For Fans Of: Peter Swanson, Catherine Ryan Howard
Avail: 1/14/2025
Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕
Genre: 🔪 Thriller
Violence: 🪓🪓🪓
Spice: 🔥
Triggers: Gaslighting, stalking

Synopsis: Rosie’s new heart belonged to Morgan’s late wife. Now she thinks Morgan should belong to her, too.

Thoughts: Great premise, right? Not earth shattering but interesting enough for a good thriller. And as we soon learn, Rosie & Morgan are perfectly compatible in one way: they both play relationship games, even if one is playing checkers & the other Russian Roulette. But this is not that story. All I can say is: this is a clown car of a book. That comment won’t entirely make sense until you read it. But read it you must. Every time I think I have the inside track of what this story is about to reveal—like a little wink from the author herself—a new technicolor twist tumbles out. As a volume reader of mysteries & thrillers, I’ve gleaned many writer tricks that hint at plot twists. So for Collins to blindside me, with masterful plotting & characters, delighted me & earned only my 2nd 5⭐ rating of 2024. You initially cringe at Rosie’s thoughts & deeds—which are...problematic. But she, like this book, is deeply empathetic and ultimately relatable, illuminating the power & perils of love. Its affirmation & effervescence poised on a razor’s edge with vulnerability & loss of control that can leave anyone feeling—and perhaps acting—a little unhinged.

As someone who reads a lot of thrillers this book was like a breath of fresh air. The concept of this book is new and fresh and finally not something I’ve read over and over in other books. The plot was so interesting and kept me engaged and I enjoyed following along with the characters as the plot unraveled. If you are a thriller/mystery reader I would definitely pick this one up as it is very, very well done!

I really enjoyed this book! It was so entertaining, the characters were so likeable in a crazy way. it was so entertaining to see how far people would go to make things the way they wanted them to pan out so it was funny, interesting, crazy, and maybe a little bit unrealistic at times, but it kept me hooked!!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

Megan is a must read author for me and she did not disappoint with Cross My Heart. It kept me guessing up until the end and who doesn't love a happy ending?

I love a Megan Collins book, so I was thrilled when I was approved for this one. It is less thriller-ly than precious books. More womens contemporary fiction, this time around, but still splendid. I didn't have a lot in common with any if the characters, but the way they are written sparks empathy nonetheless.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Megan Collins has done it again! I finished this in one day, I was so hooked by the story. It manages to be sweet and twisty all in one- you won't regret grabbing this book. Just make sure you clear your day out first- you won't be able to put it down!

If you love unhinged stories. pick this one up! The twists truly got me.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Wow! LOVED it! First book I’ve read by this author, and it was the perfect amount of twists. Literally a book that will constantly keep you guessing. Just be warned, literally 50% of the way through the book, your jaw will drop! As for the ending, buckle up! It will blow your mind… highly recommended!

WOW! This was such a surprise for me. I went in thinking this was going to be mediocre and I had to put my foot in my mouth.

This was beyond interesting. Incredible writing skills and just WOW!

eARC Review: Cross my heart by Megan
Collins
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub date: January 14, 2025
This is my first book by Megan Collins that I had the pleasure of reading. I really enjoyed how the book picked up with the plot twists in parts two, and left me in total shock after reading part three... The biggest shock to me from the book was who actually murdered Daphne as well as Morgan. Overall, this book was almost a five star read for me, except that it did take awhile to grab my attention at the start.
Rosie's track record with men wasn't known to be the best, she longed to have a steady relationship like her best friend, Nina. Rosie recently had to undergo a heart transplant and her new heart just so happens to be that of Daphne's, who was Morgan Thorne's wife. Thorne is a successful published author who's living within walking distance to Rosie; they meet thru anonymous messages sent to each other on DonorConnect. Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first book by Megan Collins, and I’m totally hooked! From the very first page, I was captivated. Rosie’s character had me questioning everything, and I couldn’t put it down until I turned the last page. There are so many twists and turns—some you see coming, but the ones that surprise you are just incredible.

𝔸ℝℂ • ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎

Cross My Heart - @megancollinswriter

Wooooowwww! This book had me in a chokehold from the first page! Between heartbreak, wanting to find love, mystery, thriller, betrayal, and all the emotions that you can think of when you say, “no way! Holy crap, I wasn’t expecting that!” I’m still shook at how this book ended. This book was so hard to put down, once I started, it was hard to stop! Megan Collins really had my heart racing with this book with Rosie’s secrets, falling in love with her donor heart’s husband, Morgan. Definitely an interesting turn of events with how this played out. Can’t wait to get my hand on the book in January!

What a crazy plot but also amazing This woman ends up with a heart from this married woman, and falls for the woman's husband. On first thought, because I watch too many netflix docs, I thought the husband was shady. I wont give anything away but lord. This book had more twists and turns than a gps

⭐️ 4.5 (rounded up to 5)

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins is a mind bending, twisty thriller that throws you into the mind of Rosie-- a heart transplant recipient who becomes neurotically obsessed with the husband of her donor. This book is a kind of genremeld of romcom, psychological thriller and sheer suspense book, and I devoured the entire thing in 1 sitting.

What I Loved:

💖 Unreliable (but Loveable) FMC: Rosie is, for better lack of word, hilariously unhinged. She starts out as a relatable, down-on-her-luck character, and before you know it, she’s pulling some Joe Goldberg-level rationalizing, and I was HERE for it. She’s soooo delulu while also being ?? wildly naive ?? Reading from her perspective felt like witnessing a trainwreck you don't want to look away from. Collins does an incredible job making Rosie’s unreliable narration a key driver for the tension. Is she crazy? Absolutely. But you kiiind of want her to root for her anyway.

💖 The Twist on Obsession: The book opens feeling like a romcom but quickly morphs into something darker and more unpredictable. The tension is so well-built that I found myself suspicious of literally EVERY single character. While it has all the typical thriller elements, it was also so unpredictable and suspenseful, it held my attention the whole way through. It was an addictive read I couldn’t put down.

💖 Pacing & Suspense: I flew through this book in less than a day because it kept me on edge the entire time. From the email exchanges to the subtle unraveling of Rosie’s sanity, every chapter kept me wanting more.

What kept this from being a 5-star read:

😞 Minor Predictability: While the reveal at the end didn’t totally surprise me, the tension and build-up were so strong that I didn’t really mind. It was still dramatic af, but I could see some pickier thriller readers hoping for a more shocking twist.

In summary, Cross My Heart is the perfect fall thriller, balancing humor with suspense, and delivering a truly wild ride with a certifiably insane FMC at the helm. It’s fast-paced, dark, and twisted in all the right ways, and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a gripping, psychological read.

Thanks to Atria Books, Megan Collins, and Goodreads for the ARC!

Since I loved The Family Plot, I was thrilled to get my hands on another book by Megan Collins! The heart wants what it wants (haha), and I always love a good thriller.

Like her other books, this one also has an unreliable female narrator. Rosie Lachlan recently had a life-saving heart transplant surgery—following a devastating breakup... she quite literally got dumped in her wedding dress. So, she’s in a reaaallly vulnerable place. Curiosity gets the best of her and she uses the platform DonorConnect to find more details about the woman whose heart is now her own. After all, this woman lost her life—but saved Rosie’s.

Not sure if he’ll even respond, Rosie sends a message to the woman’s husband, Morgan, through the app. Still reeling from the hurt of her breakup, she absorbs his response, and they message back and forth. She quickly begins envisioning a romantic future with this man. Since she now has his deceased wife's heart, she can’t help but feel like they are meant to be together.

However, the more Rosie learns, the more she begins to suspect that this man had something to do with his wife’s death. And she wants to find out the truth—before she puts her heart on the line again.

Filled with twists and turns, there’s no doubt you’ll be hooked. And just when you think you’ve got it figured out, think again! This one kept me guessing until the end.

This book gets a solid 3.5 stars from me. It was an enjoyable read, a well-written thriller mixed with romance and lots of tension. The pacing was a little slow in the middle for my liking. The narrator is infuriating at times, and I could have done without some of the Taylor Swift references, but it wasn’t too over the top.

Thank you to the teams at NetGalley & Atria Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book! Good storyline that had just enough twists and turns in it to keep it interesting.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced copy!!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest and independent review.

This is the first book I have read by Megan Collins, but it will not be the last! Collins takes you on an emotional journey as you get to know the main character, Rosie Lachlan as she adjusts to life following getting a heart transplant. Through a site called DonorConnect, Rosie starts communicating with her donor's husband and falling for him, when she thought she'd maybe never find love again. However, this is only the beginning of what Rosie goes through. She's forced to take off her "Rosie-colored Glasses" and see those around her for who they truly are. You can't help but root for her while she tries desperately to figure it all out, not knowing if anyone would even believe her...

It's a real, honest look at how heartbreak and grief can alter our decision-making, making us do things we could never imagine. There are so many twists from the beginning - some may be expected, but most will surprise you. I highly recommend Cross My Heart to anyone looking for an exciting, emotional thriller.

I read Collin's release last year and it was a one star for me but I wanted to give her another chance. Sadly, I just don't think that this author works for me, and that's okay. Not every book or author is going to be for every reader. I didn't like the main character. The plotting requires too much suspended disbelief for me to be engaged with it or feel that it's believable. The pacing is way to slow, and I wasn't feeling the suspense or tension that I wanted from it. I just don't think her writing style is for me. I wouldn't discourage anyone who was interested in reading it, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it either.

This book was soooo good. The twists were unexpected and made it impossible to put down. I highly recommend this thriller read if you like to actually be surprised!

#CrossMyHeart #NetGalley
Brilliantly written.
Megan Collins’ Cross My Heart is an eerie, psychological thriller that explores obsession, grief, and the desire for connection. The story centers on Rosie Lachlan, a woman trying to rebuild her life after being dumped at the altar and receiving a life-saving heart transplant. Rosie’s fixation with her heart donor, whom she believes is Daphne Thorne, leads her to contact Daphne’s widowed husband, Morgan Thorne, through an anonymous service called DonorConnect.
As Rosie and Morgan begin to correspond, what starts as an innocent exchange turns into something far more sinister. Rosie believes that because she has Daphne’s heart, she and Morgan are destined to be together. However, as she delves deeper into Morgan’s life, disturbing rumors about Daphne’s death surface, casting doubt on the man Rosie is falling for.
Collins masterfully builds tension throughout the novel, keeping readers guessing whether Rosie’s suspicions are valid or if she’s being driven by her own obsession and paranoia. The line between love and fixation is blurred as Rosie navigates her emotional and physical vulnerabilities, all while unraveling a potential dark truth about Morgan. Cross My Heart is a compelling exploration of how far one will go to find love and the lengths to which people will justify their actions. With its twists and mounting suspense, this novel keeps readers on edge until the final page.
I loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for giving me an advance copy.