Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan Series: Breathing #1
Published by Skyscape on May 10, 2013
Pages: 377
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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"No one tried to get involved with me, and I kept to myself. This was the place where everything was supposed to be safe and easy. How could Evan Mathews unravel my constant universe in just one day?"
In the affluent town of Weslyn, Connecticut, where most people worry about what to be seen in and who to be seen with, Emma Thomas would rather not be seen at all. She' s more concerned with feigning perfection—pulling down her sleeves to conceal the bruises, not wanting anyone to know how far from perfect her life truly is. Without expecting it, she finds love. It challenges her to recognize her own worth―at the risk of revealing the terrible secret she' s desperate to hide.
One girl' s story of life-changing love, unspeakable cruelty, and her precarious grasp of hope: Reason to Breathe is the first installment of the acclaimed Breathing Series.
My thoughts…
This is the first book by Author Rebecca Donovan that I’ve gotten the privilege to read. I’ve read many reviews and tweets about this series, so I decided to take a chance on it. The synopsis drew me in and I couldn’t wait to get started.
The loved the main characters as well as most of the secondary characters.
I really liked Emma’s character. She’s a lot stronger than you would think she would be considering what she has to deal with on a daily basis. I couldn’t help but have sympathy for her. She has been dealt a bad hand in life. Her father died when she was young. Her mother was a drunk and abandoned her. Leaving her to live with her Aunt and Uncle. It was sad. It seemed that she just couldn’t catch a break.
Sara who’s Emma’s best friend was great. I loved the friendship these girls shared. Although Sara sort of knew what was going on in Emma’s home life, she kept her secret even though she didn’t want too.
When Evan entered the picture he immediately befriended and showed an interest in Emma. I couldn’t wait for these two to become a couple, but Emma wanted to remain friends instead of entering a relationship with him. I could understand her issues where he was concerned considering her home life situation, but I still wanted them to be together.
I didn’t care for Drew much. He’s your typical high school boy that’s only after one thing even though he tries to portray that he’s not. I was really glad when he showed his true colors.
I absolutely loathed Emma’s Aunt Carol. She was mean spirited, hateful, vengeful, cruel, and an overall bitch. (sorry language) The things she did to Emma were horrible. I can’t imagine having to live with someone whose suppose to love you, but treats you like you’re nothing.
Emma’s Uncle George was oblivious to what was going on in his own home therefore I didn’t care for him either. Carol always seemed to mistreat Emma when no one was around.
Here are my overall thoughts on this one:
The plot for this story isn’t one that’s overly done. The storyline kept my attention from the beginning until the very end. I cried several times while I was reading it.
It’s so highly emotional and I just couldn’t put it down. I needed to see how things were going to end up, but since this is a three book trilogy Reason to Breathe ends with a cliffhanger. *sad face*
Luckily for me I didn’t discover this series until the third book released. Since I’m very impatient and cliffhangers usually tend to drive me crazy until the next book is released I’m really glad I didn’t discover it until the final book released.
For a debut novel this one is amazing. I’m rating Reason to Breathe five stars because I know that I will be reading it again in the future and will also purchase a print copy for my shelves.
Up next is book two which is entitled Barely Breathing. I’m starting this one right now. 🙂
