Gory and gruesome and yet somehow still strangely sweet?

Mostly dead, Mara is about to be sent to live among humans again as an Altered version of the Ticks - the parasite that makes people want to kill and commit cannibalism. All she can hope for is that the girl she loved is still somehow alive. Rory is definitely still alive, and she's angry at the world. When authority starts to get out of control, Mara and Rory have to rely on each other to make it through.

This book gives off The Last of Us vibes, and I don't hate it. Several of the flashbacks seemed unnecessary, but I appreciate the story that was being built. This story doesn't rely much on the science aspect, which makes it easy to read. I liked Rory's family and the tension that played out between Rory and her parents. I was not a fan of the sister's vague attempt at reconciliation. It didn't feel natural to the story at all. Mara and Rory's second chance, on the other hand, played out really well.

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

i read the premise of this book and i knew i was going to love it… and i did!
this was so angsty but also had sweet moments which i loved!

thank you netgalley for the e arc!

The premise of a YA romance with zombies caught me like a Venus fly-trap. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic stories, teenage romance, and plagues, you will enjoy this. This was a 5-star book until about 75% into the book. Then I started to feel like it was getting long and wondering what would take up the rest of the book. It ends in the most cheestastic but appropriate manner. There is a line near the end where one character states that they aren't living in a fairy tale, but readers, this is most definitely a fairy tale, the most Grimm manner. Overall 4 stars. Put this on your summer beach reading list.

This had me on the edge of my seat! The world building was good, action filled, and the characters pulled at my heart strings. I'll definitely be re-reading this.

This book had really fun characters and it was a satisfying and gory horror. The pacing and flashbacks had me struggling a bit, but it had a delightful combination of thriller, angst, and romance that kept me invested.

In a post-apocalyptic world, two teen girls in love were separated when one of them was infected with a virus that turned her into a vicious monster. As time passes, a cure is finally invented and they are reunited, but nothing’s the same…

Hearts Still Beating is an absolutely brilliant debut novel and a new favorite of mine. I mean, it’s a zombie apocalypse lesbian romance…enough said.

The post-apocalyptic world, with the complex mess society was left in, provided a very intriguing backdrop for the main characters that I really enjoyed. It added so much adventure, high stakes, mystery, and danger to the plot that kept me invested from the first chapter. I also really enjoyed seeing both outcomes of the apocalypse through the characters perspectives: Mara with her inner turmoil after being controlled by a literal parasite, versus, Aurora’s wariness and fierce anger at the world for taking her loved ones away.

There was also SO much angst between Mara and Aurora and I loved it. First off, they’re both badasses and I’m obsessed with them. Secondly, their romance was so sweet. The mix of tension, longing, and protectiveness between them was perfect and all the “touch her and you die” moments had me screaming. Overall, watching them evolve, from hating each other to falling in love again, was genuinely amazing.

I honestly could’ve read a whole trilogy of this. An immediate 5 stars!!!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an HONEST review!

3.5 stars

I'm not going to lie, I have a few mixed feelings about this one. It is SUCH an amazing premise. I love a good zombie story, but a sapphic love story where one is a rehabilitated zombie? I'm so in. I loved Mara, I wanted to protect her with my whole being. I thought she was written well and I loved how the zombie was the more emotional and calm one out of the two. But I didn't really like Rory. Some of her thinking and actions annoyed me a bit. I also didn't think they had great chemistry. It's hard to get a good childhood best friends to second chance romance right, so I honestly can't be too mad that I didn't like their version of it. Other than their love story (which is the main part of the book), I loved some of the themes that we get to see including one of humanity being the true monsters in a world of zombies. It something we see often in zombie media and I always appreciate it when it is done well, which is was here. I also loved getting to see this version of the zombies (or Ticks) and how they came to be. With so many of these stories out there, there are a lot of versions and I thought this one was really cool. So while there were some aspects that I didn't enjoy, there were some that I did. If you want a sapphic zombie love story, I would definitely recommend this one.

This was a mixed bag of a book for me. The concept was interesting. The execution was lacking. There were parts I liked, but the pacing was all over the place and the story didn't really click for me until the end.

That said, the main relationship was sweet and I was rooting for the girls throughout. I liked the supporting characters, though I thought the villain was pretty flat. The world-building was appropriately heavy and horrific. The stakes were high and interesting. I would say this book's worth a read if you like dystopian zombie tales with a sapphic twist.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

We are living in a sapphic supernatural renaissance and I am LIVING (or un-living?) for it.

Before we get into the romance, let's talk about the epic world-building. In this post-apocalyptic world, a virus unleashed from Antarctica due to climate change has infected people. The Tick acts almost like the an implant in the brain - the hosts are helpless to the Tick's insatiable appetite and are kept alive just enough for the Tick to attack other humans. A new drug allows the Ticks to be subdued so the hosts can be semi-real people, and a new government program allows these Altered to be released into the custody of their kin. Not that everyone is happy about the people who costs the deaths of their loved ones! Enter a dictator keeping control of his island community, manipulation of the masses, and scapegoating of the Altered for all issues in society. This story is less about the apocalypse and more about taking down a dictator!

PHEW. This world is set up PERFECTLY. Archer never shies away from the gore or the tragedy in this world. It's grisly and heartbreaking at the same time. Our heroines are battered (Mara is missing fingers, Rory has a chronic leg injury), but what matters it that they are beautiful to each other.

And my goodness. The romance here gave me hope in the genre again. The angst? The second chance romance? The way that love conquers even a virus threatening to turn Mara back into a zombie? Perfection. In the world that doesn't have much hope, these two girls find each other and cling to one another. Even as Rory blames Mara for the destruction of her family. Even as Mara's Tick causes her to forget Rory's name. They support one another even when they can't explain why (spoiler: it's love!)

The book is dedicated to the girls who are angry, but this truly is a story of love and sapphic joy. There isn't room for homophobia in the post-apocalyptic world, and Mara and Rory get to revel in one another. I don't want to spoil too much but making out saves lives, y'all.

Five stars. And that's coming from a girl who is terrified of horror and would definitely not see this if it was made into a movie (side note: this should be made into a movie).

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

My masochistic relationship with zombie media strikes again.. For some reason when I was a kid I fell in love with the zombie genre, and for some reason I'm still in love with it even though it has hurt me so much by consistently only having the most underwhelming pieces of media ranging from mediocre to, usually, just straight up bad. Unfortunately, Hearts Still Beating is no exception.

As far as positives go, I liked the concept. So far I haven't encountered zombie media that focuses on a story after a (sort of) cure is found. So to me this was a unique and interesting approach. I also think the concept of the romance was good, execution was slightly forced (as discussed later), but ultimately this was one of the better aspects of the book.

Let's start this critique by addressing something I usually never bring up.. the actual writing style! I never talk about this because quite honestly I am woefully inadequate when it comes to possessing the education and qualifications to do so. So my very unprofessionally worded analysis is that it comes off as kind of cringey-edgy-'YA-y' garbage sometimes.

The biggest most glaring issue with this book is that a large amount of it is based off of the idea that everyone hates the Altered (the 'cured' zombies), the thing is, this idea makes precisely... FUCK ALL SENSE. Come here, come here, you, the author, are telling me that Carter's sister comes home and is alive again after being presumed gone forever and Carter's response is unmeasurable rage and the strong desire to kill her?! You're telling me that Rory's bestfriend and person she loved/loves comes back and her response is to want to kill her? Mmmmm ya, no. This hatred was so forced it's ridiculous. Especially because you could genuinely have an interesting arc/exploration of the conflicting feelings Carter could have towards her sibling who unintentionally killed their parents, but instead we get this ridiculous one dimensional hate. And as far as the anti-Altered behavior from the general population: that doesn't make entire sense to me either, because you'd think all of them would be hoping it'd be their partner, sibling, child or friend who came back next. Weariness I could understand definitely, but outright hatred and desire to murder them? I'm not buying it.

Speaking of outright hatred and desire to murder the Altered, let's talk about Mal. Mal is just a villain for the sake of having a villain. No specific motivations, no complexity, just the most one dimensional bad guy because the author wanted to have a bad guy.

Also the pacing was a little wonky in my opinion around the 2/3 mark it started to feel real sloooooow. And the world was a bit empty feeling. It wasn't that developed. I kind of wish areas like Daphne's were explored more or just more relevant so that the world itself felt more well rounded and like it existed beyond the Island. Especially because the island itself though wasn't really developed either.

I'm not mad, just disappointed. The zombie genre has once again failed me, when will I learn that maybe it's just not a good genre..

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for sending me an early copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

Have you been missing that feeling that Warm Bodies gave you? Have you been wanting an apocalyptic romance that will rock your world with the perfect combination of angst and fluff to keep you needing more like you need your next breath? Have you been searching for a sapphic love with a side of disability representation and self love and acceptance to boot? Look no further!

This book was everything I wanted and so much more! It gives such angst and longing which is perfect for the setting of a zombie apocalypse gone wrong (if it could ever have gone right?). I adored the dual POV and the way both girls are so relatable in such different ways. At the end of the day, they're both learning to accept themselves and figure out exactly who they want to be in a world that's gone upside down.

My only issue was partly with the disability rep. Rory has impaired mobility and chronic pain from an injury she got in the apocalypse, but she seems to just "push through" it a lot. It doesn't seem to be intentionally written with toxic positivity as the goal, but rather it seems to be trying to show her strength. But the rate at which she just pushes past the pain rather than modifying situations or letting herself rest was a bit of a red flag for me.

All in all, I absolutely adored this book and the sweet love story that bursts through the fear and gore of zombies. Get your hands on this book, you won't regret it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author. ✨

This book was a rollercoaster! Loved the dual POVs from Mara and Rory and all the little snippets of memories that tied all of the before and now together. These girls certainly went through it. I laughed and I cried during this book. Vibes were on point with apocalypse/ end of the world. I thought it was very well written and believable. The ending was great and everything I hoped for while reading.

Incredibly heart-warming and fun zombie apocalypse vibe with a queer romance. Filled with well fleshed-out characters that you're really rooting for and plenty of zombie gore, this is a fantastic YA read. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys apocalyptic reads or zombies.

Thank you SO much, Penguin Teen, for the ARC!

What would happen if the pandemic was actually a zombie apocalypse? Now make it gay. 🌈

Mara is mostly dead. After a treatment was found for the virus that brought the dead back to life, Mara wakes up in a facility to find she is no longer a Tick. In the recovery program she is sent to a new hell-living with her estranged best friend and her family. Rory is mostly alive. Ever since the outbreak, she’s been through a lot. Lives were lost and the world as she knew it is over. When she learns Mara is coming to stay, she’s less than thrilled. She hates the Ticks and what they’ve done. Most of the island where they’re staying does too. Rory especially hates Mara. The last time the girls saw each other alive, it didn’t go very well. Rory is dreading seeing the only girl she’s ever loved. As the girls tread their new lives and dredge up the past, the island’s soldiers have a new mission to come after the Ticks and take them down, along with the families harboring them. When the girls realize they can only count on each other, will they be able to overcome the past and come out alive on the other side?

I absolutely loved this! It was emotional, funny, brutal, tragic and beautiful. It gave off Warm Bodies vibes and I was here for it! The beginning was a bit slow, but the second half was on fire.

I loved the characters in this- Rory and Mara were well thought out and rounded. They each were dealing with their own issues, especially involving their families and it was a journey seeing them work through it. The character growth was immaculate.

Characters I didn’t really understand were Mara’s sister, Carter and the bad guy, Mal. I don’t want to spoil anything, but with Mal I feel like his story wasn’t completely sorted out. The things he did didn’t really make complete sense. For Carter, I just couldn’t understand hating your sister so much, no matter what she did. I have younger sisters and I just don’t think I could ever hate them for something that wasn’t even their fault. Just seemed off to me.

I really enjoyed the LGBTQIA+ rep in here, especially on the bi scale (everyone always forgets about us). Overall, this is definitely worth the read. It’s not what I expected, but I think that made it better. I was engaged the whole time and needed to know how it ended. I will absolutely read more by this author. This one was a winner for me!

Overall the idea of this book was good. I'm a sucker for post-apocolyptic dystopian books I'm also living for the sapphic romance. My only "complaints" per se were the pacing of the book S the story was a little too long in my opinion and didn't flow as well as it could have. But if you're a fan of dystopian or post apocalyptic books with cute gay characters I definitely recommend.

Epically gay ya zombie book! I loved all the characters and this one was fantastic thanks so much for the arc and regards!

This book is brilliant! An absolute 5 start read! We find ourselves in the apocalyptic USA after a virus swept the world and destroyed civilization. Two teenage best friends afraid to admit their romantic love for one another lose the chance when their lives fall apart. Brooke Archer paints a horrific and believable picture of the fall. She definitely had me thinking about it long after I finished reading. We learn about who our MCs were before and who they have become in light of humanity's struggle to survive. One is infected. The other adapts to the challenges of her new existence. This is a story of innocent young love, innocence lost, the strength of love, and the flammability of the tiniest spark of hope. It is at its core the fight to maintain one's humanity in the face of unimaginable circumstances, resulting in pain, loss, and despair. Who are the real monsters in all of this? The love story woven throughout highlights the complexity of human emotion and resilience. It is very well-written, and immersive. This is already my favorite book of the year, and I am buying the physical copy for my home library. Do yourself a favor and give it a read! Archer is an author to look out for.

A massive thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!! I really enjoyed this book; definitely something I will tell my friends about!

What’s better than a YA zombie apocalypse novel? How about a YA zombie apocalypse novel with a sapphic love story! I was so excited to read an early copy of Hearts Still Beating by debut author, Brooke Archer, and trust me, this is a story you don’t want to miss.

First off, the novel gives off major Warm Bodies vibes in the best way possible. I’d imagine that this story could take place several years after Warm Bodies, and I loved that aspect. In the novel, the world is a few years into the zombie apocalypse, and there is a cure…well, sort of. Some of the undead can be given a medication that allows them to regain their free will if taken regularly. I really enjoyed how Archer developed the world, both in the features that reflected the deterioration of society and those that showed an attempt to rebuild it.

Additionally, one of my favorite things about the story was the themes Archer explored. Not only does she explore humanity (which any author writing about the apocalypse should), she also explores themes of grief and blame in a unique and refreshing way. Many of the characters misplace blame and cope with immense grief, and I appreciated the way Archer showed how that changed the characters on a deeper level.

Furthermore, family was another wonderful theme in the story. I loved the way both Rory’s and Mara’s families are broken, and both characters deal with that in different ways. Mara’s past greatly impacts her relationship with her sister. Similarly, both Mara and Rory grieve for their parents, Mara in a more traditional sense, and Rory in a metaphorical one.

On a side note, I liked that Rory had adopted siblings. I adored the fact that she could see her mother in her adoptive brother’s mannerisms, and I often forgot that she wasn’t related to her brother and sister by blood. It was a nice twist on the found family trope, which ironically juxtaposed a theme of losing family too.

I loved both Rory’s and Mara’s characters. I thought Rory insisting on being called “Rory” instead of “Aurora” was a nice way to be more direct in showing how the zombie apocalypse changed her. And, the fact that Mara called her “Aurora” was symbolically pleasing.

Related to that, Mara is an Altered (a former zombie who takes medication to maintain her humanity). I thought her perspective was compelling, and I loved the way her character was contrasted with her sister, Carter, who in many ways lost more of her humanity than Mara did.

Finally, the love story was everything I could’ve asked for. At times, it was heartbreaking, but mostly it was a feel-good touch to an otherwise somber yet interesting story. The way Rory’s and Mara’s personalities clashed was perfect, and I enjoyed the flashbacks to their younger, more awkward selves.

As a whole, this novel is a must-read for anyone who enjoys YA zombie apocalypse stories, and even if you don’t like stories about the zombie apocalypse, I still think there is a lot to love about it!

a sapphic dystopian zombie book?? This was better than my expectations. Truthfully, I think the cover could be better. This was a quick read but I loved the romance between the two characters(it's sort of a second chance romance too??), and the way they have to discover the cure in this one is so funny. I can't wait to see what this author writes next!!