Reviews with content warning for Grief - Still Beating

I heard about this book from Booktube and was intrigued.
"Still Beating" is a dark romance that follows Cora and Dean. Cora has known Dean since High school, and she has loathed every minute she has to spend with him. Unfortunately for her, he is her sister's fiancé, and it looks like she is stuck with him in her life. After a night out, Cora calls Dean for a ride home from the bar, but they never make it home. Cora and Dean wake up chained in a stranger's basement, and they will have to learn to get along if they want to make it out alive.
Warning: this book is VERY dark and tackles some very challenging issues.
I devoured this book. I was so captivated by Cora's and Dean's story, and I was entirely enamored with watching their relationship evolve. I am normally not a huge fan of enemies to lovers, but this felt so believable and not like true hate, and they were not "enemies" for too much of the story. Their chemistry was undeniable, and I loved that they have known each other for so long. Their history, despite the constant teasing and pranks, really made their connection all the more believable.

Something I loved more than their raw chemistry was how Dean knew how to take care of Cora afterwards. They went through an unimaginable experience and Cora especially had a really difficult time dealing with it. Even though Dean wanted nothing more than to be with Cora, he knew what she really needed was to find herself again, and he stepped away. This selfless act was so beautiful and really proves how much Dean adores Cora.

I 1000% will read from Jennifer Hartmann in the future and I will recommend this book to a very niche audience.

Content Warnings

bookwxrmvictoria's review

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dark emotional sad tense

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

3.25

I could not put this book down but I did want to at times, and not because of the dark elements (CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS) but because I found 99% of the characters unlikable (including Cora) 😬Overall, i did enjoy this and was moved to tears. This was not really a dark romance to me. I loved the writing, Dean (not a bad boy), Tabitha, and Lily. My favorite line from the book is…

It’s still beating.
You’re still okay.
And I still love you.
— Dean

Content Warnings

romantasy_reads's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.0

Content Warnings

alyssadorn's review

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dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

This is the only situation in which gifting a heart-shaped necklace is justified.

Okay, jokes aside, this book made me viscerally feel things. Despair, hope, connection with the characters. The moments of shared trauma were handled so well, too; I’m glad the rape scenes weren’t detailed or explicit, just having us as readers focus on what Cora focused on— not the actual act. It was more moving than I expected, and overall a really good book. Beautiful and heartbreaking and healing.

I will say at times, especially on page 2, it was a little girl-shamey toward Mandy, with Cora’s comparisons between the two of them feeling a bit “I’m not like other girls”- coded.

Definitely check the content warnings.

Content Warnings

emmab_124's review

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dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

siffpedersen's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

2.0

Content Warnings

amanda_reads13's review

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challenging dark emotional 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

*Please check the trigger warnings before reading this book*

Cora hates her sisters fiance Dean. He has been a thorn in her side for the past 15 years. After attending her sister's birthday party, her wallet is stolen and she has to call Dean for a ride. She figures she will just sit through the awkward car ride home. What she doesn't anticipate is waking up the next morning handcuffed in a psychos basement, next to Dean. The two of them must lean on one another to survive and support each other as they are tested in unimaginable ways.

When I say I cried, I mean I sobbed. This story tore my heart open. It was tragic and heartbreaking, yet beautiful. There were parts that were really hard to read. Everyone deals with trauma differently, I think that Cora and Dean's story shows that in a realistic and sensitive way.

Dean was extremely traumatized and definitely suffering from PTSD, yet he still had this incredible emotional maturity.

He loved Cora, but realized that they were in this toxic spiral. He always put her first and did everything possible to protect her and help her heal, even when that meant walking away. He is much stronger than he gave himself credit for.

Cora went through something unimaginable. Not many people would have been able to survive what she did.

She struggles with being pulled between Dean and her sister. Dean is the only one she can lean on and she depends on him heavily. She is going through a rollercoaster of emotions and really struggles to deal with the trauma she has endured. She is scared to be 100% in with Dean because of Mandy and she kind of treats him like crap. She doesn't realize that Dean's sacrifice is really what she needed, she needs to heal herself, he can't heal her.

A few things that annoyed me:

- I didn't like how everyone pushed Cora to "move on". She has been through something seriously fucked up. No, she doesn't need to date or go out to the bar.
-I disliked Mandy. She is completely devoid of compassion and empathy. At one point she says to Dean that she was surprised that he didn't want to have sex the second he escaped. Like what? He has been through some MAJOR trauma and you are being so disrespectful and overly pushy. She gave him no space to breathe and just expected Dean and Cora to go back to "normal".
- I didn't like that we got this backstory of Dean and Cora hating each other, but not really hating each other. We are supposed to believe that they have formed a trauma bond, which makes total sense, but then we are shown all these flashbacks that lead us to believe that there were feelings between them for a long time. I wish that there wasn't this "we loved each other all along" undertone to the story. It kind of takes a away from it.

Tropes: Dark, Taboo, enemies to lovers

Content Warnings

hekareadsbooks's review

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challenging 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? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

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