This was my first Megan Collins book and it definitely won’t be my last.

This book was a breath of fresh air in terms of thrillers. The plot line was something I’ve never seen before which was definitely nice.

We follow Rosie who received a life saving heart transplant and eventually she reaches out to her donors loved one through an anonymous messaging system and that’s where things all start to spiral.

Every time I believed that I had things figured out or I was on the right track something came along that made me question everything I thought I knew.

If you’re looking for a good quick thriller this is definitely the book for you

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC for an honest review!

This was my second read by Megan Collins, and it definitely won’t be my last! I previously read “The Family Plot” by this author, and I really enjoyed that book too. So moving forward- I plan on reading everything else on the author’s backlist because I really enjoy her writing. Now, did this book have the perfect storyline and characters? Unfortunately no. But was this book highly entertaining? Yes it was!! And that’s why I enjoyed this book so much.

In this story we have Rosie who receives a life-saving heart transplant. Rosie later learns her heart was from local celebrity author, Morgan Thorne’s wife, Daphne. She then begins to message Morgan on the anonymous service DonorConnect, so they can learn more about each other. I mean if she has his wife’s heart, he’ll probably love her heart too?

While messaging each other through DonorConnect, Rosie and Morgan start to learn a lot about each other (and I will admit that I did love reading the emails to and from each other). Rosie may have even started to become a little obsessed with Morgan, wanting to know everything about him and his deceased wife. And that’s when things may have started to get a little crazy in the book. We are introduced to friends of theirs throughout the pages, and some may not be as innocent as they seem… Also, did Morgan’s wife die mysteriously?

I will say that Rosie’s character was a little much at times, but she did grow on me and I will certainly miss her! I will also say that the first half/part of this book seemed better than the second half/part. I felt like it started to go in a different direction than what it started with, and for that I had to drop a star. In the meantime, I recommend this book to all my thriller friends who are interested in learning about heart transplants, broken hearts, foolish hearts, and savage hearts. ❤️‍🩹💔❣️❤️‍🔥

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for an ARC of this book in which I had the pleasure of reading. Publication date is: January 14, 2025.

I absolutely love all of Megan Collins's books so I was super excited to receive Cross My Heart as an ARC. I was hooked from the very beginning of the story, and every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was wrong. This is definitely a 2025 must-read for mystery lovers.

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

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rosie had a heart transplant a year ago and although the donor's identity should be anonymous, she finds out that the donor is the late wife of a famous author, Morgan, that lives nearby. She starts a conversation with him through the donor website and starts to stalk him on social media and a little bit in person too, but when she sees comments that imply Morgan may have been responsible for his wife's death, she starts to wonder if there could be any truth to the rumors. But Rosie went through a bad break up before the heart transplant and can be a bit obsessive in her relationships and she wants to believe Morgan is a good person.

4.5 stars.

This was an interesting premise and I was hooked from the start. Things took a turn at 50%, and what I thought was real, wasn't necessarily real, and things could have gone in one of two directions, which kept me guessing. I really had to think about what I had read and how it all went together. The ending was pretty good. I belive this is my third read from this author and definitely the one I enjoyed the most.

I love an unreliable narrator! This story had me questioning everyone and kept me guessing at every turn. Even as I started to piece things together there'd be something else to send me off that path.

I definitely recommend if you're looking for a quick, suspenseful thriller!

For Fans Of: Peter Swanson, Catherine Ryan Howard
Avail: 1/14/2025
Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕
Genre: 🔪 Thriller
Violence: 🪓🪓🪓
Spice: 🔥
Triggers: Gaslighting, stalking

Synopsis: Rosie’s new heart belonged to Morgan’s late wife. Now she thinks Morgan should belong to her, too.

Thoughts: Great premise, right? Not earth shattering but interesting enough for a good thriller. And as we soon learn, Rosie & Morgan are perfectly compatible in one way: they both play relationship games, even if one is playing checkers & the other Russian Roulette. But this is not that story. All I can say is: this is a clown car of a book. That comment won’t entirely make sense until you read it. But read it you must. Every time I think I have the inside track of what this story is about to reveal—like a little wink from the author herself—a new technicolor twist tumbles out. As a volume reader of mysteries & thrillers, I’ve gleaned many writer tricks that hint at plot twists. So for Collins to blindside me, with masterful plotting & characters, delighted me & earned only my 2nd 5⭐ rating of 2024. You initially cringe at Rosie’s thoughts & deeds—which are...problematic. But she, like this book, is deeply empathetic and ultimately relatable, illuminating the power & perils of love. Its affirmation & effervescence poised on a razor’s edge with vulnerability & loss of control that can leave anyone feeling—and perhaps acting—a little unhinged.

As someone who reads a lot of thrillers this book was like a breath of fresh air. The concept of this book is new and fresh and finally not something I’ve read over and over in other books. The plot was so interesting and kept me engaged and I enjoyed following along with the characters as the plot unraveled. If you are a thriller/mystery reader I would definitely pick this one up as it is very, very well done!

I really enjoyed this book! It was so entertaining, the characters were so likeable in a crazy way. it was so entertaining to see how far people would go to make things the way they wanted them to pan out so it was funny, interesting, crazy, and maybe a little bit unrealistic at times, but it kept me hooked!!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

Megan is a must read author for me and she did not disappoint with Cross My Heart. It kept me guessing up until the end and who doesn't love a happy ending?

I love a Megan Collins book, so I was thrilled when I was approved for this one. It is less thriller-ly than precious books. More womens contemporary fiction, this time around, but still splendid. I didn't have a lot in common with any if the characters, but the way they are written sparks empathy nonetheless.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Megan Collins has done it again! I finished this in one day, I was so hooked by the story. It manages to be sweet and twisty all in one- you won't regret grabbing this book. Just make sure you clear your day out first- you won't be able to put it down!

Wow! LOVED it! First book I’ve read by this author, and it was the perfect amount of twists. Literally a book that will constantly keep you guessing. Just be warned, literally 50% of the way through the book, your jaw will drop! As for the ending, buckle up! It will blow your mind… highly recommended!

WOW! This was such a surprise for me. I went in thinking this was going to be mediocre and I had to put my foot in my mouth.

This was beyond interesting. Incredible writing skills and just WOW!

eARC Review: Cross my heart by Megan
Collins
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub date: January 14, 2025
This is my first book by Megan Collins that I had the pleasure of reading. I really enjoyed how the book picked up with the plot twists in parts two, and left me in total shock after reading part three... The biggest shock to me from the book was who actually murdered Daphne as well as Morgan. Overall, this book was almost a five star read for me, except that it did take awhile to grab my attention at the start.
Rosie's track record with men wasn't known to be the best, she longed to have a steady relationship like her best friend, Nina. Rosie recently had to undergo a heart transplant and her new heart just so happens to be that of Daphne's, who was Morgan Thorne's wife. Thorne is a successful published author who's living within walking distance to Rosie; they meet thru anonymous messages sent to each other on DonorConnect. Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first book by Megan Collins, and I’m totally hooked! From the very first page, I was captivated. Rosie’s character had me questioning everything, and I couldn’t put it down until I turned the last page. There are so many twists and turns—some you see coming, but the ones that surprise you are just incredible.

𝔸ℝℂ • ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎

Cross My Heart - @megancollinswriter

Wooooowwww! This book had me in a chokehold from the first page! Between heartbreak, wanting to find love, mystery, thriller, betrayal, and all the emotions that you can think of when you say, “no way! Holy crap, I wasn’t expecting that!” I’m still shook at how this book ended. This book was so hard to put down, once I started, it was hard to stop! Megan Collins really had my heart racing with this book with Rosie’s secrets, falling in love with her donor heart’s husband, Morgan. Definitely an interesting turn of events with how this played out. Can’t wait to get my hand on the book in January!

What a crazy plot but also amazing This woman ends up with a heart from this married woman, and falls for the woman's husband. On first thought, because I watch too many netflix docs, I thought the husband was shady. I wont give anything away but lord. This book had more twists and turns than a gps

⭐️ 4.5 (rounded up to 5)

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins is a mind bending, twisty thriller that throws you into the mind of Rosie-- a heart transplant recipient who becomes neurotically obsessed with the husband of her donor. This book is a kind of genremeld of romcom, psychological thriller and sheer suspense book, and I devoured the entire thing in 1 sitting.

What I Loved:

💖 Unreliable (but Loveable) FMC: Rosie is, for better lack of word, hilariously unhinged. She starts out as a relatable, down-on-her-luck character, and before you know it, she’s pulling some Joe Goldberg-level rationalizing, and I was HERE for it. She’s soooo delulu while also being ?? wildly naive ?? Reading from her perspective felt like witnessing a trainwreck you don't want to look away from. Collins does an incredible job making Rosie’s unreliable narration a key driver for the tension. Is she crazy? Absolutely. But you kiiind of want her to root for her anyway.

💖 The Twist on Obsession: The book opens feeling like a romcom but quickly morphs into something darker and more unpredictable. The tension is so well-built that I found myself suspicious of literally EVERY single character. While it has all the typical thriller elements, it was also so unpredictable and suspenseful, it held my attention the whole way through. It was an addictive read I couldn’t put down.

💖 Pacing & Suspense: I flew through this book in less than a day because it kept me on edge the entire time. From the email exchanges to the subtle unraveling of Rosie’s sanity, every chapter kept me wanting more.

What kept this from being a 5-star read:

😞 Minor Predictability: While the reveal at the end didn’t totally surprise me, the tension and build-up were so strong that I didn’t really mind. It was still dramatic af, but I could see some pickier thriller readers hoping for a more shocking twist.

In summary, Cross My Heart is the perfect fall thriller, balancing humor with suspense, and delivering a truly wild ride with a certifiably insane FMC at the helm. It’s fast-paced, dark, and twisted in all the right ways, and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a gripping, psychological read.

Thanks to Atria Books, Megan Collins, and Goodreads for the ARC!

Since I loved The Family Plot, I was thrilled to get my hands on another book by Megan Collins! The heart wants what it wants (haha), and I always love a good thriller.

Like her other books, this one also has an unreliable female narrator. Rosie Lachlan recently had a life-saving heart transplant surgery—following a devastating breakup... she quite literally got dumped in her wedding dress. So, she’s in a reaaallly vulnerable place. Curiosity gets the best of her and she uses the platform DonorConnect to find more details about the woman whose heart is now her own. After all, this woman lost her life—but saved Rosie’s.

Not sure if he’ll even respond, Rosie sends a message to the woman’s husband, Morgan, through the app. Still reeling from the hurt of her breakup, she absorbs his response, and they message back and forth. She quickly begins envisioning a romantic future with this man. Since she now has his deceased wife's heart, she can’t help but feel like they are meant to be together.

However, the more Rosie learns, the more she begins to suspect that this man had something to do with his wife’s death. And she wants to find out the truth—before she puts her heart on the line again.

Filled with twists and turns, there’s no doubt you’ll be hooked. And just when you think you’ve got it figured out, think again! This one kept me guessing until the end.

This book gets a solid 3.5 stars from me. It was an enjoyable read, a well-written thriller mixed with romance and lots of tension. The pacing was a little slow in the middle for my liking. The narrator is infuriating at times, and I could have done without some of the Taylor Swift references, but it wasn’t too over the top.

Thank you to the teams at NetGalley & Atria Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book! Good storyline that had just enough twists and turns in it to keep it interesting.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced copy!!