Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann

27 reviews

abigailrose's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Suicide, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Rape, Kidnapping, Death, Torture, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

risquish's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Violence, Gun violence, and Confinement

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Grief, Blood, Abandonment, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Murder, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, and Bullying

Minor: Animal cruelty

lea_talisa's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

This was great! It was also absolutely heart breaking and sad but through all of that I loved the story of Cora and Dean.

Normally we get to see kidnappings in books only as another thing happening to make the plot more interesting and often the aftershocks aren’t even mentioned. I love that in this book the main focus is actually on these effects after the kidnapping. There’s deep trauma, overwhelming emotions and feelings of betrayal. But there’s also new found trust, hope, love and most importantly healing.

I loved accompanying both Cora and Deacon along their own and very different ways of coping. It’s a rollercoaster going up as much as down always trying to find balance with each other when in the end they find balance in their own selves.
There are a lot of setbacks and the book ends with a Happy Ever After.

This story touched my heart. There were parts I could hardly get through and was near tears praying for the characters to find a way out of their misery (during as well as after the kidnapping). 

Check the trigger warnings on this one! Most of it is graphic and this is definitely not a lovely romance where “love conquers all”. Though there definitely are some parts like that the majority of this book is about trauma and healing; together as well as alone, yet always supported. 

I’m sure I’ll be thinking about this book a lot even a long time after I’ve read it. This is just the kind of story that sticks to you through its darkness and personal connection.

Quotes (maybe contain minor spoilers?):

„We are bound, chained, tied—to our trauma and to each other.

We’re in this together.“

„My whole life I’ve been terrified of the ocean. I’ve been scared of being dragged down into a cold, dark sea, swallowed by waves, clutching my chest and gasping for air.

But this sea is not made of water.

And maybe drowning is the only way out.“

„The only thing I wanted more was to see her smile.

I wanted to see her glowing and thriving and truly living her life.

I wanted to see her just like this, just like she is right now, happy and healing and learning to love herself again.

So, it’s all been worth it“

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Confinement, Rape, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Murder, Miscarriage, Animal death, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Grief, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, and Infidelity

whatjasread's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

• super traumatic and haunting
• definitely going to stay with me for a long time
• not really a fan of the miscommunication, many times I wished things would’ve just been stated plainly
• Mandy sucked so badly I don’t think I could ever deal with someone so self centred
• pretty sure I had tears in my eyes the entire time I was reading this
• enjoyed dean’s character development but still some moments where I didn’t care for him, mostly in the first part
• really not a fan of pick me girls so Cora was not the best character in my opinion although she did get slightly better as the book progressed
• super complex, moments where I had mixed feelings and could see both sides of arguments
• understood the need for connection and familiarity and understanding but still don’t think the cheating was necessary
• also don’t know why he ended up with Mandy based on his high school experience lol

TWs: Alcoholism, smoking, bullying (before book), kidnapping, murder (before book), torture, sexual assault (in book), spiking (before book), serial killing, physical abuse, discussion of miscarriage, animal abuse, PTSD, cheating, pet euthanasia, self-harm, death of parent (father, before book, heart attack), dementia, attempted suicide (overdose), nicotine withdrawal

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Murder, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Death of parent

Minor: Dementia and Bullying

etdavenport's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Grief, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, Sexual assault, Blood, Cursing, and Death

kc1234's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

ok wow never read a dark romance before... 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Torture, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Cursing, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

valeria_gzz's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

5 stars yeah Cora was annoying in the begin but she got better with time. Anyway 5 MFING STARS wow wow wow I was prepared for this to be a 3 star palate cleanser but NOPE it was anything but.

I highlighted this book so much and mostly because of the things Dean thought and said about Cora

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Dementia, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt