Books On Our Radar: Hearts Still Beating by Brooke Archer

Hearts Still Beating by Brooke Archer is a sapphic love story at the end of the world… perfect for fans of The Last of Us. Am I ready for another dark, romantic, post-apocalyptic queer love story? Yes, I am – because I adore pain and heartbreak. I mean these are usually my favorite kind of books and shows! Not sure what that says about me, but I know I am not alone…so add this debut YA book to your TBRs for the anticipated release of April 2nd 2024!

Also peep this gorgeous cover!!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the advance copy!

Hearts Still Beating

by Brooke Archer
Published by: Razorbill
on April 2, 2024
Genres: Dystopian, LGBTQIA+, Romance, Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Bookshop
Goodreads

Gripping, romantic, and impossible to put down, this dark and immersive post-apocalyptic debut YA 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 HBOMax 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, the Island’s soldiers go rogue and come after the Ticks and anyone harboring them. 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.