Hearts Still Beating, Brooke Archer
Hearts Still Beating, Brooke Archer
List: $27.50 | Sale: $19.25
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Hearts Still Beating

Author: Brooke Archer

Narrator: Kristen DiMercurio, Gail Shalan

Unabridged: 10 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/02/2024


Synopsis

Gripping, romantic, and impossible to put down, this dark and immersive post-apocalyptic debut novel is about two teen girls who loved each other before the end of the world — and before one of them became infected with the virus that turned her into a monster.

Perfect for fans of Krystal Sutherland, Adam Silvera, and the darkly human side of the HBO Max horror-drama The Last of Us.

Seventeen-year-old Mara is dead—mostly. Infected with a virus that brought the dead back to life and the world to its knees, she wakes up in a facility to learn a treatment for the disease has been found. No longer a Tick, Mara is placed in an experimental resettlement program. But her recovery is complicated by her destination: she’s sent to live with the best friend she hasn’t seen since the world ended—and since their first and only kiss.

Seventeen-year-old Rory is alive—barely. With impaired mobility from an injury and a dead sister, Rory’s nightmares are just as monstrous as the Ticks that turned her former best friend. Even after the Island—one of a handful of surviving communities—rebuilds itself, Rory is prepared for the Ticks to return at any time. She never expected them to come in the form of the only girl she’s ever loved.

As the girls struggle with their pasts and the people they’ve become, and with the Island’s fragile peace in the balance, Rory and Mara must lean on each other to survive—or risk losing the girl they love all over again.

About The Author

Brooke Archer graduated from Chapman University with a BFA in Creative Writing and has interned with Entity Magazine in LA. When she’s not writing, she works at a doggy daycare in San Diego. Find her on twitter: @abrookeworm. And on Instagram: @broookearcher


Reviews

Goodreads review by Mallory

Ok, I will admit I wasn’t sure what to expect from a sapphic zombie love story. I was prepared to struggle, but very quickly into this one and I was entranced. The story is told from two narrators Mara a 17 year old girl who was turned by a “Tick” but is part of the new trials on a medication that p......more

One of my obsessions when it comes to the SFF genre is zombies because viruses. I saw that Hearts Still Bleeding was a sapphic, zombie story, so I knew that I needed it…and it delivered! This story follows 17 year old Mara, a virus infected girl who has been treated and is no longer a mindless “Tick”......more

Goodreads review by Erin

4 Stars (Maybe 4.5) Whoever came up with the tagline on the front ("The world ended. Love did not.") should be fired. I do mean that. That's an eye-rolling level of cringe, and it doesn't reflect the vibe of this book at all. There is a romance element to this book, but it's also a brutal post-apocaly......more

Goodreads review by Leah

I received an ARC from Penguin Group via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Mara and Rory were best friends with deeper feelings when the world as they knew it ended. Now Mara has to learn how to be human again and live with what happened while she was a Tick. After Mara is turned from being......more


Quotes

** Cybils YA Speculative Fiction Award Winner

★ "The complexity of the worldbuilding combined with the depiction of the best and worst of humanity are on par with themes from The Last of Us show and games, proving that the post-apocalyptic YA genre is not dead—it’s just undead. " BCCB (starred review)

"This stunning debut will rip your heart out... and eat it. A gut punch of a romance set in an immersive post-apocalyptic backdrop, Hearts Still Beating will sink its teeth into you and never let you go." —Jennifer Dugan, author of The Last Girls Standing

"The sapphic zombie story I’ve been salivating for! Infectious storytelling and riveting action with a tender and powerful love story at the beating heart. I absolutely devoured this book." —Leslie Vedder, bestselling author of The Bone Spindle trilogy

"At turns brutal and beautiful, Hearts Still Beating is a riveting exploration of love and what it means to be human in a crumbling, impossible world." —Jen St. Jude, author of If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come

"[An] affecting, adrenaline-filled debut…escalating stakes, nuanced plotting, and a visceral first-person-present narrative that alternates between the emotionally complex protagonists’ POVs combine for a gratifying read." —Publishers Weekly

"[An] original, adventure-filled love story…. A richly realized and distinctive queer zombie romance." Kirkus Reviews

"[P]erfect for fans of The Last of Us looking for a queer take on the classic zombie story." Booklist

"A riveting, unique, and delightfully queer adventure." –SLJ