This was my first book by Megan Collins and I really enjoyed it! It’s a mystery/thriller about Rosie Lachlan, who has had a history of being a little obsessive in her relationships. She ends up having to have a heart transplant and starts communicating with her donor’s widower. History is starting to repeat itself as she becomes obsessed with knowing every detail about him and becomes more than a little...unhinged.

The book is told in two parts. I felt like part one hooked me from the very beginning, was super fast-paced, and was wild how unhinged Rosie is as a character. You also start to realize she may not be the only unhinged character as the story goes on. Part two was a little bit slower paced for me as it turned more mystery than thriller. For the first few chapters into part two there’s a twist where I was like, wait….what??? So you need to very, very carefully read part one :)

Overall I thought this was a solid mystery/thriller and if you like unhinged female characters in your thrillers I think you’ll really like this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was so unhinged!!! Could NOT put this book down. I mean, with that premise you know you are in for a wild ride. I'd love to know what the audio is like for this one!

Rosie is determined to live her life now that she has a second chance. After a successful heart transplant and back working in her parent's bridal salon, she is focused on finding her forever. Breaking up with her boyfriend/fiance Brad left her heartbroken-and then her heart truly broke-leading to a transplant. A year after the transplant, donors and recipients are allowed to connect online. Rosie quickly realizes she's received the heart of a very popular writer's late wife. While they're supposed to leave out personal details, Rosie and Morgan soon dive deep into their personal lives and Rosie seems convinced she and Morgan are meant to be together. However, some details emerge that cause Rosie to think Morgan may have been responsible for Daphne's "accidental" death. When Rosie's friends and family express concern for some of her behavior, it is clear Rosie has always been very fixated on her boyfriend's-to an unhealthy extent. When shocking events occur, Rosie finds herself in danger-and nearly alone-as her family and friends start to suspect the worst. Told through alternating perspectives, readers will discover some crazy twists and turns and also question Rosie. This was a fast read and the Taylor Swift playlist was a fun accompaniment, 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This had good pacing and lots of twists and turns, but it deviated from the synopsis a lot, so it wasn’t really what I was expecting. Still kept me engaged and the ending was great.

There were so many disturbing moments here and some that were relatable to finding The One (or who we think is The One at least). Full of creepy disturbing moments and moments that made me laugh.

I've read all of the books by this author before, and while this one wasn't my favorite (that would The Winter Sister), it was a fun, character-driven read! Swifties will appreciate the nods to Taylor Swift's themes and songs, and there's a great twist about halfway through the book. It feels modern and touches upon some important ideas in how we as a society frame women in relationships that ultimately fail. It got a little too cliche-y with some dialogue towards the end during the reveals, but overall, it's thoughtful thriller with a flawed and lovable main character.

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Yes!!! This book blew my mind. I was so hopelessly hooked and it kept me turning the pages during my road trip. I have loved and liked previous works by this author, but this one hit it out of the park. I loved the way the book was formatted with both text and email conversations, which were easy to read but provided a lot of information. The only thing I think I would have loved to see was a viewpoint chapter from the heart transplant donor herself. Maybe in a flashback entry or something.
Either way, what a top-hit thriller 👏

#qotd I've been out a bit - and will continue for a couple more days here. I just had to drop in and review this book!
What have you been up to this past week?

#megancollins #crossmyheart #bookreview #sogood #review #netgalley #atriabooks #atria

Thank you NetGalley!
This is a book about a unique woman who had a medical procedure who changed her life. It was a little slow at times but I liked the suspense and mystery. It was a little unbelievable but I don’t mind that with thrillers. I would recommend this book to people who want an interesting thriller with an unreliable narrator.

What a twisty read, book peeps!! Lots of unhinged females in this one too!! Maybe a few too many? 😅

The twists were great though, and I didn’t figure out who our bad guy/girl was until the very last moment! Definitely recommend this twisty thriller! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria, and Megan Collins for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review!! ❤️

Rosie is rebuilding her life after personal and medical troubles when she decides to reach out to the husband of her donor's heart--famous writer Morgan Thorne.

This was such a good thriller! Here's what I loved:

Rosie: Yes, she's a mess. But I honestly loved her. She is a true anti-hero because she really is her own worst enemy. But I still was rooting for her the entire time.

The Twists: This one is twisty. Just when I thought I knew where it was going, it went in a different direction. It helps that everyone is so flawed in this book. You really can't trust anyone.

Overall, this was a really great thriller!

Thank you to the publisher and author for the gifted copy!

I was hooked by Cross My Heart by Megan Collins right away. I found there was just the right amount of mystery, heart, twists-and turns, and the pace was fantastic. I loved the mixing of emails and prose as well.

One of things I appreciated is that just when I thought I had it figured out, there was a new turn. The twist into the second half literally made me sit of in bed. I loved it. There were great hints along the way to make the ending make sense but it wasn't blatantly obvious (to me) until quite later on.

There were moments that felt a little too cheesy to me and sometimes a pop-culture reference that made be cringe just a bit, but that's my own personal preference. I had a lot of fun reading this and will definitely pick up more Megan Collins in the future.

I’ll never get over how much I 💕HEARTED💕 this book!

There were twists and Taylor-coded Easter eggs galore AND some of the most memorable characters that I’ve read this year!!!!

It was so good that upon finishing at 2am I had to force myself to go to sleep when all I wanted to do was commend @megancollinswriter for the brilliant book that truly captured my attention from start to finish!!!

5.0⭐️ (even though I wish it could be more)


⭐️CROSS MY HEART, out January 14th⭐️

Thank you to @atriabooks @atriathrillers for the wonderful gifted review copy of this book #atriapartner

This was a fantastic ride! I have not read from Megan Collins before, but this will definitely not be my last book of hers. A heart transplant recipient becomes infatuated with her donor's husband and finds out all she can about him. The pace was perfect for this- I was never bored- and I also never knew who to trust. This had the perfect amount of entertainment and depth- I just wanted to hug our main character! Great read.

Rosie is a heart transplant recipient, she’s curious about the donor of her heart. DonorConnect is an email service, where donors and transplant recipients can connect. Rosie soon discovers, her heart belonged to the wife of a local well known author named Morgan. As they exchange emails, Rosie starts to feel a connection with Morgan. Rumors are starting to surface, what really happened to Morgan’s wife?

This book will definitely keep you on your toes, wanting and needing to know who did what. The plot twists were crazy, kept you wanting more. I will say I also loved all of the Taylor Swift references!

Thank you Megan Collin’s, Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Okay first off I read this book in one sitting which involved me staying up wayyyy late into the night racing to finish!! This was a fantastically fun thriller that keeps readers guessing and on their toes. Multiple times I thought I had figured it out but boy was I wrong.

This book explores themes such as - the dangers of fantasizing a relationship and how women are often labeled as “crazy” but what drove them there? How far is too far in the passionate game of love and war?

Also I highly enjoyed all of the Taylor Swift references. “Alexa - play The Prophecy.”

Thank you so much to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Cross My Heart:⁣
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Thank you so much @atriathrillers and @simon.audio for my gifted copy! #AtriaPartner ⁣
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“Because words are how I dress my wounds.”⁣
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Holy twisty turn. Definitely a bingeable book for sure. I really felt like it was a “But wait, there’s more.” that truly kept you guessing until the very end. I had a constant rotation of 3 people that did it, and I was pretty unsure of myself until the final reveal. ⁣
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Rosie is a heart transplant recipient. She connects with her donor’s husband online and starts imagining a new future with him. But, is he all that he seems? Well, is she all that she seems?! This is such a good read of obsession, power, guilt, it was just juicy. Also, super unlikable characters, but the story is worth it. ⁣
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Now on to the audio. I couldn’t do it. If I didn’t have the print version, this would be a DNF. It was just.. whiny to me from both narrators. I’m a big listen while I clean, and the laundry just didn’t get folded because I needed to read and I wasn’t putting this one down. ⁣
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Overall, recommend print version! Another great Megan Collins hit! Out January 14th!⁣ ⁣
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PS Also an @aardvarkbookclub pick and definitely one to grab!

Buckle up, Swifties, this thriller’s for you!
Our main character, Rosie, is a recent heart transplant recipient and she looks in people’s windows, wants a love story (someone, please say yes!), and believes the husband of her donor belongs with her.

I ate this book up! It’s full of twists and turns I didn’t see coming. While being suspenseful and fun, it’s also a great exploration of desire and longing, and the lengths we will go to feel loved.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC!

This is the fourth book I've read by Megan Collins so yes I'm becoming a fan.

Description:
She has his dead wife’s heart; the one she wants is his. The author of The Family Plot brings her signature prose to a twisty novel about a heart transplant patient who becomes romantically obsessed with her donor’s husband.

Rosie Lachlan wants nothing more than to find The One.

A year after she was dumped in her wedding dress, she’s working at her parents’ bridal salon, anxious for a happy ending that can’t come soon enough. After receiving a life-saving heart transplant, Rosie knows her health is precious and precarious. She suspects her heart donor is Daphne Thorne, the wife of local celebrity author Morgan Thorne, who she begins messaging via an anonymous service called DonorConnect, ostensibly to learn more about Daphne. But Rosie has a secret: She’s convinced that now that she has his wife’s heart, she and Morgan are meant to be together.

As she and Morgan correspond, the pretense of avoiding personal details soon disappears, even if Rosie’s keeping some cards close to her chest. But as she digs deeper into Morgan’s previous marriage, she discovers disturbing rumors about the man she’s falling for. Could Morgan have had something to do with his late wife’s death? And can Rosie’s heart sustain another break—or is she next?

My Thoughts:
I liked that this book was quirky and unpredictable. Who falls in love with their heart donor's husband - just weird. I felt bad for Rosie being dumped the way she was and working at a bridal shop watching all those future brides getting ready for their weddings. Had to be hard for her. Morgan raised a lot of questions for me and many red flags. I did like some of the twists and surprises - I think I liked most the fact the book was unpredictable and I kept thinking "Oh wow! I didn't think of that." There's a lot of drama here so I recommend anyone who likes drama, quirky and unpredictability.

Thanks to Atria Books through Netgalley for an advance copy.

I needed a few hours to process this book. what an absolute wild ride. I finished this book and I was like what?! I had to sit with my thoughts for a while and discuss it with others who were currently also reading this book.

Rosie wants to find the “one”. She’s been through some traumatic things in her life, a heart surgery and a break up. She starts talking to the husband of the donor who she now has her heart. Her friends think this is a bad idea but Rosie think it’s meant to be. She’s thankful for a second chance at life. She starts digging more into his life and finds out he’s a famous author but others think he’s involved in how his wife passed away.

This. Book. Is. wild.

This book will be released on 1/14/25 and I recommend giving it a read.

Thanks netgalley and publisher for the chance to read this book for free in return for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I wish I could have rated this 4 stars but the main character got right under my skin from Chapter 1. I understand that she had a heart transplant but she comes off as being so needy, that she has to be loved by whomever comes into her life. She really doesn't come to the realization of who she is. I wish Jackson a lot of luck...