Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - Still Beating

Ok I’m in the minority but this was SOOOO slow and I struggled reading it. The beginning was so strong and literally had me consumed but then everything just turned cringe and slow. I mean I’m not a fan of the author making the older sister sound like an over the top exaggeration of a human while Cora is just this super cool and amazing girl (without even trying). Then Dean literally loving Cora the whole time he was engaged to her sister but he just kept it to himself and pretended to go along with the hate Cora gave him. YUCK! That was sooo cringe.
I was team Mandy when she basically sent Cora to hell for failing for her fiancé and then sleeping with him so soon after their breakup. I get that they were trauma bonded but COME ON… it was your SISTERS man and you just his bones not while she still had a tan line from that ring on her hand. No. Just no. Not to mention their mom being like “oh we knew Dean loved you the whole time but he was faithful to your sister so we just let it go”… like WHAT??? If I was Mandy I’d disown the whole family and send them all a shit filled box for the holidays.
I think all the issues I had with this book just didn’t motivate me to want to finish reading it and getting to the end of the book was a chore because I just didn’t care about the characters once they escaped Earl. I can see why it’s so hyped up but to me it’s a little too hyped.

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carli_likes_books's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This is one of the darkest books I’ve ever read. I know it is going to be a core memory. My heart is simultaneously full and broken.

There is a HEA

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reka111's review against another edition

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Okay, you've got me me, I can't go on, it's just TERRIBLE.

The writing is incredibly awful, FMC is terribly annoying, MMC gets a little credit, but he doesn't get much either. Both are completely empty and utterly unrealistic. I don't have a problem with the theme itself, I think it was bold that the author chose this and put it bluntly lively, but it was harder to execute for her.

PS; why is Core's rape only mentioned when Dean ALSO went through it? It doesn't make any sense.

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blumerlamotte's review against another edition

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challenging 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? It's complicated

3.75

Heart wrenching, intense, dark, complicated. Check the trigger warnings. They’re no joke. This novel is NOT for the faint of heart.

Folks seem to either love or hate this novel. I swear reviewers either give it 5 stars or 1 star. I’m really torn. Unsure how I feel about it. It started so strong (but extremely hard to read) and from there… the character development was convoluted and messy and erratic. I think that follows with the excessive trauma the characters had to deal with. For me I think it just felt a little too contrived and not quite authentic enough.

It’s a good book with awful topics. The authors writing style is smooth and easy to follow. Something about it just left me wanting but I don’t know what I want …

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mariahlynnpeck's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-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

4.0

This book has very hard topics and traumas but the love story that unfolds is a good one. I feel like the author captures the story very well and how they deal with their trauma after everything.

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rosie_valadez's review against another edition

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5.0

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katsa6's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

What a gut wrenching powerful book looking at trauma, survival, depression and darkness. It is a tragic love story that you really can't see the light in but is so mesmerizing that it kept me glued to it. Cora and Dean are about to be in laws as Dean is going to marry Mandy- Cora's sister until a twist of fate has them stuck in a serial killers basement trying to survive. It is all their stories from the past to the present. It hurt. It made me cry. I felt so much for all the characters. I could feel all their pain. Check your trigger warnings as this had alot of disturbing and sad things that happen. Worth the read.

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hailiejo's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense fast-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

5.0

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