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A review by goodgirls_library
Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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? No
4.25
Rating: ★★★★.25
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Darkness: ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫
Quotes:
It was only three weeks, but it’s burned into every cell, every vein, every tainted pocket of my soul. Forever. And so is she.
Short version: This is a harrowing novel that weaves an intricate tapestry of two people who are broken and work to hold each other together. I would strongly recommend reading trigger warnings before reading, even though it will likely spoil the plot for you. Still, if you are comfortable proceeding, I believe you will find this book beautiful and challenging.
Full review below:
Tropes:
⚫ Dark Romance
🚫 Forbidden Romance
😡 Enemies to Lovers
👥 Forced Proximity
Plot Summary: After her sister’s birthday party, Cora realizes she’s lost her wallet and has no way home. She calls everyone, but the only person who picks up is her sister’s fiance, and her archnemesis, Dean.
But on the way home, flashing lights in the rearview mirror pull them over. Only it isn’t a cop, it’s a serial killer, and he takes them both. Locked in his basement, they are made to endure horrific torture, and must learn to let go of their pain and frustrations with one another to help one another survive… and escape.
But with every day that passes, the lines between them blur, and they are left to grapple with much more than just the basement’s horrific reality.
The Good: This book broke my heart and put it back together. The trauma these two endured, the way their stories unfold and we learn how they’ve really leaned on each other all along, the way they heal each other and help each other through the toughest moments of their lives… it’s stunningly captured. I’ll admit, the premise of this book was challenging for me to look past, and I did not expect to sympathize with these characters, or to root for them. In honesty, I almost DNF’d around 70% of the way through, but I am glad I stuck with it, and got to watch their story come to fruition. Even the things I didn’t love about the book, made sense for the characters and their development.
The Bad: This is a dumb thing to complain about, but plot point of needing a wallet to have money to pay for an Uber while she has her phone just kinda made my eye twitch because that’s not how Uber works, but honestly, now I’m just nitpicking. More seriously, I do think the book got a little repetitive at times, but as I said before, I think it reflected how “stuck” the characters were in their trauma.
Spicy chapters: Honestly, most of them. But it is hard to count, because many of the scenes involved non-consensual encounters.
Cheating? It’s complicated
Third-Act Breakup? Yes
HEA? Yes
OWD? It’s complicated
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Darkness: ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫
Quotes:
It was only three weeks, but it’s burned into every cell, every vein, every tainted pocket of my soul. Forever. And so is she.
Short version: This is a harrowing novel that weaves an intricate tapestry of two people who are broken and work to hold each other together. I would strongly recommend reading trigger warnings before reading, even though it will likely spoil the plot for you. Still, if you are comfortable proceeding, I believe you will find this book beautiful and challenging.
Full review below:
Tropes:
⚫ Dark Romance
🚫 Forbidden Romance
😡 Enemies to Lovers
👥 Forced Proximity
Plot Summary: After her sister’s birthday party, Cora realizes she’s lost her wallet and has no way home. She calls everyone, but the only person who picks up is her sister’s fiance, and her archnemesis, Dean.
But on the way home, flashing lights in the rearview mirror pull them over. Only it isn’t a cop, it’s a serial killer, and he takes them both. Locked in his basement, they are made to endure horrific torture, and must learn to let go of their pain and frustrations with one another to help one another survive… and escape.
But with every day that passes, the lines between them blur, and they are left to grapple with much more than just the basement’s horrific reality.
The Good: This book broke my heart and put it back together. The trauma these two endured, the way their stories unfold and we learn how they’ve really leaned on each other all along, the way they heal each other and help each other through the toughest moments of their lives… it’s stunningly captured. I’ll admit, the premise of this book was challenging for me to look past, and I did not expect to sympathize with these characters, or to root for them. In honesty, I almost DNF’d around 70% of the way through, but I am glad I stuck with it, and got to watch their story come to fruition. Even the things I didn’t love about the book, made sense for the characters and their development.
The Bad: This is a dumb thing to complain about, but plot point of needing a wallet to have money to pay for an Uber while she has her phone just kinda made my eye twitch because that’s not how Uber works, but honestly, now I’m just nitpicking. More seriously, I do think the book got a little repetitive at times, but as I said before, I think it reflected how “stuck” the characters were in their trauma.
Spicy chapters: Honestly, most of them. But it is hard to count, because many of the scenes involved non-consensual encounters.
Cheating? It’s complicated
Third-Act Breakup? Yes
HEA? Yes
OWD? It’s complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Miscarriage and Suicide attempt