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A review by lawbooks600
Just Breathe by Andrew Daddo
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Representation: It's complicated.
Score: Six points out of ten.
I wanted to read Just Breathe for a while but never got around until now. When I saw this one in a library I visited, I immediately picked it up, but headed in with low expectations after the massive disappointment that was One Step. The blurb made it look intriguing. However, when I closed the final page, it underwhelmed me.
It starts with the first character I see, Hendrix, training to achieve his father's dream to be an Olympian, particularly a runner. Nothing looks out of the ordinary for the opening pages until he collides with another character, Emily, thus starting part two of Just Breathe. It was an intriguing choice from the author to switch from the multiple first POVs to the third omniscient POV. I don't get why the author did that when he could've sticked to one POV only, which would've made for a better flow. I couldn't connect or relate to any of the characters. The tension builded the further I got into Just Breathe as Hendrix lied in front of his father's face to deepen his relationship with Emily rather than work on becoming an Olympian. Hendrix's father didn't have to micromanage Hendrix's life like that, but the latter didn't have to deceive the former either. The blurb promised an epic climax, but I got an anticlimax instead. Really? Hendrix didn't get first in the race, his father did a magical 180 and other insignificant events happened toward the conclusion of Just Breathe. It's so dissatisfying that it petered out like that.
Score: Six points out of ten.
I wanted to read Just Breathe for a while but never got around until now. When I saw this one in a library I visited, I immediately picked it up, but headed in with low expectations after the massive disappointment that was One Step. The blurb made it look intriguing. However, when I closed the final page, it underwhelmed me.
It starts with the first character I see, Hendrix, training to achieve his father's dream to be an Olympian, particularly a runner. Nothing looks out of the ordinary for the opening pages until he collides with another character, Emily, thus starting part two of Just Breathe. It was an intriguing choice from the author to switch from the multiple first POVs to the third omniscient POV. I don't get why the author did that when he could've sticked to one POV only, which would've made for a better flow. I couldn't connect or relate to any of the characters. The tension builded the further I got into Just Breathe as Hendrix lied in front of his father's face to deepen his relationship with Emily rather than work on becoming an Olympian. Hendrix's father didn't have to micromanage Hendrix's life like that, but the latter didn't have to deceive the former either. The blurb promised an epic climax, but I got an anticlimax instead. Really? Hendrix didn't get first in the race, his father did a magical 180 and other insignificant events happened toward the conclusion of Just Breathe. It's so dissatisfying that it petered out like that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Minor: Car accident
Full trigger warnings: Hospitalisation of a mother from a car accident mentioned, coma, near-death experience, ableism, ableist and other slurs