!
April 4, 2021
"Another Valentine."
Broken Hearts (Fear Street Super Chiller, #4)
by R.L. Stine
Sorry but....
I was very let down by this one.
I was never a huge reader of R.L. Stine growing up. But I did read him occasionally. And I liked some of his stuff. Say what you want but this guy could scare the ever-loving heck out of you!
And I have been longing for a YA horror for awhile now. I grew up addicted to Pike. Christopher Pike whose book had that spiritual element. He fascinates me as a writer. But I did not want anything to deep now. And I did want scary. So that is how I came to choose Broken Hearts.
The story revolves around three sisters, one of them who was tragically hurt in a Horse back riding accident. The girl survives but she is mentally a child.
The other two sisters are deeply effected. Josie does not want to spend any time with her hurt sister and would prefer to just move on. So she leaves all her sister's care to Erika the third sibling.
Erika is the dutiful daughter who is brokenhearted that her sister Rachel will never be the same. The parents both work and cannot afford a nurse full time.
Josie has lots of enemies. She has dumped alot of guys and everybody it seems, is angry at her.
Josie starts receiving death threats in the form of Valentines day notes. Someone wants to kill her. But who?
There is much more to this icy little story but I do need to warn there will be many spoilers.
But BEFORE any spoilers I must include a TRIGGER ALERT. It also explains why I rated this a 2.
ANIMAL CRUELTY ALERT!
SPOILERS:
So, I always....always HATE this plot device as many of you know. I was so disturbed to see it here. That would trigger an automatic low rating but there were other things I did not like about this.
The story is jsut unbelievable. Not the threats. But all the bodies dropping. people just moving on, the odd actions by virtually everybody, the absence of the parents in most of the story. I understand it is young adult but still. I liked the premise because it kept me guessing and I genuinely did not know who did it.
But nobody's actions made sense. So much was not explained. Why was Rachel screaming that someone hated Melissa? Why did Steve call Erika and then hang up on her?
I also find it hard to believe the parents would not be a bit more grief-stricken at losing two daughters and almost losing a third. And so yeah, I did not take to this at all. I still will read Stine. But hopefully no more animal cruelty.
I will say he fooled me with the identity of the killer! Wow!
Broken Hearts (Fear Street Super Chiller, #4)
by R.L. Stine
Sorry but....
I was very let down by this one.
I was never a huge reader of R.L. Stine growing up. But I did read him occasionally. And I liked some of his stuff. Say what you want but this guy could scare the ever-loving heck out of you!
And I have been longing for a YA horror for awhile now. I grew up addicted to Pike. Christopher Pike whose book had that spiritual element. He fascinates me as a writer. But I did not want anything to deep now. And I did want scary. So that is how I came to choose Broken Hearts.
The story revolves around three sisters, one of them who was tragically hurt in a Horse back riding accident. The girl survives but she is mentally a child.
The other two sisters are deeply effected. Josie does not want to spend any time with her hurt sister and would prefer to just move on. So she leaves all her sister's care to Erika the third sibling.
Erika is the dutiful daughter who is brokenhearted that her sister Rachel will never be the same. The parents both work and cannot afford a nurse full time.
Josie has lots of enemies. She has dumped alot of guys and everybody it seems, is angry at her.
Josie starts receiving death threats in the form of Valentines day notes. Someone wants to kill her. But who?
There is much more to this icy little story but I do need to warn there will be many spoilers.
But BEFORE any spoilers I must include a TRIGGER ALERT. It also explains why I rated this a 2.
ANIMAL CRUELTY ALERT!
SPOILERS:
So, I always....always HATE this plot device as many of you know. I was so disturbed to see it here. That would trigger an automatic low rating but there were other things I did not like about this.
The story is jsut unbelievable. Not the threats. But all the bodies dropping. people just moving on, the odd actions by virtually everybody, the absence of the parents in most of the story. I understand it is young adult but still. I liked the premise because it kept me guessing and I genuinely did not know who did it.
But nobody's actions made sense. So much was not explained. Why was Rachel screaming that someone hated Melissa? Why did Steve call Erika and then hang up on her?
I also find it hard to believe the parents would not be a bit more grief-stricken at losing two daughters and almost losing a third. And so yeah, I did not take to this at all. I still will read Stine. But hopefully no more animal cruelty.
I will say he fooled me with the identity of the killer! Wow!
June 26, 2016
Happy Valentine's Day, all! Since I'm just such a romantic, I decided to join in on the holiday and read this lovely little tale about a secret admirer who sends heart-felt Valentines to his crushes in order to obtain their hearts... literally.
Okay, so maybe the story isn't quite that slasher-like. Like most of R. L. Stine's Fear Street books, it's more of a murder mystery. It opens with three sisters and their friend Melissa who go to a horse ranch for a ride through the woods. Rachel--the only sister not wearing a helmet--gets thrown off her horse and cracks her skull, leaving her in a childlike state for the rest of her life.
Jumping forward months later, it is now Valentine's Day and Josie, Rachel's twin sister, refuses to take care of Rachel. Instead, she runs around with her boyfriend, leaving her younger sister Erica to take care of everything at home. Even their parents are crappy and never seem to be around. Because of Josie's bratty attitude, everyone hates her. So it's not a surprise when she starts getting threatening Valentines in the mail from an anonymous person.
The story is pretty predictable. While there is a large number of characters and alternating viewpoints put in to set the reader off the path, I knew who the killer would be before the killings even started. Regardless, it was a fun read. All of the Fear Street books are entertaining and can be read in a day or two depending on the length. Don't expect anything special or scary about this one, though. There was one scene toward the beginning that subtly gave me the creeps, but other than that there's nothing real "super chilling" about it. Overall, 3 stars.
Okay, so maybe the story isn't quite that slasher-like. Like most of R. L. Stine's Fear Street books, it's more of a murder mystery. It opens with three sisters and their friend Melissa who go to a horse ranch for a ride through the woods. Rachel--the only sister not wearing a helmet--gets thrown off her horse and cracks her skull, leaving her in a childlike state for the rest of her life.
Jumping forward months later, it is now Valentine's Day and Josie, Rachel's twin sister, refuses to take care of Rachel. Instead, she runs around with her boyfriend, leaving her younger sister Erica to take care of everything at home. Even their parents are crappy and never seem to be around. Because of Josie's bratty attitude, everyone hates her. So it's not a surprise when she starts getting threatening Valentines in the mail from an anonymous person.
The story is pretty predictable. While there is a large number of characters and alternating viewpoints put in to set the reader off the path, I knew who the killer would be before the killings even started. Regardless, it was a fun read. All of the Fear Street books are entertaining and can be read in a day or two depending on the length. Don't expect anything special or scary about this one, though. There was one scene toward the beginning that subtly gave me the creeps, but other than that there's nothing real "super chilling" about it. Overall, 3 stars.
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June 27, 2021my 2003-inspired reading vlog https://youtu.be/PBCF96Jelaw
October 8, 2020
Wow. Who knew that except for a couple of really old pop culture references, this book holds up. I read this back when I was a teen and recalled thinking that it was a really great book. Stine takes his time setting things up and over the course of a year plus we have multiple murders occurring again around Fear Street. The super chiller books were always a favorite of mine and now I want to go back and read them again.
"Broken Hearts" follows fraternal twins Josie and Rachel and their best friend Melissa as they decide to go horse back riding for an afternoon. The threesome take along the twins younger sister Erica, who is only 14 and scared of starting school at Shadyside High (I would be too). Erica knows her sister Josie can barely put up with her, but that Rachel and Melissa try their best to defend her. The first few pages set the dynamic of the group. Josie is definitely the alpha queen. She talks down to about everyone, dumps guys when they get too boring, and already thinking of dumping her current boyfriend Jenkman (yeah). Rachel has been dating her boyfriend Luke for 2 years and is very happy. Melissa has started to see an ex of Josie's (I guess the best friend rule doesn't apply here). When an accident leaves Rachel forever changed, the book jumps forward to a few weeks before Valentine's Day. Stine shows the fallout of the accident with Josie only focused on her current boyfriend and won't do anything to help out at home with Rachel. Josie doesn't speak to Melissa. Melissa is still having nightmares. Rachel's boyfriend Luke seems to be haunting the house wishing for a return to the Rachel she was before. And Josie's younger sister Erica is exhausted and frustrated that her first year of high school has her playing nurse maid at home with Josie not helping at all. When Josie starts getting threatening Valentine's Day messages she starts to suspect her exes and even someone else unknown who seems out to get her.
I thought this was well done. Stine honestly makes you dislike Josie. She really is selfish and you find yourself rooting for the potential bad guy after a while.
Erica is lost and lonely and you feel bad that she is stuck at home brushing her Rachel's hair all day. I do wonder how things work when they go to school though since it is said the family can only afford a nurse for Rachel on weekends? That seemed like a weird plot hole since Josie and Erica's father is constantly on the road (I don't think he makes an appearance) and the mother is working for the phone company and seems tired when she gets home.
Melissa is realizing her current boyfriend may be feeling something towards Josie still and she feels frustrated that he can't just move on. Melissa I think we can say is the main protagonist in this one since she seems to be the only one who feels badly for not just Rachel, but for Erica constantly being asked to take care of Rachel.
The writing was fine, nothing too out of place here. Typical Stine though he doesn't pull punches at gruesome scenes and you sometimes get the feeling he is enjoying murdering some teens (via his books).
The flow worked too. We get time jumps in this one which are laid out and I actually think are a good idea. I like how from beginning to end this book is about a year and a half all together.
The setting of Shadyside is a mess.
The ending I thought was great cause you get a cool reveal/twist.
"Broken Hearts" follows fraternal twins Josie and Rachel and their best friend Melissa as they decide to go horse back riding for an afternoon. The threesome take along the twins younger sister Erica, who is only 14 and scared of starting school at Shadyside High (I would be too). Erica knows her sister Josie can barely put up with her, but that Rachel and Melissa try their best to defend her. The first few pages set the dynamic of the group. Josie is definitely the alpha queen. She talks down to about everyone, dumps guys when they get too boring, and already thinking of dumping her current boyfriend Jenkman (yeah). Rachel has been dating her boyfriend Luke for 2 years and is very happy. Melissa has started to see an ex of Josie's (I guess the best friend rule doesn't apply here). When an accident leaves Rachel forever changed, the book jumps forward to a few weeks before Valentine's Day. Stine shows the fallout of the accident with Josie only focused on her current boyfriend and won't do anything to help out at home with Rachel. Josie doesn't speak to Melissa. Melissa is still having nightmares. Rachel's boyfriend Luke seems to be haunting the house wishing for a return to the Rachel she was before. And Josie's younger sister Erica is exhausted and frustrated that her first year of high school has her playing nurse maid at home with Josie not helping at all. When Josie starts getting threatening Valentine's Day messages she starts to suspect her exes and even someone else unknown who seems out to get her.
I thought this was well done. Stine honestly makes you dislike Josie. She really is selfish and you find yourself rooting for the potential bad guy after a while.
Erica is lost and lonely and you feel bad that she is stuck at home brushing her Rachel's hair all day. I do wonder how things work when they go to school though since it is said the family can only afford a nurse for Rachel on weekends? That seemed like a weird plot hole since Josie and Erica's father is constantly on the road (I don't think he makes an appearance) and the mother is working for the phone company and seems tired when she gets home.
Melissa is realizing her current boyfriend may be feeling something towards Josie still and she feels frustrated that he can't just move on. Melissa I think we can say is the main protagonist in this one since she seems to be the only one who feels badly for not just Rachel, but for Erica constantly being asked to take care of Rachel.
The writing was fine, nothing too out of place here. Typical Stine though he doesn't pull punches at gruesome scenes and you sometimes get the feeling he is enjoying murdering some teens (via his books).
The flow worked too. We get time jumps in this one which are laid out and I actually think are a good idea. I like how from beginning to end this book is about a year and a half all together.
The setting of Shadyside is a mess.
The ending I thought was great cause you get a cool reveal/twist.
February 28, 2018
Even though it's in a series technically, it's a stand-alone. Anyway I read this for a Fear Street challenge where we read one Fear Street book a month in a group i'm in on Goodreads. I decided to join in because I had already wanted to read some Fear Street books so it gave me the push I needed to just do it.
Josie...oh God I hated Josie, she is such a bitch! Like, I know there are people like her in existence, but why? It was a I love to hate her kind of thing though. Josie, Erica, and Rachel are sisters. Rachel and Josie are twins actually and Erica their younger sister. Erica is 14 and just starting high school while Rachel and Josie are 16. Rachel falls off a horse, with no helmet, and hits her head (prologue of the story), she survives but is now very child-like. Erica and Josie are both supposed to help out caring for her since she can no longer look after herself but Erica ends up doing everything. I loved Erica and felt so bad for her because having to do everything she wasn't able to be a normal teenager at all. She was more than willing to help out but Josie was supposed to as well, it would have made it manage-able, but Josie was just...UGH. Fuck Josie.
Anyway Josie gets threatening valentine's...threatening to murder her. There is more I want to say but I won't, because spoilers. Anyway murders happen and they are trying to figure out who did it and all that. I literally questioned everyone at some point, but I wasn't expecting how it ended, and I loved it! I was actually really thinking it was a particular person but I was very worried about the direction I thought it was heading, about the message it might send, but it did not go the way I thought it would thankfully!
I did have fun reading it and could not stop my brain from trying to figure it out. Even as I was worried I was having fun reading it, just praying it would be ok and it was. I wasn't disappointed. Maybe it wasn't the best as I was so worried but maybe it's just ment to make you think. I know I did. I'm not 100% sure how to feel about it all but it was a fun, quick, murder mystery read.
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Josie...oh God I hated Josie, she is such a bitch! Like, I know there are people like her in existence, but why? It was a I love to hate her kind of thing though. Josie, Erica, and Rachel are sisters. Rachel and Josie are twins actually and Erica their younger sister. Erica is 14 and just starting high school while Rachel and Josie are 16. Rachel falls off a horse, with no helmet, and hits her head (prologue of the story), she survives but is now very child-like. Erica and Josie are both supposed to help out caring for her since she can no longer look after herself but Erica ends up doing everything. I loved Erica and felt so bad for her because having to do everything she wasn't able to be a normal teenager at all. She was more than willing to help out but Josie was supposed to as well, it would have made it manage-able, but Josie was just...UGH. Fuck Josie.
Anyway Josie gets threatening valentine's...threatening to murder her. There is more I want to say but I won't, because spoilers. Anyway murders happen and they are trying to figure out who did it and all that. I literally questioned everyone at some point, but I wasn't expecting how it ended, and I loved it! I was actually really thinking it was a particular person but I was very worried about the direction I thought it was heading, about the message it might send, but it did not go the way I thought it would thankfully!
I did have fun reading it and could not stop my brain from trying to figure it out. Even as I was worried I was having fun reading it, just praying it would be ok and it was. I wasn't disappointed. Maybe it wasn't the best as I was so worried but maybe it's just ment to make you think. I know I did. I'm not 100% sure how to feel about it all but it was a fun, quick, murder mystery read.
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February 12, 2018
JOSIE THE BITCH. this one surprised me. it was full or twist that I didn't expect or see coming.
February 16, 2024
3,5*
A year ago a terrible accident changed the lives of twin sisters Rachel and Josie.
Now, Valentine is approaching and Josie gets a card with a serious warning, someone is threatening to kill her. But who is sending her the Valentine cards and why.
As we learn more about the sisters, her common friend Melissa and the aftermath of the accident, Josie will have to find out who wants her dead.
The mystery and the character development in this one was a bit more rich and interesting than in other Fear Street books so it made me enjoy the story a lot more.
Definitely a twisty murder mystery and a fun read for Valentine.
A year ago a terrible accident changed the lives of twin sisters Rachel and Josie.
Now, Valentine is approaching and Josie gets a card with a serious warning, someone is threatening to kill her. But who is sending her the Valentine cards and why.
As we learn more about the sisters, her common friend Melissa and the aftermath of the accident, Josie will have to find out who wants her dead.
The mystery and the character development in this one was a bit more rich and interesting than in other Fear Street books so it made me enjoy the story a lot more.
Definitely a twisty murder mystery and a fun read for Valentine.
January 25, 2022
A fun one!
Lots of red herrings, a main character bites it halfway through and changes the direction of the book, decent fake-outs, and lots of fluffy Valentine holiday murder shenanigans.
Lots of red herrings, a main character bites it halfway through and changes the direction of the book, decent fake-outs, and lots of fluffy Valentine holiday murder shenanigans.
February 10, 2022
Random observations....THERE ARE SPOILERS 💀💀
- OKAY so I have never gone horseback riding for fear of getting an a$$hole horse that might buck me off but after reading this book, I most definitely will NOT be riding horses any time soon 😅
- Be a total bitch and refuse to help out with your brain damaged sister, let alone go say hi to her, and suffer the consequences 💀💀💀
- Is it bad I was Team Killer for this book? Like, I empathized with this person and understood their motives. 😅
- Yay, the cover photo happened! I hate when the cover ends up being a rando scene that is not an accurate interpretation of the book 😂
- The ending was kind of a sad allegory to everything the killer had gone through. RIPPP, YOU ARE NOW FREEEEE 💀💀🕊
3 out of 5 creepy Valentines for you this year, resulting in Broken Hearts, broken bones and broken spirits. It's looking bleak for you this February. ❤️💀
- OKAY so I have never gone horseback riding for fear of getting an a$$hole horse that might buck me off but after reading this book, I most definitely will NOT be riding horses any time soon 😅
- Be a total bitch and refuse to help out with your brain damaged sister, let alone go say hi to her, and suffer the consequences 💀💀💀
- Is it bad I was Team Killer for this book? Like, I empathized with this person and understood their motives. 😅
- Yay, the cover photo happened! I hate when the cover ends up being a rando scene that is not an accurate interpretation of the book 😂
- The ending was kind of a sad allegory to everything the killer had gone through. RIPPP, YOU ARE NOW FREEEEE 💀💀🕊
3 out of 5 creepy Valentines for you this year, resulting in Broken Hearts, broken bones and broken spirits. It's looking bleak for you this February. ❤️💀
March 8, 2025
One of the weakest of the Super Chillers, IMO.
A large cast of characters is present in this but you don't really care about any of them. As Super Chillers tend to be, this is longer than a standard FS book clocking in at just over 200 pages; and there's no reason for it to be that long.
Most of the story just kind of meanders around in the usual teen melodrama with a backdrop of a Valentine's Day killer on the loose, but there's very little in the way of actual tension or suspense.
Characters act strangely and make baffling decisions. The pacing is sooo slow and the climax and killer reveal unimpressive.
All in all this one just felt lazily written to me. Not sure if this one was by Stine or ghostwritten, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter.
Broken Hearts gets a flat 2⭐
A large cast of characters is present in this but you don't really care about any of them. As Super Chillers tend to be, this is longer than a standard FS book clocking in at just over 200 pages; and there's no reason for it to be that long.
Most of the story just kind of meanders around in the usual teen melodrama with a backdrop of a Valentine's Day killer on the loose, but there's very little in the way of actual tension or suspense.
Characters act strangely and make baffling decisions. The pacing is sooo slow and the climax and killer reveal unimpressive.
All in all this one just felt lazily written to me. Not sure if this one was by Stine or ghostwritten, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter.
Broken Hearts gets a flat 2⭐
September 8, 2014
I have been reading A LOT of PIKE lately, so I decided to break it up a bit and grab a Fear Street STINE book. There is a vast difference between these two author's writing style, and now that I am in my 20's I much prefer the more mature style of PIKE. However, Stine will always hold a nostalgic place in my heart and his books are incredibly quick reads with relatively interesting plots and characters.
In BROKEN HEARTS, I must say, the character development goes much deeper than many of Stines other books. The book begins with a nice horse ride gone wrong. After half ass checking the saddle on Rachel's horse, Rachel, her sister Josie, and their best friend Melissa decide that it's good enough and head out for a ride leaving Rachel and Josie's little sister Erica behind. Erica is not much of a rider and is much more shy and introverted than her sisters. On the trail, Rachel's horse is spooked and she is thrown from the horse landing on her head.
A perfect cliff hanger (as Stine loves to use after it seems every chapter) we think Rachel is dead. She is not but her brain was badly damaged reverting her to a child like state, a state in which Erika is put in charge of taking care of. Josie, despite being partly to blame for the accident, takes no responsibilty for Rachel and never does her share of taking care of her. Because of this, Erika is forced to give up her social time and school activities to take care of her sister, while Josie does what she pleases.
Josie's world is shaken up with the arrival of a Valentine's card that reveal rhyming death threats addressed to her. At first, her and her boyfriend think it just a joke, but as more come, and the list of Josie's enemies grows, Josie may not live through the holiday and the killer really really hates Josie.
Like I said, Stine is notorious for his chapter ending cliff hangers which can get old after a while. This book I liked, because I felt like he gave more depth to his characters rather than just relying on the girl friend dates the bad boy motif. I absolutely could not fucking stand the character of Josie. I was ready to kill her myself by the end of the third chapter. I liked where Stine went with this one.
In BROKEN HEARTS, I must say, the character development goes much deeper than many of Stines other books. The book begins with a nice horse ride gone wrong. After half ass checking the saddle on Rachel's horse, Rachel, her sister Josie, and their best friend Melissa decide that it's good enough and head out for a ride leaving Rachel and Josie's little sister Erica behind. Erica is not much of a rider and is much more shy and introverted than her sisters. On the trail, Rachel's horse is spooked and she is thrown from the horse landing on her head.
A perfect cliff hanger (as Stine loves to use after it seems every chapter) we think Rachel is dead. She is not but her brain was badly damaged reverting her to a child like state, a state in which Erika is put in charge of taking care of. Josie, despite being partly to blame for the accident, takes no responsibilty for Rachel and never does her share of taking care of her. Because of this, Erika is forced to give up her social time and school activities to take care of her sister, while Josie does what she pleases.
Josie's world is shaken up with the arrival of a Valentine's card that reveal rhyming death threats addressed to her. At first, her and her boyfriend think it just a joke, but as more come, and the list of Josie's enemies grows, Josie may not live through the holiday and the killer really really hates Josie.
Like I said, Stine is notorious for his chapter ending cliff hangers which can get old after a while. This book I liked, because I felt like he gave more depth to his characters rather than just relying on the girl friend dates the bad boy motif. I absolutely could not fucking stand the character of Josie. I was ready to kill her myself by the end of the third chapter. I liked where Stine went with this one.
February 3, 2022
There is an Erica (yay!) but ehhh I kinda expected more from a Super Chiller. A bit predictable and not as crazy as I hoped lol
June 17, 2011
I remember I started reading this one weekend and couldn't put it down. I had to know what was going to happen next. Great story!!
June 9, 2018
“Broken Hearts” was pretty good in terms of its twists and turns. Just when you have figured out who the suspect is, Stine shifts the focus on someone else. This becomes very entertaining as there are quite a few suspects and almost everybody seems guilty. Even the victim, Rachel, is extremely creepy. Her childlike mannerisms add a whole new level of eeriness to the book. You really don’t know what she might do because she is not in the right state of mind. There are some really suspenseful moments like when Dave enters the house to destroy the cards, and when Melissa sees a redhead running in the street. When the murderer is revealed in the end, the person’s motives seemed legitimate, in contrast to some of the others in this series.
The downside to this book is that there are just too many characters and at times they seem to be shifting their romance interests from one to the other. Erica likes Jenkman, but Jenkman likes Josie. Melissa likes Dave but Dave likes Josie. Josie used to date Dave, but now dates Steve, who shows an interest for Erica later. Then you have Luke who used to date Rachel but now has an interest on Melissa. As if the plot didn’t have enough twists and turns, we had to deal with who is dating whom! Secondly, I despised Josie and her attitude towards everyone. She has such an arrogance and haughty attitude that I didn’t feel any empathy towards her when she was threatened. There is no reason or motive given as to why she even behaves this way.
On a side note, it really irked me that the parents didn’t spend any time with their kids. The dad is supposed to own a chain of stores but cannot afford to take time to see his family during their time of need? And why does the mother have to work such long hours? Well, as this is a Fear Street novel, we really cannot expect doting parents be depicted in them, but it just seemed very unrealistic.
Overall, “Broken Hearts” is a decent Fear Street Super Chiller book. It is worth picking up if you are a fan of the series and haven’t read it yet. P.S. I also liked that this was one of the few Fear Street books where the cover accurately showcases an actual scene from the book!
The downside to this book is that there are just too many characters and at times they seem to be shifting their romance interests from one to the other. Erica likes Jenkman, but Jenkman likes Josie. Melissa likes Dave but Dave likes Josie. Josie used to date Dave, but now dates Steve, who shows an interest for Erica later. Then you have Luke who used to date Rachel but now has an interest on Melissa. As if the plot didn’t have enough twists and turns, we had to deal with who is dating whom! Secondly, I despised Josie and her attitude towards everyone. She has such an arrogance and haughty attitude that I didn’t feel any empathy towards her when she was threatened. There is no reason or motive given as to why she even behaves this way.
On a side note, it really irked me that the parents didn’t spend any time with their kids. The dad is supposed to own a chain of stores but cannot afford to take time to see his family during their time of need? And why does the mother have to work such long hours? Well, as this is a Fear Street novel, we really cannot expect doting parents be depicted in them, but it just seemed very unrealistic.
Overall, “Broken Hearts” is a decent Fear Street Super Chiller book. It is worth picking up if you are a fan of the series and haven’t read it yet. P.S. I also liked that this was one of the few Fear Street books where the cover accurately showcases an actual scene from the book!
February 13, 2021
I haven't read a Fear Street book since probably junior high. I was filled with nostalgia as I read this one and I immediately remembered how I used to tear through two or three of these books a day. This one was so fun to read and full of thrills and kills! This is great intro horror for preteens and teens and a fun trip down memory lane for adults. I will definitely be reading more Fear Street books now, especially since they are such quick reads.
January 22, 2016
Posted originally on my blog:
The Writer's Inkwell
This is probably one of the most memorable Fear Street books from my childhood. I owed it for years and I really enjoyed the twist of who was behind it.
But the question is, how did I feel about it through my adult eyes?
The story line is actually done really well and if you haven't read this book, it's one of the few books from the series that I would recommend.
Here's a brief summary of what you can expect, since the description above really fails to tell you anything.
Josie and Melissa are best friends and they never expected everything would change when they decide to go horse back riding with Josie's sisters, Erica and Rachel (who is Josie's fraternal twin.) When a horse accidentally throws Rachel, her injuries leave her in an eternal childlike state and completely dependent for the rest of her life. Despite the fact Erica and Josie are supposed to split the responsibility of watching over her, Josie is constantly blowing off her responsibility. But someone's out to get Josie and is threatening to kill her on Valentine's Day...
Josie is an infuriating character to read. She's so selfish and self-centered. You know what type I'm talking about. We've all known someone like this. She's constantly whining about everyone giving her grief about not helping out with Rachel. Poor Erica is spending her freshman year of high school, baby-sitting her sister and Josie refuses to care or help. It's extremely easy to understand why someone would hate her enough to want to kill her. As for Melissa, it's really hard to understand why she becomes the next target. Yes, the explanation does make sense. But for the most part, she's been far more attentive to Rachel and Erica, than Josie. And she's not family. Nor was she still Josie's friend. When it comes to teen thrillers, this one does a phenomenal job with the suspense as well as to providing reasonable motive. Also, this is one of the few books where someone or a few someones die.
I actually really enjoyed this reread. Since I knew who was behind everything, I focused on trying to see if there were any big signs giving it away. But the truth is, there wasn't. This is probably one of the best books from the series, that I have reread (or read for the first time) recently. I never noticed it was even different from the other books, but I suppose with it being a Super Chiller, perhaps Stine spent more time developing the plot.
The Writer's Inkwell
This is probably one of the most memorable Fear Street books from my childhood. I owed it for years and I really enjoyed the twist of who was behind it.
But the question is, how did I feel about it through my adult eyes?
The story line is actually done really well and if you haven't read this book, it's one of the few books from the series that I would recommend.
Here's a brief summary of what you can expect, since the description above really fails to tell you anything.
Josie and Melissa are best friends and they never expected everything would change when they decide to go horse back riding with Josie's sisters, Erica and Rachel (who is Josie's fraternal twin.) When a horse accidentally throws Rachel, her injuries leave her in an eternal childlike state and completely dependent for the rest of her life. Despite the fact Erica and Josie are supposed to split the responsibility of watching over her, Josie is constantly blowing off her responsibility. But someone's out to get Josie and is threatening to kill her on Valentine's Day...
Josie is an infuriating character to read. She's so selfish and self-centered. You know what type I'm talking about. We've all known someone like this. She's constantly whining about everyone giving her grief about not helping out with Rachel. Poor Erica is spending her freshman year of high school, baby-sitting her sister and Josie refuses to care or help. It's extremely easy to understand why someone would hate her enough to want to kill her. As for Melissa, it's really hard to understand why she becomes the next target. Yes, the explanation does make sense. But for the most part, she's been far more attentive to Rachel and Erica, than Josie. And she's not family. Nor was she still Josie's friend. When it comes to teen thrillers, this one does a phenomenal job with the suspense as well as to providing reasonable motive. Also, this is one of the few books where someone or a few someones die.
I actually really enjoyed this reread. Since I knew who was behind everything, I focused on trying to see if there were any big signs giving it away. But the truth is, there wasn't. This is probably one of the best books from the series, that I have reread (or read for the first time) recently. I never noticed it was even different from the other books, but I suppose with it being a Super Chiller, perhaps Stine spent more time developing the plot.
November 27, 2024
Broken Hearts was a twisted one, and that might be an understatement. It opens with a pretty brutal horseback riding accident, which sets a really somber tone for the rest of the book. I liked the way Stine used trauma, grief, and guilt as elements to weave the narrative. The story is jam-packed with characters who are completely incapable of seeing the world outside of their own narrow context. This worked well for a plot centered on death threats, but the end result relied on some really baffling character motives. I have some mixed feelings about the depictions of mental illness, which appear problematic at first but reveal themselves to be more positive through context. Overall, Broken Hearts was very middle-of-the-road for me.
Score: 2.5
Full Review with spoilers, snark, and gifs:
https://www.danstalter.com/broken-hea...
Score: 2.5
Full Review with spoilers, snark, and gifs:
https://www.danstalter.com/broken-hea...
May 30, 2018
Ein sehr schwacher Fear Street Band. Hier wollte bei mir einfach nicht wirklich Spannung aufkommen.
July 3, 2019
3/5
Reminds me of a much tamer version of the horror movie Valentine. It’s what attracted me to it as a kid, and apparently the attraction is still there. Super quick, fun read!
Reminds me of a much tamer version of the horror movie Valentine. It’s what attracted me to it as a kid, and apparently the attraction is still there. Super quick, fun read!
February 10, 2024
Disclaimer: this was my first Fear Street I’ve read so far.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all, for this special holiday, I decided I’d like to read and review one of the Fear Street Super Chiller books, Broken Hearts.
So what’s it about? Broken Hearts is about a trio of sisters who wanted to experience their last day of the summer in a fun way by riding horses. While doing this the youngest sister, Rachel, gets ran over by a horse and it causes severe brain damage on her. Fast forward to Valentine’s Day the next year, and the two older sisters, Josie and Erica, are in a bad relationship which all stemmed from Racheal’s accident, and romance. The household starts to receive valentines from an unknown entity that display shockingly gruesome notes and rhymes inside. Will the girls make it out alive? Who knows.
This was a really fun book. The premise is very creative, and I really like the overall concept. I also like how the story builds up the tension between the sisters, their peers, and boyfriends. There are some negatives though. For one, I think Stine put in a few too many characters for the story’s own good. The book switches perspectives constantly between them, and it makes it somewhat hard to follow. Also, the book itself is 218 pages long. Although most of it feels very necessary, 30 pages or so are all somewhat filler. I like the final act and the reveal genuinely shocked me, even if it makes some of the earlier events a little confusing.
Overall my final rating for this book is an 8/10.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all, for this special holiday, I decided I’d like to read and review one of the Fear Street Super Chiller books, Broken Hearts.
So what’s it about? Broken Hearts is about a trio of sisters who wanted to experience their last day of the summer in a fun way by riding horses. While doing this the youngest sister, Rachel, gets ran over by a horse and it causes severe brain damage on her. Fast forward to Valentine’s Day the next year, and the two older sisters, Josie and Erica, are in a bad relationship which all stemmed from Racheal’s accident, and romance. The household starts to receive valentines from an unknown entity that display shockingly gruesome notes and rhymes inside. Will the girls make it out alive? Who knows.
This was a really fun book. The premise is very creative, and I really like the overall concept. I also like how the story builds up the tension between the sisters, their peers, and boyfriends. There are some negatives though. For one, I think Stine put in a few too many characters for the story’s own good. The book switches perspectives constantly between them, and it makes it somewhat hard to follow. Also, the book itself is 218 pages long. Although most of it feels very necessary, 30 pages or so are all somewhat filler. I like the final act and the reveal genuinely shocked me, even if it makes some of the earlier events a little confusing.
Overall my final rating for this book is an 8/10.
February 26, 2023
Dunno how to rate this?
Ate this series up as a kid. It's also very clear that it is for kids.
Totally unhinged. No one acts like a person in this. The worst part is that there was a guy named JENKMAN. And I kinda forgot what happened to him, but he was gone in the second half.
Ate this series up as a kid. It's also very clear that it is for kids.
Totally unhinged. No one acts like a person in this. The worst part is that there was a guy named JENKMAN. And I kinda forgot what happened to him, but he was gone in the second half.
June 9, 2021
Back in the day, I would have approached this book with a 10-foot stick--just judging by the title. I couldn't be more wrong. This is one of the better ones.
Read
July 3, 2025MM 7.48 Amazon 7/3/25
May 15, 2019
I don't know how he does it, but I swear every time I think I know who the killer is in one of these books, it's because Stine is expertly faking me out. I thought for sure it was Rachel due to what I believed to be a clever wink at the reader early on, the sentence "The lights were all on upstairs." It was referring to literal house lights, and I figured this was Stine's way of foreshadowing the ending, when we would discover Rachel was faking her mental impairment. More fool me! Assuming this line wasn't unintentional -- and I have a hard time believing it wasn't -- Stine used a "subtle wink" at the attentive reader as just another red herring. I admit utter defeat. He is far too deft for my weak detective's eye.
That said, the twist is quite the stretch -- Erica would have had to be a cold-hearted murder mastermind to get away with her crimes for as long as she did without slipping up somewhere; and it does feel rather unfair we get her perspective through large portions of the book, yet the text elides whatever malevolent planning and sinister intentions would undoubtedly be swirling through her mind in each scene. I've never been a huge fan of Fear Street books with frequent perspective shifts for reasons like this, and it usually weakens the narrative as well, since you don't build much of an attachment to any one character. Then you have to consider plain numbers: You don't want too few characters, as in Missing -- since Fear Street characters have about as much meat on their bones as a malnourished chicken -- but one or two too many is just as much of a problem, since you start forgetting who is who.
Broken Hearts also suffers what I'm going to call "Superchiller Syndrome": that feeling of superfluousness in patches of the narrative because these special editions are 50-60 pages longer than the average Fear Street. I don't think I've read a Superchiller yet where the pacing isn't damaged by the need for extra words. You notice that Stine had a practiced rhythm established for the regular stories, and that he had to unfortunately tinker with it when the publisher commanded. At least, I assume that's what happened. For all I know a Superchiller was created when he exceeded his word count.
Passable. (A shout-out, too, for the atmospheric scene at the end when Melissa and Luke emerge from the dark woods to see torches encircling frozen Fear Lake, as music pulses from the sound system on the shore, their friends gathered at the refreshment table and skating across the ice. Wonderful image and setting.)
That said, the twist is quite the stretch -- Erica would have had to be a cold-hearted murder mastermind to get away with her crimes for as long as she did without slipping up somewhere; and it does feel rather unfair we get her perspective through large portions of the book, yet the text elides whatever malevolent planning and sinister intentions would undoubtedly be swirling through her mind in each scene. I've never been a huge fan of Fear Street books with frequent perspective shifts for reasons like this, and it usually weakens the narrative as well, since you don't build much of an attachment to any one character. Then you have to consider plain numbers: You don't want too few characters, as in Missing -- since Fear Street characters have about as much meat on their bones as a malnourished chicken -- but one or two too many is just as much of a problem, since you start forgetting who is who.
Broken Hearts also suffers what I'm going to call "Superchiller Syndrome": that feeling of superfluousness in patches of the narrative because these special editions are 50-60 pages longer than the average Fear Street. I don't think I've read a Superchiller yet where the pacing isn't damaged by the need for extra words. You notice that Stine had a practiced rhythm established for the regular stories, and that he had to unfortunately tinker with it when the publisher commanded. At least, I assume that's what happened. For all I know a Superchiller was created when he exceeded his word count.
Passable. (A shout-out, too, for the atmospheric scene at the end when Melissa and Luke emerge from the dark woods to see torches encircling frozen Fear Lake, as music pulses from the sound system on the shore, their friends gathered at the refreshment table and skating across the ice. Wonderful image and setting.)
February 10, 2019
I was a huge R.L. Stine fan in my early teens! I loved all the fear street books! They are what got me into reading again! :)
Having fun now rereading all of these again but now with my daughter.
Having fun now rereading all of these again but now with my daughter.
April 18, 2021
A set of twins take their BBF and little sister horseback riding. Much like the 80s, they do so with no experience or supervision and a tragic accident leaves Rachel with a traumatic brain injury. She reverts back to the understanding of a child. With even more obvious 80s trauma, 9th grader, Erica is left to caring for their sister when Josie refuses (she says cause it is depressing, which it must be). Like there was a serious absence of parents in this story.
I enjoyed this one. The various characters really had the plot zooming by. I will say this is one of the darker R.L. Stine books. And that ending was sweet, sweet justice.
CW: The dog dies in this one.
I enjoyed this one. The various characters really had the plot zooming by. I will say this is one of the darker R.L. Stine books. And that ending was sweet, sweet justice.
CW: The dog dies in this one.
July 13, 2021
I’m 36 years old 😂😂😂😂 Checked a bunch of these out of the library because of the Fear Street movies on Netflix. I read around 12-15 of them as a kid (I was also a big Goosebumps fan back in the day). This is definitely a book for children, there’s no hidden depths that would make it a compelling read for an adult unless you’re riding a nostalgia wave. I can see why I liked Stine as a kid though: short chapters that end on cliffhangers, an appropriately large rogues gallery of suspects, a satisfyingly bizarre conclusion. The kids are basic or bratty, you’re not going to be weighed down with a lot of flowery descriptive language or complex character dynamics.
February 17, 2021
I've had a copy of this book since I was in middle school because it was my all-time favorite R.L. Stine book. Re-reading it was awesome, even though I remembered who the murderer was!
I did find myself laughing at parts where I should have been worried and on edge...I guess I'm more scared by true crime stories now (ANN RULE)!
The ending will always be haunting to me- I remembered it ~20 years later!!!
I did find myself laughing at parts where I should have been worried and on edge...I guess I'm more scared by true crime stories now (ANN RULE)!
The ending will always be haunting to me- I remembered it ~20 years later!!!
December 24, 2025
/3.5
Basic plot. Bonus points for tricking you into guessing the wrong murderer. I was hoping for sure it was Rachel and she was getting evil revenge but it was Erica. Surprisingly I did not see that coming. If I had a dime for every time they mentioned Rachel’s copper hair, green eyes, and pretty looks I’d be rich.
Redhead Moment: Rachel.
Basic plot. Bonus points for tricking you into guessing the wrong murderer. I was hoping for sure it was Rachel and she was getting evil revenge but it was Erica. Surprisingly I did not see that coming. If I had a dime for every time they mentioned Rachel’s copper hair, green eyes, and pretty looks I’d be rich.
Redhead Moment: Rachel.
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