I absolutely LOVED this book and now must read her entire backlist.

Pub date 01.14.25

Rosie receives a heart transplant and through the grapevine, figures out who her donor was. The husband of the donor is a local famous author, and Rosie becomes quite obsessed with him to the point of exchanging emails and even stalking his social media and maybe more…

Absolutely unhinged. My favorite type of thriller. add to your list!! I pictured the “overly attached girlfriend” meme from the early 2000s basically the whole time. And all the references to Gilmore girls/friends/taylor swift!

Read if you love:
-email exchanges
-unhinged narrator
-Taylor swift
-poems/lyrics
-lots of twists

5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my ARC! Highly recommend!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC! *Cross My Heart* by Megan Collins is a gripping psychological thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Collins masterfully crafts a tense atmosphere with her intricate plot and well-developed characters, making each twist and turn feel both surprising and inevitable. The novel’s exploration of trust and deception adds layers of complexity, engaging readers in a web of suspense and intrigue. While some elements of the story may feel familiar to fans of the genre, Collins’ skillful storytelling ensures a captivating experience from start to finish. Overall, it’s a compelling read that will satisfy fans of psychological thrillers with its blend of suspense and emotional depth.

When a pen pal relationship between Rosie, heart transplant recipient and the donor’s widow, Morgan, takes off, neither can comprehend what it will bring into their lives. When Rosie starts wondering about her heart donor’s tragic death, sinister events start happening, and she’s pulled into one dangerous situation after another. This thriller could have used better editing for the prose, because while predictable, the plot had promise.

Solid thriller. It was engaging and kept you feeling a bit embarrassed for the fmc. I enjoyed how they kept the reader confused too until closer to the end. I did feel the first half was a bit slow , I looked and was 50% done and still no real plot development had occurred. I enjoyed the poetry the author added and created for our belated Daphne.

I really enjoyed the first 75% of this book! It was just the book to get me out of a reading slump. I related to the main character because I've been perpetually single and insecure about it. I liked that the book was broke up by text messages and emails. I also liked how fast paced it was. However, I knocked the book down a couple of stars because of the ending. It seemed to go a little off the rails there at the end. If the ending had been a bit cleaner, I would have rated this one even higher. Overall, I definitely thought it was worth the read!

Wow, what a great book! This is a thriller that kept me up reading way past my bedtime. The twist midway through this book shocked me, which I absolutely love in a book. Up until the end, I didn’t know if the main character could be trusted or not. Can’t wait to read more from this author!

The story hooked me instantly - a woman, who was a recent heart transplant recipient becomes obsessed with her donor’s husband. I thought I knew what this story was about. I would have been satisfied with that, but this story was much more than I could have conjured up. There were plenty of shocking twists that had me screaming WHAT?!, all the while delighting in the turn of events! This book was fun donning my detective cap, a crime within another crime, like one of those nesting dolls, each time you open one, something shocking jumps out to surprise you, including one particularly juicy gasp-inducing one.

While this story had me on the edge of my seat, this wasn’t just a story about a woman who becomes entangled in her donor’s husband’s life, it’s also about her own, living that second chance life and coming into her own. While the thrills… thrilled me, I appreciated the story of Rosie who works at her parents’ bridal shop longing for an everlasting one to call her own. I think we’ve all been glimpses of Rosie at certain times in our lives, and she was an easy character to root for, even during those unreliable narrating times! I always felt like she had a good heart.

Thank you so much to Megan Collins, Atria Books, and NetGalley for this ARC of Cross My Heart.

After reading this book all I have to say is WOW! This book is so incredibly twisty and unhinged. It kept me on the edge of my seat CONSTANTLY. The format of this book is also so incredibly fun. It alternates between multiple POVs, emails, and other fun things like journals. Usually I cannot stand unreliable characters but I always love Collins’ characters!

This book was so, so good. Definitely a 5-star read from me!!

Wow This Book 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
This book was full of twists that kept coming while I was racing through the pages and couldn’t put it down.

I loved how Megan used her creativity and how she created her characters in this amazing story, I love her writing style and how she just put her heart and soul into her books.

A story of obsession and love is so gripping that will make you turn the pages so fast, I was glued to it since the first page.

It was a fast paced read, intriguing and so satisfying.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Megan Collins and Atria Books for the ARC.

Coming 01/14/2025.

Hell hath no fury like a bride scorned. Now add in a heaping spoonful of mental instability and you have this delightfully decadent to read story. There are plenty of twists and turns thrown at you and character backstories to wade through, which makes this a great way to spend a few hours of your time.

I have never read anything by Megan Collins before but was excited to review “Cross My Heart” as the premise was so intriguing—what happens when you survive a heart transplant but become obsessed with the donor’s husband who happens to be a famous writer?

Here, the recipient is Rosie who works in the family bridal shop, which is ironic as she was dumped at the altar. She contacts the donor’s husband anonymously through a match program but she has deduced who he is An attraction between the two ignites but was is Rosie’s agenda? Is anyone to be trusted? Further, did her donor die in an accident or because of the husband’s actions?

Talk about an unreliable narrator. I was able to figure out parts of this story but other twists and turns really stunned me. I would consider this book a standout in a very crowded market and would definitely read from this author again.

Four out of five stars.

Thanks to Net Galley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read this heart-throbbing (pun intended) read.

Megan Collins does it again. Another page turner with lots of twist and turns. I thought I had the plot figured out half way through but turns out I was wrong. It’s crazy to think about the length some people will go to to get back at somebody and how much chaos they can create.

Rosie uses DonorConnect to message the husband of the deceased woman's heart that is currently beating in her chest. The communications between the two quite quickly become stuff of regular, everyday activity. The meet cute segment rivals all the 90's romcom movies of my nostalgic dreams.
Rosie's character traits, to me, look a little bit like this: obsessive, generous, at home with and kindred spirits with the abandoned and broken. Morgan starts off very much so the "good widow"- he is so gracious to his wife's door and complimentary of her shining traits. It's certainly clear these characters are hiding things. Rosie repeatedly ignores solid advice from those who knew Morgan/ Daphne and hr own BFF, Nina, who alludes to her previous breakup blowout with Brad.

There are so many twists! Red herrings galore! As soon as I suspect I have one facet figured out, the narrative shifts again and I realize I am more wrong than ever before. There is beautiful prose nestled throughout and Rosie is often so relatable in her shining vulnerability with the reader.

I LOVED the characters- they were well built in the ay they had multiple dimensions to them,. The thrills truly never quit- I felt like each chapter concluded with a cliffhanger that keeps me constantly interred and desperate to understand my confusion. The clues were well placed, even though the pink herrings were plentiful. Nina was "unhinged" but is she really? I cared enough about her to root for her often and experienced sympathy for the hand she was dealt. It was so well paced- this book never once allowed me to look away. Thrillers like this stand out from the rest- which isn't easy to accomplish for such a saturated genre. When you primarily read suspense, it is convenient to run into many that look similar to others or become forgettable immediately after completion- that is the opposite case for this book by Megan Collins.
I even enjoyed this authors acknowledgements page, and I remain interested in future releases. I hope Taylor reads this- I bet she could commiserate, as so many of us "crazy" women can. Chef's kiss!

Endless thanks to this author and publisher for the eArc.

Cross My Heart is a thrilling page-turner that I couldn’t put down from start to finish! I read it while on vacation and had trouble leaving my hotel room because I wanted to find out what happened! This gripping novel kept me guessing until the very end, with twists and turns that left me on the edge of my seat. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, there would be another surprise that completely shifted my perspective.

The book’s opening sentiment truly resonated with me: “for everyone who relates to ‘the prophecy’ by Taylor Swift and for every woman who has been called crazy by someone they love.” It set a compelling tone for the rest of the story. If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers that keep you guessing and have a knack for unexpected plot twists, Cross My Heart is a must-read!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced version of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Cross My Heart was a twisted and edgy mystery that struck a nice balance between thrilling and slow-burning. Rosie was an intense main character with a lot of baggage and issues, her obsessive tendencies were out of control, but all of those unpredictable qualities brought her to life and drove the plot along.

I loved the premise- not one I have heard before where a character reconnects with a donor's family member(s). Along the same lines, I liked how the points of view alternated between real life and the DonorConnect chat, it helped with the pace and development of the story.

I can't say the ending was a complete surprise but there were elements that shocked me and caught me off guard, which I also enjoyed.

In the past I have been a fan of Megan Collins' work and this novel falls into the same category. I would recommend this to any fellow thriller and mystery lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to review this book! All opinions are my own.

I don’t even know where to begin. This book hooked me in from the start. Collins had me from the dedication “For everyone who relates to “The Prophecy” by Taylor Swift, and for every woman who’s been called crazy by someone they love”.

As an avid Taylor Swift fan and enthusiast of “The Prophecy” she caught my attention right away. And really, what woman hasn’t been called crazy, in a fully pejorative manner, by someone they loved?

Rosie, the main character has been massively unlucky in love and she is DESPERATE for love. After undergoing a hear transplant, she starts email communication with Morgan Thorne, the husband of her donor (unbeknownst to him). She becomes obsessive and enthralled with his life and his dead wife. From there, the book expertly delves into heartbreak (physical and emotional) and the toll it can take on the psyche.

This book really hones in on obsession, unrequited love, anxiety, and frankly, some delusion.

Every time I guessed a twist or remembered and important tidbit from earlier in the book, I felt just a tad smug and proud, look at me guessing these twists. And then BAM! Collins perfectly executed a twist or turn that made me yell out while reading late at night.

Some characters and situations are so batshit crazy you can scarcely believe it, but that’s the thing. They ARE believable. From time immortal, people have done crazy things in the name of love.

This is a smart, fast paced, thriller that will leave you guessing truly up until the very last chapter.

I had a great time buddy reading this with my Bookstagram partner. We were kept on our toes for sure.

If you’re a Swift fan, I highly recommend reading while listening to The Tortured Poets Department Anthology. Massively atmospheric.

*This review can be found on Goodreads and will also be published on Instagram in the next 48 hours.

That was an interesting book; a decent thriller with several twists I didn't see coming. There's a lot going on here and the main character - really needs to be in therapy. Well they all do but DEFINITELY her. I sometimes felt like the book couldn't figure out what it wanted to be, and was a mix of Ghosted (movie) and Things we do in the dark. For a quick thriller, this is your ticket..

This book kept me guessing right up until the end. It was engaging and a fun read. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC!!

This book literally has you with the first few pages. I was slightly disappointed by the big twist and the end, but overall still a good thriller.

Cross My Heart has a really fun plot with the main character, Rosie, connecting with her heart donor’s husband anonymously. But neither of them of them seem to be truthful. Rosie is a very frustrating character who is at times too naive. While I enjoyed the story, it was hard to get past her bending the truth which only made her seem unstable. I loved the incorporation of the emails throughout the book. It was a fun way to get Morgan’s perspective without actually following him as a character. This book is well written and the twists are fun, which really makes up for the flawed main character. (4/5)

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**