DAMN! This book transcended all other thrillers for me. And just when I thought that I figured out the twist and patted myself on the back, the author laughed and I realized, I KNOW NOTHING! At first, I was discomforted by Rosie's personality. She was definitely channeling the cringeness of Anna Kendrick's character in "A Simple Favor." But a much deeper plot is quickly reveal and totally sucked me in.

We follow Rosie who has just emailed her heart donor's husband on the anniversary of her transplant. She's had suspicions of his identity and confirms it as she reads between the lines of his replies. This book uses their "anonymous" emails to fill in the blanks as Rosie tells her story. But then he starts to email his friends about Rosie and I was obsessed reading them. It was a genius way to get inside his head instead of giving him POV chapters. When someone ends up dead and the police go through all of the messages, you start to see the discrepancies. It's brilliant!

I think Megan Collins has outdone herself and every comparable thriller. There's a rivalry element between literary spouses that reminded me of "Verity". But Rosie's protectiveness of her donor made it more palatable to me. So even as she's falling in love with her donor's husband, she has a sense of love for the woman who died and donated her heart. It's boldly feminine and feminist. The twist and shock factor felt as glorious as reading "Never Lie" by Freida McFadden but it happens much earlier in the story, so it was more satisfying. And the cat and mouse dynamic where Rosie knows everything about the husband before they've even met filled me with the same perverse excitement as watching the Netflix show "You." I will be sharing this with all my girlfriends and then debating which character we would be.

What begins as a heart transplant recipient’s simple desire to thank a donor’s family quickly spirals into an unsettling obsession.

I thoroughly enjoyed this clever psychological thriller. The premise is both original and compelling, with just the right amount of red herrings and twists to keep the tension high—especially in the first half, which propels the story through to a gripping conclusion. It was a fast-paced and entertaining read, and I’d definitely pick up more from this author. Highly recommended for mystery and thriller fans looking for a suspenseful ride!

There was something about this story that kept it from being totally compelling. Maybe it was Rosie’s compulsive behavior or maybe it was the multiple story lines that were hard to separate at times. The Morgan Thorne character was vindictive; Rosie was kind but desperate. Regardless the story was interesting and I had the killer wrong in the end and I am somewhat optimistic that Rosie will grow up and find her happy ever after.
3.5 Stars

Megan Collins does it again! She is quickly becoming a favorite thriller author of mine, and this book was no exception!

I was at the edge of my seat throughout the book and truly couldn’t predict all of the crazy twists and turns. One of the most unique premises for a thriller I’ve read in a long time I highly recommend!

What a seriously wild and twisty thriller! It was fast-paced, and I loved the way the story was told.

Poor Rosie just wants to find the one, and she's been emailing with the husband of the woman whose heart was donated to her. Is this her chance at true love?

This book was a complex story of secrets, obsessive, and heartbreak. It was gripping and kept me guessing all the way through.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thanks to @netgalley and @atriabooks for my early copy!

I adore Megan Collins and was super excited to get an advanced copy of her latest, CROSS MY HEART. First and foremost, the dedication shot straight through my Swiftie heart and then the note about the safety of the animals in this book reassured my heart.

The synopsis of CROSS MY HEART sounded off the wall but in the best way possible. I knew I needed to read it and after three heavier books, it was the perfect palate cleanser. I mean, a woman receives a heart transplant and begins to fall for the donor’s husband?! Sign me up!

Our FMC is Rosie and boy is she something. She so desperately wants to be in love and get her happy ending that she always wears “Rosie colored glasses” according to her best friend Nina. Rosie is quick to fall and makes questionable decisions - see all the flashbacks to her previous relationships. I found myself falling into the societal norm of “damn, that girl is crazy” but the more I read and the way Collins wrote Rosie, I couldn’t help but recognize that wanting to be in love doesn’t make someone too emotional or crazy.

Don’t get me wrong, Rosie makes poor decisions and had me yelling more than a handful of times, but in the end, I couldn’t fault her for wanting to be happy and in love. Also, the way the story unfolds and reveals the twists worked really well and one in particular left me 🤯.

I had lots of theories (ask @andrea.c.lowry.reads 🤣) and turns out, none were correct! This is a huge win in a thriller for me.

Highly recommend if you love popcorn thrillers, unhinged characters, twists, and Taylor Swift 🫶🏼

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review based on final copy. All opinions are my own.
I originally saw Cross My Heart promoted as being inspired by Taylor Swift, so of course I had to read it. Upon doing so, I feel rather mixed, especially as I feel like I had a different impression of the book than what it turned out to be. And in some ways, that’s a good thing, especially as a thriller, but it also missed the mark a bit for me.
Narratively, I did enjoy the story. The first part of the book had me set up for one very predictable plot, only to pull the rug out and pivot at around 50% for part two. While part two is much more heightened and ridiculous, requiring much more suspension of disbelief, the first part has its own subtle trippy quality leading up to it.
I do like that Megan Collins did her due diligence in researching heart transplant recipients, shouting out the story of one donor in particular who passed on as the story went to print. But this poignant tribute in the acknowledgments feels odd when the story does little to endear the reader to Rosie, the heart transplant recipient in the book. She’s not unsympathetic, as she has gone through some real struggles, from health issues to relationship trouble, but she’s not even unhinged in a compelling way, like I thought she would be, when I heard the premise about a transplant recipient being obsessed with her donor’s husband. She’s just kind of naive and unlikable, the way a lot of domestic thriller (and thriller more generally) protagonists often are (something the book also takes a jab at).
Not that the other characters were all that interesting. Despite the fact that all the women in the book seem to fall all over him, Morgan is flat and uninteresting as well, and he and pretty much everyone else are meant to be untrustworthy anyway. Again, another feature of domestic thrillers, although at least here, the mess delivered once the characters’ secrets were revealed.
As for the Taylor references, I can sort of see where Collins is coming from with some of them, but not others. Using “You Belong with Me” and (especially) “Love Story” as the names of the parts felt very misleading, although that may be the literalist in me speaking, in terms of the content of those specific songs. The dedication name-dropping “The Prophecy” does make some sense, but I still feel it missed the mark.
All in all, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, but I am curious to try something else from Megan Collins to see if something else by her works for me a bit better. And with domestic thrillers often being rather hit-or-miss for me, I do feel this may work better for those who enjoy the domestic thriller genre more.

I really enjoyed this book and was surprised at how it went. Rosie needed a heart transplant and she received a new heart from Morgan Thornes deceased wife. Rosie and Morgan starts talking through a donor system and then strange things start happening.

What a ride this book was. I love a fast paced thriller that isn’t one that is too twisted to keep me up at night, and this was the perfect book for that. The premise itself was completely wild. Rosie received a heart transplant and now is in contact with her donors widow, and she wants it to be more than just a casual contact. They get into contact using DonorConnect, and begin to develop a relationship of sorts, which onyl goes haywire from there. I loved the integration of the email correspondence in this book. I thought it was a perfect way to move the plot along without feeling too lazy. It also gave us better character development, which I appreciated. At the midway point of the book, my jaw literally dropped. I do have to say, however, I prefer shorter chapters in thrillers that are more succinct, this one felt like some of it dragged a bit at times. By the end, however, I was definitely excited to figure out what happened and I loved all the twists along the way. This is an example of a book where all the characters are a little unlikeable, but it didn’t take me out of the book, which I appreciated. Overall, a very fun thriller that is perfect for a binge read. 3.75/5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reading copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

Cross My Heart offers a unique premise that blends romance with mystery, but ultimately leaves more to be desired. Rosie Lachlan, still reeling from being left at the altar, receives a heart transplant she believes belonged to Daphne Thorne, the wife of local author Morgan Thorne. As she begins an anonymous connection with Morgan through DonorConnect, Rosie becomes convinced that the heart she now carries is leading her to him.

While the concept is intriguing, the execution falls a bit flat. The slow buildup and the mystery surrounding Daphne’s death do create some tension, but the suspense often feels predictable, and the romantic connection between Rosie and Morgan doesn’t fully capture the emotional weight the story promises. Rosie’s internal struggle with her secret is compelling at times, but some of her decisions feel forced, detracting from the overall believability of the plot.

Despite these flaws, the book offers a decent exploration of love, fate, and loss. Fans of light mysteries with a touch of romance might find enjoyment here, but it doesn’t quite reach its full potential.

I really enjoyed this book!
I loved how twisty is was, keeping you guessing with who was the real bad guy, was it him or her? The obsession and way the story was told hooked me from the beginning. And I loved the authors disclaimer that no pets were hurt in the book!
Overall it was a fun twisty read and I’m so glad I steeped out of my comfort zone to try it out!

As a huge Taylor Swift fan, this book majorly scratched an itch and was so great to get immersed in. I was cringing along with the characters and everything was so fun to read. I love Megan’s writing and this one is a must on your list!

This was such a shocking fast paced thriller with multiple twist!! I was SPEECHLESS with the big twist! I couldn’t put this one down!!

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Easy read. Pulled me in from the start. I did find the chapters a little long and it dragged at times. Will definitely recommend as a solid thriller though.

This was the first book from Megan Collins that I've read and I enjoyed it. I thought it was well written and I liked the characters. I do wish there were shorter chapters.

Rosie, a heart transplant recipient, works in her family run bridal dress shop. After some searching, she learns that her new heart came from the wife of a local published writer, Morgan. His wife's death is suspicious and as Rosie corresponds with Morgan she struggles with her feelings.

This was a twisty tale that I thought was worth the read.

I loved this thriller so much back in January and am just now getting to posting it. Cross My Heart is a twisty, fast-paced drama that I devoured in one sitting on a plane.

I haven’t read anything else by this author but was convinced by this book that I need to stalk her backlist. When Rosie starts to fall for the widow of the woman who saved her life via donated heart…. the twists just don’t stop.

This one will have you guessing until the last page. Check it out if you love thrillers, suburban drama, and multiple timelines!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC of this wild title!!**

Cross My Heart was a fun quick binge. Would be great to save for summer for the pool or beach. Not too scary if you’re a wimp! I really enjoyed this thriller. The heart transplant aspect of this book was really unique and interesting. This is the perfect book to pick up if you’re experiencing a reading slump. The twist in this book I did not find predictable which is a sign of a well written thriller. I absolutely loved the ending it was very satisfying. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC.

A fun read. I will say the chapters were longer than I like. They did drag for me. However it was a great time, I was pulled in from the start and highly recommend.