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groovyjenni's review against another edition
2.0
This was a really difficult book to get through. I was reading it and multiple books at once and I don't know why, but every time I came back to this, it made me exhausted. The writing tried too hard to be contemporary. The author tried to look smart and it only hindered the characters. I just couldn't get into this until over halfway into the book that it came more interesting to me. I wouldn't suggest it as a lighter read. I would go into it knowing that it's going to get really teen angsty on you.
sgreen2307's review against another edition
5.0
It was a good look at what it would be like to have a family member who had a disease of the mind. Watching through Katie's eyes what her brother's illness is doing to the family was heartbreaking. She loved her brother, but she also hated him too. Definitely recommend it.
mary00's review against another edition
2.0
I wavered between 2 and 3 stars on this one. Ultimately, I decided on the higher rating as this book kept me breezing right through it and it is well-written. The author does a great job in developing most of the characters and handles Katie's relationships with her schizophrenic brother and her best friend beautifully.
However, it is a very dark and heavy young adult novel. It did not leave me feeling very uplifted. I also could not relate to the promiscuous, party filled lifestyles that the teens of the novel were involved in. The author seemed to be treating such lifestyles as the acceptable norm for all modern teens. Therefore, this is not a book that I would recommend to the teens that I know.
(Changed my mind. Decided to go with 2 stars.)
However, it is a very dark and heavy young adult novel. It did not leave me feeling very uplifted. I also could not relate to the promiscuous, party filled lifestyles that the teens of the novel were involved in. The author seemed to be treating such lifestyles as the acceptable norm for all modern teens. Therefore, this is not a book that I would recommend to the teens that I know.
(Changed my mind. Decided to go with 2 stars.)
timeliss's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutly loved this book, from the first page to the last. i started reading this book at eight pm, and i finished it at about 2 in the morning. I loved how the author made sure there weren't any unnecessary characters; everyone mentioned was there for a reason. My favorite character was Drew. Funny, beautiful Drew. He made the book soo much better with those comments of his like in his car when he declared, "Katie, I'm ready for you to start giving me blow jobs" or when Katie tried to reassure him that Eddie was just a friend and he said, "I can spot gays from a mile away". I died laughing. the author did a good job of making it so she doesn't get in to Yale and chooses to go to Harvard with Drew. Them staying friends even ten years later was the icing on the cake.
I loved the relationship Katie had with Mazzie. They could insult eachother for hours but it was all in good spirit. i wish we knew how her mother died though. I liked how Mazzie knew all of Katie's secrets, even though she claimed to hate her. she saw Will's antics for himslef, but still chose to not to judge. They were roomates the entire time and that made their bond stronger.
I liked how fast this book moved. most authors have to write two or three books to be able to describe high school, but this author did all four years(plus ten years later)in one book, with lots of detail.
Most of all, i loved Katie's relationship with Will. even though he was crazy the entire story it was never his fault. the drugs, the hateful teachers and neighbors, the drunk and barely there parents drove him over the edge. But Katie was always there, being his partner in crime. She never resented him, just wished he was better. with him being in and out of different youth facilities, she always had swimming to count on. 10 Stars!!!
I loved the relationship Katie had with Mazzie. They could insult eachother for hours but it was all in good spirit. i wish we knew how her mother died though. I liked how Mazzie knew all of Katie's secrets, even though she claimed to hate her. she saw Will's antics for himslef, but still chose to not to judge. They were roomates the entire time and that made their bond stronger.
I liked how fast this book moved. most authors have to write two or three books to be able to describe high school, but this author did all four years(plus ten years later)in one book, with lots of detail.
Most of all, i loved Katie's relationship with Will. even though he was crazy the entire story it was never his fault. the drugs, the hateful teachers and neighbors, the drunk and barely there parents drove him over the edge. But Katie was always there, being his partner in crime. She never resented him, just wished he was better. with him being in and out of different youth facilities, she always had swimming to count on. 10 Stars!!!
mbrandmaier's review against another edition
3.0
After Katie Kitrell's mentally ill older brother attempts suicide, she starts fresh at a boarding school in West Virginia. When people probe her about her life, she finds herself implying that her brother is dead. Katie rises to star status at her school, getting A's, being popular, attaining the coveted swim team captain position. But her brother is never far from her mind.
mesy_mark's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book. Mental illness affects the whole family. This is from Katie's view but the main focus is more on her growing up in a boarding school rather than her brother decompensation with schizophrenia. I also didn't like that Will was depicted as violence given that most people with schizophrenia are nonviolent towards others. I get that there are cases of it. I know of one personally.
I didn't care for Drew saying he is all pure and high and mightly got to me. But Katie's should have figured out how to break off this no go of a relationship.
I wish there was more of Will. More of his disorder presenting before the boarding school being finalized. Might see more of a tighter bond between the two and the effects of the disorder on that relationship.
Another thing that could be better with the book was the time changes. Things like mentioning holidays helped but it just seemed to go back and forth which could have been better done.
But I liked it as an emotional read and really enjoyed it.
I didn't care for Drew saying he is all pure and high and mightly got to me.
Spoiler
and then he asks for the next level of intimacy as a blow job. (and you bet that's all he'll let go on)I wish there was more of Will. More of his disorder presenting before the boarding school being finalized. Might see more of a tighter bond between the two and the effects of the disorder on that relationship.
Another thing that could be better with the book was the time changes. Things like mentioning holidays helped but it just seemed to go back and forth which could have been better done.
But I liked it as an emotional read and really enjoyed it.
purplepaste's review against another edition
2.0
This book largely has fantastic reviews, but I found it to be pretty painful to get through. The characters were fairly fleshed out, but completely unlikeable. ::SPOILER:: The main character and her psychotic (literally) brother drop a cat off their roof to its death in the beginning of this book. Neither character ever evolves past that point. Devolve, oh yes-- and plenty of it.
The appendix of the edition I read had an interview with the author that confirmed something like 95% of this story is veiled autobiography. I found this very troubling. While she can be praised for treating herself so unkindly/realistically, she really seems to...well... keep explaining her side. This added a voyeuristic side to the book that pushed it into negative territory for me.
The appendix of the edition I read had an interview with the author that confirmed something like 95% of this story is veiled autobiography. I found this very troubling. While she can be praised for treating herself so unkindly/realistically, she really seems to...well... keep explaining her side. This added a voyeuristic side to the book that pushed it into negative territory for me.
kaitrosereads's review against another edition
3.0
Katie Kitrell's life is going down the tubes. Her brother has finally done something so bad that not even Katie can escape from it. The only thing her parents can think to do is to ship her off to some unheard of boarding school.
Once there, things don't seem to bad. Katie fits right in with the popular crowd and boy are there some cute guys there, especially Drew. Everything seems just great for Katie and how can she possible ruin that by telling them about her brother? So, she doesn't. Instead Katie decides to lie and tell everyone that he died. How hard could it be to keep that secret?
Life for Katie seems to be looking up. Cool friends, a new crush, and the only thing that's weird is her roommate. Mazzie is the weirdest person Katie has ever met but maybe there is a reason for that. Now all Katie has to do is figure out what it is.
Katie's life is perfect at boarding school but what happens when her real life intrudes? How can she continue to keep Will a secret when he has done something so unspeakably horrible it's bound to get out? And will Katie be able to salvage her new life when it does?
Breathless was a very good debut novel but nothing that really made me want to read it again. I felt like the summary was a little misleading because Katie wasn't just shipped off to boarding school for no reason, she was shipped off because Will had finally gone off the deep end. From the very beginning of the book I could just tell there was something seriously wrong with Will and I was very nervous to find out what he ended up doing that was so horrible. Well, he did many things.
Also, I didn't really like Katie much. She smoked, drank, and was very superficial. She lied about Will because she wanted people to like her and that was pretty much it. She wanted to be popular and that was all she cared about when she got to boarding school. Oh, and swimming but popularity and boys came first. I mean, at one point in the book she got so drunk that the next day she ended up puking in the gutter by the pool. That wasn't my idea of a good example that teens should read about in books.
Overall, Breathless did not leave me breathless. I have read some great reviews about it but I just didn't like it and don't think I ever will. I mean if you're looking for something to keep yourself occupied go ahead and give it a shot but it's not one that I will be rereading anytime soon.
Once there, things don't seem to bad. Katie fits right in with the popular crowd and boy are there some cute guys there, especially Drew. Everything seems just great for Katie and how can she possible ruin that by telling them about her brother? So, she doesn't. Instead Katie decides to lie and tell everyone that he died. How hard could it be to keep that secret?
Life for Katie seems to be looking up. Cool friends, a new crush, and the only thing that's weird is her roommate. Mazzie is the weirdest person Katie has ever met but maybe there is a reason for that. Now all Katie has to do is figure out what it is.
Katie's life is perfect at boarding school but what happens when her real life intrudes? How can she continue to keep Will a secret when he has done something so unspeakably horrible it's bound to get out? And will Katie be able to salvage her new life when it does?
Breathless was a very good debut novel but nothing that really made me want to read it again. I felt like the summary was a little misleading because Katie wasn't just shipped off to boarding school for no reason, she was shipped off because Will had finally gone off the deep end. From the very beginning of the book I could just tell there was something seriously wrong with Will and I was very nervous to find out what he ended up doing that was so horrible. Well, he did many things.
Also, I didn't really like Katie much. She smoked, drank, and was very superficial. She lied about Will because she wanted people to like her and that was pretty much it. She wanted to be popular and that was all she cared about when she got to boarding school. Oh, and swimming but popularity and boys came first. I mean, at one point in the book she got so drunk that the next day she ended up puking in the gutter by the pool. That wasn't my idea of a good example that teens should read about in books.
Overall, Breathless did not leave me breathless. I have read some great reviews about it but I just didn't like it and don't think I ever will. I mean if you're looking for something to keep yourself occupied go ahead and give it a shot but it's not one that I will be rereading anytime soon.
tracemus's review against another edition
2.0
This was an okay book. I was definitely left wanting more. I felt like there could have been a much better story, and felt misled by the description. There are certain parts of the story that I found ridiculous, and thought that the characters were unrealistic. It's definitely a different take on the family, and granted my family is nothing like this, I still wasn't believing all that happened.
Then when the book ended, there was so much left undone. There were loose ends that were cleaned up in an epilogue, which was fast and uneventful.
I'm glad I read it, but would never buy it.
Then when the book ended, there was so much left undone. There were loose ends that were cleaned up in an epilogue, which was fast and uneventful.
I'm glad I read it, but would never buy it.