Still Beating

It’s very rare that a book containing sexual assault situations is something I can actually get through. So if you didn’t know before, I said that this book has situations pertaining to sexual assault and violence. However, as a survivor of sexual assault myself, I was able to relate easily to the characters, and my heart absolutely broke for them, I loved their journey and hated it at the same time! I absolutely adored Dean. I was team Dean 100% through this whole story Cora on the other hand got on my nerves a lot… L O L…. But I like her there’s not a moment that I didn’t really like her. She’s just irritated me as a female character. I’m giving this book 5 star review because I feel it well deserves it! I was glued to this story from jumpstreet. Sadly, I had to shut off the audiobook version of the story, because the male narrator voice sounded very much like the voice of the person who assaulted me. Which made my skin crawl. However, the book was much better for me. I enjoyed it thoroughly and because I have the Kindle version I will be getting the physical version because that book cover is stunning! As long as your heart beating, you will be OK! I loved this book.

For this book, I highly encourage you to go into it with an open mind. It will be very tr!ggering for a lot of people and depicts delicate topics of abus3, capt!vity, SA, traumA & healing. For 10 years, Cora thought that Dean was the most infuriating person on the planet. And yet, she had to put up with him every day as he's her sister's boyfriend and now fiancé. But when they both get abducted by a manic stranger, all they have to cling onto is each other if they want to stay sane during this ordeal. Listen, there are a lot of taboo topics in this book and it's going to hurt, emotionally and physically. But it always felt so incredibly raw and honest, so even though the protagonists will be infuriating, it still feels like their true journey of trying to find a way back to their normal self, even if that person may no longer exist. “As long as it’s beating, I’m yours.”

The words above is how I am starting this review. This masterfully written story by Jennifer Hartman is only my second 5⭐️ read of 2024. The dual POV of the MMC and FMC is exactly how I would expect this story to be told to truly understand the thoughts and feelings of the characters. It truly was a great read. The story has some very difficult and dark subject matters which I will outline at the end. Cora and Dean are your true enemies to lovers. It starts with this hate and constant banter and underlying hate. But is it? The one person Cora doesn’t want to call when her wallet is stolen and she is unable to get a ride home is Dean. She calls and he does come running while waiting Cora is confronted with a cringy man and Dean gets there and they leave. This is where the story takes a horrific and tragic turn. There are so many underlying heartbreak’s and emotions during this tragedy. Can all that has happened, all that has been discovered and experience lead to love. Love of yourself. Love of another. I will not give any spoilers but will recommend this amazing book to everyone. Please check trigger warnings before reading. Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Character Development 🎥🎥🎥🎥 Writing Style ✏️✏️✏️✏️✏️ Spice 🌶️🌶️ (the spice doesn’t matter with is story as the plot is more important) Tropes: Violence Rape Kidnapping Forced Proximity Abuse Suicidal ideation Enemies to Lovers

I enjoyed reading this book, although I had to take a lot of breaks as I was crying uncontrollably through some of it. Author, Jennifer Hartmann, makes you feel like you’re right there in the moment drawing you into the scene. Very consuming but also triggering. Overall a good read.

What a beautiful book !!! “Shackled by hate, freed by love” It’s a dark romance with so much pain, raw, beauty, struggle, so bare and profound !!! It’s so well written and it’s so a tragic beautiful story ! By the way that is written you can be there with the characters through their pain and horror that they survived to. You can walk side by side with them through the authors words. Cora is a teacher, always being the quite girl, friend and daughter feeling herself always passed over by everyone including her own parents starting with her name. Despite being close to her sister she always felt that her sister was the center of attentions while she always walked at her sister shadows. Dean was the guy she immediately smile to when she arrive at the new school but he prank at her making her feel never good enough and starting from that day on their rivalry based on pranks and sharp tongues. Dean is the handsome guy at the school, the one everyone expect to be a player but he is not. When he saw Cora for the first time he was starstruck by her beauty but he was a silly boy and the way he found to call her attention was pranking her. Until the day that he start to date her sister and that’s what he will ever be. Enemies… They are abducted and forced to live a horrific situation that at the same time put their feelings and memories to a perspective. It’s when Dean realize that he always look up to Cora, that she was the first of the sister that took his breath away, that went he receive her first smile he played in his head their whole life together just to be living it with her sister. During their horrible ordeal Cora struggle not only to survive but also to come to agreement of her feelings after all, she is betraying her sister, she don’t feel good enough for him and she holds him as her lifeline during the survival and the guilt she live in. Cora and Dean are for sure one of my favorite couple now. Their story is heartbroken, angst, harsh and at the same time so full of love, of hope, of strength and dedication to each other and to themselves. I am not a crier but this book wet my eyes a couple times and this says a lot. It’s my first Hartmann book and surely not the last. This book is disturbing, it’s confusing, it’s heartbreaking and heartwarming, its conflicted and it’s healing. And so it’s love !!!!! Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spicy : 🌶️ Darkness: 🖤 Range of emotions : 🥺🤣😳😩😭💔🥺💓 Ending : HEA 💓 POV : 👫 (Dual)

5🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭 Spanish & English Opinion 🇲🇽 Este libro no se parece a ningún otro que haya leído. Llegó en el momento exacto, en donde ya sentía que todo era similar a otra cosa. Es un “dark romance” salido de una situación muy complicada. Tiene triggers pero lo que más me impresiona es cómo el amor nace en los lugares más complicados. Si bien un personaje muestra la terrible capacidad de estar deshumanizado, llegan los MCs para recordarnos que el ser humano tiene la increíble capacidad de amar y ser amado y eso, es un privilegio. ¡Me encantó! 🇺🇸 Wow. This book is not like any other. I was in a moment were writings seemed to be similar to others, so it was perfect. A dar romance that is born from diversity, with triggers and a very sensible topic, but with the amazing message about humans being able to love even in the most complicated situations. We have the villain, showing the terrible capacity of dehumanize as a being, and then the MCs showing us how to love and to be loved is the most amazing thing ever. Loved it!

I’m broken and complete at the same time. Dean and Corabelle have my whole heart, I love them with my soul and more. Please read this book 😩❤️

This book ripped my heart out I don’t think I have ever cried this much for a book before. The way the emotions are described is amazing! It’s raw, emotional and absolutely beautiful. There are some horrible things that Dean and Cora had to go through. The start of this book was horrible, the things Cora and Dean had to go through is horrible and awful. The beautiful things in this book started when they left that basement. Even if they left, they were still trapped in the horrors they had gone through. They used each other as a crutch to try and survive but love can’t save everyone. You can’t love someone if you don’t love yourself, you can’t live for someone else, you have to live for yourself! “It’s still beating” “As long as it’s beating, you’re okay”