Title- A Thousand Boy Kisses
Author- Tillie Cole
Series- standalone
Rating– 4.3/5
Genre- YA contemporary
POV- dual POV, first person
Trope- cancer (yes, I know it isn’t a trope, but it kind of feels like it sometimes)
Cover–
I wasn’t expecting this story based off the cover. Yes the bar of hearts is there but the colors made me assume it would be a happy go lucky YA romance. That was not it at all.
Comps– A Walk to Remember
Plot/Blurb-
One kiss lasts a moment. But a thousand kisses can last a lifetime. One boy. One girl. A bond that is forged in an instant and cherished for a decade. A bond that neither time nor distance can break. A bond that will last forever. Or so they believe. When seventeen-year-old Rune Kristiansen returns from his native Norway to the sleepy town of Blossom Grove, Georgia, where he befriended Poppy Litchfield as a child, he has just one thing on his mind. Why did the girl who was one half of his soul, who promised to wait faithfully for his return, cut him off without a word of explanation? Rune’s heart was broken two years ago when Poppy fell silent. When he discovers the truth, he finds that the greatest heartache is yet to come.
First chapter-
Prologue- Rune moved from Norway to Georgia at age five and meets Poppy
Chapter 1- On her death bed, Poppy’s grandma gives her a task to fill a jar of a thousand special boy kisses, the ones that make her heart burst. And at age 9 she receives her first kiss with neighbor Rune.
Character Development- Rune needs to find his light again
Best part- the beginning
What I would change- the epilogue
Quote- there were lots of good ones but they felt almost too spiritual/preachy so I didn’t write them down
Setting- high school, their homes
Theme- stages ofgrief, living life to the fullest
Vivid sensory descriptions- yes
Dialogue- they use each other’s names too often where it felt awkward and unnatural
Inclusivity- I don’t recall any representation of characters who were gay. Rune is Norwegian, so their culture was shown a bit, otherwise everyone seemed America-white from Georgia
Conflict/tension/obstacles- acceptance/letting go
Pacing- medium
Thoughts while reading-
Page 49- he’s not really fighting it much either
Page 114- well that sucks
Halfway- hopefully this book will break me.
Page 200- things are a bit repetitive, predictable & preachy here
Page 318 got me. Briefly. But it got me.
Ending- the message of the epilogue didn’t seem healthy or smart to show teens
Cassie Swindon 