Thank you NetGalley! This was an interesting book, definitely different than others I’ve read. It kept drawing me in the further I read. Such a great novel!

I have been seeing so much hype around this book and it totally lives up to all of it! This was a fantastic and twisty thriller that I could not of predicted going the way it was going.

The main character Rosie had recently received a heart transplant and has begun a conversation online with the donor's husband, who she figures out is a well known author in her town. She begins doing some investigating about him online, which leads down quite a surprising road.

I was engaged in this story from the first page and I didn't want to stop reading once I started. I had so many guesses as to who the villain in the story was and I thought I had it all figured out, but I was shocked by what actually happened and how wrong I was. I had not read any other books by this author, but now want to go back and read her other books because I enjoyed this one so much!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this novel.

I have been seeing so much hype about Cross by Heart and was so excited to receive an ARC for an honest review.

I was sucked into the book in Part 1. I enjoyed the email conversions between Rosie and Morgan and the back story on Rosie and all of her exes. Part 2 is where it started to go downhill for me. It started to get so unbelievable and I felt it was dragging on. I pushed through to see it to the end to find out who was killing people and what would happen to Rosie.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

Rosie has recently received a heart transplant and has entered into a private online conversation with the donor's husband to share their thoughts. Not divulging the names of either party, Rosie figures out that the donors husband is a famous author in her hometown of Boston. She then begins her online investigation to find out more about Morgan Thorne, which leads to a little spying on him & eavesdropping at a coffee shop.

The story quickly engaged me and I could not stop reading. I had a number of guesses as to who the murderer was and how it would all play out. Although I didn't figure it out until just before it was revealed, I wasn't surprised by this point. It got pretty wild at the end!

My thanks to Net Galley and Atria Books for an advanced copy of thiis e-book.

This one wasn't for me unfortunately. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy popcorn thrillers with unreliable and very unlikable characters. For me the twists were just.... they didn't really make a lot of sense. I also strongly dislike when books use Taylor Swift as a marketing ploy when the book, the plot, the characters, and the theme- are nothing like Taylor Swift. It feels gimmicky.

However it's a quick read with enough twists to be entertaining even if you know where it is going. I just think a lot more could have been done with this plot idea. It's a good airplane read and you can easily binge in one sitting.

The narration was ok. I did not like the male narration at ALL but it was mostly read by the female.

Thank you to Simon Schuster for the audio copy.

Megan Collins captured my attention and my heart with this one. As a major swiftie I admired the (not so subtle) nods to Taylor Swift throughout the book. But I also truly enjoyed the twists and turns inside. Rosie Lachlan and her "rosie-colored glasses" see nothing but the best in people and she definitely finds herself in trouble over it. I simply couldn't put the book down. We've all suffered heartbreak and heartache, but Rosie's felt palpable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity for this ARC.

Rosie has had a rough time, she was dumped by her fiancée wearing her wedding dress, then her heart literally broke and she needed a transplant. After receiving a donor transplant, she’s working on herself. She works at her parents’ bridal shop and spends her days surrounded by other women’s happiness and their hope for perfect wedding. Curious about who her donor was she decides to join DonnerConnect anonymously. This is where she meets the husband of her donor. Soon Rosie has it figured out her donor husband is a local mystery writer celebrity, Morgan Thorne. The more they communicate their emails become personal, Rosie begins to imagine a romantic future with Morgan , who but there is a cloud of suspicion that surrounds his wife’s accidental death. The more she digs and obsesses she wonders if there is some truth in the pages of Morgan Thorne’s murder mysteries, and could Rosie be in danger….or is she the dangerous one?

Megan Collins in an auto buy author for me. I loved this twisty thriller. It was fast paced and such a page turner! I am so glad I had the ARC and ALC. I even bought the finished copy I loved it so much!

What a twisty little thriller.

Rosie, obsessed with love & recovering from a quite literal broken heart, is on the mend. When she connects with Morgan, the husband of her heart donor, through a service called DonorConnect Rosie convinces herself that her and Morgan are meant to be together. As they’re relationship deepens, Rosie begins to suspect that Morgan’s wife’s dead was no accident & if it wasn’t an accident than is Rosie next? Rosie is the epitome of an unreliable narrator. She might be obsessive but all she really wants is to be loved and it’s hard to not root for that in a character. It was interesting being insider her head, and Collins did a great job of making it hard to distinguish what was in Rosie’s head and what was real life. Which makes for a suspenseful read.

That’s all I’m going to say about this book because I don’t want to give anything else away. With plenty of red herrings, this book will keep you guessing. While it’s sometimes a little far-fetched, it was a fun and fast read!

Cross My Heart comes out January 14, 2025. Thank you to Atria for my advanced copy in exchange for my review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting myInstagram @speakingof.books.
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I loved this book. It was a twisty thriller that I couldn’t get enough of and it was the perfect read on a cold winter night. Can’t wait to read more from this author. Highly recommend!

If you’re looking for a crazy, obsession-filled psychological thriller, this one’s for you!

Rosie works at a bridal salon and has always been on the hunt for The One. Her plans were derailed by an awful breakup and then she unexpectedly needed a heart transplant. Now that her health is better, she starts to have conversations anonymously with her donor’s husband online. She realizes he’s a local author and wonders if her new heart could attract its former flame…

Like any good thriller, there are SO MANY TWISTS, and I’m wondering if this whole town should be on anti-psychotics. I really enjoyed this one even though the plot sounds ridiculous! I gave it 4.25 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Thrillers for an ARC of this book.

This was a good mystery! It had me guessing the entire time. After I finished Part 1 I was like "what did i just read" and I had to keep going. Pick this up if you want a good twisty thriller that keeps you guessing!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Megan Collins. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Rosie was dumped in her wedding dress, and dreams only of finding that one true love. She's a year out from a life-saving heart transplant and working at her parents' bridal shop. She begins messaging local celebrity author Morgan Thorne, through an anonymous service called DonorConnect, to learn more about Daphne, his deceased wife who she believes was her donor. She becomes convinced that they are meant to be together. But then she discovers rumors that Morgan might have had something to do with Daphne's death.

This was a great thriller and just what you would expect from Megan Collins. Rosie was such a fun main character - heart of gold, but with a history of obsession and bad decisions. I loved the plot and it kept me guessing as to just what was happening and who was trustworthy. Text messages were incorporated into the storyline as well, which I always enjoy. Definitely a must read if you love twisty thrillers!

Rosie Lachlan was left in her wedding dress and is now determined to find her soul mate – especially after she received a life-saving heart transplant. When she learns the identity of her heart donor, she becomes convinced that she and the donor’s husband are meant to be together.

Despite learning that Morgan Thorne may have had something to do with his wife’s death, Rosie is not sure she can stay away from his enigmatic pull. But not all is what it seemed in the Thornes marriage or with Rosie and her “rosie-colored” glasses.

Why Kirsten loves it
I’ve loved Megan Collins since The Family Plot so I was eager to get my hands on her latest book. It was just as suspenseful and surprising as all her books and I found myself gobsmacked by the plot-twist halfway through the story.

5.0 stars.

This book was given to me for an honest review. This might actually be one of my favorites from this author after the family plot.

This book has been on my radar since the blurb. Who wouldn't want to read about a woman who got a heart transplant and got obsessed with the woman's husband whom she got the heart from.

Every time i thought i figured it out, i was always wrong. This novel kept my interest until the very end. I was memorized by every word and was on the edge of my seat. I didn't want it to end

First let me say I loved all the Taylor Swift references in this book. This book was so good! The plot twists kept you wanting more and kept you hooked from start to finish!

Rosie receives a heart transplant and she becomes curious about her donor. She uses DonorConnect to find out more about her donor and this is when things get crazy. As much as I want to go into more detail I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who wants to dive into this crazy but amazing read! I highly recommend this book!

Thank you Megan Collins and NetGalley for the ARC!

A full 5 stars!

This follows Rosie, who recently received a heart transplant from an anonymous donor. She is . However, once she begins messaging her donor’s husband via an anonymous messaging app she begins to suspect her donor was the late wife of renowned local author Morgan Thorne. Now that she has his wife’s heart, she becomes convinced they are meant to be together. However, as they keep messaging and she learns more details, the death of Morgan’s wife, Daphne, becomes more and more suspicious. Is Morgan the man of her dreams, or is he dangerous?

This is just the beginning of the thrilling web Megan Collins has woven in her most recent novel. This book kept me guessing, with many unexpected twists and reveals. Not only that, but it was just a genuinely fun book to read. It’s a little over the top, but in the best way. I really enjoyed this one and look forward to what Megan Collins puts out next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster / Atria Books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am not normally a thriller reader, but the description of this one had me so intrigued I was dying to dip my toes into the genre. The author did an amazing job keeping me confused...but in a good way! I wanted to believe and trust our main character Rosie, but the more interactions she had with her friends and family, the more I questioned if she was a reliable narrator. I loved the mixed media aspect of this novel with the messages, texts and emails sprinkled throughout. I never saw the twist coming and after I finished the book, I had to lay staring at my ceiling for a bit to let it all sink in.

I highly recommend this book for any readers who love a good mystery, suspense plot, and a cast of characters that constantly has you guessing who is lying.

Characters: 8/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Writing: 9/10
Plot: 9/10
Intrigue: 8/10
Logic: 8/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Average Score: 8.57/10

I enjoyed this book but didn't feel anything was outstanding about it. I liked the main character, Rosie, but found there were a few too many twists to my liking.

Ooooohhh! This book is excellent! This was my first read by Megan Collins, but it won’t be my last. What an exciting ride! At first, Cross My Heart seems like a rom-com when heart transplant recipient, Rosie, seems to be hitting it off with her heart donor’s husband, Morgan. However, it morphs into a psychological thriller as the tone changes when new revelations and uncertainties are introduced. Rosie is a fabulous main character who is kind and good-natured. She is trusting, forgiving and loving to a fault. She can also be quite obsessive when her runaway emotions keep her from thinking clearly and from making wise decisions. As time goes on and more characters are introduced, it seems like everyone has a little “crazy” in them. Who is sane and who is not? Who is imagining things? What is the truth? And was Morgan’s wife’s death really an accident or was it murder? Almost everyone is suspicious. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this engrossing read.