⤷‧₊˚1.75⭑
„our kiss may have been a middle finger to anyone who didn’t want us together, but her smile was a middle finger to the darkness in my soul.“

i’m a person who cries about EVERYTHING and when
i say everything i literally mean everything, but it didn't make me sad at all. where's the heartbreaking story everyone's been telling me?

yeah that was a bit too cute for me too, all the giggling and kissing was just too much for me. so it's fair to say that I'm not the right person for this.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This book was very predictable for me as I have already read books with cancer patients and their sad love stories. My favourites would definitely be the fault in our stars and five feet apart. What was interesting about this book was the concept of the female lead Poppy filling the jar given by her grandmother whenever she kissed. Her life's adventure was to fill it for 1000 boy kisses. I personally am not a big fan of the writing as it felt too cheesy and cringey to me. I guess it was not for me as it's a YA. overall it was an okayish read but I won't recommend it to anyone.

I guess it wasn't as special as special can be🤪🤪🤪iykyk.

HEA seekers, beware. This book is heartbreaking in the best way. The story remains focused on Poppy and Rune, following them from the start of their young friendship through the years of young love. While additional characters are sparse and that can be seen as a negative to some, it can be nice to only have to focus on one singular plot line as well. Their dependency and attachment to each other for so long reads a bit of a stretch at times but their story is lovely just the same.

I can see why so many people adore this book. Tillie Cole definitely knows how to pull on your heartstrings, and create super emotional moments. I think the highlight of this book was how much it made you feel and how you really got to know Poppy and Rune.

I liked this, but it felt like a modern version of A Walk to Remember, complete with religious female lead. The book was super emotional and I think the journey of Poppy and Rune was cute, but I also felt like other parts were overly cheesy and bordered on toxic positivity.

Parts of this book were beautifully written, but it did start to get redundant. Also, there was a weird undercurrent of slut shaming? But I feel like that might be par for the course if the lead is a religious person. Lastly! I wish the epilogue didn't exist. It felt like it cheapened the story a bit.

If you're looking for a book to give you a good cry? This is the book. Short, pretty easy to read, and guaranteed tears.

Thanks to Bloom Books and Netgalley for the ARC!

This the first book I’ve read that absolutely had my emotions all over the place . I absolutely loved the book and will continue to read the authors books . Definitely one of my favorite reads this year !!

5 stars!

SO.MANY.TEARS.

No seriously, I cried for 80% of this book, about 30% of that I was just bawling.

I don’t want to reveal more than the original summary, but I feel like everyone needs to read this one.

It is absolutely gut wrenching, but I can honestly say it changed my life and my overall outlook on life.

I will be thinking about this book for many years to come and I might have to go out and buy a physical copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC.

Words fail me when it comes to expressing the profound impact this book had on me. It's hard to put into words the emotions that surged through me as I devoured its pages. But I'll try my best to convey the depth of my experience from the depths of my heart!

First and foremost, I must commend Tillie Cole for her remarkable ability to evoke such raw and powerful emotions. This book had me in tears, ugly crying like never before. It was a testament to the author's talent that she could elicit such a visceral response from me. The love story between Poppy and Rune is etched in my memory forever.

Their journey touched my soul in ways I never thought possible. The way their love unfolded, transcending all obstacles, left an indelible mark on my heart. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, filled with heartache, joy, and everything in between. Tillie Cole masterfully crafted a tale that resonated with me on a profound level.

However, I must admit that there were a few aspects that prevented me from giving this book a perfect five-star rating.

When I stumbled upon the "twist" in the storyline, I was initially tempted to stop reading altogether. Without revealing any spoilers, I will say that it delved into a narrative territory that I typically tend to avoid. Personally, I try not to read books that leave me in tears. Nevertheless, I'm grateful that I persevered because the overall journey was worth it.

In conclusion, this book deserves nothing less than 4.5 stars in my opinion.
It is an extraordinary piece of literature that will stay with me long after I've turned the final page.

Tillie Cole's ability to make me ugly cry is a testament to her exceptional storytelling prowess. If you're looking for a love story that will leave you breathless, emotionally damaged and completely and utterly invested, look no further. This is the book for you

This book broke me and put me back together and then broke me again. I do not think that I have cried at a book like I did while reading this one, I was crying almost from the very beginning. This was such a sweet sad story! I loved the characters. Poppy’s optimistic attitude and Rune’s endearing love for her!! I highly recommend this book to everyone! Also I love this cover. Its gorgeous! I will read anything Tillie Cole writes! Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I can see the potential of this book, and I think teenage me might have loved it. Because I probably would have overlooked things that stand out like a sore tumb to adult me. Teen me would have loved this unconditional love between two teenagers who have only eyes for each other.

However adult m definitely has some issues with the continues bimbo/slut shaming of other girls. Adult me has issues with the 'she's not like anyone else' and 'everyone is in love with him, but he only has eyes for her' tropes in this book. I also doubt that an 8 year old girl would notice how pretty the lips of an 8 year old boy. I doubt an 8 year old boy would be interested in kissing girls. I remember all the boys in my class thinking girls are icky. The whole 'I only want to spend time with you and nobody else/ can't spend a moment without you' gave off some serious co-depency vibes.

Honestly, I was highly considering DNF'ing the book. Specifically after Rune came back and was the angsty, angry teenager who was angry always.

After the 50% mark of the book it's nothing but sobbing. Writing tearjerkers has got to be a superpower of this author. It was very emotionally draining to have your heart broken into little pieces, each chapter a little more until there was nothing left to break into little pieces.

Overall kudos to the author for making me sob 50% of the book, but alas not super impressed with some of the writing.

How can a book make me feel so many different emotions? I was beaming in the beginning from the coziness and how cute the book was. As I shut the book I was bawling. I loved this book and the story the author told.

single-handedly the saddest book ive ever read all i did was cry and sob i cant ever recover from poppy and rune they mean so much to me

“Since the day I left you, I haven’t kissed anyone else. My lips are still yours. There’s never been anyone else. There never will be.”

Poppy and Rune. Two halves of one heart. Best friends and next door neighbors since they were five. Completely inseparable until Rune moved back to Norway and Poppy stopped talking to him. 2 years later, they’re back in each other’s lives, trying to make up for lost times but then time might not be on their side when the truth comes out.

WHY AM I JUST NOW READING THIS BOOK?

I am heartbroken, completely and utterly broken. I’m speechless. The most soul-wrenching and beautifully written book I’ve ever read. The love between Poppy and Rune is so precious, sweet and tender; every moment just made my heart full. A love like no other. She’s the light to his darkness and they truly belong to one another. For infinity, forever always!

🌸READ IF YOU LIKE🌸:
- dual POV
- a long-haired brooding boy from norway x a quirky girl from georgia
- childhood friends to lovers to strangers to lovers
- he falls hard
- “it’s always been you”
- a jar of extra special, heart-bursting kisses
- infinity signs: “for infinity. forever always”
- next door neighbors
- a passion for music & photography
- second chance
- cherry blossom trees & adventures & sunrises
- small town
- a walk to remember vibes

cw: grief, death of loved one, slut shaming, cancer, strained relationship with parents

Thank you to @netgalley and @read_bloom for the advanced copy! A Thousand Boy Kisses is available on August 29, 2023!

I wasn't really into this. The writing, characters, and plot execution were all a bit lackluster and left much to be desired. It just didn't hold my attention and made it hard for me to get through.

This book was heartbreakingly good! I loved the love story between Rune and Poppy! I don’t think I’ve ever cried this much in a book since I read a Nicholas Sparks.

NetGalley provided me with a copy of A Thousand Boy Kisses in an exchange for a review.

First off, I’m glad I didn’t try to read this during breaks at work or my lunch break. I’m glad I read this during the weekend at home so I could process this alone. The writing is SO good and it’s very rare that a book has an effect on me like A Thousand Boy Kisses. Rune and Poppy maybe young but they already know they’re meant to be together no matter what. The ending is absolutely heartbreaking but I also wouldn’t change it.

I LOVED this book. If you love, love, read this. If you want to appreciate life more, read this. If you want to see death portrayed BEAUTIFULLY, read this. If you need to cry from beautiful writing and depictions, read this. I loved the relationships, character evolution, and overall light this brought. I've read a similar but opposite book to this one, but A Thousand Boy Kisses did it right.

for infinity.
forever always.
poppymin & my rune. 🩷

i am broken, and i do not think i will ever be the same after this book. this was the most beautiful story i have ever read in my life. it took me a really long time to finally read it but i’m glad i waited until the timing was right.

this book gave me a really beautiful perspective of love that i think will stick with me always. i cried for hours, during chapter 12 i just broke and never stopped. but all of that pain was worth it in the very end to see where these two ended up. the very last final kiss of the book was gut wrenching but also my favorite.

tillie cole, you are an absolute genius, a beautiful writer and if i could sue you for emotional damage i totally would make no mistake.

this was an epic love story that i will for infinity, forever always cherish ♾

this was SO hyped up as a painful read and it just…did not deliver

the mc’s were immature and quite insufferable. the writing/dialogue was mediocre and a bit cringey as times, with cheesy quotes being sprung about here and there

the “romance” was semi compelling but it didn’t dissuade me from the unlikable characters

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Tillie Cole for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book is one oh my absolute favourites. The innocence of young love, as well as the heartbreak it caused particularly for Rune but then also Poppy when he came back.

This book will make you smile and ugly cry, I highly recommend it

This book pulled on and then shredded my heart strings. I don't get emotional over books but I seriously cried over this one, and it's only the secondtime ive cried over a book. The character development was great but the writing was cheesy and dramatic at times. A solid 4 stars and 5 sobbing tears.

Thank you to NetGalley for offering this title in their catalogue.