This book was so predictable I had to force myself to finish it. The dialogue was ridiculous for teenagers and the plot was straight out of a cheesy Hallmark movie.

At no point did I not know what was going to happen and the characters didn't develop, their circumstances just changed.

The epilogue was truly awful and essentially made the entire book pointless.

Three stars- it wasn't a particularly enjoyable ride but it was emotional. That counts for something, right?

This book was so beautifully written. Poppy & Rune had a genuine love that could surpass time. It’s so sad, but I highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love this book. If I were a re-reader this would be at the top of my re-read list.

As a five-year-old child, Rune moves from Norway to Blossom Grove, Georgia, and meets Poppy. They become instant friends and as they grow up, develop romantic feelings for each other. At fifteen-years-old Rune is forced to move back to Norway. Poppy cuts ties. When Rune returns to Georgia at seventeen, he’s changed, heartbroken, and destructive. Why did Poppy ignore him while he was gone?

The emotions, the heartache, the love, the hope, the yearning that I felt as I watched Rune and Poppy find their way back to each other was almost soul-shattering. There have been two books (both read years ago) that have brought me to tears and this just made the third. And with this book it happened twice. It was so well-written, so well-told. I felt like I developed a bond with these two characters. I felt like I was feeling what they were feeling. That’s solid writing. In addition, the background of “a thousand boy kisses” was dreamy and tender. And Rune just 🥰

The one thing that almost marked this book down to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ was the epilogue. It needs to be cut. It’s utterly ridiculous and unrealistic. When I finished this emotionally wrenching book, reading that junk epilogue almost squashed those feelings and voided everything that I read. GET. RID. OF. THE. EPILOGUE.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title for review.

(Update: I listened to this book. The male narrator is Norwegian which deepens and intensifies the mood of the book.)

Tillie Cole's writing is exquisite. Her prose is lyrical and poetic, painting vivid imagery of the Norwegian countryside and the emotional landscape of her characters. The narrative alternates between the past and the present, providing insight into the depths of Poppy and Rune's connection and the tragedies that test their love.

What sets this book apart is its ability to elicit a wide range of emotions. I laughed, I cried, and I felt my heartache as if it were my own. The emotional depth of "A Thousand Boy Kisses" is a testament to the author's skill in evoking genuine feelings from her readers. It's a story that will stay with me for a long time.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you so much!

I could not finish this book, I was really hoping I would love it because I have heard so many good things. Unfortunately every time I tried to start reading I just could not keep going. I only got 19% done 🙁.

I will never ever doubt BookTok again.. I went into A Thousand Boy Kisses by this author so confident that I wouldn’t be like all those people having mental breakdowns over this book.

Boy was I wrong… I did last quite a bit which I’m personally proud of! But by the time I got through half way or so this book was breaking me. But the end? Whoa. I don’t think a book has EVER made me cry so much to the point of wanting to be physically ill and having an almost panic attack. 🫠

I don’t know how the author does it but this book was a masterpiece of writing. Sure it was an immediate five stars but it was SO much more than that. Giving it five stars felt so.. little, like this book deserved more if only because a week later and I’m still feeling the after effects of this book.

To say it was amazing is an understatement. I don’t think there are enough words to describe this book whose ending broke me so inevitably…

If I’m not the last person on earth to have read this book then I wholeheartedly recommend it.. just make sure you have a crate of tissues and a therapist on stand by. 😂

This is a young adult tearjerker that touched me deeply. It tells the heartwarming and heartbreaking story of Rune and Poppy, two souls who meet as kids and share a bond that transcends time and distance. As I read about their journey, I couldn't help but shed tears and feel a rollercoaster of emotions. This book isn't just a love story; it's a powerful exploration of the purest form of love. Rune and Poppy's connection is so beautifully depicted that it left a lasting impression on me. I found myself fully immersed in their moments, cherishing every kiss and experiencing their joy and pain. While reading, I felt like I was on a profound emotional journey, and I couldn't put it down even when it became heart-wrenching. This book is a must-read that will tug at your heartstrings, make you appreciate the strength of love, and leave you with a lasting impact.

3.5/5 rounded to 4.

What a heart wrenching book! Check your TW!

This starts off as a cute little love story between two neighbors and best friends. Rune and an Poppy have been sweet hearts since the age of eight. Rune ends up moving back to Norway and eventually returns angry and tense.

Poppy was gone for two years but nobody knows where she went to. You get the sense that something is going on with her, but the reveal is quite slow. When Rune returns she tries to keep her distance but she is unable to. She is protecting Rune from a terrible truth. She has terminal Hodgkin's.

Granted the main characters in this book can grate on your nerves. You have Rune who is angry and unreachable and then you have eternal optimist Poppy who will give you a tooth ache! The dialogue was quite cringey at times as well. I almost DNF'd this novel at some point. However I am glad I stuck it out. The only question I had was when Rune dies and is reunited with Poppy what does he die of? How old is he? That part irked me.


This novel is cheesy but heart wrenching, for when you just need a good cry. It is worth a read, and I will check out other novels by this author in the future.

Thanks to netgalley and Sourcebooks Bloom books for this ARC

I really should have read more about what this book would be about, because I was not prepared for this emotional beatdown.

A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole was originally published in 2016. Which I didn't realize. I think the ARC was for a new epilogue included in the 2023 edition.

That epilogue was my least favorite part. But we'll get to that.

This is billed as a YA romance with recommended reading for ages 14 and up.

I was a little uncomfy reading this as it was sort of intimate for underage kids. I understand why the romance had to happen so young, but it was kinda weird to read. Also kinda weird to tell an eight-year-old to kiss a boy or boys 1,000 times as your dying wish.

If you ignored how young the characters were, then the premise was sweet. The characters were likable and their struggle to come back together kept me reading.

Some of the things they said were super repetitive. I get that it's what made them "them." The sweet sayings they always held dear and such. But I was ready to move on at some parts.

The ending did get some tears out of me. The writing wrung my heart out pretty good. That takes a lot for me, so well done.

However, I think the epilogue ruined the sweet ending. Without spoiling anything: I didn't like the jump out of reality and the attempt to give a happily ever after. And 10 years? What the heck happened??

Anyway, cute romance. Not sure I'd actually want a 14-year-old to read it though.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the ARC. This edition of A Thousand Boy Kisses is now available.

This book ripped out my heart and put it back together. It was painful yet so beautiful. Poppy and Rune were soulmates from the very start. This book has a truly life-altering message. It's one of those remarkable books that when you pick it up, everything else fades away and you can do nothing else but read. I would recommend it to anyone!

When I say this book WRECKED me, I am not exaggerating. I purchased a physical copy just to keep on my shelves and find myself reading it often. If you want to soak pages with tears, leak from every facial orifice and wish to sell your left arm in order to read it again, this is the book for you!

This is a book I've been meaning to read forever, but I was nervous to. Everyone mentions it as the book that makes you cry. And I did. More than once. More than twice. It was a little cheesy and the high schoolers kind of don't talk like high schoolers normally would. And that ending! What was that?! Is that a happy ending? Is this a love story? Yes. But a romance? Idk, because I don't know how to feel about how it ended. But the book definitely made me feel.

Love Poppy and Runes story. You will be in tears by the end of this book.
I'm really exited for the companion novel to come out next year.

I am an absolute wreck!!! Why did no one warn me about this book. Rune and Poppy’s story is so moving and emotional and sweet and full of love.

Their journey was full of so many highs and lows. I will say that it was def a ray of light, through everything, and it was refreshing in a way to read about such a strong love.

a cute novel, i really enjoyed it!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for this review copy.

I really wanted to love this book. I had heard about it a lot on BookTok, mostly that it was a book that would give you a good cry. And to see it get republished by Bloom Books is amazing and encouraging. This book was just not for me. From the beginning, I was put off by the writing. The younger flashback chapters tried to merge pretty writing and concepts into an 8 year old’s brain and it did not work. It honestly removed me from the story, and this was only in chapter 1. This passage specifically was very unrealistic:

“Mamaw asked, ‘Poppy, what is it that I always say was my favorite memory from my life? The thing that always made me smile?’ ‘Papaw’s kisses. His sweet boy-kisses. All the memories of all the boy-kisses you ever got from him. You told me they’re the most favorite memories you have. Not money, not things, but the kisses you got from Papaw—because they were all special and made you smile, made you feel loved, because her was your soulmate. Your forever always.”

I understand the meaning behind this but it was executed poorly. This is supposed to be the thoughts of an 8 year old?

Then we get to the meaning of the title and where the story is headed, and I am just…frustrated. Something about a dying grandmother giving her 8 year old granddaughter a jar to write down her favorite kisses is so off putting to me. So much so that I could not fully get on board with the rest of the book.

Then I get to chapter 2…

“It was why she was my everything. My forever always. Because she was unique. Unique in a town full of carbon-copy bimbos. She didn’t want to cheer, or bitch, or chase boys. She knew she had me, just as much as I had her.”

And this is when I felt the ick. Which intensified very quickly, when they share a kiss and Poppy says, “Kiss three hundred and fifty-two. With my Rune against the auditorium wall.” I don’t mean to be a hater, but I really don’t like this.

Now here is a huge spoiler warning, proceed with caution…




To my utter dismay, I realized the main plot of this book is child cancer. I had no clue I was getting into a A Walk to Remember/The Fault in Our Stars situation with this book. I do not want to read a love story about a teenager dying. Those two times mentioned were plenty, and this felt like a replica of those. The energetic, happy, make-the-most-of-every-day girl has terminal cancer. I feel so insensitive for this, but this entire book felt like it was banking on the shock factor to get it through. Most of the story, you are trying to absorb this teenage love story and knowing, waiting, for her to die. It was unoriginal and unnecessary and at times used this as a Segway to get the author’s religious views thrust onto the reader. There were quite a few times I felt like I was attending an unwanted sermon. The infamous “Footprints in the Sand” poem makes an appearance, and listen, I understand the importance, but they make the claim that this poem can be significant even if you are not religious or spiritual. “The poem is not only for the faithful.” I hear you, BUT… talking about it in this amount of detail is changing the entire tone. And it does not stop there, heaven is discussed a lot and “the Lord” is used often. The amount of times Poppy refers to dying and the afterlife as a new adventure…yeah, let’s view childhood cancer and death as a new adventure. Are you kidding me. And this line: “But more than anything, I want to return home [meaning heaven] with your kiss on my lips. I want to pass on to the next life still feeling your warm lips on mine.” I’m sorry, I seriously cannot. That is not only disturbing but so traumatic for this 17 year old boy that loves you more than anything else. Then later: “Remember, the one thousandth kiss is to be when I go home.’ Rune tensed beside me. Holding his arm tighter around me, I asked, ‘Is that still okay?’ ‘Anything,’ Rune replied. But I could tell by the hoarseness of his voice that the request had hit him hard. ‘I can’t imagine a more peaceful and beautiful send-off than your lips on mine. The end of our adventure. The adventure we’ve been on for nine years.”

The epilogue????? What even was that? 10 years???

I really did want to love this book but I had no idea what I was getting into and would have skipped it had I known.

~Thank you to Sourcebooks, Bloom Books, and NetGalley for this digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my gosh I had heard to keep a box of tissues near, but I hadn’t realized just how emotional and amazing this book would be!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the chance to read and review this re-release. Let me start by saying I am NOT a crier. Ever. I read books people say make them cry just to see if I’ll cry and nothing. This book? Ripped me to shreds. I cried probably the last half of the book. Such an amazing and beautiful love story. I wish I could re-read it for the first time again. This book definitely gives you alllllllll the feels.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tillie Cole.

I had never read the OG, of this book which came out in 2016 and I wish I would of read this earlier! I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!!! THE TEARS!!! I cried and cried while I read it. It was beautifully written.. It had those fluffy and angst moments which I love in romance/drama books. It gave off Nicholas Sparks vibes but make it young adult instead.

I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Give it up to the book that’s never made me cry harder or longer while reading.

I don’t even know what to say about this book. From literally the first chapter, this book had me crying and I didn’t stop until I finished. Heck, I’m still crying right now. Just thinking about it. Shame on me for not reading it sooner. It has taken me quite some time to actually read this book because I have heard how emotional people got while reading it and boy did that sing true with me. My honest suggestion for anyone who hasn’t read this book yet and is considering it is to just go into it blindly and not to expect your typical HEA romance novel.

I feel like I’m cheating myself and maybe whoever reads this without writing a proper review, but I just emotionally can’t handle writing one now or maybe even ever 😭🤷🏻‍♀️

Prepare for tears and make sure you have tissues with you! You’ll need it. This is one of those books that really hit you in the freaking gut. A top read for 2023!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️