A cute romantic novel. Its a longer book but thankfully did not seem to drag out. The plot was decent, I just found myself comparing it to The Selection series. There were a few times I had to sit it down and nearly DNF’d it, which I am happy I didn't because I truly enjoyed it…just not as much as I hoped I would.

I love Kiera Cass's Selection series, so I had to get my hands on this one. And luckily, it did not disappoint one bit. Not at all. I had high expectations going in, but they were all met, which was very nice. The romance was to die for, and the characters were flawed and complex.
Anyone who liked the Selection series will enjoy it as much as I did.

A THOUSAND HEARTBEATS
Kiera Cass
YA Romance

This takes place a kingdom with the king who ruled for years and his daughter, a princess has basically been in seclusion her whole life. He wants to match her in a marriage for political gain, but there is change in the air.

Kiera Cass is back with a very different story than her first series. This standalone novel was more about love than her previous books and how true love really can change everything. I would give this book a solid 5 out of 5 stars.

A captivating and all-consuming story. Kiera Cass never disipoints. I hope we get to see more of these characters in the future.

#AThousandHeartbeats #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out! Really solid read.

I was thrilled to see a new book by the author of the The Selection series. I remember binge reading that series and loved it. I didn't read The Betrothed as it did not seem to be up to the standards I would expect. So I will wait to see how that series turns out before I actually start it.

But in the meantime this book was almost everything I could have hoped for. Was it perfect? Almost... it was so close. I just wish that the enemies to lovers time frame was a little longer. But I enjoyed all the character (and hated the ones that should be hated) and I really felt for the MC in the novel.

Two different people fighting for what they think is right. And they slowly realized that maybe things aren't what they were told, or what they thought. And the best part is that it wasn't just handed to you as the reader. You learned all of history and learned the twists with the characters. I enjoyed that very much.

Annika is the perfect princess who will do whatever it takes to help her people, even if it means marrying someone she doesn't love. Lennox lives in an old forgotten castle. And you can't help but love the symbolism there.

Overall, a great read and I can't wait to see what the author comes out with next.

I should probably start out by saying that I DNFed A Thousand Heartbeats. The writing felt a bit weird to me, and it was a slow build up. It actually started to get pretty good at about 25% but I quit there. I don't want to spoil anything but there was a reveal that just left a sour taste in my mouth. Knowing what the book's about, Annika must forgive him, but I just couldn't. What a disappointment. I'll wait for Kiera Cass's next book!

Annika and Lennox's love story was enthralling, I love good enemies to lovers, but after reading other titles from Kiera Cass in the past I was intrigued by this new story, and it didn't disappoint. It started slow, I understand this is part of being a fantasy, but then it picks up and I was intrigued by the slow-burn love romance coming alive, but then they bonded and it was a bit quicker than expected to become lovers. The world-building was good, I expected a bit more from Kiera Cass but overall was a good one. The action kept me reading it as well, it was a bit slow paced but it got me through reading it in a good time.

Sorry, this one wasn't it for me. When I first read The Selection series, I absolutely loved it. I've even reread it a time or two, and it holds up. America and Maxon's story is original, romantic, high-stakes, and unforgettable.

Since then, I'm really sad to say that I've been disappointed by Kiera Cass's books. The Betrothed didn't have the same depth (in fact, that pacing was really weird), and now, A Thousand Heartbeats, despite being 600 pages, also felt like it didn't have as rich of a love story as I'd seen Kiera Cass create before.

While I liked parts of the dual perspective, I was extremely confused at the beginning of the book and found it really hard to get my bearings. By the end, while I understood what was going on, I didn't quite buy the romance between Annika and Lenox, or the all-too-convenient ending.

I want to thank HarperTeen and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and give my honest review.
What drew me in: The cover! It's gorgeous. I love a gorgeous cover and honestly many publishers have moved away from them as of late. I was so happy to see this one. It reminded me of all the high fantasy books I have read and loved.
What I imagined: high fantasy, sword fights, action, thrilling chases, etc.
What I got: not so much of that though it was there here and there.
I was hoping for something along the lines of Sarah J Maas or even Redwine but it didn't hit that for me. It took me forever to get through this book. It's very long at over 500 pages, and it definitely felt that way.
I did connect with a few of the characters, particularly the male lead, Lenox. But I also didn't feel the heroine, Annika, was as fleshed out as she could have been. I wanted more from her. More angst. More fight. More grit. And, while the male lead kept saying she had it, I just did not see it. The dual POV also lost me a bit. I feel like this book would have been better narrated in third person. We could have still understood the characters but without the back and forth that took place for the entire book.
I also feel like there needed to be more of the enemies thing. Annika was way too easy to forgive the wrong done to her by Lennox. I just didn't feel like she was angry enough, upset enough, or anything enough with him.
Overall the plot was decent but I think the story was slow and I also feel like we needed more of a deep dive into the history from the beginning but we did not get that.
My overall rating for this is a 3. I thought maybe it was going to be a series, but this book ended without needing that.
Definitely not the high fantasy I was expecting but a worthy read for the younger population of readers who like to do a little swooning.

Kiera Cass has done it again! I loved the twists, turns, and threads in this novel. The intricately woven characters were brilliant and the love story was perfection. Bravo!

3.5 stars

I have some thoughts on this book. There will be minor spoilers in this review, so please be aware of that before you continue reading.

First off, I want to just say how much I love the cover. When I saw this book and the cover, I immediately preordered it because it's just perfection. That being said, you shouldn't always judge a book by its cover.

A Thousand Heartbeats is a standalone fantasy book. It's about 500 pages, and about 200 pages too long. While there was some world building, I really wished I would have gotten a little more. There was a lot of character development; however, I didn't see much world building throughout. Some of the stuff just didn't seem important to include, which made me bored parts of the book. I just felt like not much happened throughout the story.

Now let's get into the fact that Lennox chopped off Annika's moms head. Yes, you read that correctly. He chopped off her mom's head. But that wasn't even that bad. The worst part is that Annika forgave him and fell in love with him. Okay, this is an enemies-to-lovers book. Let's just take a second to think about this. He willingly chops off her mom's head, then she forgives him for doing that and falls in love with him. Hmm... I don't know. If someone chopped off my mom's head willingly, I don't think I would fall in love with them. My favorite part though was at the end of the book when they said they were going to tell their kids about everything that happened and all the history, which includes Lennox chopping of Annika's mom's head. I mean can you even imagine that conversation? "I chopped off your grandma's head, but I love your mom, so it's okay. She forgave me."

I love Kiera Cass, and I honestly did enjoy most of this book. There was just some things that I didn't love, but I overall did like it. I'm not sure if I would recommend it or not, but it was solid 3.5 star read for me.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I thought I knew what I was getting myself into when I first requested A Thousand Heartbeats from NetGalley, but I was still subtly surprised by this book and how much I enjoyed it.

A Thousand Heartbeats follows Annika, a princess forced to marry a man she doesn't love for the sake of her country, Kadier. On the other side of the continent lie the Dahrainians, a nation of people living in ruins, awaiting the day they enact their revenge on the throne who drove them out centuries ago. Leading this charge is Kawan and the soldier who does all his dirty work, Lennox, who travels to Kadier to show how easy it is to infiltrate enemy borders. When Lennox brings back Princess Annika, they begin to realise they're more similar than they initially thought. As the two grow closer, so does Kawan's thirst for power and they find themselves together but also on opposing sides of a war years in the making.

When I first started reading, I was surprised by how easily I was absorbed into the world of Kadier. The story immediately set off an almost fairytale-like vibe and the main characters were likeable with dual perspective POV that suited the story really well. Having previously read the first three books in The Selection, I could see just how much Kiera Cass's writing has grown and developed since her debut novel and series. There was a big effort made to create layers and backstory to both Lennox and Annika's characters, focusing on the weight of guilt, loss and grief and how it can weigh heavy on every aspect of life. I liked seeing how the characters bonded over this and found a joint connection through their hardships.

I believe it would be hard to review this book without looking into the romance. It was obvious even from the blurb that this would be an enemies to lovers novel, so I knew from page one that Lennox and Annika would get together. My biggest concern though was whether this romance would be an insta-love sort or if it would be more of a slow burn. It's clear which one I would've preferred. The focus instead was more on developing their personalities, their lives and their characterisation, allowing for a richer romance where you just wanted the best for the both of them and all the side characters.

That being said, I found Annika and Lennox both suited each other well but I wished their chemistry was more developed. Make no mistake, I thought it was good but the romance really happened in one big moment rather than short little bursts. I would've liked for the two to have had smaller moments to build up that romantic tension and chemistry instead of it all occurring at once and then all of a sudden calling each other "the love of their life." That just seemed a little quick if you ask me but then again maybe that's because I'm a little sceptical over the whole concept of true love and soulmates and don't consider myself to be a romantic. While the subtle pining was good, I felt like they should've been with each other a bit more before deciding in a heartbeat they would do anything for one another including giving up entire kingdoms for the pursuit of their love.

Romance aside, I also enjoyed the platonic and familial relationships with the characters. I loved Annika's relationship with her brother, Escalus and how they easily bantered on. I also liked Noemi's character although, I must admit, I was sceptical of her and thought her to be in on the deceit to usurp Annika's position and jeopardise Kadier. I thought that would create a thrilling plot twist which would've changed everything, hence why when the book took a more linear approach, the plot seemed quite predictable at times. I could tell who would betray who from a mile away and I wish the book didn't make it seem so obvious.

The other thing of mention is with the antagonist, Kawan. To me he seemed very two-dimensional as a villain. He didn't have this air of danger to him and he acted more childish than as someone who evoked fear. I felt like he was too easy a villain and that Lennox and his friends could've easily taken him down. If his misdeeds (apart from that one hunting scene) were shown more and we were given glimpses into his scary nature, then I might've seen him as a more menacing figure. I thought the real villain in the story was Nickolas and that's because we saw some of the backstory with him and saw his deviousness, unlike Kawan who's motives weren't as described. That being said, I would've loved to see more from Nickolas and the supposed tension between Annika's and his family. It was mentioned and it obviously played a huge part in his sense of duty and subsequent characterisation, but I wished that avenue was explored more.

All in all, this book is definitely one I'd recommend to any Kiera Cass fan or hopeless romantic, with well written main and side characters with layered backstories, and intriguing dual POV perspectives. The only downsides I found were with the characterisation of the villains/antagonists, the rapidness of the romance post the slow build, and the often predictable plot twists. That being said, I did enjoy reading this book and I managed to breeze through it fairly quickly. It reads in a way that is reminiscent of fairytales or classic fantasy so if you are a reader drawn to those types of stories, especially ones with happily ever afters, A Thousand Heartbeats is a book for you.

ACTUAL RATING: 3.8 STARS

DNF at page 100.

I was excited to receive this ARC, as I’ve liked books/series by this author in the past; however, there were things about this book I couldn’t get past.

At 50 pages in, I still couldn’t get a good sense of what the main premise of the plot was going to be. I had no clue about the stakes or knew anything beyond surface level about the characters.

I felt like Cass left too much to the unknown for too long. Around the 1/4th mark, I felt like I didn’t know enough to be invested, even though I did like the characters, dialogue, and other story aspects.

Overall rating of 2 stars due to character likeable-ness and cover art

Ohmigoodness! I am apparently a big baby because I cried quite a bit while reading this book, it was seriously perfectly written in order to hit nearly EVERY single thing on the emotional wheel. I angry cried, I ugly cried, I happy cried. It was all very emotional and painful but absolutely beautiful.

I love the star-crossed lovers trope and thought this book was a lovely fantasy. It was a bit slow at times but otherwise an engrossing story with likeable characters and an interesting storyline!

Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two opposing kingdoms both laying claim to the throne. Two star-crossed lovers who have every reason to hate the other.

At its core, A Thousand Heartbeats is a romance with fantasy elements. That’s completely fine, I just prefer something a little more balanced.

The pacing of the book felt off. The storyline was a bit too slow while romance was too quick despite it happening in the later part of the book. And I didn’t love the romance. It didn’t feel authentic because basically no time was spent developing the relationship between Annika and Lennox.

I did, however, like Annika and Lennox. They were both strong and likable main characters even if their romance didn't make sense, which is good because many of the side characters were unlikable.

I can see the potential this book had, but ultimately it just fell short for me. But overall, it was still an enjoyable read and I think many people will love it.

Much thanks to HarperTeen and Netgalley for the e-ARC.

We’ve got star-crossed lovers from rival kingdoms who meet under extreme circumstances but cannot help falling for each other. Yet kingdom politics and individual loyalties make them natural enemies and conspire to keep them apart.
Lots of angsty drama, family dysfunction and personal pain, and schmaltzy clean YA romance.

Positives:
+ Main Characters: Both have their own personalities, identities, and worries before the relationship even begins. Annika is no helpless princess. Lennox is no innocent, spoiled, golden-child princeling.
+ Family: DRAMA galore.
+ Other Supporting Characters: Love them. Lennox has a cute animal companion. Annika has her trusty maid and confidante Noemi.
+ Tone is light! Snappy dialogue and opinionated characters. Chapters are short, and the plot keeps moving.

Neutrals/Possible Negatives:
- Writing is nothing special but does what it’s supposed to and does not hinder the storytelling.
- Worldbuilding: Basic. This was your typically vague medieval European-inspired fantasy with castles and kingdoms, knights and kings.
- Predictable? Yes, but I’m not mad about it.

A Thousand Heartbeats makes for a nice YA romance/adventure. I’d definitely recommend this for a quick read or as a palate cleanser.

I cried. I laughed. I swooned. I fell in love.

THIS BOOK. I can’t contain the amount of joy this book brought me, especially at a time where I’ve was feeling very low. This fairytale-esque, enemies to lovers book that was yes, cheesy at times, terrifying at other times, and very much a ya romance found its way into my heart and quite possibly my top ten for the year.

The two opposing lands, my gosh. One was so fairytale light and cozy while the other was muddy (what I pictured) and so very challenging. Somehow, two people who are so unalike, came out of every trial so regal and lovely, I literally cried. If I ever posses an ounce of Annika’s kindness and forgiveness, phew.

Anyway, my reviews very rarely make sense but if you need a sweeping world full of action, romance, tears, laughs and more, pick up A Thousand Heartbeats. This is coming from someone who’s never read The Selection series but definitely plans to one day.

Also.. Thistle had such a small part, but I’ll forever love her.

Read if you like:
- YA Romantasy
- Enemies to lovers
- Star-crossed romance
- Brother & Sister love
- Tons of action
- Forgiveness
- Heart racing moments
- Fierce & Brave MC
- Like-able characters
- Found family
- Dual POV

This book was a slow burn start, but once it took off I enjoyed it. I loved the opposites that the main characters embodied and the enemies to lovers trope was done well. Kiera Cass builds beautiful, interesting worlds that I love to escape to when I read her stories.