Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann

72 reviews

bekahzabel's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

I ate this one up. Very dark, taboo topics, trigger heavy but wowza… I was hooked. Devoured in one sitting. Not a situation to idolize in real life but an absolutely heart wrenching plot that keeps you needing more from start to finish.

4⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️🌶️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Murder

elianaosburn's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Pregnancy

tashcsx's review

dark emotional 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

5.0

I’m gonna call it and say this is the best book I’ve read in 2024. I was booked from the very beginning of this one.

Ive never thought a character should commit suicide but all I could think is that if I was Dean then I would have…. It it never happened. This book was constantly throwing me the unexpected and I couldn’t put it down. 

I feel heartbroken, sad, uncertain… yet happy for the ending. I do hate “8 years later,” type endings but it was very necessary for what this story was and it was. Hard story. This one is not for the faint hearted. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

smartcookiesca's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Miscarriage and Murder

urfavbookworm7's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

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

5.0

"It’s still beating.
You’re still okay.
And I still love you."
Need i say more? 5/5 stars, Jennifer Heartmann doesn't dissapoint.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt

cheriejanette's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Miscarriage and Dementia

Minor: Infidelity and Death of parent

mflynn8908's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

klpage's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-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

4.5

This is very dark so please check for trigger warnings! 

This was brilliantly written but also there was so much heartbreak in this book!! 

You could feel the emotion getting more intense as the book went on. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt

blumerlamotte's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Pregnancy

mariahlynnpeck's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol