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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
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 [b:Catching Jordan|9888775|Catching Jordan (Hundred Oaks)|Miranda Kenneally|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327875803s/9888775.jpg|14780777]), Matt (from [b:Things I Can't Forget|12551082|Things I Can't Forget|Miranda Kenneally|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343855583s/12551082.jpg|17552651]) and Savannah (from [b:Racing Savannah|16045296|Racing Savannah|Miranda Kenneally|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355754017s/16045296.jpg|21823562]), 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.
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 [b:Catching Jordan|9888775|Catching Jordan (Hundred Oaks)|Miranda Kenneally|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327875803s/9888775.jpg|14780777]), Matt (from [b:Things I Can't Forget|12551082|Things I Can't Forget|Miranda Kenneally|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343855583s/12551082.jpg|17552651]) and Savannah (from [b:Racing Savannah|16045296|Racing Savannah|Miranda Kenneally|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355754017s/16045296.jpg|21823562]), 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.
Loved it! I have only read the first two books in this series but that did not detract from this book at all. It was a perfect, quick summer read and I loved it a lot more than I initially thought I would.
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Breathe Annie Breathe is the 5th book in the Hundred Oaks series, but it can be read as a standalone. I am going to tell you guys a dirty dirty secret of mine...I haven't read the books in the Hundred Oaks series yet. Shh! Please don't throw tomatoes. I have the first two books sitting on my kindle, but review books just took over my life and they just haven't been read yet. BUT, the good news is, I can attest that Breathe Annie Breathe can completely be read as a standalone. And I loved it! I am completely kicking myself in the butt for putting off the rest of the series for so long. I will be reading the rest of the books as soon as possible.
Annie is a tough young lady. That is what struck me the most about her. She had this amazing sweet sweet boyfriend for most of highschool, and he died. And she is carrying around guilt for that. I just felt awful for her. Before he lost his life way too soon, he was training for a marathon. So in his honor, Annie decides that she is going to train and run the marathon in his honor. Just reading about it made me tear up. I loved that this is how she chose to honor him. And I loved how the whole town got behind her. That takes strength and dedication. She signed up for a training coach.
I loved how the book progressed through her weekly runs with her running group and coach. It was nice to be able to meet some of the other runners in her group and get to know them a little as well. Liza was a nice surprise. I'm glad that the love interest was not her training coach, but rather his younger brother- little adrenaline junkie that he is. Their friendship was interesting to say the least. I loved watching the two of them interact. Jere is so fantastic with Annie. Kind and patient, I was so impressed with him.
I completely see what all the hype is with Miranda's books. She is just a talented author. She writes characters that you just want to grab lunch with, be friends with and hug. I want to hug all of the characters. Annie comes such a long way from page one to the end of the book. Watching her life progress is such a treat. I also really appreciated the fact that we got to see her go from high school to college.
I can so see why this series is a must read for young adult. It is everything that I want my young adult books to be. Fun, moving, detailed and developed. The main characters shine just as must as the secondary characters. You will love Annie and Jere. If you are like me, and you are one of the few people left on this earth that have not discovered the magic of Hundred Oaks, don't wait any longer! Grab Breathe Annie Breathe and fall in love. She even made me want to run... and that is no easy feat. I am going back to read the rest of the books now!
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Breathe Annie Breathe is the 5th book in the Hundred Oaks series, but it can be read as a standalone. I am going to tell you guys a dirty dirty secret of mine...I haven't read the books in the Hundred Oaks series yet. Shh! Please don't throw tomatoes. I have the first two books sitting on my kindle, but review books just took over my life and they just haven't been read yet. BUT, the good news is, I can attest that Breathe Annie Breathe can completely be read as a standalone. And I loved it! I am completely kicking myself in the butt for putting off the rest of the series for so long. I will be reading the rest of the books as soon as possible.
Annie is a tough young lady. That is what struck me the most about her. She had this amazing sweet sweet boyfriend for most of highschool, and he died. And she is carrying around guilt for that. I just felt awful for her. Before he lost his life way too soon, he was training for a marathon. So in his honor, Annie decides that she is going to train and run the marathon in his honor. Just reading about it made me tear up. I loved that this is how she chose to honor him. And I loved how the whole town got behind her. That takes strength and dedication. She signed up for a training coach.
I loved how the book progressed through her weekly runs with her running group and coach. It was nice to be able to meet some of the other runners in her group and get to know them a little as well. Liza was a nice surprise. I'm glad that the love interest was not her training coach, but rather his younger brother- little adrenaline junkie that he is. Their friendship was interesting to say the least. I loved watching the two of them interact. Jere is so fantastic with Annie. Kind and patient, I was so impressed with him.
I completely see what all the hype is with Miranda's books. She is just a talented author. She writes characters that you just want to grab lunch with, be friends with and hug. I want to hug all of the characters. Annie comes such a long way from page one to the end of the book. Watching her life progress is such a treat. I also really appreciated the fact that we got to see her go from high school to college.
I can so see why this series is a must read for young adult. It is everything that I want my young adult books to be. Fun, moving, detailed and developed. The main characters shine just as must as the secondary characters. You will love Annie and Jere. If you are like me, and you are one of the few people left on this earth that have not discovered the magic of Hundred Oaks, don't wait any longer! Grab Breathe Annie Breathe and fall in love. She even made me want to run... and that is no easy feat. I am going back to read the rest of the books now!
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Rating: 4.4
The Why:
No matter life throws at you, don't let you stop loving, but to get over the bump and keep going.
Characters:
IN ONE PLACE
Annie isn't a runner at all, but she's running for him. Him is her ex boyfriend who see feels is her fault that he died. The guilt eats at her and makes her pull away from friendships and especially relationaships. Relationships are the last thing she needs, but she eventually finds comfort in the peace amd serenity of not thinking of him. But when she yells at Running Backwards Boy on the trail, she doesn't realize that she finds what she didn't expect - a friend. I was close to crying for Annie, because she blamed herself for her ex's death and making her stagnant in life. She thinks that not talking about it will help even though her mom tries it doesn't work. I really loved her new friendship/relationship with Jeremiah, because he understood why she did.
JUST AN ADRENALINE JUNKIE
Jeremiah is Matt's younger brother who is also Annie's coach. Jeremiah loves skydiving, cliff diving and anything that will gey his blood pumping. He does it so much that his mother is so scared that something will happen that she kicked him out of the house. But he's doing less of what he loves, but moves back in during the summer. I love how much he pushes Annie and slowly, but surely makes her start living life.
EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY
As Annie contuines training, she finally opens up to people she realizes that her ex-boyfriend's death isn't her fault. She restored old relationships and explored her relationship with Jeremiah. I loved the patience Jeremiah had with Annie even though she took awhile to warm up to him. Jeremiah was so cute and his sisters were so cute.
Final Thoughts:
My heartstrings were pulled for Annie. There you go again messing with my feelings, Miranda.
The Why:
No matter life throws at you, don't let you stop loving, but to get over the bump and keep going.
Characters:
IN ONE PLACE
Annie isn't a runner at all, but she's running for him. Him is her ex boyfriend who see feels is her fault that he died. The guilt eats at her and makes her pull away from friendships and especially relationaships. Relationships are the last thing she needs, but she eventually finds comfort in the peace amd serenity of not thinking of him. But when she yells at Running Backwards Boy on the trail, she doesn't realize that she finds what she didn't expect - a friend. I was close to crying for Annie, because she blamed herself for her ex's death and making her stagnant in life. She thinks that not talking about it will help even though her mom tries it doesn't work. I really loved her new friendship/relationship with Jeremiah, because he understood why she did.
JUST AN ADRENALINE JUNKIE
Jeremiah is Matt's younger brother who is also Annie's coach. Jeremiah loves skydiving, cliff diving and anything that will gey his blood pumping. He does it so much that his mother is so scared that something will happen that she kicked him out of the house. But he's doing less of what he loves, but moves back in during the summer. I love how much he pushes Annie and slowly, but surely makes her start living life.
EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY
As Annie contuines training, she finally opens up to people she realizes that her ex-boyfriend's death isn't her fault. She restored old relationships and explored her relationship with Jeremiah. I loved the patience Jeremiah had with Annie even though she took awhile to warm up to him. Jeremiah was so cute and his sisters were so cute.
Final Thoughts:
My heartstrings were pulled for Annie. There you go again messing with my feelings, Miranda.
I'd only read the first two Hundred Oaks books and even though you don't need to read them in order, I like too. But then I got a copy of Breathe, Annie, Breathe and once I started, I couldn't put it down!
Annie is so determined and I just love her character. She faces some really hard things and sometimes it gets her down but she pushes through.
Jeremiah is one of those characters that I instantly fell in love with. He isn't perfect but that's part of what makes him such a great guy.
This was such a great read, some sad, some happy, a little funny and overall a great feel good read.
Annie is so determined and I just love her character. She faces some really hard things and sometimes it gets her down but she pushes through.
Jeremiah is one of those characters that I instantly fell in love with. He isn't perfect but that's part of what makes him such a great guy.
This was such a great read, some sad, some happy, a little funny and overall a great feel good read.
My final reading challenge book of 2017.
I liked it - it's a nice YA novel, perfect when you need something lighter in your bookish life. It does mention death and grieving, but there's lots of positivity, which immediatelly grabbed my attention. Since it's YA, I didn't expect something earth-shattering or literary brilliancy, but I must say that it's a book I wouldn't mind recommending to younger readers. Of course I could find things to criticise as well - some elements weren't resolved as well as I would have liked and it's a rather simplistic story, but since it's just one book in a series, I'm not bothered too much. Although it did make me wish I'd start jogging again (but not in this cold weather!), so that's a definite plus. I won't go for a marathon though, but hitting 5 km every second or third day again wouldn't be bad either.
I liked it - it's a nice YA novel, perfect when you need something lighter in your bookish life. It does mention death and grieving, but there's lots of positivity, which immediatelly grabbed my attention. Since it's YA, I didn't expect something earth-shattering or literary brilliancy, but I must say that it's a book I wouldn't mind recommending to younger readers. Of course I could find things to criticise as well - some elements weren't resolved as well as I would have liked and it's a rather simplistic story, but since it's just one book in a series, I'm not bothered too much. Although it did make me wish I'd start jogging again (but not in this cold weather!), so that's a definite plus. I won't go for a marathon though, but hitting 5 km every second or third day again wouldn't be bad either.
This book focused a lot on grief and moving on after someone you love has passed away. Annie feels incredibly guilty and takes up running in order to ease her guilt. Since she is training to run a marathon, she has a lot of alone time which means we as the reader spend a lot of time in Annie’s head when she is alone. This allows us to understand her a lot more.
See more at: https://fifisofa.wordpress.com/2014/07/22/breathe-annie-breathe-by-miranda-kenneally/
See more at: https://fifisofa.wordpress.com/2014/07/22/breathe-annie-breathe-by-miranda-kenneally/
You always hear the phrase, life's a marathon, not a sprint, and that also describes Annie's healing journey. Oddly enough, it was training for a marathon, that helped her heal, and I am happy I had the opportunity to take this journey with her.
Annie began dating Kyle her freshman year, and as they grew closer and closer, he sort of became her whole world. After his death, she was left carrying guilt and a Kyle - shaped hole in her heart. To honor his memory, she decides to run the marathon he had been training for, when he died. She never expected to enjoy running, and she also never expected to meet someone like Jeremiah.
I cried quite a bit as I read this book, because I couldn't help but share Annie's pain with her. She lost her first love and the boy she thought would be part of her forever, and that was extremely tragic. But, she also withdrew and was not allowing herself to enjoy the "now". She began to fear getting attached, because there was always a chance of losing that person.
It was beautiful watching Annie slowly rediscover herself. As she trained, she got both mentally and physically stronger. She began to open herself up to new people and new experiences, and though she would always have a special place in her heart for Kyle, she began to rebuild her life without him.
Kenneally never fails to make me feel so much, and this story really touched me. I loved Annie, I loved seeing so many characters from previous books, I loved the romance, and I truly appreciate the way this story left my heart bursting at the seems.
Another fantastic Hundred Oaks book!
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Annie began dating Kyle her freshman year, and as they grew closer and closer, he sort of became her whole world. After his death, she was left carrying guilt and a Kyle - shaped hole in her heart. To honor his memory, she decides to run the marathon he had been training for, when he died. She never expected to enjoy running, and she also never expected to meet someone like Jeremiah.
I cried quite a bit as I read this book, because I couldn't help but share Annie's pain with her. She lost her first love and the boy she thought would be part of her forever, and that was extremely tragic. But, she also withdrew and was not allowing herself to enjoy the "now". She began to fear getting attached, because there was always a chance of losing that person.
It was beautiful watching Annie slowly rediscover herself. As she trained, she got both mentally and physically stronger. She began to open herself up to new people and new experiences, and though she would always have a special place in her heart for Kyle, she began to rebuild her life without him.
Kenneally never fails to make me feel so much, and this story really touched me. I loved Annie, I loved seeing so many characters from previous books, I loved the romance, and I truly appreciate the way this story left my heart bursting at the seems.
Another fantastic Hundred Oaks book!
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
4.5 stars
I. Hate. Running. Almost as much as I hate sardines and Rush. In fact, the only thing that could make running worse would be to do it while eating sardines and listening to Rush (not recommended). When I was a teenager I was diagnosed with patella femoral syndrome, with a Q angle of the femur, a medial tilt of the patella… and flat feet for good measure (Yes, I memorized all this because it made for a great excuse to get out of gym class…). In short, it means that running is downright painful.
My grandparents, however, were runners. Every year they would fly down to Hawaii for the Honolulu marathon, among other various races. Their basement hallway was lined with running shoes that were no longer good enough to run in, but were perfectly good for other people to walk in. Come on in and take your pick! The office was filled with medals and trophies, and the walls were plastered in pictures of them crossing the finishing line. A small part of me wanted to do that too.
My point to all of this, is that despite my bum knees, my weak stomach and an aversion to sweat, for almost 300 pages Miranda made me want to run. I wanted to be a part of something, with a group of people supporting each other… plus if I could score a running coach like Jeremiah, I might be more inclined to keep up! ;)
This was my first Miranda Kenneally book, and I have no idea why it took me this long! I was first intrigued by her when Catching Jordan caught my eye (pun intended). For whatever reason, I still haven’t gotten around to it, but I certainly have more motivation now! Her characters are so vibrant, with witty dialogue and real problems.
This is categorized as YA, more specifically 14+. I would probably suggest a slightly higher age, as there are a few mature scenes. The characters are 18+, and realistically run into sexual situations.
A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I. Hate. Running. Almost as much as I hate sardines and Rush. In fact, the only thing that could make running worse would be to do it while eating sardines and listening to Rush (not recommended). When I was a teenager I was diagnosed with patella femoral syndrome, with a Q angle of the femur, a medial tilt of the patella… and flat feet for good measure (Yes, I memorized all this because it made for a great excuse to get out of gym class…). In short, it means that running is downright painful.
My grandparents, however, were runners. Every year they would fly down to Hawaii for the Honolulu marathon, among other various races. Their basement hallway was lined with running shoes that were no longer good enough to run in, but were perfectly good for other people to walk in. Come on in and take your pick! The office was filled with medals and trophies, and the walls were plastered in pictures of them crossing the finishing line. A small part of me wanted to do that too.
My point to all of this, is that despite my bum knees, my weak stomach and an aversion to sweat, for almost 300 pages Miranda made me want to run. I wanted to be a part of something, with a group of people supporting each other… plus if I could score a running coach like Jeremiah, I might be more inclined to keep up! ;)
This was my first Miranda Kenneally book, and I have no idea why it took me this long! I was first intrigued by her when Catching Jordan caught my eye (pun intended). For whatever reason, I still haven’t gotten around to it, but I certainly have more motivation now! Her characters are so vibrant, with witty dialogue and real problems.
This is categorized as YA, more specifically 14+. I would probably suggest a slightly higher age, as there are a few mature scenes. The characters are 18+, and realistically run into sexual situations.
A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.