A Thousand Boy Kisses: A Heart-wrenching Childhood Friends-to-Lovers Romance

‘Rune pressed a kiss just below my ear and whispered, “Sleep, baby. I got you.” And he did. He had me. Just like I had him.’ Yet another genre and yet another winner from the supremely talented and versatile Tillie Cole. Not just a winner, but now our favourite of all her books and that’s no easy feat considering we have loved everything this author has written. From the funny to the gritty, from the emotional to the uncomfortable, we’re convinced there is NOTHING this lady can’t write and both agree when we say this is THE most beautiful, emotional and stunningly written love story we’ve ever read. This book is as special as special can be. ‘Kiss eight hundred and nineteen was the kiss that changed it all. The kiss that proved that a long-haired brooding boy from Norway and a quirky girl from the Deep South could find a love to rival the greats. It showed that love was simply the tenacity to make sure that the other half of your heart knew he, or she, was adored in every way. In every minute of every day. That love was tenderness in its purest form.’ We’ve enjoyed books, we’ve been moved by books and we’ve cried over books but never and we mean NEVER have we been left so emotionally wrought yet so completely satisfied after finishing a story. We found ourselves talking, sobbing and reliving every exquisite moment, of which there were numerous. And so it was with swollen eyes and overflowing hearts that we chatted into the early hours of the morning never wanting to relinquish our feelings for Poppy and Rune. ‘She knew she had me, just as much as I had her. We were all we needed.’ There wasn’t a page that wasn’t highlighted as this book penetrated our souls and left us feeling so unbelievably thankful and privileged to have experienced this unforgettable story of love in its most beautiful, searing and epic form. A book such as A Thousand Boy Kisses doesn’t come along often, so when it does, we possessively hold each word in our hearts and treasure every single emotion as we did with Rune and Poppy’s story. This story encompasses everything that makes us passionate about reading. “I used to know a boy, a boy I loved with my whole heart, who lived for a single moment. Who told me that a single moment could change the world. It could change someone’s life. That one moment could make someone’s life, in that brief second, infinitely better or infinitely worse” Poppy Litchfield and Rune Kristiansen created a bond of friendship at five years old that would blossom into a love story to rival the greats. They truly were two parts of one heart in every sense of the word. Despite their tender years, their love was extraordinary and it was epic and there is no doubt this came across in Tillie’s story as we lived and breathed the enormity of their feelings. “I’m half a heart. This, who I am now, was due to a life devoid of you. This darkness, this anger, was born from you not being by my side. Poppymin. My adventurer. My girl.” Tillie Cole doesn’t have to force emotions from us, they are elicited spontaneously from the natural fluidity of her writing. This lady writes from the heart and not only were our tears falling freely on the pages, but we also felt hers in every word as she brought us the sweetest girl; an old soul with a perception of life that belied her years, and the brooding boy who moved into her street and into her heart. She taught him what it was to love and feel and together they created something that went beyond mere love. Breathtaking doesn’t begin to describe their story. Heartbreaking is an understatement. Uplifting doesn’t do it justice. There really are no words to do this story justice. “Maybe we’re like the cherry blossom, Rune. Maybe we loved too much too young and burned so bright that we had to fade out.’ From the innocence and exuberance of childhood to the confusion and pain of youth, we lived it all. We fought their battles and lived through joy and heartbreak with them yet we haven’t even scratched the surface of their story, you couldn’t imagine for one minute how this story plays out. We know we didn’t. ‘I was going to do this for her. I was going to do my damnedest to make her happy. I’d win her back. I’d win her back as the Rune I was now. There was no choice. This was us. This was our new adventure. ‘ Told in dual POV for optimum effect, there is so much to experience in A Thousand Boy Kisses and we cannot stress enough that you must go into this story spoiler free and experience it all as the author intended. Don’t ask, just feel. We do love YA stories however we know some readers evade this genre. To those readers we would urge you to still pick this book up. The nature of the story and the delivery from this author is well worth putting those thoughts aside to experience something so positively beautifu

THIS. BOOK. BROKE. MY. HEART. INTO. A. THOUSAND. LITTLE. HEARTS. I didn't think I would make it through this book. I cried and cried and cried and ............ This is a love story like no other and I hate/love it. God! Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!! What can I say to you people out there! My feelings are just shot! This book is so beautiful, so sad and just d••n it. Rune and Poppy met when they were 5 years old. Rune had just moved from Norway to Georgia and he hated it until that moment he met Poppy and everything became crystal clear. He met his best friend, his soul mate. But nothing lasts forever and I sure didn't see this one coming. I had my mind set on not finishing the book because I thought when they were separated at 15 that it would be just another "oh they are apart now and lets find other people and this was all meaningless". It wasn't like that, not like that at all. Did I mention is was the most beautifully, sad love story ever! EXCERPT "Rune," she said, her voice serious and strong, "you live right next door, and you're a Viking and I just love Vikings. I think we should be best friends." "Best friends?" I asked. Poppy nodded her head and pushed her hand further toward me. Slowly reaching out my own hand, I gripped hold of hers and gave it two shakes, like she'd shown me. A handshake. "So now we are best friends?" I asked, as Poppy pulled her hand back. "Yes!" she said excitedly. "Poppy and Rune." She brought her finger to her chin and looked up. Her lips stuck out again, like she was thinking very hard. "It sounds good, don't you think? 'Poppy and Rune, best friends for infinity!'" Just kill me now because you all have no idea!!!!!!!!!!!! :-( So Poppy's mamaw died when Poppy was 8 and she left Poppy and mason jar with little hearts in them so she could collect a thousand special boy kisses. She was to write them down on the hearts and have them for a lifetime to pass down to her children. Rune and Poppy were in the blossom grove, Rune was comforting Poppy. Then Poppy told Rune about the jar her mamaw gave to her. EXCERPT He stared down at me, then at the jar. My chest hurt again; I could see he wasn't happy by the look on his face. He'd gone all moody again. I stepped closer to my best friend, and Rune's eyes fixed on mine. "Poppymin," he said, his voice deeper-hard and strong. "Poppymin! It means my Poppy. For infinity, forever and always. You're MY Poppy!" I opened my mouth to shout back at him, to tell him this was an adventure I just had to start. But as I did, Rune leaned forward and suddenly pressed his lips to mine. I froze. I couldn't move a muscle as I felt his lips against my lips. They were warm. He tasted like cinnamon. The wind blew his long hair over my cheeks. It started to tickle my nose. Rune pulled back, but his face stayed near mine. I tried to breathe, but my chest felt funny, kind of light and fluffy. And my heart was beating so fasts. So fast that I pressed my hand over my chest to feel it racing underneath. ••••• "You kissed me," I whispered, stunned. Rune lifted his hand to hold mine. He lowered our joined hands by his side. "I'll give you a thousand kisses, Poppymin. All of them. No one will kiss you ever, but me." END EXCERPT The story tells about Rune's love for photography and how he was going to college in New York because of said photography. Poppy played the cello and was going to college in New York because of said cello. They were going to be together living their dreams. They had friends, they had each other, they had a love that could match no other. And then... I will never tell you but for the love of all that is holy, it all changed and it's the most heart breaking thing I have read in a long time! The ending was so sad, I can't even. I just can't!!!!!!! Rune and Poppy's story ends in the blossom grove. My word of advice is to have a box of kleenex handle. I almost went through a while box myself. If you love unbelievable love stories, because there can't be love like that in this cr•••y world, then this story is for you. If you don't really want your heart broken and stomped on then it's probably not, but read it anyway! THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY REVIEW. IT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED. ♥

I read Raze last year and disliked it very much. Not my kind of read at all. So I didn't think I would be reading any of Cole's books again. But I gave in when I found out this was totally different. And to be honest...have you seen the cover?! The first chapter in, I thought I wasn't goint to like it. It's sometimes hard to look past our convictions but I'm so glad I kept reading. I'm glad I'm not a cryer too because I would probably have cried the whole time. This book is as heartbreaking as it is beautiful. So when I'm asked if I liked it or not, I don't know what to say. I hated it and I loved it all at the same time. Cole's words are powerful and gripping. I was stunned by the beauty of those words. I could go on and on as to why you should read it but why don't you just find out yourself? It's worth every minute of your time. And at the end of the day, I gave it a 5 special stars. Special as special they can be.

I forgot how many boxes of tissues were wasted on this

Really moving book, that made my heart to pieces. The very sweet prologue immediately gave me a big smile, but then, in each chapter, I found something that made me cry. Because the story of Poppy and Rune is, first of all, the story of an epic love, of an all-encompassing, infinite, eternal love. It is the quintessential love story and it becomes difficult for anyone to compare. The story of Poppy and Rune begins when, at the age of 5, he moves to America with his family. Rune is a grumpy child, sad to have left Norway, his home and friends, but he just needs to meet his new neighbor, a very sweet little girl with a muddy dress, to find out how nice it will be to stay in Georgia. But it will be at the age of 8, when they are now two inseparable best friends, that their most important adventure begins, that of a lifetime. Poppy, at the suggestion of her adored grandmother, will have to fill a jar with a thousand hearts, one for each kiss she will give and will be given. But only the special kisses, the ones that will almost make her heart explode, will have to be inserted to become her best memories. And that's where Rune comes in, because she can't let, now or ever, anyone else kiss her Poppymin. It will be he and only he who will give her all the thousand kisses she deserves, and even more. It is no secret that this is a difficult story to read, extremely intense and shocking. And it is also true that, given the topics covered, it is not a story for everyone. As many assumptions can be made, however, the plot doesn't reveal much and I won't either, because it would mean ruining the pleasure of reading for those who haven't done it yet. But I also understand those who would like to be prepared, so my advice is to inform you first, if you are not sure you can tackle a certain type of reading. In any case, it will be an intense read for everyone, for better or for worse, because it is impossible to remain indifferent to a story that releases love and pain, joy and sadness on every page. And if someone manages not to let himself be touched, then don't tell me how he does it, because living a book so intensely is the most beautiful joy of reading. The ending is definitely the sore point, what most disagreed with the readers. I didn't share some details, that's for sure, but I'm also convinced that it's the right ending. Anything else wouldn't have truly done justice to the great love between Poppy and Rune. You may like it or not, but Tillie Cole has managed not to disappoint and to be daring at the same time, she has made the easy decision, but also the most difficult one. And even if this reading has left me swollen eyes, the lump every time I think about it and has taken a part of my heart that I will never get back, it is a book that I would read again for the first time without any doubt. I want to remember all the kisses, all the sweet words, all the romantic gestures and it will always remain a special book, like only what special things can be. And finally my heart burst.

A Thousand Boy Kisses was such a beautiful and emotional read that stayed with me long after I finished it. The story is heartfelt, tender, and full of genuine emotion. I immediately connected with the characters and felt every high and low of their journey. Their relationship felt real and deeply moving, and the writing pulled me in from the very first page. This book made me laugh, it made me cry, and it reminded me why I love stories about love, loss, and the importance of cherished memories. If you want a book that will touch your heart and stay with you, this is definitely one to read.

Como describir este libro? La mejor lectura que he tenido este año. La forma en que se describe el amor infinito entre Poppy y Rune es algo que a muchos nos gustaría poder experimentar. Las interacciones entre los personaje y como se desarrollan cada uno, desde la relación Poppy- Rune hasta de de Rune con su familia, simplemente bello. Hubo muchas veces en que no podía continuar, era un mar de lágrimas que no podía ver lo que leía. El libro es muy emocional y si eres alguien como yo que fácilmente derrama lágrimas, te recomiendo sentarte con pañuelos a la mano.