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A review by cait
A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
3.5
And my heart completely burst.
I've figured it out. My problem with these uber-popular cancer books is that I grew up on Lurlene McDaniel novels. I'm not sad that these teenagers in love die. I'm mostly just annoyed that the authors make it take so long. Which is probably why I couldn't get 100% behind A Thousand Boy Kisses. As soon as I figured out it was a cancer book, I knew how it was going to go. They were going to reunite. He was going to make as many of her dreams come true as possible. She was going to die. It was all going to be very sad. At least Lurlene McDaniel killed them fast.
This novel follows Poppy and Rune. Poppy is a cheerful Southern belle who claims Rune as her best friend the first day he comes to the US from Norway when they're five. From day one, they're inseparable. Which is why, when Poppy's grandmother dies when she's eight and bequeaths her with a jar filled with 1,000 paper hearts and the goal to fill every single one out with a heart-stopping kiss, Rune takes it upon himself to be the one and only boy who provides her with those kisses. But when Rune's father is forced to return the family to Norway, the two are separated and, before long, Poppy cuts Rune off without a word. He returns different, angry, and desperate to find out why the love of his life abandoned him when he needed her most.
There were some elements of this story that did really work for me. I love a childhood friends who transition seamlessly into lovers plotline. I love softboys who simp for the one they love. I loved the general lack of drama between the protagonists. I loved the family relationships and dynamics.
But there were a lot of things that didn't work for me, too. The slut-shaming. The possessiveness. The codependency of Poppy and Rune's romance. The constant references to Rune's long hair that just made me think of how greasy it must be after he'd spent all day smearing his hands through it over and over. There was an element of toxicity to their relationship that made me uncomfortable. The way the characters repeatedly said that their lips belonged only to each other. The way they only seemed to really like each other and their relationships with their friends existed only in the abstract.
The ending was genuinely heartbreaking - I cried actual tears when Rune filled out the thousandth heart - but the fact that the whole town came together to fill out a thousand paper lanterns with these painfully awkward, intimate moments (view spoiler) and then the ending, when they reunite in the blossom grove? It gave me the ick.
I've figured it out. My problem with these uber-popular cancer books is that I grew up on Lurlene McDaniel novels. I'm not sad that these teenagers in love die. I'm mostly just annoyed that the authors make it take so long. Which is probably why I couldn't get 100% behind A Thousand Boy Kisses. As soon as I figured out it was a cancer book, I knew how it was going to go. They were going to reunite. He was going to make as many of her dreams come true as possible. She was going to die. It was all going to be very sad. At least Lurlene McDaniel killed them fast.
This novel follows Poppy and Rune. Poppy is a cheerful Southern belle who claims Rune as her best friend the first day he comes to the US from Norway when they're five. From day one, they're inseparable. Which is why, when Poppy's grandmother dies when she's eight and bequeaths her with a jar filled with 1,000 paper hearts and the goal to fill every single one out with a heart-stopping kiss, Rune takes it upon himself to be the one and only boy who provides her with those kisses. But when Rune's father is forced to return the family to Norway, the two are separated and, before long, Poppy cuts Rune off without a word. He returns different, angry, and desperate to find out why the love of his life abandoned him when he needed her most.
There were some elements of this story that did really work for me. I love a childhood friends who transition seamlessly into lovers plotline. I love softboys who simp for the one they love. I loved the general lack of drama between the protagonists. I loved the family relationships and dynamics.
But there were a lot of things that didn't work for me, too. The slut-shaming. The possessiveness. The codependency of Poppy and Rune's romance. The constant references to Rune's long hair that just made me think of how greasy it must be after he'd spent all day smearing his hands through it over and over. There was an element of toxicity to their relationship that made me uncomfortable. The way the characters repeatedly said that their lips belonged only to each other. The way they only seemed to really like each other and their relationships with their friends existed only in the abstract.
The ending was genuinely heartbreaking - I cried actual tears when Rune filled out the thousandth heart - but the fact that the whole town came together to fill out a thousand paper lanterns with these painfully awkward, intimate moments (view spoiler) and then the ending, when they reunite in the blossom grove? It gave me the ick.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, and Terminal illness