Still Beating

I devoured this book in 1 day. I never give 5 star reviews, but this book had me in a chokehold. I’m so sad that it’s over and I can’t read it again for the first time

[CHECK THE TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING THIS] i actually think i would dnf-ed this book but it turns out its quite good! some words the writer used was kinda… off, but they dont force the romance genre too much as the relationship built slowly so its not that bad. it gets better and better until the ending. i would read other dark romance books after this :–)

this was really bad for many reasons

This book was so dark but heart warming! Definitely going in the favorites pile. 🥹💀❤️‍🔥

I absolutely loved dean, his personality and his ability to play the long game. Man was waiting 15 years to shoot his shot he just didn’t know it. 🤪

Cora… Cora,Cora,Cora…. I hated her after they escaped the matchmaker she treated dean like shit and used him, I wanted to fight her so many times. But she redeemed herself in the end they had a really sweet coming back together and uh eat my heart out!!!

I didn’t read the book before this?!? I thought it was a standalone so now I will eventually get around to reading it.

Absolutely heartbreaking. Not AT ALL for the feint of heart. Lots of crying. Very heavy and emotional. Nonetheless, still a beautiful, gut-wrenching story - once you get past the devastation and tragedy that it is mired in practically from the beginning.

Holy shit! No matter how much I though i was prepared to read this book I was sadly mistaken. It was so good and one that is hard to critique because of how unique it was. I also felt physically ill at a point while reading. I felt a lot of different emotions while reading the book and wouldn’t want to take it back for a second. I do highly recommend the book but please, please look up trigger warnings beforehand. It’s graphic and can be difficult to read because of the topics discussed.

** spoiler alert ** UHMMM POOR FRICKING MANDY💃🏽 cora and dean’s relationship was so cute at some points (throwbacks) but i felt so bad for mandy ngl so when she got into a healthy relationship i was smiling so hard! the matchmaker was also so disgusting istg i was so close to teleporting into the book and cutting his ugly face off (even though i appreciate that he got the two soulmates together)

i will accept no criticisms about this book. coradean are perfect. they deserve their happy ending

"we can't give our heart to another without loving our own first."

"peace" by taylor swift
"heal" by tom odell
"making the bed" by olivia rodrigo
"angel" by finneas - dean's song to cora
"then there's you" by charlie puth - the song playing when dean first sees cora

Read the trigger warnings if you’re not familiar with this genre.

Rating,

Still Beating: 5 ⭐️

Plot: 5 ⭐️

Characters: 5 ⭐️

Spicy: 3.5 🌶️ 

 I loved this book!  It is up there with Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward.

Plot:

 Corabelle and Dean are kidnapped and forced into doing whatever it takes to survive.  They survived and are left with to pick up the pieces of what was done to them.  It’s done extremely well.  

Writing:

 Descriptions of the scenes made you feel like you were there.  The depth of the story is incredible. The writer did a fantastic job with the psychological aspects of the story.

 Dual point of view is good enough, but could have been better with Dean’s POV.

Characters:

 The main characters Corabelle and Dean go through hell.  They both come out stronger because of it.  Ooh they suffered, your heart hurts for them.

 Corabelle’s character development done perfectly.  Dean’s character development isn’t as good despite being one of the the main characters. 

 Lily is Corabelle’s best friend and is my favorite character.  Lily isn’t a big character but definitely worth mentioning.

Would I recommend? If you don’t have any problems with the trigger warnings go for it.  I enjoyed this story.

4.5 stars. Amazing book. I’m legit in love with Dean.

This was incredible just like I knew it would be! I didn’t know how I’d like dark romance via audiobook but the narrators did a great job. This story is heavy. But I was (pleasantly) surprised to discover that the darkest part is in part one and not the majority of the book which is what I had previously assumed.

Content: check TWs for sure. The initial trauma is of course heavy but most of the actual action of it is off page (in case anyone is wondering). This was a tragically beautiful story of healing from trauma and I greatly appreciated that it wasn’t linear. This asked nuanced questions of how trauma changes someone and wondering about the difference between trauma bonding and a real relationship. I was definitely emotionally invested through the ups and downs.

Narration: both of the narrators did a great job! At times that’s some tough subject material to read and they did it without overacting. Both narrators did a great non-cringey job imitating the opposite main character, something that isn’t always the case with audiobooks.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

Honestly, I am stunned and speechless. The first part of the book was a bit intense and traumatizing for my unprepared heart. There are tons of trigger warnings in this book but I never thought and expected it to be this profoundly agonizing.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙈𝙚:

• I was hooked on the plot and the character's trauma bonding and their healing together. This book did not disappoint.

• The second part was a lot better and it's giving me different emotions. I was pleased with it.

• The main character's relationship was so fucked-up but it was understandable and reasonable. I can't fathom the experienced they have gone through if this was in real life.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝘿𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙈𝙚:

While I was pleased with the execution, the only hole I needed to be filled was the character's impression it left on me. I didn't feel strong connections towards the main characters. I care for them but it was not enough to make me love them as much as I loved its core and the meaning of the book.

𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗧:

Recommended with caution.

𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: [𝙨𝙚𝙭𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙪𝙡𝙩, 𝙠𝙞𝙙𝙣𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧, 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢, 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚, 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙜𝙚 /𝙣𝙤𝙣-𝙫𝙞𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮 , 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙥𝙚𝙩]

Disclosure: I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Also, I read this final manuscript side by side with the first published/independently published book. This final manuscript has been polished and gone through revision for republication purposes.

JAIL THIS ENTIRE BOOK DESERVES JAIL cora was the most annoying character in this entire book. she was the most pick me/“im not like other girls” girly and v much do not like FMC’s like that. also what is with the push and pull let me string along the man I AM LITERALLY IN LOVE WITH???? like girl you’re not only hurting yourself but also him…get a grip on reality my guy. also what kind of name is fucking CORABELL??? overall I really didn’t care about literally anyone in the entire book. also the whole message about if your heart is still beating then everything will be ok..I really like that especially with literally every god almighty thing they went through the concept had potentially and the ending was probably the best part when she finally got it together and they could finally be in love. idk ‘twas a miss for me buuuuutttt this would make a v entertaining lifetime movie….I’m just saying…..

This is such a beautifully realized book that deals with trauma, healing and so much love.

It starts with the extreme trauma the two main characters and subjected to and then their journey continues from there. This book gave me so many emotions and I was fully engaged in the story the whole time.

Cora and Dean go through so much and deserve all the love. I loved them. So much.

So raw and so much emotion I just cannot justify right now

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.


Introduction
Still Beating is a book that has been on my watchlist for quite some time now. I have seen this book just become so popular all over the community and when this book became a group read for a dark romance book club I am a part of, I knew it was the kick that I needed to read this one here. I absolutely loved this one. It tore my heart to shreds and was so deeply riveting. This is a DARK romance, so please check all the trigger warnings, which I have below for you. I was so captivated by this story because it was so different than even I expected. I knew that this would be a dark romance. But we get so much more than the hero and heroine being kidnapped together, we see dealing with the recovery and healing moments and how difficult of a road that can be and what it can lead to.

Summary
When Cora is at a party and needs a ride home, she calls her future brother in law and her nemesis, Dean to come pick her up. Neither of them expecting to be pulled over by a cop, and then kidnapped and chained to the basement. Where both are forced to do unspeakable things and forced through a sexual assault, and they form a bond of connection over the weeks that they have been kidnapped and abused. Cora and Dean in the aftermath have to learn how to live life again and how challenging that can be. But if they embrace the bond that was formed, what will be the consequences of fighting for their love?

My Outlook
This story just had my heart all over the place! I absolutely adored this one here, and it's definitely worth ALL the hype and I just couldn't get enough of this one here and seeing how much this couples goes through to reach their HEA and YES they definitely have a HEA and the epilogue was perfection and worth seeing all the struggle that they have to face. I absolutely adored these two together. It starts out with them being very antagonistic together. They tend to pull pranks on each other and have a angst filled relationship. But I absolutely adored these two together and the connection that they form together. Because in the darkest of moments, the way that they pull each other out of it was so heartbreaking at times but just keeps the reader in the moment of it. But what is even more hard to witness for the story is the aftermath of healing and what trauma can do to a person like this. I really loved the way that they just "understand" each other and the way that this author wrote this one was just brilliant. I adored every single moment here. It was so endearing seeing this couple really learn how to heal on their own and together in their own unique way. It was a struggle to see them journey towards it but oh was it so satisfying. These two will always have my heart!!

Overall View
I found Still Beating to be an endearing, heart wrenching romance that delivered all the way! Its a story of trauma, of healing, and of love getting you through it all!

Rating Evaluation:
Plot: 5
World Building: 5
Cover: 5
Hero: 5
Heroine: 4
Steam: 5
Heart & Feels: 5
Ending: 5
Overall View: 5

Spoilers Below

Rape, Kidnapping, Abuse, Self Harm

This book. I have never cried the whole way through a book, loving and hating it at the same time. I simply cannot put into words how much this broke my heart but god it was amazing, they deserved that ending so much (I’m crying rn thinking about it) a completely unforgettable experience.

i cannot put into words how much this book made me feel. i loved it so much

"It's still beating," he whispers, his words a soft kiss against my lips. "As long as it's beating, you're okay."

Cora and Dean have been at each other's throats for fifteen years and counting, since Dean is engaged to Cora's sister. They can barely tolerate each other, always going the extra mile to prank one another. After a night out of drinking, Cora needs a ride, and in swoops Dean to help her, never expecting their lives would be tragically and irrevocably changed.

"It's just you and me, Cora. Focus, okay? Look at me... focus on my voice..."

Cora and Dean are kept captive for weeks, their experience completely horrendous. I was heart-broken and appalled and enraged for them. But Dean... Oh, Dean... Despite going through some of the similar things as Cora, he always stood his ground; he became the one thing Cora needed to be able to survive what they were going through. Even through what Dean was forced to do, he never took advantage of the situation and would suffer along with Cora; my heart was shattered into tiny pieces.

"You don't feel like my enemy anymore," I finish. You feel like my lifeline.

One thing this book took note of throughout the plot was the very true definition of trauma, of what it's like to go through something so harrowing, and just because you're out of the situation, doesn't mean you're automatically healed. Things just don't go back to the way they were, the person doesn't go back to who they used to be. And Jennifer Hartmann depicted that trauma so devastatingly beautiful. Her eloquent prose made way for understanding the harrowing experience. One of the things that stood out to me was how, no matter how long time has passed, it doesn't mean you can bounce back.

Personally, I've had close family members tell me, "It's been six months. Why aren't you better?" There's no timeline for healing, there's no timeline for being able to get your breath back normally after a horrifying experience or from dealing with the feelings of the aftermath. I applaud the author for giving a poignant feel to the healing process.

"There's no shame in the struggle."

Overall, Still Beating depicts a heart-rending, touching, and beautifully tragic story of survival, healing, and finding love through the darkest moments of life.

"As long as it's beating, I'm yours."

some books r just not meant for anyone… and i’m one of those ppl

Love! I don’t normally read dark romances, but this book was so good! I was very hesitant at first with the words dark romance and all the trigger warnings being said, but I’d definitely read this book again if gotten a chance. A survivors love story and the struggles they underwent during and after the fact and how Hartmann was so sensitive yet able to really dive into the emotions and rawness of it all was incredible! I loved every second! Definitely check trigger warnings, but the rape scenes were not detailed in a way that made people feel uncomfortable. She also has a suicide/ OD in the book so just be warned that there are things that can be upsetting if you are not prepared for it. Spice Level: 🌶🌶

some books r just not meant for anyone… and i’m one of those ppl

** spoiler alert ** This book is TRIGGER WARNING HEAVY, just be warned and informed my dudes. I don't know what all to say about this book, I liked it and I enjoyed the premise alot. I think the triggers were a bit much for me (rape), so that kind of took me out of it. The trauma that was done to the characters was pretty intense and reading them working through it was interesting. I did feel the tension between them, and the spice was good. So if you read the description and are interested, give it a try! I think it's definitely worth it. It just might not have been my cup of tea, specifically. :)