TITLE: Barely Breathing
AUTHOR: Rebecca Donovan
RATING: 4 STARS (3.5 STARS)
PUBLISHED: April 2012 - Rebecca Donovan
SERIES: Yes; Series still in progress...
- Reason to Breathe (May 2011)
- Barely Breathing (April 2012)
- Out of Breath (Unknown)
Purchase on Amazon Kindle
MY REVIEW:
WOW! That was totally, one hundred percent not what I expected. I am in shock right now. I, flat-out, did not see that coming!
First off, I loved Reason to Breathe, the first novel in The Breathing Series. It was an intense, explosive story. While reading Reason to Breathe, I fell head over heels for Emma and Evan. Watching them fall in love helped balance out the dark, heavy, emotional side of the story that was centered around abuse. Emma and Evan gave me a reason to smile and a reason to hope. My hope for a happily ever after, however, was shattered when Ms. Donovan ended Reason to Breathe with a gut-clenching cliffhanger.
Shortly after completing Reason to Breathe, my hope was restored when I discovered that Ms. Donovan was in the process of writing a sequel to Reason to Breathe, titled Barely Breathing. I honestly thought that Barely Breathing was the last novel in this series. It's not. I really expected Barely Breathing to be the lighter, happier conclusion to the crazy, intense story that began this series. It wasn't. I basically assumed that Barely Breathing was going to be a really sweet story where the boy saves the girl and then they ride off in the sunset together! Not even freaking close.
Honestly, I don't really know exactly how I feel about this novel. I had an extremely hard time assigning a STAR rating to this novel because I liked it, but at the same time, I didn't like it. There are a lot of positive things that I can say about this novel. Barely Breathing is a wonderfully written, intense novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seat. This novel is the complete opposite of generic; it's a risky story that touches on real issues that young adults face. The storyline is original and completely unpredictable. It's a good story, but it's not the story I wanted.
I really started to really dislike Emma in this novel. Ya know the girl in the scary movie who keeps running up the stairs? That's Emma. I don't think she made ONE good decision in this entire novel. SERIOUSLY. I don't think Emma made one good decision in this entire freaking novel, and all of her poor decision, kept me from the ending that I wanted. So to be honest, I am really mad at Emma right now!
The part of me that was looking for closure and immediate gratification was extremely disappointed with this novel. Barely Breathing leaves off with another dramatic cliffhanger. It's not quite as dramatic as Reason to Breathe, but it's dramatic, nonetheless. Fortunately, Rebecca Donovan is currently working on the third and final novel in The Breathing Series, Out of Breath. Unfortunately, I have to wait even longer now for my closure.
I gave Barely Breathing (The Breathing Series #2) by Rebecca Donovan 4 STARS (3.5 STARS). I'm still torn about this novel, but I'm really looking forward to the next novel in the series. I know that doesn't really make a lot sense, but this novel has me all twisted up! I ended up giving this novel 4 STARS instead of 3 STARS because it's the type of story that makes an impact and leaves an impression. I won't forget this story anytime soon.
"Emma’s struggle with an abusive home life came to a heart pounding conclusion in the final chapters of Reason to Breathe. Now everyone in Weslyn knows Emma’s secret, but Carol can’t hurt Emma anymore. Some are still haunted by the horror of that night, and some must face the repercussions of their choices. Fans of Rebecca Donovan’s debut novel will discover there’s still much to learn about Emma’s life."
MY REVIEW:
WOW! That was totally, one hundred percent not what I expected. I am in shock right now. I, flat-out, did not see that coming!
First off, I loved Reason to Breathe, the first novel in The Breathing Series. It was an intense, explosive story. While reading Reason to Breathe, I fell head over heels for Emma and Evan. Watching them fall in love helped balance out the dark, heavy, emotional side of the story that was centered around abuse. Emma and Evan gave me a reason to smile and a reason to hope. My hope for a happily ever after, however, was shattered when Ms. Donovan ended Reason to Breathe with a gut-clenching cliffhanger.
Shortly after completing Reason to Breathe, my hope was restored when I discovered that Ms. Donovan was in the process of writing a sequel to Reason to Breathe, titled Barely Breathing. I honestly thought that Barely Breathing was the last novel in this series. It's not. I really expected Barely Breathing to be the lighter, happier conclusion to the crazy, intense story that began this series. It wasn't. I basically assumed that Barely Breathing was going to be a really sweet story where the boy saves the girl and then they ride off in the sunset together! Not even freaking close.
Honestly, I don't really know exactly how I feel about this novel. I had an extremely hard time assigning a STAR rating to this novel because I liked it, but at the same time, I didn't like it. There are a lot of positive things that I can say about this novel. Barely Breathing is a wonderfully written, intense novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seat. This novel is the complete opposite of generic; it's a risky story that touches on real issues that young adults face. The storyline is original and completely unpredictable. It's a good story, but it's not the story I wanted.
I really started to really dislike Emma in this novel. Ya know the girl in the scary movie who keeps running up the stairs? That's Emma. I don't think she made ONE good decision in this entire novel. SERIOUSLY. I don't think Emma made one good decision in this entire freaking novel, and all of her poor decision, kept me from the ending that I wanted. So to be honest, I am really mad at Emma right now!
The part of me that was looking for closure and immediate gratification was extremely disappointed with this novel. Barely Breathing leaves off with another dramatic cliffhanger. It's not quite as dramatic as Reason to Breathe, but it's dramatic, nonetheless. Fortunately, Rebecca Donovan is currently working on the third and final novel in The Breathing Series, Out of Breath. Unfortunately, I have to wait even longer now for my closure.
I gave Barely Breathing (The Breathing Series #2) by Rebecca Donovan 4 STARS (3.5 STARS). I'm still torn about this novel, but I'm really looking forward to the next novel in the series. I know that doesn't really make a lot sense, but this novel has me all twisted up! I ended up giving this novel 4 STARS instead of 3 STARS because it's the type of story that makes an impact and leaves an impression. I won't forget this story anytime soon.
