3.5 stars rounded up.

A year after Rosie's heart transplant, she reaches out to the husband of her heart donor on DonorConnect, an anonymous messaging service meant to allow organ donors and/or their families to connect to recipients. When he writes back, Rosie is quick to see a potential romantic connection and quickly becomes a little obsessive. That brief premise doesn't do the book justice, though, because there's so much more going on here--stolen identities, murder allegations, heartbreak (literal and metaphorical).

This was a very twisty plot--I was convinced that I had figured out one of the major twists halfway through the book but wasn't even close. The author was good at building suspense and adding in unpredictable surprises. I did find Rosie's character to be a little naïve/annoying at points and didn't love her narration, but overall the book a was still an enjoyable read and recommended for fans of psychological thrillers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Atria Books publishing for providing me an ARC copy via Netgalley for my review!

Oh man this book! I wasn't sure I would like it just because I'm not typically a romance kind of reader in any way, and domestic thrillers aren't my exact cup of tea. However, I loved this one. First, the fact that it revolved around a heart transplant recipient was unique and genius. Second, I could not put it down, I needed to keep reading. Third, this book had me guessing the entire time, I would think I had it figured out, had my theories, and yet couldn't piece it together in the end. So I appreciate the constant guessing and second guessing of my predictions. Definitely kept me very interested, and was a quick, easy read. All the characters were a little wacko, but I think it really just emphasized the story. A great read! Definitely recommend!

Rosie Lachlan works in her parents bridal salon. She went through a devastating breakup a year ago, then dealt with serious heart problems that required her to undergo a heart transplant. She decides to go on DonorConnect to message her donor’s family. She suspects her heart was Daphne Thorne, the wife of a successful, local writer named Morgan Thorne. As Rosie and Morgan began exchanging messages, Rosie convinces herself they are meant to end up together. Rosie starts looking into Daphne’s life and Morgan and Daphne’s relationship after she hears rumors that Morgan may have had something to do with her death. Rosie seems to go through life looking for The One and as her friend puts it looks at everything through “Rosie colored glasses”. This was a good paced book that keeps you guessing what will happen next. The characters were well written and really drew you in. You can’t help to see Rosie’s flaws but still love her and root for her to find happiness in life and be happy with herself. I highly recommend this book. I give it 4.5 stars which I’ll round up to 5.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on January 4, 2025.

This book was SOOO good. Like seriously, Megan did her thing with this one! I loved the sprinklings of emails. I had a suspicion of what the ending was going to be, but I was also so surprised by so many parts of it. This is a read in one sitting book for sure!

I have read all of Megan Collins' books and have loved them all! This one, however, was not my favorite... The premise started off really intriguing and I was very anxious to see where it would go. I DID love the first twist that was about mid-way through the book. But after that, it kind of turned into a different book altogether. Megan Collins writes beautifully and she remains an auto-read for me, this one just wasn't a hit.

This thriller has ALL the twists and turns (which kept it very exciting) and one of the biggest twists I didn’t even see coming (and normally I can spot them a Mike away)! Cross My Heart by Megan Collins is a solid book that will keep you turning the pages (and rooting for Rosie!).

Big thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a gripping psychological thriller, but I unfortunately guessed the twist early. Rosie was a fun main character, and this book had themes of female obsession, passionate love, that kept me reading until the end.

3.5 rounded up to 4. This was a really addicting, fast-paced thriller. Every time I think I figured out the "twist" it took another turn. I couldn't put this book down and needed to know what happened, even if I did want to shake the main character and try to talk some sense into her. This was a lot of fun, even if reality had to be suspended a few times.

thank you Atria for the eGalley!

I initially really liked this book...until we got hit with SO many Taylor Swift references. It went downhill from there. A plot twist happened earlier on, and it really changed where the story was heading which was a disappointment. The ending fell flat for me.

I do think that readers who are newer to the thriller genre may enjoy this more than seasoned thriller readers.

Wow! This was one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time! It was gripping, twisty and impossibly difficult to stop reading! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Wow! This was my first Megan Collins read, but it won’t be my last. To say this book had “heart” is an understatement. From a heart transplant, heart breaking and a quickening heart beat as you reach the end, this book was so good. Thank you Megan Collins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy of Cross My Heart.

Rosie Lachlan has had terrible luck with love, or it could just be her obsessive relationship traits. She is also a heart transplant donor recipient who gets in touch with her donor’s husband, Morgan, through an app called DonorConnect.

As their connection strengthens so does Rosie’s obsession. But when famous novelist, Morgan is found dead and his emails point to a budding relationship with Rosie, she becomes the prime suspect.

This book had me hooked at the synopsis, so even though the start was a little slow and the chapters were long, I was invested. I found myself feeling sad for Rosie, annoyed by her and cheering for her in a never ending cycle throughout the book. I also found myself smiling at every T. Swift reference.

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Woah! This had all the twists and turns. At the end of part one, I had to go back to read some of it again. I was sure I’d missed something. Seriously twisty! Very well written. Great character development. Nothing is as it seems in this book. The narrator herself is unreliable at times. Really great book, will be reading more by the author very soon.

Cross My Heart - Megan Collins
Pub Date - 1/14/25
Rating - 3/5

Summary - Rosie, a recent heart transplant patient, connects with her donor's husband, Morgan, a famous author. Rosie wants nothing more than to find her soulmate and feels a connection to Morgan through messages they exchange. As she learns more about Morgan, she starts questioning if he had anything to do with his wife's death.

Thoughts - Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. I liked the premise and dove right in. I will say, I know the character is supposed to be unhinged and obsessive, but I felt like this dragged on after a while and I felt that the writing was repetitive. I found myself skipping through parts and just trying to finish the book for the big twist, which...wasn't jaw dropping. Overall, it's an average read.

I couldn’t put this down! There were so many twists and turns that it kept me reading until the last page! I loved Rosie, how she so badly wanted to be loved and had a glass half full look at the world. I loved the beautiful writing prose from the author. For a thriller, it was beautifully written.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @AtriaBooks for this ARC. After recovering from a heart transplant surgery, she feels well enough to reach out to the donor's husband through "DonorConnect" to thank him for the gift his wife gave her. They soon start an online relationship. When Rosie starts asking around about this man whom she has figured out is a local author, she finds answers that scare her. This book was so full of twists, I never did figure out the ending! #CrossMyHeart #MeganCollins #AtriaBooks #Jan2024

This was very good. I work in mental health so the plot was right in my wheelhouse and it kept me interested. Definitely recommend.

“Cross My Heart” by Megan Collins is a unique thriller murder mystery that had me hooked from the very first page! Ms. Collin’s crafted a story that is emotionally intense and mind-blowing. It begins with a young woman heart transplant patient who becomes obsessed with her donors husband. They start an email exchange without him knowing who she is, she walks her dog past his house and hangs out in his favorite coffee shop. She is aware he is a famous mystery author and her need to be loved causes her to be “too much” for most of the people in her life. This book is so packed with intrigue, deception, murders and red herrings that I had no idea what was actually going on. It is exactly what you want from a great thriller, a must read!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had me hooked from the first chapter. I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough to find out what happened next.

Cross My Heart follows Rosie who becomes obsessed with the husband of her heart transplant donor. It’s best to go in blind outside of that because it gets wild.

The first part of the book was pure perfection. We watch things play out from Rosie’s point of view and through Rosie’s messages with Morgan, as well as Morgan’s emails to his best friend. The first part ends with a bang and we’re thrown into the mystery aspect of the story.

The second part had me unable to put the book down too but I didn’t love the direction it took. I think it could’ve benefited from a more straight forward believable twist but it didn’t ruin the book either. This was my first Megan Collin’s books and I can’t wait to go back and read more.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I loved everything about this book! The storyline was so different than any other thriller out there and I could not put it down! The twist had me say, “Wait, what?!” and kept me guessing till the end. Cross my heart you haven’t read anything like this!