Thank you, NetGalley for this arc for my honest review

Rating: 5⭐

✨S Y N O P S I S✨
One kiss lasts a moment. But a thousand kisses can last a lifetime. One boy. One girl. A bond that is forged in an instant and cherished for a decade. A bond that neither time nor distance can break. A bond that will last forever. Or so they believe.

When seventeen-year-old Rune Kristiansen returns from his native Norway to the sleepy town of Blossom Grove, Georgia, where he befriended Poppy Litchfield as a child, he has just one thing on his mind. Why did the girl who was one half of his soul, who promised to wait faithfully for his return, cut him off without a word of explanation? Rune's heart was broken two years ago when Poppy fell silent. When he discovers the truth, he finds that the greatest heartache is yet to come.

🌸E X T R A I N F O🌸
Rune and Poppy became best friends when they met as children, and their bond only grew stronger as they grew older. Unfortunately, Rune has to move away to Norway with his family, and they are both devastated. After Rune moves away, Poppy cuts off all communication with him, and Rune becomes even more devastated. Angry and hurt by being cut off by Poppy, Rune returns two years later as a 17-year-old determined to have some answers from Poppy about why she cut him off after promising they would keep in contact.

💭T H O U G H T S 💭
OMG! I went through so many emotions while reading this book! This was the first book to ever make me cry which is great as I am not one for crying at books at all! This book was so beautiful and heartbreaking. Considering this is a young adult romance this is such a strong romance story.

Such a beautiful story. I was not prepared to have my heart ripped out. I was a little worried with the characters being so young that I wouldn’t love it but this story is so much more than a love story. I was so invested in the sisters relationship as well.

When this book was picked up for traditional publishing in 2023, I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bloom Books. I don't usually take so long to read an advanced copy---finishing this one a year after it's pub date. I don't know what kept me from picking it up for so long. Every time I saw it on my NG shelf or on my Kindle I felt like it wasn't the right time. I don't know what made now any different, but I finished it.

While there are a lot of mixed reviews, I thought this was a beautiful story. It may not be great literary fiction that will transcend time and blah blah blah. It is however, incredibly moving and poignant. Life is hard and often unfair. But love keeps growing. Love overcomes. That is the point of this story.

Trigger warnings around cancer, death, and intense grief. Be gentle with yourself as this is not a light and fluffy young adult romance.

Again, thank you to Bloom, NetGalley, and Tillie Cole for this ARC. Apologies it took so long to pick it up. 🩷

I loved the romance! they understood each and could be themselves together. The chemistry between them was amazing! I also loved the slow-burn and the sexual tension between the main characters. There were several scenes that made me blush and smile so much. The writing is beautiful and descriptive. I honestly felt like I was living in the world with the characters. I felt so many emotions while reading this book, I cried, I laughed and I smiled. This book will stay in my heart for a long time.

"A Thousand Boy Kisses" by Tillie Cole is an incredibly moving story that left me with a profound ache in my soul.

Tillie Cole's writing is exceptionally powerful, skillfully breaking her readers' hearts. I recommend this book to everyone genre type of reader, and a heads up to be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster. You will 100% be crying by the end.

This book is heart-wrenching, unforgettable, and deeply beautiful. It will linger in your heart for a long time.

This was heart wrenching beautiful. I’ve read this story several times, and each time it pulled at my heartstrings stronger. I love Poppy and I love this story so much.

This book is heartbreaking and beautiful! People weren't lying when they said you need tissues. Rune and Poppy have a beautiful love story, starting as children. Rune has to move back to his native Norway at one point and they become estranged. What follows is a heart wrenching amazing love story that you won't regret reading. I don't think I've gotten teary-eyed at a book this much in a very long time. Looking forward to reading the second book from Poppy's sister's perspective.

This book was devastating but I couldn’t stop reading it.

It gave me all the feels of The Fault in Our Stars which was popular when I was a late teen.

These are the YA books I wish I had when I was a teen.

This story grabbed my attention right from the beginning. The two main characters Poppy and Rune and their connection from the start was truly beautiful. The author did amazing job writing these characters, as they grew and changed as people. The back and fourth storytelling added to energy throughout the book.

My heart is shattered. I knew it was going to have a sad ending and I told myself to be prepared, but I wasn’t. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the ending, but I’m still picking up the tissues off my bed. Rune and Poppy, are, in every single way possible, soulmates. I cannot express how much happiness & sadness these two made me feel. I’ve never cried this much for a book, but wow.

This is really marketed as a romance and it is NOT. I found it was maudlin and sappy and I just hated the ending.

I was told this author wrote a KKK romance so i'm not gonna be reading this book or write a review about it...

This was a cute little book. I think people would really enjoy this book. Thanks for the opportunity to read it.

Rune moves to Georgia from Norway when he is 5. He moves in next door to Poppy and they immediately become best friends. They are inseparable. As they grow up and get to high school they officially begin to date. Their time is cut short when Rune has to move back to Norway. Two years later he returns to Georgia but he has changed, and so has Poppy. The begin to reconnect and heal old wounds while suffering new wounds as well.
This book absolutely broke my heart! I don’t think I have ever sobbed so much from any book. I literally started crying in the first 30 minutes and basically didn’t stop through the entire book. But it was so worth the heartbreak. Even with all of the tears I loved this book. Even writing about it now is making my heart hurt just thinking about it. Rune and Poppy are the ultimate teenage love story. [Spoiler] This book has strong The Fault in Our Stars and A Walk To Remember vibes so be prepared for that level of emotion.

I did not complete the book, but only because I was so full of emotions that it got overwhelming. I did not research well enough because i genuinely thought this would be a happy ever after book. Rune's character is the softest and sweetest in a YA novel that I have encountered yet. It shows how a love can be both doting and supporting.

I didn't enjoy this book, which I knew when I finished it, but now I'm looking back on it a few months later I'm realising how much I really, really didn't like it.
I had high expectations as this has been on my TBR for years, and it seemed right up my street- an emotional YA romance with incredible reviews, what's not to like? However, when the prologue introduced the premise of Poppy's grandmother encouraging her to keep track of a thousand kisses by writing down every single one and keeping them in a jar? Yeah, I quickly realised this wasn't going to be what I was hoping for. The writing style felt very forced to me, like the author was trying too hard to make everything feel deep and emotional- although to be fair, it could be the fact that I wasn't enjoying the plot or characters that meant this didn't resonate with me.
Poppy was sweet, but I really disliked Rune and this didn't change at all through the story, I just thought he was unnecessarily rude and aggressive to everyone around him. Their 'romance' was absolutely just not there for me, it felt far too fake and exaggerated for me to enjoy and meant that the emotional plot points didn't affect me. I also would have liked to have seen some of the other characters developed a bit more, their family and friends, rather than just being names on a page with very little personality.
The final nail in the coffin for me was the epilogue, no spoilers but I hated the final 'twist' and felt like it made the whole point of the rest of the story redundant.
This book was a huge letdown for me- in fact, it has been a long time since I've felt this strongly about my hate for a book. I'm glad other people enjoy it, but it's just absolutely not for me.

This book had me holding on until 3am to finish reading despite absolutely bawling my eyes out. This is a story that will stay with me for a very long time.
The read is simple and even though I’m not a religious person in the slightest, this really affected me.

If you are an emotional reader, bring the tissues! Great story overall. It’s easy to get invested in the characters and their story

The perfect spring/summer read. I just loved the sweet premise and the journey this book takes you on!

How do you make a review about your heart being ripped out? I'm still not sure. This book. Wow. This book put me on my ass. It was amazing.