Wow. This one was a doozy.

Our narrator is Rosie, a young woman whose heart has been recently broken (both literally and figuratively) and has received a heart transplant. Hoping to start afresh, she is on the look for love, and just happens to be romantically interested in the widower of the woman whose heart is now beating in her chest. Who just happens to be handsome and charming. And who just happens to write murder mysteries for a living. And... who has been accused by some of murdering his wife.

Rosie narrates our tale for the most part and although she can be facepalmingly naïve and desperately needs to find a good therapist, I did find her a protagonist I wanted to root for.

This is a very suspenseful, entertaining, voicey, plotty thriller that will keep you guessing. My jaw literally dropped at one point and I am an old jaded curmudgeon who is usually disappointed in modern thrillers.

Perfect page-turner when you want some well-written brain candy!

Cross My Heart
By: Megan Collins
Pub date: Jan 14 2025
Publisher: Atria Books
3 🩷🩷 🩷

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t often read thrillers but definitely enjoyed this one. I spent a lot of time trying to keep the facts straight so I could try to figure out what was going to happen. Rosie had me stressed with her stalker-like behaviour and I had to laugh at the end when she seemed to be back at it again.

I do recommend this one if you are into thrillers!

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the e-arc!
*All opinions are my own.

WOAAAAHHH. This was a crazy ride, lol. This is what I mean when I say I want a fast-paced thriller! I devoured this book in only 1 day. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat and needing to know what happens next .. (because boyyyy was there *a lot* happening!).

The premise of the storyline was super intriguing to begin with- but I had no idea it would play out the way it did!
I went back and forth so many times, between thinking I had it all figured out, to being completely shocked. So definitely a double thumbs up for plot twists.
The ONLY complaint I have, is that it was a little confusing at times- I found myself having to backtrack every so often to re read/refresh.
It was a bit hard to keep track of certain things/people, I think because of all the craziness going on. That being said, that did not take away from the writing itself. This author is SUPER talented.
Adding her backlist to my TBR for sure!!

Overall, this is definitely a unique, fun, enjoyable read if you love fast-paced thrillers with obsessive/stalker vibes!

This started out intriguing with a start similar to a YOU by Caroline Kepnes vibe. Despite not fully clicking with the writing style, I liked the setup and the initial surprise, but after the halfway point the story really started to lose me and read cheesy instead of keeping me engaged.

The writing was not great - every character read like it was written by the same author, not like a real person with dimension. There were only so many characters so it felt obvious to me who the bad guy was & the ending felt very Scooby Doo in a bad way. This might be more successful for someone more new to reading thrillers or looking for an easy palate cleanser type of read.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.

This was my first book by this author and I went into it not knowing much about it, other than the rave reviews I’ve seen.

I absolutely fell in love with it! I love the emailing format and the dual view points between Rosie and Morgan. Right away I was invested. Lots of crazy twists and lies that gave me whiplash! Sooo good!! Just when you think you know where things are going, it switches. I devoured this book in under 24 hours!

I am now going to look up other books by this author. I love her writing style!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

📚Newly Published review📚

Cross My Heart by @megancollinswriter
@atriabooks

Thanks to @atriabooks @megancollinswriter @netgalley for the digital arc!

Rosie works for her parent’s bridal shop while living in an apartment above their home too. Rosie had a heart transplant recently and would love to thank the family to her donor.

She begins to correspond through the donor’s website with the husband of her donor. Soon, she begins to fall for the man she hasn’t even met yet.

Rumors surface that his wife didn’t just have a terrible accident…. The husband must have murdered her 😱.

Poor poor ol’ Rosie. Her character is clearly delusional and terribly needy. She longs just to be loved. This woman just can’t see what’s right in front of her eyes. I remember being young and naive…. and I sure don’t miss those days at all 🤣🤣🤣

Murder and suspense… what’s not to love?
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a wild ride! I could not put this book down, and I had no idea what direction things were going in. Sometimes, I thought I had things figured out, only to second guess myself and then realize I wasn't even close! I really liked Rosie, even though she was kind of a hot mess at times! This was such a twisty thriller! I don't want to say much else because it's best to go in blind on this one!

Alexa, play "Look What You Made Me Do" by Taylor Swift.

I don't read thrillers too often, but when I do, it's psychological thrillers like these. The Taylor Swift themed dedication and the Author's Note indicating no animals would be harmed in the book were reason enough for me to read this one! "Unhinged" is a term used many times over in this book and it is the perfect description for this crazy story. It has all the Reputation Era vibes and I loved it! Just the escape I needed.

"Some days, love makes you look in the mirror and admire your own reflection; others, it makes you a monster in the glass."

Cross My Heart is such a fun and creepy read. Do you ever feel like you've found your soulmate, but you haven't actually met in real life? Rosie Lachlan is suffering from a heart break, after being dumped while wearing her wedding dress. She undergoes lifesaving surgery when a heart transplant is available to her, and she then begins messaging the donor's family through an anonymous service, called DonorConnect. Rosie discovers the identity heart's former owner; she falls down a rabbit hole where she is falling in love with the widowed husband. As she delves into the couple's past, she discovers some troubling rumors - could he have killed his wife?

I have been dying to get my hands on this book, and it DID NOT disappoint. It was fast-paced, and I enjoyed how the emails and text messages read in the book. It was a fun and thrilling read and I was shocked by the ending.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

When Rosie gets a heart transplant, she becomes obsessed with her donors husband. She works at her parents bridal salon and is anxious for her own happy ending after a tumultuous break up that’s left her sad and confused.

This book is definitely a twisty thriller. So many times you think you know what’s going on only to be brought in a different direction! It will definitely leave you guessing right up until the very end.

This is a gripping and twisty thriller that will captivate readers who devour stories about complex female protagonists, dark secrets, and the blurred lines between love, obsession, and deception.

Read if you like:
🙄 Unreliable Narrator
♥️ Love Obsessed Characters
💔 Broken Hearts
🔎 Who Dun it?!
🔀 Twists & Turns
🪩 & You Are a Swiftie

Truly, I loved every second of this book and being a Swiftie made it so much more fun! If you love the vibes of Blank Space. Bad Blood, Wildest Dreams, I Look in People’s Windows, and How Did It End? then this book is for you!!!

I want to gush and say all the things, but truly go in blind! That is the best way to experience the twists and turns and ups and downs of this one in my opinion!

Thank you so so so much to Atria for my gifted copy in exchange for my swiftie thoughts!

Thank you Atria for my copy. A Taylor Swift inspired thriller? Say less. I practically inhaled this book! The writing, unique plot and complicated characters drew me in. I had conflicting feelings about the main character and the writing style kept me so intrigued guessing what was actually happening. I did not see a lot of the twists coming and thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience.

3.5 stars. I was a little let down by this after seeing other reviews. I still thought it was good. The plot was solid and everything wrapped up well in the end but I SWEAR Blair’s relationship with Morgan was revealed earlier in the book….? So that wasn’t really a huge surprise twist to me.

I really liked the backbone of this book. A heart transplant recipient connects anonymously online with her donor's husband, only she has pretty much guessed who her donor was based on local events and gossip. Did he kill his wife, or was it truly a tragic accident? As a pharmacist, I thought the author did a decent job of portraying post-transplant life... the emotions that come from knowing that you are alive because someone else died, the rigors of staying adherent to medication therapy and the downs of the side effects, and the hopes and fears of the future. There were a few inaccuracies (sushi would be a no-no), but these were not important to the storyline.

I found the stalker like behavior the main character and many of her female friends and acquaintances undertook to be disturbing, and for this reason, I didn't find any of the characters likeable. I usually don't have any problems following shifting points of view or timelines, but somehow whenever the perspective switched, I completely missed it. Maybe it will be more obvious in the final published copy, but I found myself not trusting what I thought I read and scratching my head since it felt like it came out of nowhere. I won't say what the switch was to avoid a spoiler though!

3.5 stars rounded up because the story felt fresh and unique.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Rosie is the recipient of a heart transplant and finds herself connecting with her donor’s husband through a Donor Connect platform. She realizes that the man she is speaking with is a famous local author and quickly becomes obsessive about their conversations and getting to know him.

This book had a good mix of suspense and intrigue and did a good job of keeping you guessing. This is a book club pick for me this month and I look forward to our group discussion about this one.

Thrillers are my jam but I do my research before picking up just any book from the genre. Cross My Heart was getting positive buzz so I figured it was a safe choice. Very happy to report back it was a page turner read.

Rose received a life saving heart transplant and has corresponded with the donor’s husband via an anonymous messaging service called DonorConnect. Piecing together things, Rose deduces the man is a famous local author named Morgan Thorne. And now Rose is developing romantic feelings for him. Alright that’s it, that’s all you need to know regarding the premise. Enjoy a wild and crazy ride!

I love being caught off guard when reading a thriller because it doesn’t happen with every book. This story had a fantastic jaw dropping moment. The ending itself is kinda messy but I just rolled with it. A fun reading experience even though it wasn’t perfect.

Recommend if you are a fan of the thriller genre.

Rosie Lachlan is an obsessive unhinged woman. She recently received a heart transplant and through a website “DonorConnect”, she is able to connect with the donor’s husband. He ends up being a very well-known writer. Rosie envisions herself falling in love with this writer.

Rosie has had her share of poor relationships. She has been dumped by many boyfriends, who Rosie believed love her. She was supposedly stood up at her own wedding. While the men she was in relationships were all not deserving of Rosie, she is also very quirky.
Her best friend Nina tries to convince her that DonorConnect is not a dating app. She can’t possibly believe that something will come of their written correspondence. Nina is constantly reminding her to take off her “Rosie colored glasses” and see people for who they really are and not what Rosie wants them to be.
Without giving too much away, this book will take you on roller coaster ride, complete with whiplash when events occur. At times, I had difficulty following the trail, sometimes not knowing who the narrator was. For me, it was a bit confusing with characters portraying other characters and not knowing who to believe. The ending left me surprised. If you like thrillers with a great deal of suspense, this might be the book for you.
Many thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Published on January 14,2025.

Rosie can't help but be a hopeless romantic. She wants to be in love more than anything. It now just so happens that her current crush, was the husband of the woman who had to die in order for Rosie to live. A year and a half prior to our story, Rosie was dying of a heart complication, and Morgan's wife, Daphne, died and was a donor match for Rosie, saving her life. Now that she is had discoverd who's heart keeps her alive, she can't take her attention away from Morgan. But what she discovers is that love isn't always so beautiful, sometimes it can be tortured.

This book was so much more than what I expected. I was not able to predict all the plot twists that Collins' have in store for us. I could not put this novel down. The mixed media format was captivating and made it feel like I was reading someone's private discussions without them knowing.

You will love this book if you like unreliable narrators and morally gray characters. I still can't decide if I like any of the characters in this book and I finished this several days ago. I believe this story will be one that lives rent free in my head and one I will eagerly recommend other pick up.

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for an advanced readers copy.

When I read that this was Taylor Swift inspired I said say less. This was my first Collins book and I definitely will be reading more from her. It’s definitely had me intrigued right away and had me turning the pages needing to know more. I do have to say part one was kind of one note to me and it didn’t really pick up until part two, in which I didn’t want to put it down. There was a handful of twists throughout and I definitely didn’t see some of them coming. Being a big Taylor Swift fan, I did love the node to her but it did feel a little too much at times.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this book and can’t wait to read more from Collins. If you’re a fan of twists, psychological thrillers, and Taylor Swift, then this will be the perfect thriller for you.