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.**

I've read every book Collins has released and they've all been five stars, and when I tell you THIS is my favorite one. Oh my god. Six stars if possible.

I've been in a thriller rut for a good year or so and CROSS MY HEART felt so refreshing.

This is just so unique, I've never read a thriller quite like this before. The twists had me gasping, flipping back and forth, re-reading entire chapters. This is so brilliantly done, you're not only unsure if you can trust the narrator, but if you can trust yourself.

I had so much fun with this, I wish I could read it again for the first time.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for an advanced e-reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book...hmm...I am really not sure how to review it. I was super hooked and the twist in the middle had me kind of stunned! But, I started predicting the rest of it and I am not sure I loooove how it makes women look? Maybe I am reading into that too hard but I feel a little uncomfortable after finishing it. But, maybe that makes it a good book?!

I think that a lot of people will enjoy this mystery book especially if you love
- obsessive women
- suspicious men
- female friendships (?? maybe lmao)

Honestly, I think people should read this book because I do think it makes you think and will make you suspicious of everyone.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it and didn’t want to put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The pacing of this book is awful. It feels sluggish and redundant in parts with a cliched ending. While Rosie is enjoyable at times, for the most part this books lacks any real character development, making the characters unenjoyable. The whole thing fell flat for me. Additionally, I think it’s important to point out that the author has been able tacking reviews on her social media.

Having loved Megan Collins' previous two books, The Family Plot and Behind the Red Door, I was thrilled to see she had a new book coming out! As she always does, she sucked me right in and I loved it more with every chapter. 

Rosie recently had a heart transplant and has been communicating via email with her donor's husband, Morgan. He's a writer by profession and while she has yet to share any personal details with him, we get to read their messages back and forth which left me excited as if I was waiting for my response to come back in. It felt so personal and gave me a bit of that "excited new romance" spark myself. But as Rosie digs deeper into Morgan's marriage she starts to wonder if she's made a terrible mistake. Could it be his fault his wife is dead? Finding comments and rumors online that it may have been him that killed her...

Poor Rosie has what her best friend, Nina, calls "Rosie-colored glasses" and tends to see positive things in people that don't really exist, I hate to say. She has had a terrible history with, shall we say, obsessing over relationships, or in some cases, possible relationships. Often seeing more there than there really is. Her best friend Nina is always looking out for her, trying to, pretty much, protect her from herself. 

I had to root for Rosie despite her well-intended but poor decisions with some situations and the author did such a great job of twisting the story so much, I had no clue where it was headed!? I loved where Rosie found herself in the end and the strength she found as well. Another "didn't want to put it down" books for me and I was sad when it ended!

I found it challenging to relate to Rosie, the main character. Although I liked the plot twists, the pacing of the story felt sluggish at certain points. I believe that deeper character development would have enhanced my overall enjoyment. I felt the ending was somewhat disappointing and uninspired. It seemed cliché. However, I still liked the book overall and will recommend it to friends looking for a fun and suspenseful thriller featuring a delightfully insane main character.

Rosie Lachlan has gotten a second chance at life. Reeling from a breakup with her boyfriend, Rosie’s heart actually broke not only metaphorically but also literally. She undergoes a heart transplant and when she awakens she learns the donor was the wife of a famous author Morgan Thorne . As she learns more about Morgan, Rosie becomes obsessed, and reaches out to him anonymously through a DonorConnect service. At first she is completely smitten by Morgan, feeling he may even be “the one”. But as she learns more about the author on social media, Rosie senses a darker side to him. Was his wife’s death really accidental? Or was there something more sinister going on with the Thornes. This was a fast paced novel that I really enjoyed!

DNF’D @ 10%

I have to be 100% honest; I decided to DNF this book because of the obnoxious Taylor Swift references and our main character's love for her. So sue me, I’m a huge anti-Swiftie. I would just like one aspect of my life to not be infiltrated by her unnecessary overhypedness.

I would like to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

This is my voluntary, unbiased, and honest review.

Rosie received a life-saving heart transplant. A year later, she digs into the identity of her donor. She finds out that her sonar is Daphne Thorne, the deceased wife of the celebrity author Morgan Thorne. Rosie reaches out to Morgan on the anonymous service called DonorConnect, to learn more about Daphne. Now that she has Daphne's heart, she is convinced that her and Morgan are meant to be. However, as she continues digging, she learns some disturbing rumours about Morgan. Did he have something to do with his wife's death?

First things first - I LOVED the Taylor Swift references! And how cute was the author's acknowledgement at the end?!

Now, the book itself - also really loved it! There is a HUGE twist that I did not see coming and was absolutely wild. I genuinely was confused who I could trust, which resulted in the twists and turns actually being surprising.

I also really enjoyed the format. We get Rosie's POV, excerpts from the sonar exchange emails, and some excerpts from some books. This style actually worked really well for this book and kept the story flowing perfectly. There are a few longer/slower chapters in the beginning, but do not let that put you off, things quickly pick up.

This was my first read by Megan Collins. I am now a fan!

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The story is narrated from the perspective of Rosie, who seems infatuated with the idea of love and has a hard time letting go. How far is Rosie really willing to go for love?

This was such a great book. I was hooked right from the beginning and did not want to put it down. Using email exchanges to share dialogue between some of the characters brought fresh approach to the thriller novels I’ve read recently and it made me feel like I was reading the inner thoughts of my unhinged best friend.

Recommendation :

This book comes out in January 2025. This is a book I received as an ARC read.

I applied for this book because it sounded like it hit one of my favorite tropes... obsession. I don't know why, but I love a good book with an obsessive character!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I did guess the unaliver, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. Sometimes if I predict what's going to happen it just ruins the book, other times it doesn't.

I hated most of the characters, but that was a good thing. You could pick up on the manipulation, how the wife and husband had different stories.

This follows our main character who owns a dress shop, and she meets an author. The authors wife had died recently, and his wife donated her organs when she passed away. Our female main character is the one who received the heart. Through a service she was able to get his email to connect with the husband. She starts to obsess over him, a few things go wild. I won't give anymore information or details but I do recommend reading this one when it comes out.

I gave it a 3.75 star review.