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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
The cover of this book when compared to the other books in the Hundred Oaks series is just awfully depressing. I was hoping the theme that was going in the first 4 would have been continued. It was cute and different from other books. Bah humbug. :(
Update: (10-13-14)
Despite the cover, this book was amazing. I'm pretty sure that this book gives the rest of the books in the Hundred Oaks series a run for their money. I NEED book 6 ASAP!!!
Update: (10-13-14)
Despite the cover, this book was amazing. I'm pretty sure that this book gives the rest of the books in the Hundred Oaks series a run for their money. I NEED book 6 ASAP!!!
The fifth book in this Hundred Oaks series set in the same town and I am still not bored. I love how every story intertwines with characters from the previous books and I can’t wait to see what twist is around the corner.
I really liked Annie. A tidbit naïve at times, but the way she dealt with her loss was incredibly strong. Besides Racing Savannah, I feel like this book had the most character development, even for the side characters. I really like Kenneally's simple yet beautiful writing style that can hold my attention for hours in a row. Her story telling is captivating and I am very much looking forward to the next one!
I really liked Annie. A tidbit naïve at times, but the way she dealt with her loss was incredibly strong. Besides Racing Savannah, I feel like this book had the most character development, even for the side characters. I really like Kenneally's simple yet beautiful writing style that can hold my attention for hours in a row. Her story telling is captivating and I am very much looking forward to the next one!
This review and others can be found on Cozy Up With A Good Read
I am recently getting more into the contemporary books, and I have felt that I absolutely needed to read a Miranda Kenneally book to really forge deeper into contemporary. So when the chance came up to get a copy of her newest story, I definitely decided to check it out, and I was in love. I flew through this book without even realizing how much I had read, I refused to put it down because I wanted more of the characters and to really see how Annie would get through.
I can say that I loved the characters Miranda created in this book, and the story of Annie really trying to work through her issues by training to run this marathon. I really loved the detail that Miranda goes into of how hard it is to train for something as big as a marathon for a non-runner, not only the physical part but the emotional as well. A lot of this book details Annie's training for the marathon, but a major part of the story is watching as Annie grows and learns to get over her loss and find her way back to friendships with other people.
Annie meets Jeremiah while training and he helps her through so many of her issues, she begins to trust other people. Jeremiah brings Annie out of her funk and even though he scares her, at the same time he helps her learn that sometimes you need to just live in the now and not be scared of what could happen. Not only is Annie going through a difficult time after losing the one person she really loved, but it is at the most difficult time as she is getting ready for college. Honestly, the way Miranda Kenneally wrote this book had me in love, and I want to go and read more of her stories if they are all like this one. If you like contemporary books with great heart to the story, I say check out Kenneally's writing!
I am recently getting more into the contemporary books, and I have felt that I absolutely needed to read a Miranda Kenneally book to really forge deeper into contemporary. So when the chance came up to get a copy of her newest story, I definitely decided to check it out, and I was in love. I flew through this book without even realizing how much I had read, I refused to put it down because I wanted more of the characters and to really see how Annie would get through.
I can say that I loved the characters Miranda created in this book, and the story of Annie really trying to work through her issues by training to run this marathon. I really loved the detail that Miranda goes into of how hard it is to train for something as big as a marathon for a non-runner, not only the physical part but the emotional as well. A lot of this book details Annie's training for the marathon, but a major part of the story is watching as Annie grows and learns to get over her loss and find her way back to friendships with other people.
Annie meets Jeremiah while training and he helps her through so many of her issues, she begins to trust other people. Jeremiah brings Annie out of her funk and even though he scares her, at the same time he helps her learn that sometimes you need to just live in the now and not be scared of what could happen. Not only is Annie going through a difficult time after losing the one person she really loved, but it is at the most difficult time as she is getting ready for college. Honestly, the way Miranda Kenneally wrote this book had me in love, and I want to go and read more of her stories if they are all like this one. If you like contemporary books with great heart to the story, I say check out Kenneally's writing!
I left work sick this morning and this empty-calorie young-adult read was exactly what I needed on this very hot, very humid, very pukey August day. I particularly love how the book ends just as the race begins, and how one line on Annie's training plan sums up her experience.
Breathe is a book about recovery. Annie feels responsible for the tragic loss of her high school sweetheart. He was a runner and dreamed of running a marathon, but died before he ever reached his goal. Annie has never been a runner, but she feels like running a marathon for him is the only thing she can offer him now. This book parallels her progress from non-runner to marathon athlete and her emotional journey of grief and recovery.
I really enjoyed this book. I’m not overly fond of sports books, but running is fairly straightforward as sports go so it wasn’t exactly hard to follow. I liked how well-rounded Annie was as a character. She struggles with how to move on as well as real issues like how to afford college and how people perceive her trailer park background. I think she worried a little more than necessary about how other people perceived her progress (e.g. moving on too quickly or too slowly). Aside from a few idiots most people seemed to understand her situation better than she gave them credit for, but I get that it’s hard to help anxiety like that.
I loved Jeremiah. He is delightful and I thought better of him for how respectfully he treated her boundaries. I thought it was telling how much his friends seemed to know about her. Sex is refreshingly realistic and positively portrayed which was nice to see in a YA book. Gold star. I also loved Matt and their whole family vibe.
I haven’t read Kenneally’s other works, but I recognized the title character from one of them getting a cameo so if you are a fan of her other books you may be pleased. This book was good enough that I’m seriously tempted to hunt down the rest of the series despite my dislike for football.
4.5 stars. It’s definitely going on my wishlist.
I really enjoyed this book. I’m not overly fond of sports books, but running is fairly straightforward as sports go so it wasn’t exactly hard to follow. I liked how well-rounded Annie was as a character. She struggles with how to move on as well as real issues like how to afford college and how people perceive her trailer park background. I think she worried a little more than necessary about how other people perceived her progress (e.g. moving on too quickly or too slowly). Aside from a few idiots most people seemed to understand her situation better than she gave them credit for, but I get that it’s hard to help anxiety like that.
I loved Jeremiah. He is delightful and I thought better of him for how respectfully he treated her boundaries. I thought it was telling how much his friends seemed to know about her. Sex is refreshingly realistic and positively portrayed which was nice to see in a YA book. Gold star. I also loved Matt and their whole family vibe.
I haven’t read Kenneally’s other works, but I recognized the title character from one of them getting a cameo so if you are a fan of her other books you may be pleased. This book was good enough that I’m seriously tempted to hunt down the rest of the series despite my dislike for football.
4.5 stars. It’s definitely going on my wishlist.
The struggle in this book was so real. I loved how Annie just didn't get better overnight. Don't get me started on the romance. I loved how it was slow and progressing.
As a runner named Annie, I had to read it. The love story is ok but has too much sex for me to recommend to my ESL students, and the marathon running angle wasn't as prominent as I would have liked.
Breathe, Annie, Breathe is a great YA tale with a sporty focus.
I'm totally impressed that I finally found a book that centers around sports! It is quite a rare find for me, so I'm ridiculously pleased! As a former athlete, I absolutely love being able to locate a book that reflects my life. It's always nice to know that there's more books out there for us athletes. Throw in the fact that it's also a YA novel and you've got me really interested! The YA crowd, specifically, needs some books that reflect their lives that they can sink their teeth into.
That being said, this book was not for me. I normally love a good YA but this one left me rather bored. It's still a fabulous book and it's fabulously written (so don't get me wrong, I'm really impressed) but I was left rather bored. I may be moving away from the YA genre in general, or maybe this wasn't the book I needed right now. Either way, my review reflects my opinion but believe me - this book is good even though I didn't enjoy it.
This story follows Annie training for a marathon, and we find out about her complicated relationship history along the way. She works incredibly hard to make it towards her marathon, which is probably my favourite part of this book. Annie doesn't give up easily and perseveres throughout the novel.
Additionally, this book carries a lot of emotion. There are some scenes that make you really feel for Annie and her situation. I liked how Miranda wrote those scenes and I applaud her for them.
My negatives for this book focus on Annie as a character. Like most YA novels, she seems to have most of life going for her. Yes, she does have some tragic parts of her life but she also gets things her way in the end. It's a hard mix of struggle and perseverance that I felt just wasn't met in this story. It just didn't feel real or right for me.
Overall, I did enjoy the book but it wasn't my favourite of the year. I think it's a great addition to a teenager or young adult lovers bookshelf. If you're looking for a book about sports and running with a good mix of YA drama, pick up this book!
Two out of five stars.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I'm totally impressed that I finally found a book that centers around sports! It is quite a rare find for me, so I'm ridiculously pleased! As a former athlete, I absolutely love being able to locate a book that reflects my life. It's always nice to know that there's more books out there for us athletes. Throw in the fact that it's also a YA novel and you've got me really interested! The YA crowd, specifically, needs some books that reflect their lives that they can sink their teeth into.
That being said, this book was not for me. I normally love a good YA but this one left me rather bored. It's still a fabulous book and it's fabulously written (so don't get me wrong, I'm really impressed) but I was left rather bored. I may be moving away from the YA genre in general, or maybe this wasn't the book I needed right now. Either way, my review reflects my opinion but believe me - this book is good even though I didn't enjoy it.
This story follows Annie training for a marathon, and we find out about her complicated relationship history along the way. She works incredibly hard to make it towards her marathon, which is probably my favourite part of this book. Annie doesn't give up easily and perseveres throughout the novel.
Additionally, this book carries a lot of emotion. There are some scenes that make you really feel for Annie and her situation. I liked how Miranda wrote those scenes and I applaud her for them.
My negatives for this book focus on Annie as a character. Like most YA novels, she seems to have most of life going for her. Yes, she does have some tragic parts of her life but she also gets things her way in the end. It's a hard mix of struggle and perseverance that I felt just wasn't met in this story. It just didn't feel real or right for me.
Overall, I did enjoy the book but it wasn't my favourite of the year. I think it's a great addition to a teenager or young adult lovers bookshelf. If you're looking for a book about sports and running with a good mix of YA drama, pick up this book!
Two out of five stars.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I feel like I read a completely different book to everyone else.
I just did not like this at all - this was one of the first and only books where I've genuinely just tried to read as fast as I could to get to the end.
Main issues:
- no character development whatsoever
- Annie and Jeremiah's relationship went from 0-100 real quick - ALSO, it was so blatantly obvious that the author was trying to slow down the ridiculously fast moving relationship (where there was literally no development whatsoever) with the little "i appreciate your friendship" "i miss being with my friend" bullshit
- HOW THE HELL DID KELSEY AND ANNIE GOING FROM BEING LITERAL ENEMIES WHERE ONE SPREADS RUMOURS ABOUT THE OTHER AND IGNORES THE OTHER'S EXISTENCE TO BEING BEST FRIENDS AND GOSSIPING ABOUT BOYS IN LITERALLY ONE CHAPTER
- all the time jumps did not help the lack of coherency and development of the characters either
- the writing reminded me of Wattpad writing - the "look at me im a teenager and im so relatable omg look at my references to popular culture"
- Annie's character just wasn't interesting. she pretty much described herself as a social outcast and then she's immediately some sort of patronising-as-hell-but-always-so-relatable-and-cute social butterfly ???!? CHOOSE A PERSONALITY AND GO WITH THAT.
- the fact that the only thing i liked about this was the kyle plot and while there were quite a number of mentions of kyle, there was nothing substantial. annie kept referring to kyle as her motivation for participating in the marathon AND YET she literally does not expand on anything which reveals the connection she felt with him. ALSO THE WHOLE "IT WAS MY FAULT" STORYLINE WAS BULLSHIT. IT WAS SO RIDICULOUS FOR HER TO BLAME HERSELF LIKE WHAT??!? it felt like the author was so desperate to make annie out to be a sympathetic perfect human being that she couldn't handle the idea of her actually being mistaken for responsible so she had to spin some crock-and-bull story about her feeling responsible for not accepting his proposal? like if she had said no on the night and then he drove off, then it would make sense? but she literally spun some massive ass web of bullshit to make herself seem more vulnerable??!
- the attempt to cram in every philosophical lightbulb moment experienced by annie into the space of paragraph. there is no way she managed to realise something people spend years not understanding in the span of one conversation
I don't mean to be ranty and props to the author for handling such a tough subject as grief and loss and starting new, but I honestly just couldn't deal. I literally rolled my eyes every second page and eye-rolling does not a happy reader make.
I just did not like this at all - this was one of the first and only books where I've genuinely just tried to read as fast as I could to get to the end.
Main issues:
- no character development whatsoever
- Annie and Jeremiah's relationship went from 0-100 real quick - ALSO, it was so blatantly obvious that the author was trying to slow down the ridiculously fast moving relationship (where there was literally no development whatsoever) with the little "i appreciate your friendship" "i miss being with my friend" bullshit
- HOW THE HELL DID KELSEY AND ANNIE GOING FROM BEING LITERAL ENEMIES WHERE ONE SPREADS RUMOURS ABOUT THE OTHER AND IGNORES THE OTHER'S EXISTENCE TO BEING BEST FRIENDS AND GOSSIPING ABOUT BOYS IN LITERALLY ONE CHAPTER
- all the time jumps did not help the lack of coherency and development of the characters either
- the writing reminded me of Wattpad writing - the "look at me im a teenager and im so relatable omg look at my references to popular culture"
- Annie's character just wasn't interesting. she pretty much described herself as a social outcast and then she's immediately some sort of patronising-as-hell-but-always-so-relatable-and-cute social butterfly ???!? CHOOSE A PERSONALITY AND GO WITH THAT.
- the fact that the only thing i liked about this was the kyle plot and while there were quite a number of mentions of kyle, there was nothing substantial. annie kept referring to kyle as her motivation for participating in the marathon AND YET she literally does not expand on anything which reveals the connection she felt with him. ALSO THE WHOLE "IT WAS MY FAULT" STORYLINE WAS BULLSHIT. IT WAS SO RIDICULOUS FOR HER TO BLAME HERSELF LIKE WHAT??!? it felt like the author was so desperate to make annie out to be a sympathetic perfect human being that she couldn't handle the idea of her actually being mistaken for responsible so she had to spin some crock-and-bull story about her feeling responsible for not accepting his proposal? like if she had said no on the night and then he drove off, then it would make sense? but she literally spun some massive ass web of bullshit to make herself seem more vulnerable??!
- the attempt to cram in every philosophical lightbulb moment experienced by annie into the space of paragraph. there is no way she managed to realise something people spend years not understanding in the span of one conversation
I don't mean to be ranty and props to the author for handling such a tough subject as grief and loss and starting new, but I honestly just couldn't deal. I literally rolled my eyes every second page and eye-rolling does not a happy reader make.