I've grown skeptical of books that are heavily hyped on social media, but this was a solid recommendation. There is a word I simply despise that I feel too many authors have embraced and the use always devalues the read for me. Nevertheless, I'm rating it a four-star read because I really enjoyed the story. The tension is well written and I liked the characters.

That fine line between love and hate is about as sharp as you can get in Still Beating. The kind of story that had me both craving and at the same time hesitant to turn each page. The way Jennifer Hartmann crafts this story, you can't help but feel every single emotion possible as she gives Asher and Cora the chance at love that should have never been. Forcing them together in the most horrific of ways, knowing the other was their only salvation. Their only hope. And perhaps always their only choice. What a book. I mean I knew Hartmann could grab my heart like no one else but I really wasn't prepared for how this story would develop. Two people always at odds, finding themselves trapped at the hands of a psychopath and realizing through the rawest of ways that maybe, just maybe, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to their deep-seated feelings about each other. Cora and Asher could push each other's buttons like no one else. And as soon-to-be in-laws, they are put to the ultimate test when their lives are abruptly changed within twenty days of despair, coming out the other end fully respecting and wanting more than they could handle. I simply could not get enough of this book. Despite all the suffering, not just wrt Dean and Cora but also for the blindsided Mandy, the rich emotions that Hartmann brings forth are nothing less than magnificent. And every decision whether or not it would hurt was masterfully crafted as the push and pull between Dean and Cora gets to a fever pitch that is bound to destroy them both. Both Dean and Cora are great characters in spite of their flaws and desperation to simply feel after all they endured. Dean, in particular, and all of his selfless acts, had me swooning for him even though it felt somewhat wrong to do so since this is not your typical romance. And he's not your typical hero. Instead, he's a man who survived the worst of the worst and simply wanted the woman he first saw all those years ago in high school no matter the damage they might inflict upon each other. Dean's defining decision late in the book was beyond raw and my own heart bled wondering just how Cora could pick up the pieces of her repeatedly broken soul and if there could be a future where the hurt for both of them and for Mandy might ever subside. I didn't know how this would all turn out but I was there for every last bit of pain and wanted to stand by both characters even if it meant they would forever live separate lives. I will say for those who have not read any spoilers that I was very content and extremely satisfied with how Hartmann completed Dean and Cora's difficult journey. She didn't make it easy either on them but to say that love truly does conquer all is most definitely quite the understatement where this incredible book is concerned. 5++++++ stars!

I knew about the dark parts of this book, and that a lot of people enjoyed it. What I didn’t expect was to read the entire book in one sleepless night. It was a devastating, dark, beautiful & heartwarming story. Forever a new favorite.

What a beautiful story with a little bit of suspense. Definitely some trigger warnings so check them out before reading but very well written.

I've been on a reading streak of very okay and perhaps mediocre books, on a search for another book to breathe life into my journey as a reader. I decided to give this book a try as I have read another Jennifer Hartmann book previously that I enjoyed (Older). This book was almost everything I want in a book. I was enthralled with the story, and the angst, the background and the setting. Definitely made my heart flutter multiple times and it's been a while since I've read a book that affects me physically in that way. Cora and Dean's story was so captivating, it will forever stick in my mind as one of my absolute favorite romances. My rating shows as 4 but really I would give it a 4.5 only because there is a certain trope included in the book that I personally don't care for, so that's just a personal thing on my end. I know there's many others who would unabashedly give this book 5 stars and they would be correct as well. I devoured this book in 2 days and will definitely have a book hangover for a while as I try to find another one that compares to this one.

HHH-OOO-LLLL-YYYY COW!! OH MY HEART Y’ALL! I almost failed to find words… almost. Still Beating is a literary journey the likes of nothing I have ever read before and I say that in the best possible way. This book broke me, left me haunted for days, even weeks after reading. It took me months before I was actually able to fully emotionally process this amazing story enough to write my review. What a dark and tragically beautiful love story. Hauntingly perfectly and painfully raw. Poignant and gritty. Dark and original. This complex love story kept me captivated from the very beginning through every gut-wrenching, soul searing, unforgettable moment. Dean and Cora have known each other for such a large chunk of their lives. There’s history, and complications involved. This is not a second chance romance. Dean has been with Cora’s sister for many, many years. Dean and Cora have NEVER had any relationship before. Nor do they really get along all that well. Which brings such an impact to the importance of the story going forward. I don’t want to give away anything specific but I will say something crazy, scary and tragic happens and they are both involved and then need each other to survive. This changes everything about Dean and Cora and who they were before. This grows their relationship in unimaginable ways. Tortured, tried and tested in every sense of the words will grown them as individuals and as a couple united by their shared traumatic experience. Dean had always been such a jerk to Cora in the past but holy gah the way he was with her through their shared devastating encounter, the things forced upon them. I don’t have words. Cora pretty much didn’t care for Dean from the get go, but then the attachment, the bond she formed with him during her tragedy. Something so profound could only be understood and grown between two people that shared an experience such as they did. Dean was literally a hero in the pit of hell. She is calm to him in the midst of the chaos. He was her salvation in those darkest of days and she was his light in that basement. The writing was absolutely spectacular in this book. I literally felt every fear, every heart stopping, gut wrenching, emotion.The ways in which the author was able to grab us and pull us into the inner struggle these characters felt was immaculately thought out and flawlessly executed. Pain, disgust, depravity, and the confusion and devastation at discovering what new feelings lie between them. Their seriously complex relationship they had up until that point just got way more complicated. They were not friends, they were sorta enemies that semi-tolerated each other. But now they have become EVERYTHING to each other. This book is dark, it definitely has what might be triggers for some readers. But if you are not easily offended by things please take a chance on this book. It is amazing. Yes, there is some dark and disturbing material. But the way Jennifer Hartmann handles this the best way she can. With realism, and awareness. With scenes that scream of research and believability. and at the heart of it is a beautiful tale of survival, comforting another and a love born from tragedy. SIX SENSATIONAL STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ because five won’t cut it.