Tuesday Reviews: Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann

When Cora attends her sister’s birthday party, she expects at most a hangover or a walk of shame. She doesn’t anticipate a stolen wallet, leaving her stranded and dependent on Dean—her arch nemesis and ultimate thorn in her side.

And she really doesn’t anticipate waking up in shackles in a madman’s basement.

To make matters worse, Dean shares the space in his own set of chains.

After fifteen years of teasing, insults, and practical jokes, the ultimate joke seems to be on them. The two people who always thought they’d end up killing each other must now work together if they want to survive.

But Cora and Dean have no idea their abductor has a plan for them. A plan that will alter the course of their relationship, blur the line between hate and love, and shackle them together with far more than just chains.

First off, if you are sensitive to dark, abusive situations with sexual violence... this is not the book for you. Still Beating is a harrowing tale of two people taken by a serial killer, and their against the odds survival. Cora and Dean's traumatic story may end in escape, but going home has never been harder. For two people who have survived the worst thing imaginable, the battle to find normalcy is only beginning.

While dark, the story will suck you in, and won't let go. Trust me, I read this entire book at work... whoops. I just couldn't put it down. It's a bare, tragic look at what happens after you survive. How traumatic events reshape you as a person, and how sometimes what you think is right in front of you isn't what you think.