***DISCLAIMER***
Content might not be suitable for young adults and children
After reading Breathe into Me, I had to take a few minutes to fully digest the entire story. I mean, it was filled with so much titillating drama and action that I’ve noticed has become increasingly rare in New Adult novels. Ok, so let’s take it from the top.
After a tragic death and scandalous humiliation, Lacey St. James tried to escape her shame and grief by leaving Oregon to live in her grandmother’s trailer in the South with her mother and brother. Unfortunately, her new home never proved to be the paradise she’d hoped as she is subjected to constant quarrels with both her mother and her grandmother and left feeling helpless once she discovers that one of the two menacing adults have been abusing her baby brother.
So it’s no big surprise that she finds herself in an abusive relationship of her own with pretty boy Macon. One night, Macon pushes it farther than Lacey could handle and the handsome newcomer and city-boy Everett comes to her rescue. However, what ensues is a roller-coaster of unpredictable moments that were so freaking gripping that I read off the novel in just 48 hours.
Other than Lacey and Everett, Breathe into Me is filled with other characters whose addition to the story really makes it that much more captivating; there’s Ashley who is Lacey’s ex-friend and who also falls into one of Lacey’s mistake while trying to spite her. There’s also badass Charise who is the rock that braces Lacey when Lacey uncovers the kind of person her knight in shining armor truly is. And there’s the epic gun scene with Charise that majorly increases her badassness (is that even a word?).
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Still, I wouldn’t discount either one of the protagonists just because they’re not wielding guns or vengeance. I had to keep reminding myself throughout the book that Lacey is just nineteen. Even though her life is utter chaos, Lacey has her head tightly screwed unto her shoulders since the beginning of the novel. I mean, she’s strong enough to find her way out of an abusive relationship while she’s still young while there are a lot of women (and men) who struggle to leave their abusive significant others for years. Maybe Macon being a super pansy had a lot to do with it too.
Other than that, Lacey was also smart enough to decide that she didn’t want to rush into a relationship with Everett right after she’d left an abusive one. But what was truly sad was that, at times, Lacey thought she wasn’t tough enough to escape her situation when there were multiple examples that she could take on Hades and his wife if she wanted to.
The story also shows just how absolute power corrupts as Everett’s dark past is revealed and apologies just don’t seem to cover it. It was also pretty darn funny how small the town really was. I mean, everyone knew where and how to find Lacey when she ran off.
What really made Breathe into Me a truly remarkable read was its plot. Ok, sure, the characters were empathy-worthy, admirable and delivered a bucket load of chemistry but if it weren’t for how the scenes were laid out in the novel, they would just be another set of lovers thrown into just another New Adult Romance novel.
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Rating: 9/10
Book Info:
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin (April 8, 2014)
Length: 215 pages
Series: N/A
Source: ARC (Provided by Publisher)
Genre: New Adult, Romance
Completed: April 2013
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