I fell in love with Kiera Cass's writing and imagination after reading her Selection series, so I've been super excited to dip into her latest work! A THOUSAND HEARTBEATS is a new favorite for me!

I've loved Cass ever since her The Selection series got me out of a massive reading slump. This is her writing a few years on, and you can tell it's matured but is also unputdownable. I lived the stories, the characters, the drama. 5 stars!

Unputdownable YA romance from Kiera Cass. I expected to find this to be a fluffy teen read, which it was to a certain extend, but I found myself very invested in the characters and the storylines. I enjoyed it so much I went back and read all of Kiera Cass' other books.

I did not finish this book. While I love the Selection series from Kiera Cass, I attempted to read a Thousand Heartbeats and could not get into the story. I even tried the audiobook format but only made it 20% before stopping. I don't know if it was the dual stories or the world building that felt long and not engaging enough.

Countless heartbeats and only one love

Annika and Lennox are so different and yet so alike. Two lives intertwined. Past. Present. Future.

It is all twisting, turning, and falling together. One story that starts in two places...or does it?

Find the beginning. Enjoy the middle but don't be surprised if the end is really just a new beginning.

Love Lennox. Embrace Annika. Thrive on the love hidden within these pages- all of it.

A great standalone book. I really enjoyed how both characters had to learn and grow. Great development of a new world.

I really wanted to like this one. I think my nostalgia got the better of me. As someone who loved the Selection in middle school I was really excited to read this one. I tried to read The Betrothed and couldn't get into it, but I thought I would give Kiera Cass another try with A Thousand Heartbeats.

A Thousand heartbeats took me about 4 tries to finally be able to read the book. The romance is cringy and very insta-love. There was no personal connection to Annika for me. Nor, did I care about a lot of the plot points throughout the story. Honestly I almost DNF the book and near the end was just skimming through it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book! I really love Kiers Cass and was super excited to read this book! I really liked this book but there was still some criticisms that I had!

i'm prefacing this with i am a HUGE fan of the selection trilogy (yes im one of those readers that pretend the heir and the crown don't exist)

enemies to lovers was what sold this for me. or maybe it's more rivals because if they were enemies they would be uh really intent on stabbying each other. still, i love a good rivalenemy to lovers story. it was interesting though to find both main leads more alike than you'd expect since most of the time characters are enemies because they think differently or their personalities clash against one another, but annika and lennox both struggle with the same things, like a dysfunctional family and being ready to sacrifice themselves for the good of their respective countries.

on the other hand, i thought the book was a little too long. i dont think i would've minded if the slow burn SLOWBURNED, but the romance was fast-paced asf. it's one of the stories where it's love at first sight or instant love, but considering they were supposedly enemies at first? uhhhhhh they got over their issues pretty fast if you ask me.

overall, though, i still enjoyed the book, especially since i wasn't bored by it, so.... three stars ~

I can honestly say I've never read a romance quite like this one! I was more and more impressed with the story the longer I read it. The overall plot interested me, but the way in which the author had me rooting for these two characters and their love story surprised me and seriously impressed me so much. I didn't know the premise of how the characters met and the death that connected them before I started reading, and I think if I had, I would not have believed the romance could be pulled off believably, but it absolutely was. I really enjoyed this one!

I have missed reading new stuff from Kiera and this one was good! I love her writing and the way she does story-telling. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley, HarperTeen, and Kiera Cass for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I loved The Selection as a kid, and still really enjoy it, so I decided to pick this one up. The cover is also beautiful. Sadly, though, I couldn’t really get into this one… I plan on picking it up at a later date though. If you like YA fiction and fantasy, be sure to pick it up! It was most likely just an odd reading period for me.

Beautiful cover. Teens will be drawn into this easy to follow fantasy world. The dual POV worked well and the romantic tension was done very well.

I was too confused at the beginning of the book. I do enjoy a dual POV but there was a lot of character names thrown at the beginning and not a lot of world building explanation. It led to me being confused the first quarter of the book and lowered my interest.

It saddens me to say this, but I think I am done with Cass’s books. I was a huge fan of The Selection series, but her other books have not lived up to it. In A Thousand Heartbeats we were given characters that weren’t well developed, a romance that was superficial, and lacking world building. Every twist and turn was obvious, as was the final outcome. There are probably readers out there that would enjoy this book, but I am not one of them.

In “A Thousand Heartbeats” Kiera Cass creates another adventure-packed romance reminiscent of the “Selection” series. Princess Annika has secretly been training with her brother to fight & fence. Her mother disappeared years ago leaving her father forever changed and her heart broken. Princess Annika is betrothed to someone who makes sense politically but not romantically. Soon she finds herself on a mission that alters her fate.

Lennox, leads a life that is polar opposite of Princess Annika. He is a known ruthless warrior in a neighboring kingdom of outcasts. His stepfather is cruel and unjust while his mother is neglectful (definitely gives off some serious “Hamlet” vibes). Lennox captures Princess Annika and is oddly connected to her. His fate, too, is altered upon their meeting. Soon Princess Annika and Lennox, once rivals, become romantically entangled in a relationship that can’t possibly work.

What I like about Cass’s writing is that she creates strong, kick-butt female protagonists. With that being said, the storyline is predictable, but that is what the reader wants when picking up this of book.

I would recommend this book to students who enjoyed the “Selection” series or “Hunger Games”.

I would to thank Kiera Cass, HarperTeen, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you Harper Teen for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed this read immensely. I thought Kiera Cass did a wonderful job creating a beautiful yet cruel world that completely enveloped me. I felt like I was there as I was reading. I really enjoyed this fantasy novel and wish there was a sequel to this one. I am a huge fan of Kiera Cass's Selection series and I felt like this was a great new story with similar vibes to the selection series.

This story tells of a Princess Annika who lives a life of comfort. However no matter how comfortable your life is you cannot change the fact that your freedom to make your own choices is taken away. Annika was told who she should marry. Her father needed it to be for political gains. Far away Lennox has very few luxuries. He has devoted his life to the Dahrainian army hoping to reclaim the kingdom that has been taken away from his family a long time ago. Lennox believes love is only a distraction--he will not allow anything to distract him from his goal.

When love and power collides will love prevail or will countries divide the potential for love.
Read if you enjoy:
Young Adult
YA Fantasy
Romance
Enemies to Lovers

I was swept away by this fantasy romance in a time of war. I loved the characters and the slow development of their love in the midst of all the turmoil going on. The pacing was perfect, and the narrative was engaging.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

A sweeping story that wouldn’t let me go. Had to know what would happen next and never saw the twists coming. The imagery is still with me even after months since reading. <3