Series: Hundred Oaks #5
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Published April 7th 2015 by Sourcebooks Fire
Goodreads Synopsis
Annie hates running. No matter how far she jogs, she can’t escape the guilt that if she hadn’t broken up with Kyle, he might still be alive. So to honor his memory, she starts preparing for the marathon he intended to race.
But the training is even more grueling than Annie could have imagined. Despite her coaching, she’s at war with her body, her mind—and her heart. With every mile that athletic Jeremiah cheers her on, she grows more conflicted. She wants to run into his arms…and sprint in the opposite direction. For Annie, opening up to love again may be even more of a challenge than crossing the finish line.
Goodreads
Review
Breathe, Annie, Breathe tells the story of Annie, a 17 year old who is training to run the Country Music Marathon to honour her late boyfriend's memory. Whilst training, Annie falls for her trainer's brother, Jeremiah, and feels guilty.
This story may quite easily be my favourite instalment in the Hundred Oaks series, but I'm definitely due a re-read of them all I think, perhaps once Jesse's Girl is released.
The guilt that Annie feels for moving on, and for still being alive, is so real, and fresh, that I felt like I was somewhat living her life. I could understand the guilt, especially when her feelings for Jeremiah blossomed into something more, and I felt that Annie dealt with this problem perfectly.
Re-seeing past Hundred Oak characters, like Jordan (from Catching Jordan), Matt (from Things I Can't Forget) and Savannah (from Racing Savannah), was wonderful. This is one of the things I love most about YA Contemporary series, whilst the books are companions, you still get some insight into past characters without it seeming boring and the plot overstretched.
I really enjoyed Annie's interactions with older characters in her running group, as I believed the variety of friends she made helped her to come out of her shell, and deal with her guilt, Annie really blossomed as a character throughout the course of this book, and seeing her develop into a well rounded adult (starting university, completing her goal, falling in love again) made the story into a five star read.
I could never recommend this series enough; it is perfect YA Contemporary Fiction, and I'm so happy there is at least three more instalments.
Dates Read:
April 13th, 2015
Rating
5 Stars
April 13th, 2015
Rating
5 Stars
