Member Reviews
This was soooo good. I could not put it down. Loved the twists and turns. Lots of surprises. And the ending - chef's kiss!
really surprisingly great thriller from Collins! i didn’t expect it to have such an emotional layer to it, and that’s really what made this book strong for me - i found myself really resonating with Rosie and her issues with relationships. the story itself is fast paced, bingeable, and a unique premise, but it’s definitely the characters that set it apart from an average thriller.
Heart transplants that come with a whole lot more. Cross My Heart written by Megan Collins brings a suspenseful story with twists and confusion, perhaps too many. A woman with pink hair and an obsessive personality has a heart transplant after a break-up. Slowly we learn all the things she did prior to getting sick and it shows she needed help to cope better with the curve balls being thrown at you each day. Fast-forward to learning her heart came from the wife of a famous author, and she died under somewhat strange circumstances. Collins brought in so much drama with double identity and hidden agendas, it became hard to follow when two characters, in some ways, had the same name. Readers can keep track of it, but you still want to know what's really happening. So I found myself both loving and not loving the plot. Otherwise it was a good read, just not clear/clean enough to match the author's prior caliber. Will continue to read more from her tho.
Fast-paced and great premise.
Not my favorite of hers but still a decent read.
Lil too much romance for me, and ending a bit wonky.
Despite not being my favorite, i will still read EVERYTHING Collins writes.
I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this arc!
I so loved this book! We follow Rosie, who may or may not be a crazy stalker.Thank you, Netgalley, and the publisher for giving me this arc!
I so loved this book! We follow Rosie, who may or may not be a crazy stalker. She recently had a heart transplant and started messaging with her donor's widowed husband, Morgan. And she starts fantasizing about a life she could have with him. He's handsome, funny, and a successful author. However, Rosie has a past of seeing things through "Rosie colored glasses," as her friend Nina says.
This book was a wild ride from the first page. It really kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was full of twists and turns I didn't see coming. I was questioning everything and everyone in this book. It had me going back to see if I missed things, but no, the author was really clever with how one of the big twists happened.
I also liked Rosie as the protagonist. She isn't perfect, and let's you know from the get-go. She knows she has problems but just wants to be loved so bad. In fact, the whole theme of the book is about loneliness and heartbreak. But also overcoming the bad stuff and growing and learning to love yourself first
I really enjoyed this book! It started off seeming like a romance story to me. There’s a lot of emails back and forth and gushy stuff. But I was into it! The main character is a bit obsessive and at times she kind of annoyed me because she wrote off every single red flag. But then the suspense and thriller aspects come in! It was a twisted story with a lot of twists, crazy revelation after crazy revelation!! I really enjoyed it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Thank you Atria Books for the gifted digital ARC!
I have really come to love Megan Collins as an author, her books just get better and better for me. This one was sooo twisty and fun, with a main character I *almost* didn't want to root for.
Once the twists started getting unraveled they just kept coming, which I loved. There was one twist I did guess but for the most part I did not see the ending coming and that is always such a huge plus with me when it comes to thrillers.
Collins has definitely cemented herself as an auto-read author for me!
Cross My Heart pub date is January 14.
It's been a while since I enjoyed a thriller and boy this was quite a ride! I devoured this in one day. Every time I thought I had it figured out, a new twist would emerge and keep me on my toes.
We follow our main character Rosie who starts to fall for her heart donors husband. Rosie thinks she is living her dream rom com fantasy only to discover things are not what they seem. Rosie has to take off her rose colored lense and try to distinguish what is fact or fiction. Will she figure it out in time or will her dream romance end like a horror novel?
Highly recommend and if you're a Swiftie, there's some fun references for you too.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.
This was a fun, twisty read. The concept is engaging: a recipient of a heart transplant starts a relationship with the husband of the woman's whose heart she has received.
The novel often reminds you that you're reading a fictional novel rather than permitting you full escapism into a believeable world. Part of that is due to the nature of the plot and its sometimes epistolary delivery--which is creative and inventive. However, that also stopped me from a fully immersive reading experience with this one.
Final thoughts: This would be a great beach read; it will keep you turning the pages!
What challenges might arise when a heart transplant recipient becomes infatuated with the husband of her donor? The narrative unfolds with numerous twists and unsettling events. Rosie is determined to discover her one true love. However, as she conceals certain secrets from Morgan, the object of her fixation, he harbors his own unsettling surprises from the past that could pose a threat. This is a story you won't want to miss!
Cross My Heart from Megan Collins is Return to Me, a movie with Minnie Driver, but ....dark.
Convinced she has the heart of Morgan's wife, Daphne, Rosie sets out to connect with him on DonorsConnect. After a few email exchanges with Morgan, Rosie is in love. That's all she wants, to be loved. It's her favorite thing.
BUT, Rosie is out of her mind. She will do anything to get with Morgan. Liking the same hobbies he does. Liking the same movies. Etc Etc. Girlfriend is doing way, way too much.
As expected, things spiral in a dark way. But....who is at fault here? Is Morgan the dream man that Rosie thinks? Is Rosie off her rocker?
Megan Collins has written an excellent take on organ donation and the after effects. People may have good intentions or .... people might be just....good-hearted goofy women who think too much of love.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
What a ride! This book was nothing like I expected, in the very best way. During the first half of the story I thought the plot was going one way, when suddenly part two hits and we’re completely reversing course. I love when a suspense novel is able to “fool” me.
Rosie is such a multi-layered MC. She’s empathetic even while you’re screaming at her actions. I really enjoyed her POV - I felt like the author did a great job putting us in her head to see how she handled her heart transplant, family dynamics and friendships, her work, and that elusive thing called love. The mystery element was an added bonus, and this story kept me hooked from start to finish.
I think we’re all a little bit Rosie - a little bit naive, a little bit crazy (unhinged), worried about being alone, worried about not meeting everyone else’s expectations, just wanting to be loved. You just can’t help rooting for her!
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
I love stalker-y vibes in a thriller, and this book delivered!
Rosie had a heart transplant a year ago, and she’s convinced she knows whose heart she received. She becomes fixated on connecting with the donors husband, who is a well known mystery writer.
This book will keep you on your toes! I loved the way it was told, the chapters were perfectly paced and kept me intrigued. I definitely recommend the read!
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC
I enjoyed it! The first half had me on edge, and the plot twists were well done. The ending felt a little predictable, and I would have loved to see more dual POV, but overall, it was interesting.
Rosie connects with the husband of her heart transplant donor, and the bond they begin to form over email is undeniable. Rosie, a sucker for love (she works in a bridal shop for goodness sake) and recently broken up with her fiance, finds herself dreaming about meeting him in real life. It doesn't hurt to discover he's the famous author who lives nearby. This thriller examines the fine line between being crazy and being in love. It has the reader feeling gaslighted and unsure who to believe. But the ending gets a bit too far-fetched for my tastes. With a few tweaks, this would have been a brilliant thriller, but it lacked that shimmer. Apparently there are plenty of Taylor Swift references, so if you're a Swiftie, maybe this will be your thing!
Oh. My. God. RIP to all the responsibilities I had this week because they were all abandoned for this book. Cross My Heart is one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a while!! At about 50% there was a massive twist that I never expected, which is a testament to how good the writing is. I was so sure I knew what was going to happen but I was so so wrong
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
4/5 stars
From start to finish, Cross My Heart, is a wild ride that kept me on the edge of my seat. At no point could I predict where exactly this book was going to take me, leaving me engaged up till from the very end. While the ultimate twist is a little on the nose, it doesn’t undermine the rest of the plot hooks. Truly a story of encouraging both women’s rights and wrongs. A super enjoyable read for fans of the thriller genre and lovers of Taylor Swift.
Collin’s is a master at the thriller genre. This book was a wild ride from start to finish. It keeps you engaged till the end with plenty of twists and turns .
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book
Cross My Heart is my first novel by Megan Collins and I’m happy to say it was a hit! A psychological thriller that I did not want to put down. The twists and turns the book took had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I honestly thought that I had it figured out. Was so proud of myself…boy was I wrong! I did not see that ending coming. Such a great book, I definitely recommend it.
Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books and Megan Collins for this advanced copy
Meet my new favorite Megan Collins book! Cross My Heart is an addictive psychological thriller that's so unique. I was completely entranced by this multilayered suspenseful tale of obsession. The theme song is "Don't Blame Me" by Taylor Swift. 😉 There could be a whole Taylor playlist put to this book but that's the main one I'd choose.
The main character Rosie loves Taylor and so does Megan Collins hence the song mention. (Don't worry, you don't have to be a Swiftie to enjoy this book. You also shouldn't avoid it if you don't like Taylor. She's only mentioned a few times. Don't let hate make you miss out on a good thing!)
Rosie Lachlan is unlucky in love. With every relationship that doesn't work out she becomes increasingly desperate to find The One. It doesn't help that she works in her parent's bridal shop and has to be confronted with everything she can't have every day. Her latest breakup takes a toll on her and leads to a heart condition she always had being discovered.
She luckily gets a transplant in time and the heart belonged to the wife of a famous local author. Rosie is still living on borrowed time and the desperation to not live whatever time she has left alone gets stronger. So she uses something called DonorConnect that lets her chat anonymously with the husband Morgan.
They have an instant connection. Their relationship plays out through their chats but also through emails Morgan sends to his best friend. It all seems like the start of a perfect albeit unorthodox relationship. But Rosie learns more about how Morgan's wife died and how he's suspected of killing her. She can't help but learn more about her and their marriage.
I don't want to spoil anything so that's all I'll say. Megan Collins is so good at creating slow burning suspense with a character driven plot and beautiful writing. Cross My Heart is no exception. There's a shocking moment that takes you into part two that leads to a huge WTF?! twist and you will not be able to stop reading!
In case you couldn't tell, I really loved this book, haha. I highly recommend everyone reads Cross My Heart.
Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC.