Still Beating

Oh man. I picked this book up at 6 p.m. and finished it in a single sitting. I devoured it.This was my first read by Jennifer Hartmann, and what an introduction it was. With roots in the same area where this story takes place—frequenting the Oar and having familiarity with other places mentioned—I was immediately hooked. The witty Midwestern humor and familiar setting made it feel like coming home, even amidst the harrowing events of the story.But beyond that personal connection, this book broke me. Over and over again. From the unrelenting trauma of the abduction to the raw push and pull between Dean and Cora, to Cora’s deep, aching loneliness, my heart shattered repeatedly. Jennifer doesn’t just tell a story—she makes you feel every ounce of pain, longing, and love her characters endure.I cried more times than I can count, but through it all, the journey felt real and earned. Trauma healing isn’t linear, and Still Beating portrays that truth in such a raw and unflinching way. And despite the pain, the HEA for Dean and Cora was everything I needed.This is a story that lingers—a haunting, heartbreaking, and beautiful reminder of love, resilience, and the power of healing. Jennifer Hartmann has gained a lifelong fan in me.

4.5 stars! Beautifully written trauma bonding. But please please please read trigger warnings, this book has a lot of graphic content. And while some scenes do not go into detail, if this triggering there may be parts you need to skip. But in doing so it does take away from the overall story, But overall this was a beautiful book. Jennifer Hartmann put so much beauty into her writing here.The MMC&FMC are always pranking each other and playing around, which instantly makes you think about their connection. The FMC has too much to drink one night and calls the MMC for a ride. They both wake up locked up by a serial killer. They start to bond and be each other’s saving grace through this time. While I loved the mental health aspect and how he was so willing to help her overcome everything she had been through, I really felt like we could have made the sister’s relationship shorter. I know this is trauma and they fell in love in it and that’s truly beautiful and how it was handled was beautiful. It was a good read, but it just seemed like everyone knew these two held feelings and the sister was blindsided and left by her fiancé, even though it was a comfortable love and not the way he loves the FMC, we just tossed a 15 year relationship. So that part I felt could have been tweaked in my opinion. But overall a good read, if you can handle heavy topics I do recommend this book.SPOILER AHEAD:I did love the epilogue and getting to see these characters in the future and knowing they overcome it all and have a family. I love seeing they are truly in love and not just a comforting love. I also loved getting to see the sister was able to find her true love as well.

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.