Reviews

Hearts Still Beating by Brooke Archer

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nsgold's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

himalaya's review against another edition

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4.0

oh the setup for this is so In The Flesh but lesbians (but also a bit more american setting & plot wise). Only mentioning because I love ITF a lot lol

I liked this quite a bit! good characters and a focus on survival and how they deal with what they did and experienced during the apocalypse - while still being pretty action-packed and suspenseful.

I did find it random how near the end they still hadn’t apparently figured out that they like each other romantically? when it seemed like they had clearly established that to each other?

I also found it a little difficult initially to recognise the flashbacks - this may have been something to do with the audiobook narration not distinguishing it (with even a pause or slight change of tone)

I did find one thing at the end a little silly, but I suppose it's a sort of poetic and hopeful way to end it

my exact reaction I wrote down while listening: oh they cured it. FROM KISSING LOL

smokedshelves's review against another edition

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5.0

thank you to putnam’s sons books for young readers and penguinteen for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.

wxnniele's review against another edition

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dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Rory’s eyes find mine, and in an instant, I see a million different versions of the girl in front of me. The Aurora I met and lost and loved, and the Rory I found on the other side.

Brooke Archer is to be blamed for the chokehold on my brain, several days after I finished her book Hearts Still Beating. Rory and Mara’s story is unforgettable in this fast-paced book that puts a twist on the zombies in an apocalypse trope. We’re greeted into their grim world as our story oscillates between Rory and Mara’s POV throughout the book. I appreciated Archer's story for her ability to show the reader’s what it’s like to lose your humanity as an Altered (Ticks - humans that have been infected - are given serums to help them delay their transformation to full blown Zombies) and the inner dialogue that occurs when your brain is in a constant fight with the Tick trying to gain full control of your body. I’m not a huge fan of zombies or apocalypse, but the characters in this book won me over with their flaws and messy relationships with one another. Instead of seeing the loss of humanity as a death sentence, some of the characters treat being a Tick as a flaw, like an annoying habit you can’t break or an illness that is now a part of your life, whereas others believe you are no longer you when you’re infected.

As I mentioned previously, some relationships are messier than others, and the majority of these characters have conflicting emotions about the new world and their “new” friends and family. It’s never black and white, and the greyness that these characters exist in creates riveting situations where they have to confront their feelings about living in the past or accepting the truth that things will never be the same again. Some of the themes in this book include coming-of-age, toxic family, questioning and accepting sexualities, found family versus blood family, and morality. There was never a moment where I felt that things were too bizarre or unrealistic - in fact, most of the time, I was too anxious to even pretend what I would do if I was in anyone’s position in this book.

Archer’s flashback anecdotes to a pre-apocalypse Rory and Mara when memories are triggered in interacting with something from the past worked effectively in giving context to their actions in the present. Even though the world they live in is grim, these little tidbits to their past gives hope that not everything has been terrible for these characters. It also gives insight for our character’s motivations and goals for moving on. This next part is more of a personal gripe rather than an objective criticism, but I absolutely loathe “enemies to lovers” tropes and more specifically in this case - you got infected and now we can’t be old and grey together so I’m super angry towards you. The majority of our book revolves around unpacking Rory’s feelings towards Mara turning, and though it’s obvious these two are in love with one another, we do have to accept Rory’s initial hostility towards Mara.

It inevitably pays off in the end, but I hate that Mara couldn’t help literally being infected, and her attempts of reconnecting and continuing their relationship after their first kiss, pre-apocalypse, was pushed back heavily for a majority of the book. As we uncover truths about the past, we’re rewarded with the passionate love these two have for one another and are welcomed with a found family that knows no boundaries.

This book is easily in first place as my favorite read of the year, though it’s only a little under half way done with the year, I’m both sad and content with it being a one and done (though I’m not going to be opposed if Archer decides to make a sequel(s)). Don’t let this book being categorized as YA fool you into thinking it’s only for teens and young adults, because it packs a punch that easily K.O’s many Adult books I have read throughout the years. It’s simply delightful, grim, and a whole lot of gay.

morguebooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I’m jot usually one to read a book that is apocalyptic. It’s just never been my cup of tea. Just because there is always a sort of bleakness to the genre. This one was worth it though, granted at times it was brutal but the romance in it was great. My only problem with the book, and why I didn’t rate this one a 5/5 is because I wanted more from the Ticks and what happened, and possibly the explanation on how they came to be, and to have more information on the scientists who found out how to make the altered.