Hearts Still Beating

4/5 ⭐️

You will like this book if you enjoy;
•sapphic
•zombies
•dystopian

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley for the eARC opportunity to read this book!

I honestly went into this mostly blind, not knowing much about it! Since one of my favorite reads so far this year was a sapphic vampire read, I figured sapphic zombie read?! Sign me up.

This story follows two teens from very different backgrounds and lives, and they must find a way to survive in a new world or risk losing each other.

The book does start with a slower pace, but picks up and things escalate pretty quickly. Considering it’s a YA read I wasn’t prepared for some of the violent aspects of the book!

If you enjoy a post-apocalyptic, dystopian, sapphic YA read I believe you will love this!

This book really took me by surprise. I went in blind and was surprised it was a zombie (ish) book. I’m not mad about it though, this was such a crazy ride.

Who knew I needed a post apocalyptic sapphic horror book? Because I sure didn’t.

The story follows two teenage girls, one of which is a zombie, as they struggle to survive the zombie apocalypse.

While I was reading this I kept thinking of The Walking Dead. In Dystopian novels you always your Neegan types and this book definitely had one. Those people always scare me more than the zombies.

I couldn’t put this book down. I read it in one day.

I would highly recommend this if you enjoyed stuff like Warm Bodies, The Walking Dead and The 100.

This book hooked me with its premise and delivered a gripping post apocolyptic romantic horror I couldn't put down!

This book had my attention the whole time, but then half way through I got bored. I did finish it though, I thought it could be better if the story was a little shorter than it was.

Hearts Still Beating has an absolutely gorgeous cover and presents a post-apocalyptic dystopian book with zombies!

Mara is trying to get her life back together after coming back from the dead. Leaving the facility that she was kept in as she is no longer a tick -- zombie -- from being medicated, she goes to live with Aurora's family on an island away from the mainland where she was kept before. Different than how she was before, coming face to face with Aurora -- Rory -- has her questioning if her humanity is still intact that she tells herself isn't.

Rory on the other hand, is a human girl who has faced loss and turned to focusing on survival for her family. Seeing Rory again, has her feeling a mix of emotions seeing the girl she was once close with before the world ended. Mara comes to learn that Rory is not the same girl she once knew, but the same could be said for Mara as well.

These two girls learn to rebuild their relationship in this sapphic romance story as they fight for their survival. Brooke Archer crafted a beautiful second chance romance in this post-apocalyptic world still healing from the aftermath!

Thank you to Penguin Group, Netgalley, and the author for an eARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

Hearts Still Beating is an interesting take on the zombie trope. The story follows two teenage girls, one of which is a zombie, as they struggle to survive the zombie apocalypse.

Mara was turned into a Tick, or zombie, and she lost her family in the process. She wakes up in a facility and she’s changed. She’s coming back to herself thanks to a new treatment that is designed to help the Tick’s recover some of their humanity. Now she learns that she and others like her are being sent to live among normal humans in a type of experiment to see if the Altered can coexist on a small island.

Rory has had a hard life since the apocalypse. She’s lost people she loves and essentially had to become an adult in her family unit. She’s tough and will do whatever it takes to keep her loved ones safe. Even if that means she has to take down Mara, her former best friend and the girl she loved.

Rory and Mara keep getting placed together. The former friends must learn to work together to protect their home and the ones they love from an overzealous Colonel in charge of the island.Colonel Mallory Gordon does not want the Altered on his island, and he’s willing to do the unspeakable to make sure the Altered are put down once and for all.

I had forgotten how much I like dystopian reads. This one was pretty great. I think fans of Warm Bodies will enjoy this book.

this was my perfect zombie story. i’m not typically one that gears towards most zombie/post-apocalyptic stories since it veers so heavily into the horror or the gore elements. but this niche of quiet dystopia is right where i strive. don’t get me wrong, there’s still a lot of violence on the page, a lot of close calls and on page action. but the majority story follows the rehabilitation after the apocalypse has happened and how quickly it can stray.

it’s focused on survival. on rebuilding connections. and it’s a beautiful story at that. rory and mara’s story is so damn compelling. i could feel the tension, i could feel their yearning and their overwhelming urge to not only survive but hopefully thrive. and, god, just put some sapphics in the same room getting their second chance at love (and life) and oh boy will they pine!! and i eat it all UP. i mean, genuinely, their love story might be one of the best ones out here.

i really don’t want to give too much of the plot away for this story since it’s one that i think is best going in fairly blind and just experiencing what the hardships these girls go through. so let me just leave y’all with this. if brooke decides to make this into a series, where we can explore more of this world, of this post-zombie existence, i would be the FIRST in line to read it up. i think this world has so much potential to share more stories, more regions, hell, even just more of mara and rory’s story is plenty!! i truly see (and hope) this world extending much further.

this is easily one of my top books of the year, i have no doubt. it’s just so damn beautiful and heart wrenching.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. all opinions are my own.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed it! I'd recommend it.

The world building in this book was truly spectacular. You could feel the emotions of all of the characters so clearly and you felt their hopelessness and loss in this post-apocalyptic world which I think was really well done. I love getting to learn Mara and Rory’s story especially how we got flashbacks from each of them which added to their depth and the overall lore of the story.

This YA post-apocalyptic novel should definitely make the TBR list! The story follows Mara, a Tick in remission from a zombie type disease, and Rory, an uninfected human girl who has watched so many people she loved be taken by the disease. That includes Mara. Rory and Mara shared a connection before the whole world fell apart, but can they find a way to a new normal together? When Mara is sent to live with Rory’s Island community of survivors as part of a training program, not everyone is on board. When soldiers start going rogue, the fragile relationship between Mara and Rory is threatened yet again. Can they overcome or will they lose their love forever? This is a story that I greatly enjoyed! I don’t usually go for a zombie book, it this one has a plot that is original and characters that really make the intrigue and thrills top notch. I love the concept of reintegrating Ticks into a society that is already so torn apart. I feel like there are so many metaphors in life that we can relate this too. I loved being able to read each girl’s POV and see how they navigate the situation and react. The representation is great and the thrills are awesome. It was a little bit of a slow start, but the plot definitely picks up and I was on the edge of my seat. Great read!

This story is perfect for those who love The Last of Us, The Walking Dead, and The 100. This story follows two teen girls who love each other but one is affected by the virus. I really enjoyed this storyline and the introduction the author made for this story. I was hooked from the beginning of the book and loved the conflicts in the story. I do have to say that the world was a bit confusing at first but you begin to understand it more. The word Ticks was often used which kind of became way too redundant and annoying. I liked the positive message of this book and seeing a different life of a “world ending” situation. This book is told from dual povs of both Mara and Rory.

Mara is affected by the virus and is now an experiment. I enjoyed her character and being able to get the prospective of the “monster”. She didn’t have much of character development but I still liked her character. Then there is Rory who is trying to survive in this new world and notices her crush is back. I liked her character a lot more than Mara and enjoyed her storyline. There are also side characters in this book and most of them I enjoyed especially as they were very involved with the story. The romance is LGBTQ featuring the second chance trope. The romance could have been better from my perspective but it’s what we got.

The ending was good but not the best. It was fine for the story. Overall this was a great read which I recommend reading if you are looking for a dystopian romance that includes a sapphic couple.

*this book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

The end of the world is something that has been done a lot in media, but I have never experiences a story quite like this one. It is a wonderful love story, but more importantly it deals with difficult concepts such as death and trust. It is also great for those of you that want a story about standing up to those in power that are doing the wrong thing. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a sapphic YA story and especially to those that love zombies!

This was my first zombie YA book -now it did take me quite a few pick up and put downs to get into this book, BUT once it gets going it was a quick read. Post apocalyptic, sapphic, zombie adjacent with some horror elements.

I received this book from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review!

Hearts Still Beating is a very interesting and entertaining take on a zombie apocalypse. I was hooked from the very first chapter. The premise of a zombie, or in this books case "tick", being medicated to no longer be a tick is so such an interesting take.

It reminded me a lot of "Warm Bodies" which I also absolutely love! There's the added bonus of this also being a sapphic story! I loved the tension between Mara and Rory. There were so many points where I found myself so strongly rooting for them to cross that invisible line in the sand they had. There was also Rory's family who, while I wished we saw a bit more of, I really enjoyed! The element of a sort of found family is always something I look for in books!

The action scenes were also very exciting to read! I felt myself holding my breath and being on the edge of my seat wanting to read as fast as I could to see what happened next! It was the perfect balance of being action packed but you still have slower, deeper moments to really get to know the characters and their stories.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Hearts Still Beating" by Brooke Archer breathes new life into the zombie apocalypse genre with its fresh and original premise. Instead of being set at the beginning of a zombie apocalypse or even during the middle (which is what every zombie book I’ve read has done), Archer has set towards the end of the apocalypse; in this story, the miraculous cure to the zombie apocalypse has already been discovered. Specifically, the story follows Mara Knight, a former undead or "Tick," who is saved by a daily injection of a new drug. Mara's journey back to humanity leads her to the doorstep of her godparents, the Blakes, where she reunites with their daughter Aurora "Rory." However, the island community's hostile reception towards Mara, led by Rory and Mara's sister Carter, adds layers of complexity to their relationship. This is a queer zombie book with a good amount of blood and gore, and I absolutely loved every part of this book.

This book reminded me of both "Warm Bodies" and "The Last of Us" with a queer perspective from the main characters. The characters of Mara and Rory are compellingly written, each grappling with their own struggles and transformations. While the world-building may not break new ground, Archer's portrayal of the apocalypse’s aftermath feels authentic and immersive. The fast pace of the book kept me engaged throughout the entire time, and I easily finished the book in just two sittings. If anyone is suffering from a reading slump, “Hearts Still Beating” may just bring you out of it, especially if you enjoy zombie/monster books.

The highlight of this book for me was the Sapphic romance between Mara and Rory, which adds a tender layer to the story, amidst the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic world teeming with action and gore. The dual perspectives of Mara and Rory provide insight into their evolving relationship. I did want a little more depth to their relationship, but Archer was also able to balance the exploration of grief, family dynamics, and survival throughout the book.

Overall, "Hearts Still Beating" captivates with its gritty realism and emotional depth and also has quite a happy ending, which I enjoyed. For fans of YA dystopian fiction with LGBTQ+ representation and a fresh take on the zombie apocalypse, this book is a must-read.

A sapphic book about second chance zombies? Count me in! This sweat Young adult novel follows one girls chance at redemption and her struggles to get back to life

I had so much fun reading Hearts Still Beating!! I'm not a huge fan of zombies, but I really enjoyed them in this setting.

I loved the main character and the plot was just such a refreshing new YA Sapphic story that I ended up reading really fast.

this was such a fun read, you give me a sapphic dystopian romance and zombies? i will immediately devour it as fast as i can, this was so enjoyable to read and i dreaded setting it down when i had to. the romance between the two characters and the entire story had me in such a grip, the unique situation that Rory and Mara found themselves in was so interesting and the writing style was such a joy to read, i loved this fun creative zombie apocalypse that Brooke Archer created and i cannot wait to see what she writes next.

all opinions are my own! thank you penguin teen for a e-arc in exchange for a review

Apocalyptic USA!

The Tick is rampant and turning people into zombies but there’s a new medicine that turns the effects around, as long as it’s taken consistently. 17 yo Mara has turned and then been given the medicine so she’s now considered one of the Altered. The Altered are coherent and human acting while taking the medicine consistently but if they miss a few doses, they can turn and become dangerous.
Mara is brought back to her godparents since her parents are dead. The community doesn’t trust the Altered but circumstances change quickly when a human makes decisions that are deceptive and dangerous.

Likes/dislikes: The author created an interesting world. The dystopian premise and zombies will intrigue young adult readers. I enjoyed the suspense that came along with the mystery of the killings.

Mature content: PG for kissing, mention of underage drinking.
Language: R for 75 swears and 7 f-words.
Violence: R for repeated bloody violence and deaths.
Ethnicity: falls to white with a brown skinned side character.

4 / 5 stars

I love a little body horror, a little zombie-fied drama, and anything virus related has always been super interesting to me, so I snatched this book up as fast as I could! And queer?? UM? YES PLEASE.

This was by no means a perfect book but it was a perfect storm of things for me and so I blew through this fairly quickly. I thought the worldbuilding was incredibly interesting. People compare this to Warm Bodies, and while I understand the assumption, I felt like this had far more depth and would definitely say it's an upgraded version if we're comparing the two at all. Watching Mara struggle with reintegration into a society that fears her, rekindling her romancy with Rory -- it was such an emotional and palpable read. And to give us the complexities of family situations during a post-apocolyptic world helped further immerse me into the story. I really loved this.

I do think the ending could have gone in several different directions and I'm not entirely sold on how this one ended, but so many others were satisfied with it so I definitely recommend seeing for yourself because the rest of the book is so solid. I'm so grateful I got a chance to read it!