A Thousand Boy Kisses written by Tillie Cole Review

Genre: Romance / Young Adult Fiction

Total length: 316 pages / 16 chapters + prologue, epilogue, and a bonus scene

Writer: Tillie Cole

Update status: Published

Synopsis: Rune returns to Blossom Grove after years of living in his native Norway. He wants to reunite with his childhood lover, Poppy, only to find her cold and distant. Unbeknownst to him, she withheld a secret that compelled her to behave in this manner. Nevertheless, her attitude left Rune deeply disturbed since he had waited for so long to be reunited with her.

Author Introduction | Tillie Cole

Tillie Cole is a British bestselling author who specializes in Romance novels targeted to adult and young adult audiences. She has written countless books within the span of roughly ten years, including the novel under review ("A Thousand Boy Kisses"), the "Scarred Souls" series, "A Veil of Vines," "A Wish for Us," and many more!

Theme: A Love beyond Kisses

The theme in "A Thousand Boy Kisses" is heartbreakingly beautiful and, at the same time, exceedingly depressing. This novel follows the "reunited lovers" trope but with several tweaks and dramatic turns.

While it's not our purpose to reveal any spoilers, readers must brace themselves for a tear-jerking reading journey where they'll learn the meaning of true love, one capable of sacrificing even the other party's affection, as antithetical as this may sound from the onset.

At the same time, we can't help but feel sorry for Rune, who experiences something akin to "unrequited love," albeit it's not really unrequited when considering the "hidden" reasons behind Poppy's rejection (which would ultimately become the main plot twist). The theme of "life and death" is also explored, as well as the idea that life is short and must be lived to the fullest.

Characters: The Southern Girl and Her Eternal Lover Boy

The main characters in this novel were already disclosed above: Rune and Poppy. For the sake of brevity, we'll stick to these two characters in this section.

Without further ado, let's begin with:

Rune Kristiansen

Rune was born in Oslo, Norway. He moved to Georgia (the U.S. state, not the Eastern European country) essentially against his will when he was very young. His predisposition against America shifted when he met Poppymin (a way to say "My Poppy"). From that moment, he swore to be with Poppy forever, a promise that remained in force even after returning to Norway.

Poppy Litchfield

Poppy is a Southern girl who fell in love with Rune when she was just five years old. She also swore eternal love to him but felt compelled to drive him away upon meeting again several years later. She formed a very intimate bond with her grandmother, who always wanted her to live a fulfilling life. It must be mentioned, as a side note, that Poppy has a knack for playing the violin.

Point of View: From Boy to Girl and Vice Versa

The role of the narrator in "A Thousand Boy Kisses" (written by Tillie Cole) switches back and forth between Rune and Poppy as they relate events in their own life and describe their relationship from their own perspective. Readers are capable of partaking in the protagonists' feelings and emotions virtually first-hand.

Plot in A Thousand Boy Kisses

The novel begins when Rune is just a kid. His father's company transferred him to Georgia, Atlanta, to Rune's displeasure. He was eager to return to his native Oslo and was not identified at all with the American ways.

Next, he recalled seeing Poppy for the first time. She made slight fun of his accent and asked him if he was a Viking, just like those characters in the stories that her "mamaw" (grandma) read to her. This trivial conversation would be the first out of the many they'd continue to have until they eventually develop a strong bond that would perdure throughout the years.

One day, Poppy saw her mamaw bedridden. Her father told her that mamaw was very sick, but Poppy was not aware that her dear grandma was well on the way to meet her maker. During the last conversation they held, mamaw made Poppy promise she'd fill a jar with a "thousand boy kisses," insisting those would be her fondest memories in life.

From that moment onwards, she would record every kiss she received from Rune on a piece of paper.

Leave and Return

However, it was time for Rune to return to Norway, to his utter disappointment. His pappa was summoned back to Oslo to fix a glitch, which meant he'd be separated from his soulmate for who knew how many years. Saying Poppy was upset by this turn of events would be an understatement.

Several years passed. Both Rune and Poppy were well into their teenage years, and Rune sought to reunite with her longtime love back in Georgia. Poppy was extremely happy to see Rune, yet avoided him as best as she could for reasons she could not reveal. But would she hold back for long?

Hottest Chapters in A Thousand Boy Kisses

It's difficult to pin down the best chapter here since the chapters in this novel are quite long and few.

Chapters 3 to 8 are, in our opinion, the highest points in the entire story, for they're momentum builders towards the great reveal. In particular, chapters 7 and 8 are nuclear in that Rune finally got why Poppy assumed that apathetic attitude towards him, even when the reasons were not very comforting, to say the least.

Writing Style: Worth a Thousand Words

The writing in "A Thousand Boy Kisses" is so exquisite you'd wish the author would never stop writing. The language is down to earth though so eloquently and elegantly presented that it's no wonder where the author's "bestselling" status came from.

Does A Thousand Boy Kisses Live Up to the Hype?

As surprising as this may sound, we believe "A Thousand Boy Kisses" is, if anything, underappreciated. This is one of those stories that deserve its own triple-A film adaptation, and it's a shame that no studio has even considered taking that initiative to this day.

Surely there may be better pieces of fiction out there, but this novel definitely touches a nerve or two. What's more, the characters are immediately likable from the very first chapter, and their development is beyond superb. In terms of pacing, there's room for improvement, albeit little.

In a nutshell, "A Thousand Boy Kisses" (written by Tillie Cole) is high up there on our list of masterpieces, let alone a must-read!

FAQs

Q: Does "A Thousand Boy Kisses" contain "spicy" scenes?

A: There are some sex scenes in the novel, but they transpire fairly quickly.

Q: Can 15-year-olds read "A Thousand Boy Kisses"?

A: The novel is not advised for people under the age of 14, so it's generally safe for 15-year-olds.