I admit, I have sat for hours wondering what I would give this one in rating form. When I broke it all down, I landed on a middle of the pack rating. Because that's how I felt. I felt like I didn't like most aspects of this read, however the writing style and quality has lead me to be a little more lenient with rating.

Still Beating follows Cora, on a night out for her sisters birthday when she has a little bit too much to drink, loses her wallet and then has to rely on her sisters fiancé Dean, who she dispises, to help her get home. During the course of that trip home, she wakes up shackled in a dark basement - with Dean locked up too with her. Cora and Dean have no idea their abductor has a plan for them. A plan that will alter the course of their relationship and blur the lines of their relationship.

In the beginning, I hated the first 30%. The only redeeming feature was how they actually seemed to grow together. Both Cora and Dean were experiencing something that no one else has and they learn that together they might be able to escape - but together they can also keep each other in the best mental state that they can be in. Then when they move on, Cora does deal with a lot of severe mental repercussions - however she seems to just float as a character. Her sister, Mandy, was an awful, awful person. She was portrayed as someone who 'cared' for her sister and fiancé - yet really only cared about what everything has done to her. She was unsupportive and blasé the whole time. My highlights were the crime loving, thriller side of me absolutely loved the idea of the "match maker serial killer". Brilliant move. And one thing I couldn't fault, was Jennifer's writing. I do think I would read more of her books - perhaps this one just wasn't the right one for me. Spoiler filled rant incoming now: Why was there no recognition that Dean was sexually assaulted too. He was just expected to be normal, go back to work, go back to his fiance. Then when he ended it with the fiance, he was seen as the villian there. In reality, even book world reality - these people needed therapy.

🩶 Still beating - Jennifer Hartmann🩶

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars

This. Book. Broke. Me.
I have no words for how this book made me feel, it broke me then put me back together. This book had me in tears and feel real sorrow and heartache!

This book follow horrific ordeals that the main characters go through and the aftermath of trauma that the readers get to follow. Please ensure you read the trigger warnings, this is not a light and fluffy book so ensure you can handle it.

🩶Enemies to lovers
🩶Close proximity
🩶Taboo romance
🩶Dual POV
🩶Trauma recover
🩶Character driven

Thank you to Netgallery.

This book was intense. Like seriously look up the trigger warnings before reading,they are there for a reason! The first part of the book was heartbreaking, and honestly it gave me nightmares. The story is very well written even if it was hard to read ( once again take the trigger warnings into heavy consideration). The plot moves along and is realistic. This being so it does make the main characters hard to like and get attached to. The sister in the story though is the worst her character is just the worst I my opinion. If you are looking for a traumatic yet healing book this is the one for you but definitely have a fun light hearted book as a chaser

Honestly, I am stunned and speechless. The first part of the book was a bit intense and traumatizing for my unprepared heart. There are tons of trigger warnings in this book but I never thought and expected it to be this profoundly agonizing.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙈𝙚:
• I was hooked on the plot and the character's trauma bonding and their healing together. This book did not disappoint.
• The second part was a lot better and it's giving me different emotions. I was pleased with it.
• The main character's relationship was so fucked-up but it was understandable and reasonable. I can't fathom the experienced they have gone through if this was in real life.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝘿𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙈𝙚:
While I was pleased with the execution, the only hole I needed to be filled was the character's impression it left on me. I didn't feel strong connections towards the main characters. I care for them but it was not enough to make me love them as much as I loved its core and the meaning of the book.

𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗧:
Recommended with caution.

𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
[𝙨𝙚𝙭𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙪𝙡𝙩, 𝙠𝙞𝙙𝙣𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧, 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢, 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚, 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙜𝙚 /𝙣𝙤𝙣-𝙫𝙞𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮 , 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙥𝙚𝙩]


Disclosure: I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Also, I read this final manuscript side by side with the first published/independently published book. This final manuscript has been polished and gone through revision for republication purposes.

Unfortunately, this novel wasn't for me. I liked the premise of the novel, but I couldn't get into the character dynamics. I also found it difficult to like the main female character.

I really wanted to like this more than I did. The beginning of the book was amazing, it jumped into the main plot right away and I thought I was going to be hooked. Unfortunately it didn't stay that way.

A lot of the abuse that was suffered seems to be there just to justify bad behavior on the MCs part. A lot of their actions post abduction are problematic and honestly not necessary at all.

Besides the problematic behavior it was very predictable. I knew exactly how the story was going to end about a quarter of the way through and it made the story drag for me because I knew exactly what was going to happen.

This one was weird. Like seriously weird. It's a strange mash up of kidnapped and enemies to lovers kind of thing and I was all here for it. It was well paced and we didn't spend a ton of time being held hostage so that was good. I was worried that the book was going to be all about them being held captive. The romance was well paced and felt real and well I don't know why but this writing and story worked so well.

This was the first Jennifer Hartmann book I read and I fell in love with her writing.
This book is about a beautiful and heartbreaking love story and despite heavy themes (search for trigger warnings!), the way Jennifer told us the story of Dean and Cora is amazing.
I couldn't stop reading and falling in love with these characters.

If angsty romance is your thing, you'll love this book!

Attention, lisez bien les trigger warnings au début du livre! Certaines scènes peuvent choquer!

J'ai eu la possibilité de lire la version Bloom Books en avance grâce à Netgalley! Je suis toujours autant conquise de cette histoire. Clairement la scène bonus est top et j'ai vraiment hâte d'être au mois de février 2024 pour découvrir Tabitha encore plus!

On suit Cora qui fête l’anniversaire de sa sœur dans un bar, elle veut juste boire et faire oublier un peu sa vie. Elle ne s’attendait pas à se faire voler son portefeuille et à devoir appeler sa sœur pour qu’elle revienne la chercher… Cependant, ce n’est pas sa sœur Maddy qui vient la chercher mais Dean son fiancé mais aussi l’ennemi juré de Cora depuis plus de 10 ans… Mais ce qu’ils ne s’attendaient pas tous les deux c’est d’être kidnappés et d’être séquestrés dans un sous sol … Mais pourquoi eux? Quels sont les plans de leur kidnappeur? Vont-ils réussir à s’en sortir?

J’ai adoré cette intrigue si singulière, si prenante et puissante. On passe par des milliers d’émotions au courant de notre lecture : on a la gorge serrée pendant toute la lecture, les larmes aux yeux. La plume de Jennifer Hartmann est magistrale. J’ai adoré comment elle a écrit cette histoire. La relation entre Cora et Dean est parfaite. Je ne peux pas trop en dévoiler car il faut découvrir ce livre juste en sachant qu’on ne peut pas en sortir indemne. Ce livre va me hanter pendant encore longtemps.

Bref, un coup de cœur pour ce livre. Donc n'hésitez pas à le lire si les TW ne vous effraient pas.

I expected to not like this book - I'd heard it was too explicit. But I must disagree.
Sure, the sex was not closed door - and yes, trigger warnings for kidnapping, rape, suicide are required.
But the best part of this story was the character development.

Cora and Dean are mortal enemies, and have been since high school. HS was 15 years ago and in those 15 years, Dean has been dating and getting engaged to Cora's sister, Mandy. It's days before their wedding and Cora is out celebrating at the local watering hole. She decides to stay later than her ride, figuring she can just Uber home.

But when it's time to go home, she finds that her wallet has been stolen and she has no cash. She calls Dean. Despite their contentious relationship, he's reliable and he comes to pick Cora up and bring her home.

At this point they are kidnapped and a LOT happens while they are locked up, kept chained and threatened at gunpoint. Without giving away any more of the story, the kidnapping is a good portion of the book, but what I found most compelling was what happened later: how their personalities changed, how their relationship with each other changed, how they dealt with scenarios I can't believe the author even dreamed up...

Yes, there were some explicit sex scenes but considering the storyline, they worked. I will read another Jennifer Hartmann book!

Thanks to Sourcebooks for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I was expecting more of a “enemies to lovers” dark romance when I requested this in NetGalley, Then, there was this warning: “sexual assault, kidnapping, murder, self-harm, attempted suicide, reference of early miscarriage/non-viable pregnancy, and loss of a pet. While these subject matters were necessary in telling the story I needed to tell,”

Usually nothing really bothers me, so I proceeded, but the more I think about the book the more problematic I find it.

There is a lot of SA content that is unnecessary and used to justify later cheating, shaming of girlie girls vs being a manic pixie dog lover, etc. The male MC has been with only two women who are sisters—come on. When they return from being kidnapped, knowing rape was involved, his fiancée is like, “how come we haven’t banged immediately?” Basically, this book is about trauma codependence/some kind of rape fantasy disguised as a romance.

2/5. Releases 7/11/2023.

Note: this book was published previously; this is a review of a re-release ARC. Additionally, this review will discuss sexual assault extensively, as this is a crucial part of the novel.

For when you're vibing with... girls who aren't like other girls, actually, heroes who deserve better, and compelling ideas that went somewhere.

Cora hates her sister Mandy's fiance, Dean, and has ever since they started dating. But when Cora and Dean are kidnapped by a sadistic serial killer, they not only suffer at his hands, but are forced to have sex in front of him--repeatedly. After being rescued, Dean and Cora are fundamentally changed and bonded; and only they know what actually happened in the basement.

To be clear: when I give this book a low rating, it's not because I hate the idea. The idea is why I requested it. I knew this was a dark romance (and to an extent it is) I'm good with that, I knew it had sexual assault on the page, I'm good with that (though I am dubious on how it's handled). I appreciate the content warnings at the opening of the book. My issues are not about concept--the concept is the thing I like. My issues concern execution.

Quick Takes:

--I'll be clear here so that nobody readying this review toddles into this book confused about the sexual assault. Cora is raped by the serial killer, Earl (.... come on, couldn't we come up with a more creative serial killer name?) multiple times. Earl also makes Cora and Dean have sex, which neither of them want (though Dean can't help having an orgasm and Cora does get off in the last encounter, which sets off the second act turmoil). This means that Earl is raping both Dean and Cora, full stop. Dean says he was forced to rape Cora and has, understandably, a ton of conflict over it; I get this. It's a totally believable emotional reaction to what happened to him, and most of the believable emotional reactions in this book are Dean's. What bothers me is not that Cora doesn't see Dean as having raped her (an understandable response, and truly Dean was the mechanism of the rapist and not the rapist), but that NOBODY tells Dean that he was also raped. Like. Our cast of characters seems reasonably well-educated. I'm not looking for a Very Special Episode conversation, but nobody seems to emphasize to Dean "Hey, YOU WERE RAPED". It just bugs me a lot, because I got the sense that the narrative did not buy into Dean being assaulted.

Also, I'll be real... I went into this knowing there would be rape, but the amount of times Earl rapes Cora himself surprised me. It really served no narrative purpose. Obviously, I don't mind rape being a focal point of this novel, but that's where it felt gratuitous, especially because the sticking point of the trauma was what he made Dean do to Cora.

--The thing that bothered me most, however, is that from page one, Cora is better than her sister Mandy because she is not like other girls. Mandy has "bleach blond" hair, unlike Cora, who has normal gold hair. Cora loves books and keeps wanting Dean to read Of Mice and Men to get smarter, whereas Mandy is a hair stylist. (Of Mice and Men may be important, but a fun read it is not, fuck off Cora.) Mandy never got in trouble for all the bad things she did, like wrecking a car when she was a teenager, or having parties!!! Oh, and naturally, Dean actually saw and wanted Cora first when they were teens, because he likes 'em natural, unlike Mandy. Honestly man, what Cora and Dean go through is enough for me to believe in them being trauma bonded. I can believe there was an underlying attraction neither wanted to acknowledge beforehand. I don't need to see Cora uplifted as Better Than Mandy for me to believe in the love story. In fact, the more this is done, the more the love story is undermined.

--Also, Mandy is clearly a normal hot girl trying her best, but in order to again underline that she is not as good as Cora, the author has her say RIDICULOUS SHIT. Like "oh Dean, you were only held captive and tortured by a serial killer for THREE WEEKS, I'd think you'd be over it by now". "Oh Dean, why aren't we fucking yet, it's been six weeks since you were held captive by a serial killer"? Bringing up an incredibly personal thing her sister experienced and was keeping a secret in gENERAL CONVERSATION? It's like, nobody's perfect, I'm not asking for perfect Mandy, but no real person who is not clinically insane would say these things in these circumstances. And we see later than Mandy is a loving, empathetic, remarkably forgiving woman, so why was she so callous before? There's also one more gut punch thing added in that makes zero sense, and literally serves no purpose except to say "Mandy didn't deserve Dean anyway".

But every person in the book who doesn't like Cora or exists to make Cora look better acts this way. There is a conversation, in public, overheard that... Like... I'm sorry, I just don't buy two totally sane people saying this kind of shit out loud, in public, in a WORKPLACE, about a kidnapping survivor they work with. I just don't. They'd keep it to the group chat as God intended.

--Oh, and another thing: Dean and Cora developing these feelings is treated by other characters as like a "welp, I guess Mandy just needs to accept it" thing, and she has been with this man for FIFTEEN YEARS. FIFTEEN. YEARS. That's longer than many marriages! And also, if Dean was in a mid relationship for FIFTEEN YEARS and liked her sister first, why did he never make a move before being with someone for FIFTEEN YEARS and proposing to her? (While somehow, never moving in with her...?)

--Aside from this and one moment in which he says that Cora's ex cheated on her with "some floozy" (file under things a man in his early thirties would never say in the 2020s) Dean is actually really likable and his perspective was a respite. It felt like he was recovering from trauma, whereas Cora's perspective felt like she was recovering from trauma in a way that Sam Levinson would write, and not in a "this is wild I'm so entertained" episode of Euphoria. I felt bad for him. I thought that there was a lot more going on with him that needed to be unpacked, whereas Cora's issues seemed more straightforward and confronted by the text.

--This girl does something so ludicrous to aid in her recovery that I did laugh. Then I remembered she was 29.

--One more note... Like, I'm all for insulting the serial killer, but the amount of times Dean's insults of the serial killer hinged on him being fat was like? Weird to me? Romance has this thing where the villains are often fat (and it exists across subgenres) and like? Personally, if Earl was as out of shape as the book suggested (which, to be fair, you can be fat and in shape but I didn't get that vibe from Earl) I'm not certain as to how he physically defeated big and fit Dean that easily in the beginning. He's literally kidnapped and is torturing y'all on the daily, is there not a better insult than "fat"?

--Weird note, but there is a "joke" Cora played on Dean referenced several times in which she told a college friend of his coming to town that Dean had a crush on him, then slipped Dean Viagra while telling him it was aspirin so he was popping a boner around this friend the whole night. This is treated as funny. That is not only pretty much sexual assault and definitely drugging someone; it's homophobic? How do I root for this woman?

The Sex Stuff:

The (consensual) sex scenes were well written. The sexual assault scenes are a lot more vague, as they should be. I respect the way the non-consensual scenes between Dean an d Cora were written. It's a hard balance to strike, and I'm sympathetic to that as a writer--you don't want to titillate, but you do have to communicate that there was just a seismic shift and realization for our leads.

Look, I didn't like this, and I went in thinking "I'm the type of reader who can handle this book". And I could handle all the dark shit. I just couldn't handle how much the text bent over backwards to uplift the heroine and trash her sister. Sincerely, if this book works for you, go with God, I am not judging. It just didn't for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloom Books for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book broke my heart but then slowly put it back together again. Please read the trigger warnings before reading because this novel tackles tough topics! Somehow Jennifer was able to create light within the darkness of the pages. She wrote about an extremely traumatic event that turned into a story of recovery and second chances at life.

The story follows Cora and Dean who have been abducted and held prisoner. The book is broken up between Cora and Dean's perspective in a somewhat 3 act structure which was organic to the plot. They are the main focus of the book and I loved the chemistry and personalities of them both.

The overall plot and premise was unique. I have never read another book like this. I don't gravitate to dark romance always as I feel like sometimes the plot in that sub-genre can be lacking. This book - had it all and more. The plot was well thought out and emotionally captivating.

This is by far the most heartbreaking, gut wrenching, and emotional books I have ever read. This one is very important to know the trigger warnings beforehand and I was glad they are listed at the front of the book. There were many times I had to put the book down because of how overwhelming everything was. I cried so much reading this book because of the situation and the romance. Dean and Cora went through unthinkable things while they were in that basement and they formed an unimaginable connection. Everything that came after the kidnapping was a lot to take in and I am still not sure how I feel about it. There were a lot of frustrating moments with Dean and Cora and their families. I did not really understand Cora's relationship with her sister and how things played out when them. I also wished Dean and Cora were more honest about what happened with each other and others. Even if they were just honest with a therapist. I know I don't have any right to insert my opinion after the trauma they went through but I was frustrated none the less. I was happy with how everything played out in the end though. This is a good one if you like dark romances but be sure to check the trigger warnings.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC in exchange for a review!

This story was a powerful mix of trauma and love. I think the author did an amazing job of balancing the need to set the stage, and still making it a love story overall, albeit not the one that the protagonists even thought was possible. This was a heartbreaking, impossible situation that was plotted well and handled with absolute grace.

This was messed UP, but I literally read it in one wide-eyed sitting!! 😳

Please note:
👉 I highly suggest making sure you check out the author’s content warnings before picking up this book. Make sure you understand and can handle the material. It’s dark.
👉 I received an ARC of this book for free through Netgalley in exchange for a review. All of my thoughts here are honest and given freely. My thanks to the author and publisher of this book for the chance to read this story!

You can expect:
▪️A character driven, very emotional story
▪️Dual POV
▪️Taboo romance
▪️Enemies to lovers
▪️Literal forced proximity
▪️On page, graphic representation of trauma
▪️Trauma recovery
▪️Escape from a serial killer
▪️On page spice 🌶️

Some of my thoughts:
📍This book was horrifying, heart wrenching and riveting. Once I started it, I could not put it down. The first 20% or so, shows the main characters dealing with being abducted and facing the crimes that were committed against them that follow. I felt physically ill at various moments during this portion. The descriptive language and the way this author conveys emotion, made this so real and raw!

📍The remainder of the book really deals with the aftermath of having been through unbearable trauma. The emotions were so high, the characters so profoundly changed, the reader gets to walk their journey with them.

📍These characters were incredibly well built. I enjoyed their arcs and really came to love them. Their struggles really touched me and I teared up on more that one occasion!

📍This story will haunt me for a bit, I think! It does have a HEA (as much as one is possible), but my heart will be heavy for a while. I can’t even say this is a bad thing, if an author can pull that sort of emotion out of me I consider it a job well done!

📍My only criticism is that I would have liked to have seen more of the main pairing in a healthier place, after their eight month separation.

Memorable Quotes:
✨It’s still beating. You’re still okay. And I still love you.

✨Every love story is worth writing, no matter how messy it might be.

✨ You don’t feel like my enemy anymore. You feel like my lifeline.

✨ Maybe love is singing her favourite song in the dark, just so she can sleep. Maybe love is giving away the shoes on your feet to help keep her warm. Maybe love is coming over in the middle of the night when the power goes out because you know she's afraid of the dark. And maybe love is walking away because it's the only way she'll find the light again.

I’m glad there are trigger warnings at the very beginning. While I don’t really have any I’m glad they’re there.
Dean and Cora are about to be brother and sister in laws. One terrible night they end up kidnapped. We’re made to think that these two hate each other yet they both do what needs to be done to keep each other alive. They both get away from the kidnapper but now have to deal with the trauma.

Still Beating is not your light hearted book. It is very heavy but very well written. This is not a book I typically read. It’s messy and dark but given the elements that make up the story it’s meant to be those things.

What an incredible read!

Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann captured me heart and soul from the very start! It's the kind of book that has you reading from the edge of your seat and unable to put it down!

Not for the faint of heart, Still Beating is sure to break you down just to put you back together piece by broken piece. I lived for the intense emotion and the impossible situations and absolutely cheered for these characters as they fought for themselves and each other.

A must read if you enjoy angsty and dark romance!

A wonderful book with a beautiful new look! I will forever buy anything Jennifer Hartmann writes!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!!

I was very excited to receive this ARC because it seemed like such an interesting story. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book because some parts were extremely hard to read and some of the characters were very unlikable, but on the other hand, I couldn’t put it down! There were parts I really liked, and parts I really didn’t like.

Why 3.5 stars:
- Extremely hard subject matter (read the trigger warnings)
- Confusing and complicated relationship with the sister
- I loved the flashbacks! Gave me a better understanding of the history between Dean and Cora
- Tragic, gut wrenching romance
- I really couldn’t decide where I stood with this book. Maybe I’m still trying to process it but overall, I did enjoy it.

“Every love story is worth writing, no matter how messy it might be.”

I would definitely proceed with caution, but if you’re up for a reading challenge (maybe something out of your comfort zone), read it! Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC!