4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. The story centers on Rosie Lachlan, a heart transplant recipient who develops an unsettling obsession with her donor’s husband, Morgan Thorne. It’s a dark, fascinating premise that explores themes of obsession, identity, and emotional complexity.

Megan Collins’ writing really shines—her prose is vivid and immersive, and she does a great job capturing Rosie’s inner turmoil. The character development, especially for Rosie, is layered and compelling, making her both relatable and unsettling. That said, the pacing felt uneven at times, and some parts of the story dragged. I couldn’t help but feel that it might have been stronger as a novella, with a tighter, more focused narrative.

Even with the pacing issues, the book is full of unexpected twists and morally complex moments that keep you engaged. It’s a solid, entertaining read for fans of psychological thrillers who enjoy flawed characters and stories that make you think.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cross My Heart is a very good thriller by Megan Collins about a woman who received a heart transplant. Cross My Heart is a thriller that gives you so many suspects that it's hard to figure out the killer. Rosie Lachlan received her new heart and now takes lots of anti-rejection medication to keep it in good condition. Rosie was dumped a year ago while wearing a wedding dress she had bought. She's still heartbroken and misses her boyfriend. Rosie decides to reach out through the Donor Connect email to let the person's family know how much she appreciates the gift of a new heart. She thinks the heart belonged to a local author's wife who recently died in her home. Morgan Thorne is the author and his wife, Daphne, was found dead after a fall in her bathroom. Morgan was home at the time, but says he didn't know that Daphne had fallen. He admits to hearing a thump while writing his current novel, but didn't think twice about it. Is this true? Did Morgan want his wife to die? Was he involved?

Morgan likes that the donor recipient reached out to him. Rosie knows who Morgan is and that he lives close to her parents. Rosie is staying above her parent's garage since her transplant so that they can help her if needed. Rosie thinks since she has Daphne's heart that her and Morgan are meant to be together. Rosie has a way of throwing herself into relationships way too quickly before the other person is ready. She did that before and now she seems to be headed that way again. As she and Morgan email each other through Donor Connect they develop a friendly banter. Rosie wants to know more about Daphne and begins to research her. Daphne was a poet, but Morgan never mentions that. A lot of her poems are quite dark and could be about her marriage! Was she not happy with Morgan? Was Morgan an abusive husband?

This book will have you looking at everyone suspiciously as you get further and further into it. I really enjoyed the book and did not guess the killer correctly. Megan Collins does a great job of developing a unique thriller that will keep you reading late into the night! I rate Cross My Heart 4 stars with a high recommendation. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy of Cross My Heart in exchange for a fair review. Cross My Heart comes out on January 14 and should go in your TBR pile! #CrossMyHeart

This was honestly fantastic. I personally didn't really care for the family plot, but with this one Megan Collins ate (an almond croissant) and left no crumbs. I love unhinged leads, and literally everyone in this book is a psycho down to Sickle the cat. Absolutely recommend this.

Rosie has just received a new heart, which is a good thing since her last one was trampled by her ex-fiance Now she is desperate to find a new love- and the one she sets her eyes on may have a link to the new organ which is beating in her chest, unbeknown to him. However, as Rose falls deeper for a man she thinks she knows, she learns he may be the reason she received his dead wife's heart after all...

This book is split into two parts. The first part consists of correspondences between Rosie and the man of her infatuation, Morgan and it's through rose coloured glasses- which happens to be the same colour as Rosie's pink hair. The second half takes a darker turn and had me wondering if I was reading the same book but in the best way possible.

This was such a deliciously twisted and unique psychological thriller. In a really great feat of the unreliable narrator trope, readers won't know who to trust- is Rosie who she says she is? Is the man she is falling for a killer? Even advanced thriller fans won't see the many, many, many plot twists coming! Rosie was a fantastic character and despite everything I was rooting for her- and you will too.

A 4.5 star read for me. Thank you Atria and Netgalley for an earc in exchange for my honest review.

The narrator annoyed me for a bit but as the story gets further underway you realize she’s not so bad. And she toughens up a lot by the end. I appreciate her self-reflection!

I like the idea that some of the “crazy” is only partially in being a little bit much and a lot has to do with how that too much is perceived and handled.

There were also multiple twists, some of which are expected but I like the cleverness of one halfway through.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

🥰Thank you so much to @atriabooks for the gifted book!

📖Title: Cross My Heart
✍️Author: Megan Collins
📅Pub date: January 14, 2025

🧠🤯It's been a while since I've read a TRUE psychological thriller that actually messed with my brain and had me questioning EVERYTHING! I was back and forth on what I thought was happening every couple seconds.

💻When I say I FLEW through this book, I read the whole ting in one day! I literally couldn't put it down for a second, I was so hooked!

🫀I won't go into the full synopsis, but I will say this is a story about a real heart transplant, obsession, toxic relationships and questioning how well you really know others and yourself. The ending will leave you questioning EVERYTHING 😳

💌Definitely pick this one up! I've read a couple of Megan's books in the past and this is her best BY FAR! If you thought her previous books were a little too...out there... this one felt more mainstream thriller to me than some of the previous ones.

This was my first Megan Collins novel and I am thoroughly impressed! From the very start we are thrust into a whirlwind of distrust and murder. We follow heart transplant patient Rosie as she anonymously connects with her donors famous husband via a donor connect chat site. Morgan’s wife died under somewhat mysterious circumstances but once things for sure is that Rosie is beyond grateful because without Daphne’s untimely death, she wouldn’t be alive. Morgan’s an author who Rosie is familiar with but the deeper we dive the more is uncovered that Rosie didn’t know. This was a wild ride and I enjoyed Every fun second of it. Thanks to NetGalley for

Okay we have Rosie receiving the heart from Morgan’s dead wife. Is Rosie mentally unbalanced? Is Morgan a killer? Can we trust what anyone is saying in this book? This is a (fun) stressful way to read a book. I kept second guessing myself, the characters, what I had read. I also think this book could have easily been titled “Red Flags” because oh my were there a lot of them! It was like a parade of red flags! Such a thrilling off kilter read!

Thanks to Atria Books for gifted access. All opinions below are my own.

This was one of those thrillers that I was sure halfway through that I knew where it was going… and I was definitely wrong. The main character is a little flighty, which I found annoying at times, however I was really drawn in by the unique concept, so I stuck with it. I was definitely surprised by most of the twists. And I enjoyed the journey… I just wish the baddie had been someone different in the end. Don’t get me wrong. The ending made sense, I was just sure that it was someone else and feel like that would’ve been a better ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for an early copy of “Cross My Heart.”

At first, I didn’t think I was going to make it through this book. I didn’t like the format of the emails at the beginning of each chapter. Turns out, that kind of added to the suspense. Obviously. I’m sure that’s why Megan Collin’s decided to use them.

Every time I thought I figured out who dunnit, I was wrong. Then when I finally figured it out, I had the person right but not the reason. I flew through this book, and could only put it down for a second before having to pick it back up.

This is my first read from this author. That being said... Wow... What a surprise. This was a great twisty thriller, and I loved how much it kept me going and guessing. It was an entertaining read, and the suspense kept me going and wanting more.

I definitely will need to check out more books from this author.

I want to personally thank NetGalley, as well as the author, publisher, and anyone else involved in providing copies, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cross My Heart 💻💗 by Megan Collins
Thriller
Pub day: 1/14/25
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5/5)

“She has his wife’s heart; the one she wants is his. A twisty novel about a heart transplant patient who becomes romantically obsessed with her donor’s husband.”

I’ve been reading a lot of “mid” thrillers lately, and then this one came along. I read this in almost a day (darn you, responsibilities!), I couldn’t put it down! It had such an interesting premise, and the way it was written caused me not to be able to know who I could or couldn’t believe.

Rosie is one of the most lowkey neurotic characters I’ve read. The whole time I was like “girl you need to RUN, not walk, to therapy” and “no you did not just really do that…” I wanted to jump inside the book and knock some sense into her. It was aggravating but SO entertaining!

I loved how I had many theories going on, and the ending was not glaringly obvious like many books are. This isn’t a deal breaker for me but it definitely helps me rate a book higher when I like the ending.

I was hooked from start to finish - absolutely devoured this book! This is perfect for any *popcorn thriller* lovers who love some unhinged characters with lots of mental issues! It was 300 pages which is the perfect length for a thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the gifted book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

4.5 stars
Rosie Lachlan is a heart transplant recipient who manages her parents' bridal salon, but has been unlucky in love herself. Rosie doesn't do anything half-way. She sees the best in people and has a tendency to love just a little too much - some would call it obsessive. She begins to correspond anonymously through a donor-recipient app with the husband of the woman whose heart she received. Morgan Thorne is a successful author who lives in the same area of Boston that Rosie does. Rosie is starting to fall for Morgan, but then sees online gossip that Morgan may have killed his wife. Things get even twistier from there and saying more could spoil the fun, but I really enjoyed the book and at one time suspected almost everyone of being a killer. Included in this fun, twisty thriller are interesting facts about being an organ recipient.

I received an advance copy of this ebook from NetGalley and Atria Books for review consideration, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Megan has done it again.. edge of your seat thriller that had me guessing til the end. Rosie really can't catch a break unlucky in love and literally has a broken heart. After having a heart transplant she finds a connection with her heart donors husband but all is not what it seems in this page turner. I had many guesses as to what was going on and nope I had nothing figured out. With many twists and turns you will not want to put this one down.

This was my first read from this author and it was great. Such a great thriller that had me on the edge of my seat wanting more. I can't wait to see what else this author has written.

I cannot believe this is only my second venture into Megan Collins' stories! I read her psychological thriller, The Family Plot a few years ago, but somehow missed her more recent stories. When I saw the cover for Megan Collins' 2025 release, CROSS MY HEART, I knew I wanted to read it. Call me superficial, but this cover is gorgeous!

The story is centered around Rosie Lachlan, a young women who works at her parent's bridal salon, ironically pleading for her own happy ending in romance. After Rosie receives a heart transplant, she decides that she wants to reach out to the husband of her donor, Morgan Thorne on an anonymous service called DonorConnect, to learn more about his wife. Rosie is convinced that since she has his wife's heart that she may actually have a connection with Morgan that could possibly lead her to romance. As Rosie and Morgan begin to correspond, she digs deeper into Morgan's life and begins to obsessively track him and learn things about him that may convince her that she's barking up the wrong tree. Who is Morgan Thorne and did Rosie get more than she bargained for?

This book is suspenseful, juicy, over the top, and a whole lot of fun! I did suspect how some of the story was going to unfold, but at no time did it deter my interest into furthering along with Rosie. This story really dives into the psychology of marriage and the effects it could have on people; an aspect that I really appreciated. If you like Ruth Ware and Robyn Harding, you must pick up CROSS MY HEART!

I finished this book last night and I’ve been trying to find the words to adequately sum this up. First of all, I devoured it and thought the writing was thrilling. She had me anxious at moments and as someone who primarily reads thrillers that’s hard to do anymore. This is my 3rd Megan Collins book and she’s definitely quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Cross My Heart follows Rosie who has a tumultuous past. Rosie likes to see things through her rose colored glasses to paint a more positive light than to see things for what they really are. She had a heart transplant a year ago and is getting to know the husband of her donor how many people believe was the reason his wife was dead in the first place. That’s just the start to the wild ride this book takes us on.

I was very thankful to have been sent an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Ooh I loved this book. A woman starts communicating with her heart donors widowed husband. But is it so much more than that? I didn’t know who to trust and believe from start to finish on this one, and loved it!

I loved this book! I read it within two days and was hooked from the start. I have a personal interest in transplants and my sister was in need of a heart transplant but was ultimately denied. I loved the emails posted throughout the book and the text messages as well. I didn’t catch on to the twist and my jaw dropped when I read on and figured it out. Thanks to NetGalley for letting my read it early!

“You have his wife’s heart. You can’t have her life, too.”

Rosie Lachlan has a fragile heart. All she wants is to find The One. After all, she works in her parent’s bridal salon surrounded by gorgeous gowns and blissful brides. How could one not be a hopeless romantic?

When she receives a life-saving heart transplant, Rosie realizes just how precious life can be. She suspects the donor is Daphne Thorne, the wife of local celebrity author Morgan Thorne, who she messages with via DonorConnect, an anonymous service for organ donors and their families. Now that she has his wife’s heart, maybe she and Morgan are destined to be together?!

As they delve deeper into correspondence, Rosie begins learning that Morgan’s marriage may not be as happy as it seemed. Did Morgan have something to do with Daphne’s death? Can Rosie’s fragile heart sustain another break? Cue the obsession and twists that will have you turning pages well into the night. I absolutely loved this one and was kept guessing right up until the end.

Thank you to Megan Collins, Atria Books and NetGalley for an advance digital copy for an honest review.