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A review by someonetookit
Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry
5.0
While not my normal genre of reading, this novel kept me enthralled from the first violent chapter to its final tender kiss. Full of well fleshed out and diverse characters, this novel was an emotional rollercoaster through its entirity. Main characters Jesse and Scarlett are on journeys of self discovery, colliding with each other in the process. Previosuly childhood friends, they were forced apart by Jesse's poor decisions and Scarlett's overbearing and overprotective parents.
In its raw form, this novel could be seen as about two teenagers mending their friendship and falling in love but its actually not. Its actually a novel about community, what it means to be family and discovering that blood doesn’t always denote loyalty. While Jesse's grnadmother, Suzanne, is frequently mentioned and the farm/Lachlin land seems to have a mind of its own, acting as a character within the story, I loved (yes LOVED) Glory Gardner. She is older than Jesse and Scarlett, living in a cabin on the opposite side of the property to Jesse’s trailer, having been gifted the right to stay by Suzanne when the kids were young. She makes a living as a psychic, reading tarot and palms for the unsuspecting public. Jesse thinks she is full of it while Scarlett is unsure. Yet throughout the novel, she is full of sage advice and guidance, attempting to steer the pair towards happiness regardless of their lack of belief in her craft. She’s cryptic and stubborn but I love her all the more for it.
Now, just as a warning, this book is heavy and emotionally tolling, especially if you have seen or been subjected to domestic violence. Both Jesse and Scarlett have endured abuse, be it physical or psychological, with violence even taking the life of one of their loved ones. However, instead of the violence taking a predominant part in the pairs initial interactions, it is a constant background force, steering their stories in part but not driving them together (mostly). In fact, for the majority of the novel, each is relatively unaware of the others history. Basically, violence is a force in both their lives, but it isn’t what makes them who they are. Kudos to McGarry for including such heavy subject matter in a way that while confronting, does not overtake the entire narrative.
The plot, while including violence but not being based around it, takes place in the 8-9 months between which Suzanne passes and the date of Jesse’s 18th birthday when the fate of the farm will be decided. One would think there would be a lot of school scenes and heading out with friends, all typical locations which are Young Adult Novel 101. Instead these are rarely mentioned with the majority of the action taking place on the farm, in Scarlett’s house or Glory’s cabin. With only three major locales, one would think it would be a fairly monotonous novel however the character of Lachlin land (yes, it’s a character itself. This is the second time I’ve said it!) and vast expanse of different terrain makes it feel like there are so many more settings for Jesse and Scarlett’s tale to occur.
As a whole I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. While I found there were a few chapters where I skimmed over the events, for most of the book I was enthralled. The characters while potentially single dimensional had many facets, making a reader who adores action really take notice of the expert weaving of this tale. It’s a 4.5 of 5 stars from me.
An advanced reading copy was provided by Tor Teen and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are that of the author and have in no way been influenced by the publisher or its affiliates.
In its raw form, this novel could be seen as about two teenagers mending their friendship and falling in love but its actually not. Its actually a novel about community, what it means to be family and discovering that blood doesn’t always denote loyalty. While Jesse's grnadmother, Suzanne, is frequently mentioned and the farm/Lachlin land seems to have a mind of its own, acting as a character within the story, I loved (yes LOVED) Glory Gardner. She is older than Jesse and Scarlett, living in a cabin on the opposite side of the property to Jesse’s trailer, having been gifted the right to stay by Suzanne when the kids were young. She makes a living as a psychic, reading tarot and palms for the unsuspecting public. Jesse thinks she is full of it while Scarlett is unsure. Yet throughout the novel, she is full of sage advice and guidance, attempting to steer the pair towards happiness regardless of their lack of belief in her craft. She’s cryptic and stubborn but I love her all the more for it.
Now, just as a warning, this book is heavy and emotionally tolling, especially if you have seen or been subjected to domestic violence. Both Jesse and Scarlett have endured abuse, be it physical or psychological, with violence even taking the life of one of their loved ones. However, instead of the violence taking a predominant part in the pairs initial interactions, it is a constant background force, steering their stories in part but not driving them together (mostly). In fact, for the majority of the novel, each is relatively unaware of the others history. Basically, violence is a force in both their lives, but it isn’t what makes them who they are. Kudos to McGarry for including such heavy subject matter in a way that while confronting, does not overtake the entire narrative.
The plot, while including violence but not being based around it, takes place in the 8-9 months between which Suzanne passes and the date of Jesse’s 18th birthday when the fate of the farm will be decided. One would think there would be a lot of school scenes and heading out with friends, all typical locations which are Young Adult Novel 101. Instead these are rarely mentioned with the majority of the action taking place on the farm, in Scarlett’s house or Glory’s cabin. With only three major locales, one would think it would be a fairly monotonous novel however the character of Lachlin land (yes, it’s a character itself. This is the second time I’ve said it!) and vast expanse of different terrain makes it feel like there are so many more settings for Jesse and Scarlett’s tale to occur.
As a whole I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. While I found there were a few chapters where I skimmed over the events, for most of the book I was enthralled. The characters while potentially single dimensional had many facets, making a reader who adores action really take notice of the expert weaving of this tale. It’s a 4.5 of 5 stars from me.
An advanced reading copy was provided by Tor Teen and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are that of the author and have in no way been influenced by the publisher or its affiliates.