Rosie is a hopeless romantic desperate for her forever partner and her enthusiasm has carried it a little too far at times -- like stalker and restraining order far. Her last boyfriend broke her heart - literally as about the time they broke up, her heart started to shut down. Luckily she qualified for a heart transplant and as she is recovering she discovers that her donor, Daphne, was the wife of a famous local author, Morgan Thorne. She reaches out through Donor Connect and as they email back and forth she forms a crush on the widower which propels her research on the couple. She discovers their relationship was tumultuous and many online fans believe that Morgan murdered Daphne. She quickly finds herself obsessed with him and in the middle of this "murder" mystery. I was just about to give up on Rosie when a huge unexpected twist in the middle catapulted this story from weird Rosie to "oh my gosh, I"ve got to find out what happens"! I don't want to spoil the ending but just hang on to your seat for the 2nd half of this book!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC. #NetGalley #CrossMyHeart

I received an Advance copy of this book and just finished devouring it. I can’t recall a recent book I have read that had so many unhinged characters in one story. I loved how it kept me guessing and genuinely questioning just what sort of crazy would be revealed next. Would definitely recommend for others who like a mixture of mystery, thriller and a little romance thrown in the mix.

Rosie Lachlan recently went through a rough patch in life. After having a habit of picking the wrong men and being too needy, she meets Brad and they are engaged to be married…until he dumps her…while she’s wearing her wedding dress. She thought she was suffering from a broken heart, but she actually had cardiomyopathy and needed a transplant. After months in the hospital, her new heart came through, and a year later, she’s back at work, managing a bridal salon.

Rosie’s best friend, Nina, happens to work at a hospital, and may have let HIPAA laws go by the wayside. Rosie’s new heart was a donation from a woman named Daphne, who happened to be the wife of famed thriller author, Morgan Thorne. Once Rosie found that out, she did some light stalking on social media, then reached out to Morgan on DonorConnect, an app where you can anonymously talk to the family of your donor. Surprisingly, he wrote back, and they began communicating regularly - there is such a connection between them that Rosie wonders if Daphne’s heart has drawn her to Morgan. Comments on social media about him being the obvious killer of his wife put a bit of a damper on things, but she’s really wanting to give this relationship a chance - for her, and her new heart.

Throughout the book, we get emails and texts between Morgan and Rosie, and their conversations with their best friends, Nina and Blair. Daphne was a poet, and we also get some of her work - big kudos go to the author for writing so well, for so many people, and with such meaning. Also, kudos go to the author for the HUGE twist I never saw coming. I read a lot of thrillers, so it takes a lot to blow my mind, but this book managed to do it! There were several twists after all was said and done, and the ending was one of those that makes you grin…in an perfect thriller way.

My first read of 2025 was a fantastically-written page turner, and I loved not only the story and the shocks, but all of the references to Taylor Swift and the show “Friends”. In fact, one of the surprises was actually a storyline from Friends, and I love that it was added. I’m so happy to give this one 4.5 stars, rounded up.

(Thank you to Atria Books, Megan Collins and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on January 14, 2025.)

Thank you NetGalley, Megan Collins, and Atria books for the advanced copy of Cross My Heart. I really loved this one! It was so good and locked me in from the very beginning. When I got to the end of part one I audibly said “WHAT” to myself. I love when a thriller has me questioning anything and everything including myself.

Rosie gets a heart transplant after encountering a heart defect. Thankfully the transplant was a success for her but her donor unfortunately obviously passed. Rosie decides to connect with her donor’s husband and they begin to start a relationship together online. This online relationship is not a full blown relationship because it is all anonymous through an online forum. Rosie figures out who her donor’s husband is through their conversations and things go haywire from there. Find out how this new man in Rosie’s life became a heart donor’s husband. Was his wife murdered or was her death a tragic accident as the husband says?

3.5 ⭐️

I love a good thriller and Megan Collins delivered with this one. After getting her heart transplant, Rosie finds out who her donor was and then starts messaging the widow of her donor?! Insane but in a good way!! Rosie was such an interesting FMC- a little much but also kinda fun and I kept flipping to find out the twists in her story!

Thanks NetGalley and Atria for an ARC!

Rosie Lachlan is unlucky in love. She is literally broken up with in a wedding dress. As if her heart wasn't broken enough, she falls ill and is suddenly in desperate need of a heart transplant. Luckily Rosie soon finds a match and gets a successful heart transplant. She then discovers the donor was the wife of a local celebrity author Morgan Thorne. Rosie decides to reach out to him via DonorConnect to try to find out more about her donor and ends up falling in love with Morgan himself. But soon finds out falling for Morgan could be deadly....

I've never read anything by this author but was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy and thought the premise sounded intriguing. I was hooked immediately and couldn't stop turning the pages. Rosie was such an interesting (albeit a bit annoying and needy) character who seemed to just want what anyone wants -- to fall in love. As the layers of her past start to come to life, it was clear she had some issues to contend with and it seemed her interest in Morgan was bordering on an unhealthy one. Nevertheless, my interest was piqued and I couldn't stop wanting to find out what wild decision Rosie would make next. I found Morgan to be insufferable and obnoxious, but completely worked for the character and what he turned out to be. I loved the deception and the way this author planted seeds for the reader along the way. While as I mentioned, I did find Rosie to be on the annoying side, it was clear as the book progressed and especially at the end, that she was more sweet than I was initially giving her credit for. In a way, she wasn't much different than myself at that age and I found her circumstances to be not only intriguing but also endearing. Side note, I discovered this author lives locally to me (I promise I will not stalk you like Rosie does Morgan haha) and one of my favorite local book vendors (Book Club on the Go) is hosting an event with Megan Collins on pub day! I can't wait to go and hear this author discuss this book. I definitely will be reading other books this author has written and love that she gave Book Club on the Go a shout out in the acknowledgements!! I recommend Cross My Heart for any thriller reader who likes a deep twisty mystery where you don't know who to trust. Not to mention this one came with a touch of Taylor Swift references that most readers will love and enjoy!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read in exchange for my honest review. Looking forward to attending the upcoming author event local to me and to telling other readers about this fantastic read!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rosie Lachlan is a hopeless romantic with a bad heart. Working in her family's bridal shop and with a newly transplanted heart, she discovers the identity of her donor's husband in the chat group, DonorConnect. Morgan Thorne, her heart donor's widowed husband, is a rising author whose wife tragically passed away in a home accident. Despite being against the rules, the 2 pursue a relationship, each with ulterior motives.

I found this to be a well written stalker story that was fairly fast paced and very entertaining!

Whoa this book literally hooked me from page one. I love a good thriller that includes an unhealthy obsession and this one didn’t disappoint. I will say that I saw SOME of the twists coming and had a hunch about the final twist but I still was so completely shooketh, jaw on the floor. My hunch was semi wrong? Anyways, this is what one of my good friends calls brain candy but like thriller edition. It was just what I needed on a sick day: a book that grasped me from the start, filled with unreliable characters, twists ever turn of the page, and ultimately didn’t require a whole lot of brain power. I definitely recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC!

4⭐️

Rosie Lachlan may have had the worst year of her life: a tragic breakup that eventually reveled a heart condition that needed a heart transplant. She inadvertently learns that her organ donor was the late wife of her favorite author and she begins to obsess over making him fall for her.

I liked this a lot more than I thought I was going to. There's something about an unhinged, obsessive female main character that sets my teeth on edge so I'm glad that I pushed through that discomfort. Rosie's desperate need to be loved was extremely relatable. Sure, she may have taken things a bit too far but I can totally understand it. I liked the way that certain chapters featuring an unreliable narrator made Rosie seem even more unhinged than her own chapters.

Morgan was a charismatic and charming man who seemed to love his wife and that made it easy for the reader (and most of the female characters) to fall for him. Especially with Rosie having Morgan's late wife, Daphne's, heart; it felt like fate that they would meet and fall for each other. As more and more of his personality and history is revealed, the creepier he appeared and that really amped up the tension in the story. Morgan's best friend being in the picture added a lot of suspicion to his actions that I liked. I somewhat guessed what was going to happen before it was revealed but I was really in the dark for most of this book!

Thanks Netgalley and Atria Books for providing this ARC to me!

Rosie Lachlan, a heart transplant patient, becomes obsessed with the donor’s husband. The creep factor on this one was high and I loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.

This was a fantastic thriller. I loved theuse of mixed media in between the chapters and the subtle clues the author left hinting at certain twists for those paying close attention. Each character was a tad bit crazy which made for an entertaining book. The chapters left me wanting more and of course the Taylor Swift references were fun!

I absolutely ate this one up!! I love a good obsession / stalker vibe thriller and Cross My Heart did not disappoint. An easy 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 since I was completely glued to these pages!

A thrilling stalker tale! Megan Collins writes a protagonist as relatable and heartfelt as she is (potentially) unhinged. The twist about halfway through the book GOT me good, and I was racing through the pages to see how it ended.

So grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for this fabulous arc!

I absolutely loved the concept of this! It was heavy on the "You've Got Mail" vibes, but with a thriller twist, which is very unique! I was obsessed and hooked through the first half of this story. I kept coming up with possible "solutions" to what was happening, none of which were true, by the way. I really enjoyed the anonymous emails being sent back and forth. However, when the second half of the story started (part 2), the narrative changed and I really wasn't enjoying the story as much. It seemed to fall flat very quickly and I found myself losing interest in the story. If this book had continued as the first part of the story was, it would have been an easy five star read for me. Unfortunately, I just got bored with the story and found myself disappointed.

Megan Collins has been an auto-buy author for me since The Winter Sister. The lyrical yet crisp prose, the characters that break your heart and make you gasp at the same time--there's truly nothing like Collins' work. I didn't think it would be possible to top the love I had for The Family Plot.

But then I read Cross My Heart.

I am a huge fan of unreliable narrators but it can be difficult to pull off successfully without falling into tropes. That is not an issue here. Rosie is as unpredictable as she is cringe-worthingly adorable. Her romantic ideals compared to the reality of her life make her endearing and unhinged in the best possible way. I was obsessed with this voice.

It's also worth mentioning that this is one of the best series of twists I've read in years. No spoilers, but this one is layered. Don't be fooled by the light-hearted bridal shop whims and the pretty pink cover. There is so much going on beneath the surface. This one is going to be huge. Add it to your TBRs immediately.

Huge thanks to Atria and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

I have enjoyed Megan Collins previous books and was so thankful to receive an ARC of this one from NetGalley.

There were several aspects of this book that I liked. The main character, Rosie, occasionally seems slightly unhinged so there is some unreliability in her narration. I also liked that the story included email correspondence. Various media formats seem to add positive additional background to the characters.

The story was interesting but it had a slower start. It took awhile for me to become invested but it was hard to put down once Morgan's potentially dark past with his wife came to light.

I look forward to Collins' next book! She is a must read author for me.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy. Love-obsessed Rosie has a new heart. It used to belong to the wife of famous local writer Morgan Thorne -- and Megan strikes up a conversation with him online via a donor website, sharing stories of her new life and hearing about his. Soon, the conversation grows more intimate, and Rosie more interested in getting to know her donor's husband. Yet rumors that Morgan had something to do with his wife's death keep popping up, and Rosie isn't sure what to think.

Megan Collins has done it again! I shouldn't be surprised that her twists keep coming. Even when I thought I knew where this was going...I was wrong. Rosie is interesting and flawed and compelling, too. Definitely enjoyed this read!

I absolutely ate this book up, this was fast paced. I loved the plot, I loved everything about this book. The concept was amazing, I'm running to read everything by this author. Five star read!

It is usually difficult for a psychological thriller/mystery to surprise me, but this one did. Although I guessed the ending, the twists and turns along the way were completely unexpected. I thought the storyline was really well done, creepy, realistic and enjoyable to read. The main character and supporting cast were all really well done. I never knew who I should like or dislike, trust or not trust. I disliked them all at different points of the book. Rosie is desperate to find the one. After being left in her wedding dress, and needing an emergency heart transplant, she knows that every day is a gift. When she starts to suspect that her heart donor was the wife of a famous author, Morgan, she starts messaging him on DonorConnect. As they communicate and begin sharing personal details, Rosie begins to wonder if Morgan played any part in his wife's tragic death. A book that was difficult to put down, well written, twists and turns and a character that sucks you into their life.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

First read of 2025! And glad I chose this book! Kept me guessing until the very end! New type of thriller for me and want more!