Cross My Heart by Megan Collins

 

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, and begins messaging him 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? -megancollins.com

 

This was a fantastic mashup of the niche topic of interest for me, heroines with organ transplants with my adult passion for twisted thrillers that keep you guessing.  Growing up I loved the “One Last Wish” books by Lurlene McDaniel which centered around the hopes and struggles of teenagers dealing with severe illnesses, especially Katie O’Roark, a high school track champion and heart transplant recipient.  It’s one of the reasons I am so passionate about people registering to be organ donors and I often wondered what happened to organ recipients like the Katie O’Roark’s  of the world as they got older. 

In Cross My Heart, we meet Rosie and while she didn’t undergo a heart transplant in her teens, she is recovering from a recent heart transplant after a sudden illness while also dealing with the heartbreak of a broken engagement.  She doesn’t know who she received her heart from but she suspects it’s the late wife of her favorite author and as she begins to engage in seemingly anonymous communication with Morgan, she uncovers more than she bargained for and we learn everything is not as it seems. 

I loved that this novel had a creepy premise with a twisty plot that did keep me guessing for a majority of the book.  It was also grounded with the weight of how one does navigate life after a serious medical issue and the joys and complications that come with an organ transplant.  The supporting cast of characters such as Rosie’s parents and friends were also well developed.  I read a lot of thrillers and this one definitely stands out for me, I highly recommend it.

I purchased this book at Barnes & Noble a few weeks ago so you can grab your copy there too or at your favorite local book store or online shop.

 For more information on organ donation, visit Donate Life America.

*** If you read this post to the end, here's a little trivia question for you.  What does Rosie have in common with Terry McCaleb from Michael Connelly's novels (referenced in my review on 06/20/25)? Comment with your answer below. *** 

Summer Readin', Havin' a Blast...

We finally made it, it's Memorial Day weekend!!  The winter seemed way too long this year but Summer is here!! The entire "T" family consisting of NaomiRuth, Rebecca T and Grammy T are currently enjoying the beautiful beaches of North Carolina.  I checked in with them and the rest of the BWOBNY crew to see Beach Reads they'll be packing this summer.

Grammy T is currently reading "The Negotiator," book 1 of "The O'Malley" series by Dee Henderson with the 2nd book in the series, "The Guardian," in her beach tote for the later in the week.  She also read next month's book club pick, "Through the Ever Night," by Veronica Rossi.   

Meanwhile Naomi has a mixed bag.  She is reading the "Complete Plays of Aristophanes, a Kierkegaard anthology, and random YA and Middle Grade books..." that she didn't get to read during the school year.  Wombly failed to comment, I guess he's working on his tan.

Rebecca T shares her sister's thought and loves reading all the Young Adult novels that she didn't have a chance to read during the busy school year.  She's currently juggling three titles: "Through the Ever Night" by Veronica Rossi, "The Name of the Star" by Maureen Johnson, and "Grave Mercy" by Robin LaFevers.

Jen C. loves to relive her childhood by re-reading her favorite series' such as the "Christy Miller" series by Robin Jones Gunn.

Jess B. took an early vacation this year but she is currently reading "City of Ashes," by Cassandra Clare. 

Rachel always takes "a bunch of classics with me to the beach thinking I'll use that time to be all fancy and intellectual, but I always end up saying 'Camus is too heavy for the beach where's the YA?" She then ends up searching for the fluffiest YA title she can get hands on.
 

As for me, I love re-reading childhood favorites like Jen P.  I also love the "Christy Miller" series but my traditional beach read is my battered copy of "Boy Crazy Stacey," the 8th book in "The Baby Sitters Club" series by Ann M. Martin in which the gang heads to the fictional Sea City, NJ for the first time.  My other favorite summer read is "The Baby-Sitters' Summer Vacation," the second "Super Special" in the series.  And if you'd like to make this your beach read, "The Baby Sitters Club" has just been re-released in e-book format!! 


What about you guys?  What are your favorite beach reads?  Please share with us!!

Summer Reading

As the school year begins to come to a close and summer rolls in, an event beloved by some and dreaded by others looms ahead; Assigned Summer Reading.  At Borders we worked hard to try and get the reading lists and the books on them for numerous schools in the region.  Some schools had very strict assignments that required the students to all read 2 or 3 specific titles others had very broad lists and allowed the students to choose 2 or 3 books from that list.

When I was in high school our school required all classes to read 3 books of their choosing and we were tested on them in early September.  We also had to keep a journal as we read where we were to summarize the chapters and note our thoughts on what we read.  Despite being an avid reader, I dreaded summer reading.  I wanted to read what I chose to read.  I found the assigned reading boring and the need to keep a journal monotonous.  One of the worst books I had to read was "Lord of the Flies," by William Golding.  I don't understand what a teenage girl was to learn from a group of boys who went wild after being stranded on a deserted island.  You can mock Sweet Valley High all you want but the series is full of life lessons; if you do drugs, you'll die; if you stay out all night with a boy, you'll get a bad reputation; if you drink and drive, someone is going to get hurt or killed.  Every summer I put off my assignment until the last minute and read my favorite reads all summer long.

However, after I polled my fellow bloggers, I found not everyone shared my experience.  KC loved "Lord of the Flies," and actually asked her teacher if she could go past the page limit on her assigned paper to make additional arguments.  Her other favorites included "Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse and "Miss Lonelyhearts," a novella.

Mallory had to read an assigned book every year and then write a paper on it.  She still remembers "The Red Scarf Girl," by Ji-Li Jiang.  She was amazed by the story of the horrors this young girl experienced in her life.

Rachel looked forward to summer reading and often got the assignment done early.  She found "The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck to be vivid and beautifully written. I  Like KC she also loved "Siddhartha" as well as"A Separate Peace," by John Knowles, and "The Catcher in the Rye," by J.D. Salinger.

I had to read "The Good Earth" in my freshman year of high school and I struggled to get through it.  I thought it was really boring.  I'll have to have Rachel enlighten me the next time I see her.  Jess P. and Albert had the type of summer reading assignment that I wanted, none !

Jess P. went to a school that didn't have an assigned summer reading list so she spent the summer reading what she loved such as books by Beverly Cleary and Ann M. Martin's "The Baby-Sitters Club." series.

Meanwhile Albert spent his summer days reading every "Goosebumps" book by R.L. Stine that he could get his hands on.

When I wasn't in Sweet Valley, or Stoneybrook with "The Baby-Sitters Club," I could be found not too far from Albert, over on "Fear Street," R.L. Stine's other hit series.  The "Fear Street" story, "Lights Out," is still one of my all time favorites.

So what about you?  What kind of summer reading assignments did you have?  Or, are there any teachers out there who could share what kind of summer reading assignments they give?  If so, what do you hope your students gain from the assignment?  Share with us !