Book Summary

Warning: Spoiler alert- Beware if you are planning to read this book as some important details are given away.

When two young kids’s paths cross they become more than friends. They become soulmates. In the book “A Thousand Boy Kisses,” a family of four moves to the United States from Norway. 

Rune’s father works hard and moves countries a lot and this family is constantly meeting new people everywhere they go. As mad as the little boy is, a girl that meets his eyes makes that change in his heart. As happy as Poppy seems to be, something is broken in her heart. Poppy’s grandma is passing away in her home, but Poppy is confused about what is happening considering she is 8 years old. Her grandmother gives Poppy a mason jar with petals in it and tells her to put a pedal from the cherry blossom tree in the jar when she gets a kiss from her soulmate.  

In my opinion, this is the beginning of life for these two young kids because they are super close friends and they are always with each other. There is never a day where they are apart and if there is a day they are apart. They know something is wrong and not going well. 

Sitting by the cherry blossom tree that blooms with red and white petals every year, Poppy and Rune share their first kiss together and under Poppy’s grandmother’s favorite tree with her best friend. Years pass and the two are together and all is well until Rune’s family starts acting unusually. He is confronted with the worst news he could have ever thought of. He is going back to Norway for two years.

This is a great part of the book because Rune confesses how much he cares about Poppy and he confesses his love for her at 8-years-old. Since Poppy has a goal in life and is determined to make it happen, this is a great start for her dreams and her promise to her grandmother who encouraged her to begin her life journey without her. Their little adventure as Poppy and her grandma always told each other. 

After those two years, both Poppy and Rune have changed. Rune is smoking and is hanging out with a bad crowd and most of all, he is angry inside. Poppy is more quiet, uneasy, and worried.

 Rune is confused on why Poppy has to avoid him and Poppy finally tells him why she has been distancing herself from him. Once Rune hears this news, he does everything in his power to make sure her dreams are fulfilled. One day the cancer catches up with Poppy and she is in her bed and finally after days of saying goodbye to family and her soulmate. Poppy reunites with her best friend, her grandmother. On her last day, Poppy and Rune share their one thousandth kiss that she dreamed of and the last petal on the cherry blossom tree fell and was put in the jar by Rune. 

Both Rune and Poppy are broken inside and out. Both hearts are torn because of the past and they both are confused about what is happening cause it feels like a dream to both of them. The good memories are happening and Rune kind of forgets about the bad memories but what he does not know is that Poppy is hiding the pain she is going through. This shows that he cares so much about her that he forgot about the pain she is going through, which I think should happen in a relationship because if people dwell on the bad past then life will be hard to push through. 

This book is a reminder to not take life for granted. Live your life to the fullest and do not let bad rocks in the road ruin your dreams and goals. If somebody is angry inside, use your power to help them and bring them back to the person you know they are. In this book, Poppy brings Rune back to himself and he thanks her everyday for it. But when it comes to Poppy’s sister, it is very different. This leads into the next book “A Thousand Broken Pieces”. 

I love this book and if you like a tear jerker or a cliffhanger, then this is the book for you. The other thing I like about this book is that the author makes you wait to see what happens to Poppy’s family and the people that impacted Poppy’s life until the next book. There is so much suspense. Then the author makes you dig a little deeper and in your mind you have to piece together events that happened. This book is a 10 out of 10. 

With the second book, “A Thousand Broken Pieces” I like how it pieces together things that were in the first book and connects the main character of the second book to the characters in the first book. The point of views are a lot alike and again with the first book, it pieces everything together beautifully. Both books still connect to the idea that two hearts make a whole and that two people on different paths can still unite one path. 

“Some people are only in our lives for a short time, but the mark they leave on us is a cherished tattoo.” ~Savannah Linchfield, Poppy’s sister.