This was a fast-paced read with a unique premise. It centers on Rosie, who becomes fixated on a man named Morgan after she finds out that she is the recipient of his late wife's heart. Rosie is lucky to be alive after a sudden heart condition overtook her and is determined to put the pieces of her life back together. She and Morgan start to correspond through the donor site, much to the chagrin of her family and friends who think she is making risky decisions, but the stakes get even higher when she can easily see Morgan in real life due to living in a small town.

I didn't really connect with Rosie as a character- I felt a little sorry for her at times but didn't feel like I really "got": her. I also didn't think her relationship with her best friend felt all that authentic. I did enjoy the mystery of the book, though, and Rosie's uncovering of information related to Morgan's first marriage as she tries to figure out how to get closer to him. There was a great twist that I did not see coming at all, which I really enjoyed. I did figure out who the villain was but greatly appreciated that there were a few different twists overall that kept me guessing beyond that. The ending of the book was satisfying and worked with the rest of the story.

Overall, I thought this was a decent read that moved at a fast-clip, even if I didn't necessarily fall in love with the protagonist. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

How fun was this book? It was my first book from the author and while it was not overly memorable (I read it about a month ago, and don't remember much of the details) it was so stinking fun. It felt like the first time that I picked up and adult thriller and I am always looking for that feeling.

I bumped the stars down, as I don't feel like it was super memorable. However if you are in a reading slump and need to pick up a quick and capturing book, this is it!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for my early copy.

📖 Book Review 📖

📱 "Cross My Heart" by Megan Collins

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
published January 14, 2025

Whoa- a psychological thriller that made me keep guessing what was going on. When Rosie gets her heart broken by her boyfriend, she really gets it broken. She soon realizes she has can't get out of bed due to cardiomyopathy and needs a heart transplant. Fast forward one year, Rosie is getting back to her life, working at her parents bridal shop, taking the family dog on walks, seeing her bestie Nina and now corresponding anonymously via DonorConnect with the spouse of her donor's heart. With a little bit of googling and the details shared in emails on DonorConnect, she figures out her donor was Daphne Thorne, the wife of local celebrity author Morgan Throne. And Rosie decides that her and Morgan are meant to meet in person, fall madly in love and live happily ever after. Rosie is an unreliable narrator and the whole novel is her point of view. We get a little of Morgan's POV through his emails. A fun, quick romantic suspense read that kept me up late into the night. 

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As someone who was diagnosed with heart disease at age 33, the premise of a heart transplant patient falling in love with her donor's husband was intriguing to me. However, I feel like it fell short a little bit. I found the female main character hard to relate to and not super likeable. In all honesty, none of the characters were very relatable for me. I felt more like I was watching a lifetime movie, than reading a psychological thriller. I do have to give the author credit though. The amount of suspects will keep you guessing until the very end and I definitely didn't get it right. I chose the obvious suspects but I wasn't even close. The story line was a good idea and the writer is obviously talented as the book is definitely well written, but this is a story that won't stick with me. Towards the end I was ready for it to be over because it just didn't hold my attention well enough. This was the first book I've read by this author so I do plan to give her other works a try but for me, this one was just okay.

As an avid thriller reader, I love a good twist. The twists in this book were outrageous, but didn’t really make much sense to me. Also, none of the characters were likable. I did love this author’s “The Family Plot” much better.

Imagine receiving a second chance at life, literally! After the tragic death of Daphne, Rosie finds herself with a new heart and an obsession that spirals dangerously out of control: Daphne’s husband. You can feel Rosie’s desperation for love and connection, and it pulls you right into her whirlwind of emotions.

This twisty tale is packed with unreliable characters who take you on a wild ride through their unhinged actions. What I absolutely loved was how Megan Collins cleverly weaves in emails, interviews, and texts, adding layers to the storytelling that keep you guessing.

Cross My Heart is a true page-turner! With its unique premise and fast pace, I found myself glued to the pages, desperate to uncover the next shocking twist. I couldn’t put it down until I knew how it all ended!

If you’re in the mood for a gripping read that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is the book for you!

Cross My Heart is an excellent thriller. It starts with a fantastic concept, which Megan Collins executes flawlessly: Our heroine, Rosie Lachlan, reaches out to the widower of her heart donor through an anonymous web site called DonorConnect – but little does he know, she has already parsed his identity and developed an ever-so-slight obsession with him. His name is Morgan Thorne, and he’s a famous writer. And as the book’s tagline says, Rosie has his dead wife’s heart – but she wants Morgan’s, and she’ll stop at nothing to get it.

Oh, Rosie. Rosie, Rosie, Rosie. It’s been quite a while since I had such a good time being inside a character’s head. Rosie is just…well, she can be A LOT at times. Collins’ character work with Rosie is absolute perfection, striding the finest of lines between a woman you can relate to and sympathize with, and a woman who is becoming unhinged in her quest for romance. All Rosie wants is to be in love, to find her person – and she’ll do whatever is necessary to get her happy ending. The book is written from her first-person point-of-view, so it’s fascinating to read how Rosie justifies her actions and then to see how they are perceived by the people who care about her. And we also get Morgan’s perspective through his emails, which adds a chilling, unsettling undercurrent to the story. It was hard to figure out who to believe at times, which kept me completely riveted.

Cross My Heart is tightly-plotted and written with urgent suspense, and although I figured out a few of the twists, I was still surprised at the overall direction of the story. Collins is effortlessly weaving between a couple of different genres here, and it made for a propulsive reading experience. And a purely fun one, all the way through. Thank you to Atria Books for the complimentary reading opportunity.

This is a fast paced twisty little number! Add in an unreliable narrator with bubblegum pink hair and a love of Danish pastries and you’re in for an unpredictable ride. She’s kind of a female Joe from You. I will for sure check out more from this author. Overall recommend!

THIS BOOK. The idea is fantastic and so eerie, I couldn’t wait to start reading. I was completed sucked in from the very first page and I was racing through it to see where it could possibly go. Everything about this book held my interest.

This book was right up my alley. I love a good unrealistic narrator…is she crazy? What’s the line between love and obsession type of thrillers. This was so good and had me saying wtf up into the last line. I honestly can say a thriller will get 5 stars if I can’t guess the “killer”. Yea now i need to look up this author’s previous works.

This book was....something. Do you like unreliable narrators and characters that you scream "YOU IDIOT!!!" at in your head constantly? Do you love stories about falling in love and not quite knowing where the line is between passion and obsession? Well, then this one is for you.

Is Rosie a little nutso....or does someone just want everyone (Rosie herself) to think so? My feelings about this book are so mixed. All the characters were pretty awful...yet I could not put this book down and HAD to know how it ended. It's a quick, wild ride and I absolutely recommend it.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a fun read - I thought it kind of lost some steam at the end, which I found a bit disjointed and all over the place, but it was an entertaining read overall.

Bonus points for the reference to the turkey scene from Family Fortunes, which is one of my favorite bloopers too.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Although I enjoyed the Family Plot more, this one gave its own exciting dose of unhinged. All of the characters ran through my mind as the killer at some point while reading. Some several times and I’m happy to say, I only figured it out in the last few chapters. This one will keep you flipping pages if for nothing more than a fresh take on a repeated trope. Solid read.

A heart transplant patient, Rosie, becomes obsessed with her donors husband. Rosie wants nothing more than to find the one, and after receiving the heart of a man’s wife, how could he not be the one for her? While Rosie begins messaging this man she starts to wonder if he is really a good guy or if he could have something to have done with his wife’s death. Definitely an edge of the seat domestic thriller! I was sucked in from the very first page. Truly enjoyed from the first page to the last and highly recommend!

Very unique concept. Working in transplant medicine, it kinda creeped me out at times, but was still entertaining and enjoyable. The twists were interesting and believable.

3.5 rounded down

This was so twisty it kept me guessing until the end. I truly love the premise - a woman gets a heart transplant and starts reaching out to her donor’s husband on an app. What begins with an innocent exchange soon becomes a small crush that leads to an obsession over his wife’s death and what truly transpired during then.

I thought the first to middle part was truly bingeable and I just couldn’t wait to find out how it ends but as the twists unfold one by one it kind of loses steam for me. I did love the unreliable narrator aspect of it and really helped with swaying the reader the other way. I also loved the romance aspect that was sprinkled in with the mystery.

All in all this was truly enjoyable and definitely something I would recommend for someone who likes Verity or Tell Me Lies.

Such an interesting premise! A heart transplant recipient connects with the husband of her donor and forms a connection. What a page turner. I could not put it down. The twist was very unexpected.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Megan Collins delivers a gripping, darkly fascinating story in Cross My Heart, blending psychological intrigue with the eerie intersection of love and obsession. Rosie’s complex emotions and questionable decisions make her an unforgettable, if unsettling, protagonist. The novel expertly balances its suspenseful mystery with a haunting exploration of identity and the ties between body and soul. Every twist feels both inevitable and shocking, pulling you deeper into Rosie’s tangled web. This is a thriller that leaves you questioning every character’s motives—and your own heart.

This was wow. Weird and sad and creepy. I love the twists. At first I didn't get it because I am not a girly girl so I was like "okay, so dresses?" But that's not the whole book so it's fine.

This gripping psychological thriller delves into obsession, identity, and the complexities of human connection. The story centers on Rosie Lachlan, a heart transplant recipient who becomes fixated on Morgan Thorne, the widower of her donor. Believing their shared connection through the heart signifies a destined relationship, Rosie initiates contact with Morgan through an anonymous platform called DonorConnect. As their interactions deepen, Rosie begins to question the circumstances surrounding Morgan’s wife’s death, leading her into a web of suspense and unexpected revelations.

I thought I had it all figured out until the hallway mark and then bam! A great plot twist hit me! I enjoyed the intricate plot twists, and fast-paced storytelling. The blend of suspense and emotional depth, makes it stand out from typical thrillers.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.