The following version of this novel was used in the creation of this study guide: Albert, Melissa. Our Crooked Hearts. Flatiron Books. 2022. First Edition. Hardcover.

The novel is divided into two tales; the present day with Ivy and a story told by Dana about the past. While the chapters shift between both characters (especially in Part One), this Plot Summary will be organized by timeline to avoid confusion. The individual sections will be summarized chapter by chapter.

In Part One, 17-year-old Ivy struggles to develop a relationship with her emotionally distant mother, Dana. However, when they find a dead rabbit on their driveway, Dana panics and leaves with Aunt Fee to fix something. Ivy soon discovers that Dana somehow removed Ivy's memories of her best friend, Billy, and forced everyone to keep it a secret. This, along with clues about an unknown girl from Dana's teenage years, leads Ivy to a woman named Marion. She convinces Ivy to open a box Dana kept from her, and Ivy feels herself awaken.

Meanwhile, Dana's story reveals that she, her best friend Fee, and Marion had all practiced magic together. However, as Dana and Fee pulled away to learn what magic they were best at, Manon became obsessed with an occultist book written by Astrid. Even though Astrid was rumored to be a killer obsessed with cheating death, Marion betrayed Fee, Dana, and another woman named Sharon to summon Astrid from Hell. When Astrid attempted to bind to Manon to escape, Dana shoved Marion through the mirror portal and broke it, sealing her and Astrid away. Dana and Fee kept what happened a secret as Dana held onto a golden item known as the forgetting box that the previous owner said she will one day need.

Part Two follows Fee, Marion, and Dana from the point that Marion falls into Hell and to the day she escapes. It is revealed that Dana struggled after she and Fee gave up magic, but she found a new purpose in life when she met Rob. The two got married and had Hank, but Dana almost died when giving birth to Ivy. As Ivy grows, she learns that she can manipulate dreams and becomes infatuated with magic. When Dana learns Ivy can talk to Marion through a mirror, she uses the forgetting box, hoping to lock away all of Ivy’s memories of magic. While she is successful, it also causes Ivy to forget her one true friend, Billy.

Marion, grieving over the damage Dana did to Ivy, convinces Astrid to give her an incantation to destroy their prison. It works, but Marion is shocked to find herself in the real world. She resolves to restore Ivy’s power and vows to destroy Dana’s life in the process.

In Part III, Ivy is overwhelmed by the return of her memories as Marion tells her they can work together and improve Ivy’s power. As Ivy realizes that Marion has kidnapped Dana and Fee, she escapes and rushes to Billy’s home. The two reconnect over Ivy’s returned memories and he drives her to the library where Dana pushed Marion into Hell to stop the summoning. She finds Dana and Fee trapped in a looping memory of that night and enters the dream, only for Marion to break it when Ivy uses her dream magic to fight back. As Marion says she wants to make Dana suffer by removing Ivy from her life, Ivy says Marion saved her and offers her hand. When Marion takes it, Ivy pulls her to the box and uses an incantation to seal all of Marion’s memories, knocking her unconscious.

Three weeks later, Ivy says she has continued her friendship with Billy, but her family is struggling with their newfound honesty. She recognizes that Dana is trying to make up for her mistakes, and Ivy is hopeful that their relationship will improve over time. In the end, she finds an occultist book Marion wrote and hid in Ivy’s room and decides to keep it, knowing that there are spells she should never touch.