Rosie Lachlan receives a heart transplant and falls in love with her donor’s husband through their (supposedly anonymous) email exchanges on DonorConnect. This was a FUN thriller. The inkling of something is not quite right with these characters starts from page one and strengthens with each chapter. Cross My Heart is a romance/psychological thriller mashup with a wild premise and entertaining characters. I enjoyed the mixed media aspect. Part 2 made my head spin in the best way, the twist was so cleverly written. Perfect read for romance readers that also love thrillers!

Cross my heart by Megan collins is fast-paced, wild ride of a thriller.

Morgan thorn is a best selling author who sadly lost his wife, Daphne, in an accident. Daphne was a heart donor and her heart ends up with Rosie, a young and naive woman who just had her heart broken by her fiancé. Rosie realizes her heart belongs to Morgan and they anonymously begin to connect and exchange messages, leading Rosie to visualize them together. As Rosie gets deeper involved with Morgan, she begins to wonder more about what happened with Daphne and how innocent Morgan is.

I won’t say more about the plot for risk of giving away the twists and turns it takes but just buckle up for a few along the way. Rosie is a slightly annoying character, but I think that’s intentional and the reader will find him/herself wondering about Rosie’s reliability as a narrator. The reveal at the end makes sense if you aren’t distracted by some of the sleight of hand tricks Collins uses throughout (meant as a compliment)! This is a fun and propulsive read and the pages will fly. Collins has a great handle on pacing and narration here.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked throughout this until the very end. I hated the ending and it really ruined the whole ride for me.

Rosie is a recent heart transplant patient and also very depressed and self-conscious after her breakup with her boyfriend. She uses the donor portal to message the spouse of her heart donor and discovers the widower is none other than Morgan Thorne, a famous thriller author that happens to live in her town. As they keep communicating, Rosie begins to wonder how Morgan’s wife actually died and gets pulled into a dangerous game.

I liked this book and the twists, but sometimes the Rosie character annoyed me. She was so needy and stupid on one page and then the next page she would understand what was going on. I would have preferred if she was less of an unreliable narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Megan Collins for a copy of this book

you want to talk about bingeworthy?!!! 🤯👏🏼📖💖 i had a BLAST reading this one—if you need a book to kick your reading slump or grab you right away, this is it! and it’s out today 🥳

⭐️ rating: 4.5 stars
genre: thriller + mystery
#️⃣ pages: 320
✍🏼 same author of THE FAMILY PLOT
🥳 out today
#gifted @atriabooks 🫶🏼
read if you like: psychological thrillers, unreliable narrators, romantic suspense (TELL ME LIES or VERITY vibes), swiftie references, murder mysteries

the number one question i got the other day: quick, fast paced book recs. HERE YA GO! i finished this in two sittings—it started with a bang and was so addictive. i personally love psychological thrillers where you’re really inside each character’s mind, so this was a delight for me. mix that with some unreliable narrator action and somewhat of a stalker/obsessive MC plot, and you’re in for fun. it kind of gave me Lisa Jewell and Alice Feeney vibes! if you like TELL ME LIES or VERITY where it’s more of a romantic suspense vs hardcore thriller, you’ll like this one. the main twist was a shock for me and while some of the ending was a bit far fetched, i had a GREAT time escaping into this one 💜

CROSS MY HEART has a great premise too—a woman gets a heart transplant and then messages anonymously with her donor’s husband on an app. she begins to fall for him—maybe obsessively—but hears through friends that his past is suspect… and maybe his wife’s death wasn’t an accident like everyone was told to believe 👀

that’s all i’m saying! it was so creative. our girl Rosie was something else 😂 i also appreciated how it was equally heavy in plot and character development, which is rare in thrillers tbh. i thought i had one of the main twists figured out but got it wrong and that’s always fun for me as a hardcore thriller reader ;) i can’t say enough how fun + quick this book was!

i’ve read her other work—THE FAMILY PLOT—and liked it but it leans more horror/thriller. this is deff more mainstream and again has the romantic suspense that i think will appeal to a lot of readers!

and the cover is STUNNING! pick it up and thank me later 💖🔪

✨CROSS MY HEART✨

5/5⭐️

READ IF YOU LOVE:
👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏼 Domestic Thrillers
🩷 Romantic Suspense
😍 MC with Emotional Promiscuity
🧩 Puzzle Piece Endings
👑 Taylor Swift

SHORT DESCRIPTION:
Rosie received a heart transplant and learned her donors husband is a local author, Morgan. She begins to message him on DonorConnect to learn more about him. She falls in love very easy and because she always has her Rosie-colored glasses on…she may or may not become obsessed with him and also wanting to know more about his deceased wife (Daphne). That’s when she starts uncovering questions surrounding Daphnes death and Morgan himself.

REVIEW:
Let me just start with the fact that I literally couldn’t put this down and when I inevitable had to (because mom duty never stops) I immediately picked it back up the minute I was free. I delayed starting Onyx Storm because it was THAT good. There are two parts of the book and I audibly said, “WTF” after I finished the first part. All of the characters are not the most likeable, yet I found myself rooting for them all at least at some point into the story. I can’t say too much about the plot without spoiling it, so I’ll just say *Chef’s Kiss*.

A huge thank you to @NetGalley and @AtriaBooks for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This is an interesting one to rate. I have to put it somewhere in the middle - going to go with 3 stars. There were multiple times throughout the book where I wanted to DNF just because of the traits of the main character, but the plot kept getting more interesting and reeling me back in. The last 20% of the book was a lot better than the rest and I enjoyed the tension and uniqueness of the plot. I did guess the final twist ahead of time, but that doesn’t really impact my rating.

I've been a Megan Collins fan for years, but CROSS MY HEART is my favorite of her novels yet! From the first moment I heard about this premise, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy and see how the story unfolded -- and from the very first page, Collins didn't disappoint. You'll second-guess every character in this twisty, engaging novel that masterfully walks the lines between obsession, connection, and compassion. A must read for suspense fans (and, it must be said, Swifties).

This is unlike anything I've ever read! The suspense builds well throughout the story and I had no idea how it was going to end. This was entertaining and I had alot of fun with this! If you enjoy thrillers, I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Megan Collins, Atria Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve slowly been venturing into thrillers recently and decided to pick up Cross My Heart after seeing the tagline, “She has his dead wife's heart; the one she wants is his.”

This was a twisty and intriguing read. It kept me invested, even with a cast of questionably likeable characters, and I liked how all the different threads came together in the end. I’m new to the genre, so it was probably more disorienting to me figuring out what was fact or fiction with our characters, but I thought the author did a great job keeping readers guessing.

The narration by Gail Shalan and Chris Andrew Ciulla was well done and their voices complemented each other nicely. My walks got longer and longer since I didn’t want to stop listening. Gail Shalan’s performance was especially impressive and showcased not only a variety of emotions, but she also captured Rosie’s vulnerability and tenuous grip on reality so perfectly.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 4 stars
Story 3.5-4 stars

*I voluntarily read and listened to a review copy of this book*

Megan Collins is a mastermind!
I thought after my last book I was going to have the biggest book hangover ever but this book is right up there with the last!

My eyes were GLUED to the page and I was on edge and couldn’t figure it out! It had me confused in the best way!

I have never read a thriller like this in my life and I loved everything about it seriously no notes! I loved all the Taylor Swift references and I even read the article from People magazine explaining how Taylor Swift songs helped her write this wild thriller!!

I know without a doubt that if Taylor Swift got her hands on this book she would LOVE IT!

100% recommend!👏👏👏👏

💔5 Stars for Cross My Heart by Megan Collins!
This book had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish, and I honestly could not put it down. It’s a twisted thriller with a protagonist who is unhinged in the best way possible, and a story that kept flipping the script on me.


Rosie Lachlan, after being dumped on her wedding day, receives a heart transplant and is convinced that her new heart belonged to Daphne Thorne, the wife of a famous author. She starts communicating with Daphne's widowed husband, Morgan, through anonymous service called DonorConnect thinking they are somehow meant to be together. But as she unravels the truth about Morgan's past, things get darker—and Rosie has to face the possibility that her heart might not be the only thing in danger.

What I loved:
💥 Twists and reveals that kept me guessing the entire time
📱 The emails and texts added a whole new level to the story
🎶 Friends and Taylor Swift references made it all the more fun
👀Rosie’s obsession was wild, but I found myself strangely rooting for her
🐶 Also, major bonus points for the author’s note ensuring no animals will be harmed in this book (Green Flag )

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers with complex characters and dark twists, Cross My Heart is a MUST-READ!

I was cringing from the beginning. The emails in the first few pages were terribly childish. The novel itself was childish. The language used more specifically. I had to DNF.

Thank you so much @AtriaBooks for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 14 January 2025)

SYNOPSIS | One year ago, Rosie had a heart transplant and becomes romantically obsessed with her donor's husband (Morgan) after she begins messaging him anonymously via DonorConnect.

WHAT I LIKED:
- I had the best time being sucked into this twisty story
- every time I thought I knew what was going on... there was another twist or revelation
- loved the addition of the mixed media format (emails / texts)
- the misdirection and red herrings galore
- whilst the protagonist is absolutely unhinged she was still rather likeable

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- a lot of side eyeing at the characters decisions (you for sure need to suspend your disbelief)
- the chapters were quite long

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the review copy of this book.

First and foremost, I am so thankful for the author's note that there is no harm to the animals in the book. This is just about the only thing that I can't handle reading about, seeing in movies/shows, etc.

I already knew I was a fan of Megan Collins so I jumped at the opportunity for this book. It did not disappoint. I was so sure I knew how this one was going to go, but low and behold, it was not at all what I expected! I loved the character development and the way this keeps you guessing and wondering. And the twist at the end was great! Definitely recommend!

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Pub Date: 1/14
•
Megan Collins... You sure do know how to create some really awesome psychological thrillers. I could not wait to read this one and it for sure did not disappoint.
•
Cross My Heart is such an interesting story. Woman gets an organ donation, saving her life, then is in contact with the donor's family members. I can't honestly say that any of the characters are truly "likeable" but that didn't matter to me in this story because I was so investing on figuring everything out. Collins is the best at being able to manipulate the readers into thinking one way then pulling the rug out from underneath of them; it's amazing. The multimedia in this was super fun and the way that this story played out was mind blowing. 
•
This story hits the ground running at a fast pace and it doesn’t stop until the end. I read I absolutely loved every second of whiplash I got while reading this one. Once again, this was a fantastic psychological thriller. I flew through this in one sitting and I loved how twisty this is.
•
I am a huge fan of Megan Collins; she always comes up with very unique and different types of stories. If you have not read her work - it is definitely time to pick up this book and also check out her backlist.
•
Huge thank you to NetGalley, Megan Collins, Atria Books and Aardvark Books for the ARC and gifted finished copy in exchange for my honest review.

Solid 3 stars!

Heart transplant connects with donors husband. The donor connect emails a fun part of the story, but I wish it skipped the intro to each email. It got way too repetitive. I had Alexa read me the book & it got a little annoying listening to the 15 sec intro over and over.

I think if the end would’ve been more twisty & I hadn’t guessed the ending I would’ve rated this book higher. I don’t read a ton of thrillers so I was surprised I guessed it correctly.

Pub Date: Jan 14th, 2025

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Megan Collins for this gifted DRC!

I devoured this in 48 hours. It was an incredibly fascinating and creative plot and truly gave me Freida McFadden vibes - short, twisty, unputdownable thriller that constantly had you guessing and pointing the finger at a new person every couple of pages. But girl, next time shorter chapters pretty please!!!

Thank you to Megan, Atria, and NetGalley for the e-galley!

My rating for this story is 3.5 stars (rounded up). The premise of a heart transplant recipient and the husband of the donor communicating via email leading to an obsession on the part of the recipient had me intrigued. Overall the story was a good read and a fun ride.

There were both twists I didn’t see coming and twists I predicted from really early on in the book. I did like the theme of being enough on your own and not needing to change yourself to match the people you want to love you.

This was an addicting, twisty and unique story that held my attention throughout! Filled with questionable characters, shocking reveals and unexpected turns, this unpredictable story was such a total binge read. I also loved the mixed media format which always makes the pages fly by! Definitely add this to your TBR and see if you can figure out this clever whodunit before the end!