Table of Contents
📖 Book Details
Some books don’t just tell a story — they leave scars. In this Still Beating Book Review, I’m diving into a dark romance that broke my heart and healed it in the same breath.
⚠️ Content / Trigger Warning
This book contains graphic violence, kidnapping, sexual assault, trauma, PTSD, and emotional abuse.
Reader discretion is advised — please check these triggers before reading Still Beating.
📝 Spoiler-Free Summary
When tragedy strikes, Cora and Dean are forced into a nightmare that changes their lives forever. What begins as a horrific event slowly turns into a journey of healing, forgiveness, and rediscovering what it means to love.
It’s not your typical romance. This story dives into trauma, recovery, and the fragile beauty of human connection — making you question what love really means after everything breaks.
A dark, emotional, and surprisingly tender love story born out of pain.
💔 Plot & Pacing
- Starts with a gut-punch — no warm-up, just heartbreak.
- A horrific event forces Cora and Dean into survival mode.
- The pacing mirrors their trauma — tense in the beginning, softer as healing begins.
- Every chapter feels heavy, emotional, and purposeful.
- Jennifer Hartmann lets the story breathe — nothing feels rushed or forced.
- The slow unraveling of pain into forgiveness is what makes it unforgettable.
🖤 Characters & Development
- Cora – resilient, broken, yet quietly strong.
- Dean – guilt-ridden, protective, and deeply human.
- Their bond is born in darkness but grows through shared healing.
- Both characters evolve beautifully — from victims to survivors.
- The emotional growth feels natural, not romanticized.
- You root for them — not just as lovers, but as people finding peace.
✍️ Writing Style / Tone / Vibe
- Raw, heartfelt, and deeply emotional.
- Hartmann’s writing blends pain with poetry — simple yet powerful.
- The tone shifts from suffocating tension to gentle hope.
- Dialogue feels real; emotions are never exaggerated.
- You can feel the silence, the ache, the small moments that matter.
- Overall vibe: dark, tender, and hauntingly beautiful.
💫 Themes and Emotions
- Survival and resilience after trauma.
- Forgiveness — for others and for yourself.
- Love born from pain and how it transforms.
- The complexity of emotional recovery.
- Healing that isn’t linear — but real and raw.
- Makes you cry, ache, and believe in love’s strength again.
💖 What I Loved
There’s so much I could say, but here aThere’s so much I could say, but here are the highlights that truly made Still Beating unforgettable for me:
- The Characters: Cora and Dean felt so real. They’re flawed, broken, and trying — and that’s what made them beautiful.
- The Emotional Depth: This book took me through everything — laughter, grief, anger, healing, and love. I laughed, cried, and then cried again.
- The Relationship: The chemistry, the growth, the comfort — it was more than romance. It was connection.
- The Themes: Trauma. Forgiveness. Acceptance. The power of love to heal what pain destroys.
- The Writing: Poetic and raw. Every word felt like it came straight from the author’s heart.
“It felt like this book healed a part of me that wasn’t even broken.”
That line sums up my entire experience.
💬 Favourite Quote
“It’s still beating. You’re still okay. And I still love you. —
Dean ― Jennifer Hartmann, Still Beating
💭 Final Thoughts / Recommendation
Still Beating isn’t just a book — it’s an experience. It’s dark, heavy, and often uncomfortable, but it handles pain with such honesty that you can’t look away. Jennifer Hartmann doesn’t glorify trauma; she gives it shape, voice, and meaning.
If you love stories that make you feel everything — the ache, the hope, the quiet healing — this one’s for you. It’s a book that will stay with you long after the last page, lingering like an old wound that somehow feels warm to touch.
Have you read Still Beating yet?
What did you think of Cora and Dean’s story — did it break your heart too or heal it in unexpected ways