A review by minimicropup
Cross My Heart by Megan Collins

dark funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Loved this! It had fun unexpected twists, engaging characters, and the perfect touch of dramatic flair. Overall a fast-paced, entertaining read for fans of romance, mystery, and lightly suspenseful storytelling.
 
Energy: Convivial. Vulnerable. Hopeful.
 
🐕 Howls: The villain and how that all played out was a little cartoony.
 
🐩 Tail Wags: The lighthearted but mysterious romance bits. Mixing in emails, texts, and social media posts creatively. I felt like I was eavesdropping on the characters’ lives. The different viewpoints and little clues we get. The twist that totally changed things up. Insta-love that was actually justified. The hints of an emotionally charged unreliable narrator.  
 
Scene: 🇺🇸 Boston suburbs, Massachusetts, USA
Perspectives (2): A 30-year-old recipient of a heart transplant working at their parents bridal shop and living at home after being dumped by their romantic partner. A bestselling thriller author whose spouse died and home and whose organs were donated.
Timeline: May 2025. Linear
🔥 Fuel: Why does everyone think Rosie is “too much”? Could her heart donors grieving husband be her dream meet-cute? How did her heart donor die? What was their relationship like before her death? Can we trust the main characters’ interpretation of events?  
📖 Cred: Plausible
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Danish. Bridal gown. Dog walks. Zillow. Delayed adrenaline. Muggy air. Taylor Swift. Friends episodes. Headlamp.
  • Deep in a character’s mind, co-conspiring, armchair sleuthing (first person)
  • Read between the lines, breezy, casual, intimate, reflective writing style
  • Mix of compromised, likeable, morally ambiguous, resilient, sympathetic, and unhinged characters
  • Reading emails, diary entries, filmed podcast interviews, voicemails, and poems
  • Blinded by love psychological romantic suspense
  • Low key (and relatable) armchair sleuthing online
  • Musing, pondering over things with the main character
  • Instalovey, new crush optimisms, and unrequited love
  • Flip the script/re-read bonus
  • The Things women do for love
  • Mysterious happenings
  • Whodunit, whydunit
  • Nuanced fake-outs and red herrings
 
Content Heads-Up: Animal death (roadkill; very brief memory; fox). Appropriation (of experiences and traumas). Blood, injury. Cardiomyopathy (congenital, transplant; brief recalls, medical side-effects). Domestic abuse (implied; verbal, throwing things). Gun violence. Jealousy. Loneliness. Murder. Potential false accusations. Physical attack. Relationship break-up (unexpected).
 
Rep: American. Cis. Hetero. Bi. Recipient of heart transplant. Congenital heart defect. Pale skin tones.
 
📚 Format: Library Digital
 
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