Cross My Heart by Megan Collins is a gripping new thriller with a captivating premise. Rosie, who has just received Daphne’s heart in a transplant, finds herself inexplicably drawn to Daphne’s husband. As she gets closer, she begins to suspect he might have been involved in his wife’s death. But is Rosie even a reliable narrator? She, too, has a questionable history.

The book is fast-paced and packed with twists that will keep readers on edge. As a fan of Collins’ previous work, I was excited to receive an advanced copy. While I found the twist a bit predictable, which led me to rate it 3 stars, I still think it’s a solid read. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoyed her earlier novels.

I am still struggling to write this review without giving anything away. I was instantly drawn to Rosie Lachlan. While she needed surgery and a new heart, I had emergency open heart surgery to replace a valve in November 2022.
She however has a donor’s heart and is drawn to the husband of the woman whose heart saved her life. Not in a let me bake you cookies and say thank you way though. Rosie may have also found her soulmate. After all, she has Morgan’s wife’s heart…..
I was sure this was going in one direction and the author pulled the rug out from under me. Holy cray cray and what is going on! I will say no more except I left a comment on the author’s page, which sums my reading experience up perfectly. Get your hands on this thriller! Beg the publisher or get thee to NetGalley!

Rosie Lachlan has a broken heart. Also a donated heart! She works at a bridal salon and dreams of the day that she will be a happy bride all the while taking the important drugs that ensure her donated heart thrives in her body. The plot kicks in when Rosie spies the local famous author Morgan Thornber in her coffeeshop. She has wanted to reach out to him because it was his late wive's heart that saved her life. She takes the step via the donor portal to remain anonymous and begins dreaming of the relationship they might have if they meet in person.

The story comes to ahead when Morgan is murdered and Rosie is a suspect. It's complicated and ingenious and you will have to read it to find the twists. Get swept away in the latest domestic thriller sure to steal your heart!
#atria #megancollins #crossmyheart

this is a tale of female obsession, rosie is an extreme lover, who after getting a heart transplant falls for the husband of the wife who heart she recevied.

I'm sorry, but when the almost 40 year old MMC compared Taylor Swift to Sylvia Plath...this book fully lost me. I just cannot bring myself to read the rest. Not for me, and that's okay! The plot still seems super fun and spooky.

This was an interesting book. The main character, Rosie, has recently had a heart transplant. She makes a connection with the donor's husband through the anonymous Donor site. Rosie 's best friend Nina is a nurse a figures our whose heart Rosie received. Rosie has a tendency to 'stalk" any man that shows any interest in her. There are several other characters that Rosie meets that make this whole story come to a surprising ending!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of Cross My Heart.

I absolutely loved how unique the plot of this book was, it definitely did not feel like the "same old" domestic thriller. I also really enjoyed the way the author used multiple POVs to add an element to the story I did not see coming. My biggest complaint would be that the big twist near the end of the story felt a little cheap/disingenuous but it's hard to stay more without spoiling. Overall, a good read with a satisfying conclusion.

4 stars

This is THE thriller book for swifties!! She is genuinely like the third main character of this book with how many times she is referenced and mentioned directly, but I am in no way complaining!

When I went into this, I truly thought I knew what to expect, but I really, really didn’t! It flipped the story on its head onto something completely different. I can honestly say this is likely to be a favorite all time thriller!

“Love turns you inside out. It changes you -on a deep, cellular level- until even your skin feels different, your voice sounds foreign, until you do and say things you never thought you could. Some days, love makes you look in the mirror and admire your own reflection; other, it makes you a monster in the glass.” - Morgan Thorne

Good gosh, I love this author.

Sometimes when you read a certain author you develop this imaginary bond and feel like the story was so relatable it was meant for you to read it .

Enter, Megan Collins and Cross My Heart

References of loving to watch people fall (sorry but this is definitely a guilty pleasure) I’m all about clumsy children, animals and inebriated folks . I also love to observe people getting caught farting as long as I’m a safe distance away.

Although my heart may be cold and not broken, this might be the only difference between me and this book.

me oh my, THIS book…

“He paid our bill and kissed your name off my lips” - Daphne

Cue the Taylor Swift bells and whistles, you are instantly transfixed into the song “look what you made me do”

Twisted, dark and engaging! I loved the early chapters of Rosie and Morgan corresponding, the banter was hilarious and had me instantly intrigued .

Did I like Rosie? I’m not sure. She was quirky, stalker-ish and reminded me of a few “friends” I’ve had in the past . I didn’t hate her so that’s a plus .

Morgan? Oh, Morgan .

I can’t say much without spoiling but this dark and intricate man will have you swooning.

I would consider this a slow burn with a lot of character development . Although Daphne was dead I felt connected to her and felt such a strong connection.

Then there is part 2…

This was a book I never wanted to end but hungrily devoured.

I also want to point out that while reading I slid into Megan’s DMs and she happily engaged and answered SO many questions. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to chat with authors but Megan Collins is in a league all her own and a total sweetheart .

The slump is over my pretty little kittens, your girl is back .

“Smiling swindler, blue eyed betrayer, you tore my voice from my throat.” - Daphne

This was an ok read, the character development was not great for me and I didn’t feel attached to any of the characters. I loved all of the Taylor swift references and it moved at a fast pace which I enjoyed

After Rosie gets a heart transplant, she becomes obsessed with the husband of her donor, Daphne. She’s convinced that the two of them belong together. It soon becomes obvious that someone wanted Daphne dead, was is someone who needed a heart or someone that wanted a new life?

I have really conflicted feelings about Cross My Heart. First off, I want to say that I loved The Family Plot, so I was stoked to get an advance copy of Megan Collins' newest book.

Rosie has so much potential as a protagonist. She's so interesting, but quickly became one of those characters who continuously made face-palmingly questionable decisions. I'm not sure if her character arc culminated in much growth.

I'm being vague to avoid spoilers, but I also feel uncertain about how the author treated some of the larger themes in the book. The more I sit with the twists, the more some of the reveals and explanations bum me out.

All of that said, there's still many great aspects to this book and a couple of surprises I didn't expect at all.

I sailed through the first half of this book. I loved the mixed media and the tension slowly building. It was a fresh new take on a thriller Once we got to the second half it slowed a bit for me and became less unique. However, it was still an addictive read. There were several really great red-herrings. The Taylor swift appreciation was a nice touch. I really feel for Rosie and her desperate attempt to find love.

One of my favorite thrillers as of late! This was such an interesting premise and there were parts that completely threw me off! I have enjoyed some of Collins’s books before but this one is definitely the winner for me!

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins is her fifth and latest book. Like all her previous books her outstanding writing style and pace is impressive. This psychological thriller brilliantly mixes complex characters that are impressively developed through this incredible story. The book contains many questions, with twists and turns that were so unpredictable you won’t want to put it down until the mystery is unraveled and all the puzzle pieces fit. A great read!
That you Net Galley for the advanced copy and thank you Megan Collins.

read if you like:
🤨 suspicious men
❤️ heart transplant survivors
😱 female obsessions

summary:
This book is about Rosie, a heart transplant survivor suffering from a broken engagement, who reaches out to the husband of her heart donor through DonorConnect, a platform used to connect organ recipients with her donors. Through their emails, Rosie and Morgan form a relationship, discussing everything from Daphne, Morgan’s late wife, to Rosie’s failed engagement. She now works in her parents’ bridal boutique, helping others achieve happiness, while Morgan continues his career as a famous thriller author. Obsession sets in, with Rosie noting everything she learns about Morgan, in the hopes of becoming the woman he’s been looking for. Before she knows it though, she finds herself in way over her head, learning things about Daphne and Morgan’s relationship, and Morgan himself, that may have been better left alone.

This book is a story of female obsession and what it can drive us to. It is also full of suspense and emotion, as we go through the journey from Rosie’s POV. I always struggle with an unreliable narrator, as it makes it hard for me to follow the book and separate fact from fiction and emotion. However, in Rosie’s case, her story is deeply compelling and sympathetic, and I found myself going on the journey with her through obsession, grief and love. I found myself loving her, then hating her, then questioning everything in between.

The ending is shocking, troubling and yet satisfying. While I may not have loved the premise of the story, it’s perfect for anyone who loves a villain and a dramatic finish!

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for the ARC, and if you love a good female obsession story, check this out when it releases on January 13!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I thought I was getting a par the course (granted entertaining) thriller about obsession, and while Cross My Heart was certainly about obsession it was not at all formulaic.

Rosie does have a heart transplant from famous author Morgan’s deceased wife Daphne, and yes, she’s clearly obsessive about men - including Max - but what makes this supremely entertaining and unique is the massive twist that occurs when you least expect it after a simple back and forth of Max and Rosie’s perspectives leading up to an equally unexpected murder. I enjoyed everything before this point but thought I knew where this book was going until everything got blown apart by that twist. Let’s just say you find yourself utterly confused (in a good, wait what happened way) about who Rosie really is and what the truth actually is.

I can’t say Rosie is someone I love (she needs some help with her obsessions) but that of course played beautifully in the mystery. Pick this one up, it doesn’t shatter the genre, but it’s one of the top truly thrilling books in the genre I’ve read recently.

This was a good, suspenseful read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

Such a good and thrilling story! From the beginning, I found myself intrigued about which way the book would go. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I think this will be a tremendous hit!

This psychological thriller is fast paced and filled with twists and obsessions. Often times when a book becomes far fetched and overly complicated, I lose interest- but this book kept me engaged throughout. This is my first book by this author, and I will definitely considering reading more by her! Thank you NetGalley and atria books for this arc!