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Monday, July 14, 2014

Review: Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally

Read from July 10 to July 13, 2014
Book: Breathe, Annie, Breathe (Hundred Oaks #5) by Miranda Kenneally
Publication Date: July 15, 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Number of Pages: 306
Genre/s: Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley

Annie hates running. No matter how far she jogs, she can’t escape the guilt that if she hadn’t broken up with Kyle, he might still be alive. So to honor his memory, she starts preparing for the marathon he intended to race.

But the training is even more grueling than Annie could have imagined. Despite her coaching, she’s at war with her body, her mind—and her heart. With every mile that athletic Jeremiah cheers her on, she grows more conflicted. She wants to run into his arms…and sprint in the opposite direction. For Annie, opening up to love again may be even more of a challenge than crossing the finish line.

"Breathe, Annie, Breathe is an emotional, heartfelt, and beautiful story about finding yourself after loss and learning to love. It gave me so many feels. Her best book yet." — Jennifer Armentrout, New York Times bestselling author of Wait for You
- (source)

A Contemporary novel can either be a hit or a miss for me. I find that I do have a different level of expectation when reading one. I don't know if this is because I assume that I will mostly end up not liking the book or if it is because I'm reading something so close to ordinary life that it's not as mindblowing or exciting as, say, a dystopian or a fantasy world. Either way, managing my expectations prior to reading, works almost perfectly well in influencing how I would feel about a Contemporary novel.

The problem comes in when a book doesn't do hit or miss. When the book just wants to plop right there in the middle grey area, waving its freak flag while saying, "YOU CAN'T CATEGORIZE ME WOMAN!" Breathe, Annie, Breathe is the perfect example of this kind of books.

As always, characters are a huge deal for me. The pacing could be dreadful, the world-building lacking, the writing lackluster, but as long as the characters can carry the story, you can still get me. And the thing is I felt so much conflicting emotions with Annie, our main protagonist. Sometimes I like her guts, sometimes she makes me want to kiss my feet—I'm not flexible so you should know how painful this is. She might have made some of her decisions due to grief and guilt, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. She just couldn't make up her damn mind all the freaking time, and I believe it would bug even the most patient readers.

And then she met gorgeous Jeremiah, the epitome of hotness, with yummy shoulders and holy ab muscles and piercing blue eyes, and... What? I'm just using Annie's description here. Can you feel the sarcasm radiating? Because let's be honest, I don't get it. I don't get it why they hooked up that time they were alone together even when they barely knew each other. I don't get it why they are attracted to each other except by their obvious inherent hotness (duh!). I don't get it why she needed Jeremiah so she could finish the race. I don't get it why it must be a boy, in the first place, that makes her feel alive again. Jeremiah doesn't make me swoon. He is a male protagonist I've read about before. A caricature of a great guy who would complement Annie. I even have to look up his name because I forgot it already.

But when I scratch all of those that I don't get and throw it out of my mind trash bin, I'm good. Breath, Annie, Breathe is a decent read. It's undemanding and accessible. It was almost heartwarming. I felt a slight tug in my heart in the end, although I'm not sure if it's because Annie finished the race, or because she finally got her HEA with Jeremiah. I admit I was more invested with Annie finishing her race than with her relationship with Jeremiah.

Of course, I have to recognized that I appreciated the overall theme of this book, which is finding yourself. Annie had let her deceased boyfriend Kyle and their relationship define who she is. Since all she needed was Kyle, when she had a falling out with her best friend, she just let it happened. She didn't realize she depended on him so much that's why when he unexpectedly died, she found herself lost and alone for the first time. 

That's why I love this line from Annie's mom so much: a guy should fit into your life, Annie not become it.

Isn't that the truth? That before everything else you should be your own person. There were also times, in the latter part of the book, that Annie surprised me. Like when she finally realized having a balance in life is important so she started hanging out with other people. Or when she accepted that she wasn't really the one to blame for Kyle's passing and turning him down was not a bad thing because it doesn't mean she didn't love him, but it's because she had a dream for herself. Seeing her like that is glorious, my friends.

Breathe, Annie, Breathe is my first Miranda Keneally novel. I'm kind of apprehensive because I didn't think I'd rip this book as much as I did. There were some good points, but ultimately my gripe with the characters got the better part of my reading experience, hence the rating. However, I am sure that many Contemporary fans would gobble this up and even love it, it's just wasn't able to grab me.

Cupid's Verdict:
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3 Cupids
A copy was provided by the publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review.

32 comments:

  1. The characters can really make or break a book. Maybe it's time that the author ends this series while she can still go out on a high note?

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    1. I don't know, Carmel. I don't think I'm the authority here since I've only ever read one book from her. I think I'll try one more and then form an opinion. :D

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  2. Yes to that line from Annie's mom!!!! LOVE IT! I always have issues with stories where a guy enters the picture and becomes the girl's whole world, her other half, the part of her that had been missing, etc. I have a husband, but I like to think I'm whole on my own, he just makes life that much better:) I'm seeing a wide variety of reviews for this one, so I'm not quite sure if I'm going to give this a try yet. You raised some really good points and I think there are aspects of this story that would frustrate me. Still, I'm a big fan of Miranda's so we'll see! Thanks for your thoughts Sarah!

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    1. YESSSS! Exactly. We are our own person. We need someone else to complement us, not complete us. Glad to see you're a big fan of Miranda, Jenny. I do think this novel of hers will be enjoyed by a certain kind of reader and if you already love her, then this book must be for you. :)

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  3. We're the same when it comes to having really good main characters. I could overlook the other elements, such as the world building, if the main characters are well-developed and offer more to the story. And this is so true : a guy should fit into your life, Annie not become it. I love that line!

    ~ Dre @ Sporadic Reads

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    1. Right? That line was so good. I'm happy to know you feel the same way about good characters. Who else are we going to connect to, if not with the characters?

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  4. I'm the exact same way. If the characters are good, that can definitely make me forgive some of the more minor flaws of a book. That's definitely a shame that you had so many conflicting feelings about Annie as a protagonist though!

    And I'm thinking I'm going to be the same about the romance as you were. I'm not a huge fan of when the romance takes over the plot, and it definitely sounds like that might be the case here.

    Nonetheless, glad it was enjoyable despite its flaws! Thanks for sharing Sarah, and, as always, BRILLIANT review! <3

    ~ Zoe @ The Infinite To-Read Shelf

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    1. Thank you, Zoe! Annie is a very tough character to like, at least for me. I don't think I would make the same choices as her so I find it really hard to connect to her.

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  5. I've loved Ms. Kenneally's work in the past, and I've seen some flawless reviews for this one lately, so I'm definitely intrigued! It sounds like there are some really profound messages within this novel and, despite its flaws, I'm really intrigued! Definitely adding it to my TBR. Lovely review!

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    1. Thanks Melissa! I do think I'm in the minority though, so I can't really wait to know what you think of this one.

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  6. "I don't get it why it must be a boy, in the first place, that makes her feel alive again." Dude, THANK YOU. Why do so many contemporary novels do this? And if her ex just died, why would she be so willing to fall into love with another guy so quickly? Random!

    This is something I hate has become a trend in YA / contemp novels. Whenever a girl is in trouble or down, it always has to be a guy who saves her. Whatever happened to friendship or family? Nope. Random dude she just mets sweeps in with his shiny armour :/ puh-lease

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    1. I know, Allie! It's really exasperating to see this trend. Sigh.

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  7. I love that line! I'm not sure I'll be adding this one to my reading list cause I'm not the biggest fan of contemporaries, but I really really love that line! Fantastic advice in life indeed!

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    1. Oh Pili, I'm not the biggest fan of Contemporary myself at the moment. Please don't stop yourself from reading Miranda's other works though, I heard they're good.

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  8. OOOh! I love this line from Annie's mom you used here: "a guy should fit into your life, Annie not become it." YA needs this more. I'm a sap when it comes to romance, but this is an important idea that should be there. Yes, you can swoon, but be strong enough to change/improve ect. for yourself, right? I'm sorry this was not your favorite read. I read a few others that felt the same. Thanks for the thoughtful and awesome review, Sarah! :)

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    1. Thanks Kim. I love romance as well if it's done right ,and the one here just didn't live up to my kind of romance.

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  9. :/ I'm sorry that you didn't like this one as much. I still recommend that you should read Miranda Kenneally's other books! They're all awesome! I have to head out to the bookstore and grab this one! My grabby hands are already getting out of control for this!

    I totally agree with the fact that if the main protagonist is easy to relate to and is chill and good, then the book is pretty good. Having a love-hate relationship with Annie doesn't sound the best. :(

    Awesome review!

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    1. I would try them sometime, Michelle. Here's hoping you'll like this one better! :)

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  10. I've heard nothing but endless praise for this one so it's nice to see a different opinion. To be honest, based on my history with contemporaries, I'm more llikely to feel exactly like you did about this one, and especially the romance. The way you describe it, it seriously lacks depth, which is a deal breaker.

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    1. Ugh, Maja. I hope I'm not in the minority but I'm honestly glad others love this book more than me.

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  11. Your first paragraph explains my relationship with contemporary perfectly! I couldn't say it better myself. I have seen this one around and Miranda is one of those authors everyone are talking about and I, well I still haven't picked up any of her books as I'm afraid that they will fall into that gray area. They seem like that type. Also love-hate relationship with the main character is not something I look forward to either. Great review, Sarah :)

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    1. Thanks Tanja! I used to really devour Contemporary until I got so fed up by the lackluster ones. I wish I like Annie better too but she's tough to like. :(

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  12. Ah, contemporary. It's a hit when I like the characters and the storyline, but when I'm not even emotionally involved in the main character... meh. Breathe, Annie, Breathe seems to have great storyline, but it may take a while to get along with the heroine. Considering her ex-boyfriend just died, swooning over another guy doesn't seem like a great possibility haha. I heard awesome things about Miranda Keneally's books, but I think I'll pass this one then after reading your review. I'm not sure it'll fit me. :)

    Lovely review, Sarah! <3

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    1. Aw, Hilda. That's not my intention at all. I hope you read other reviews before you pass up on this book but..yeah. *sniggers*

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  13. I had no idea this was part of Hundred Oaks! Or by Kenneally, for that matter. I usually like her books but I'm not sure about this one. What you said about the characters makes me wonder, because that would bother me too.

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    1. I know. I do think you'd like this Alise if you previously liked Keanneally's books before. I've seen reviews that said this was their favorite Keannelly book. :)

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  14. I love contemporaries just for the fact that I love how relatable they are, so this is where we differ a little. I'm glad that you enjoyed this as a whole even though you found there to be cliché tropes here and there. And nope! You don't have to like stuff even though you understand. That's the beauty of opinions ;) Great thorough review, lovely!

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    1. Thanks, Siiri! I guess they're relatable. It's surprising because I used to read a lot of Contemporaries before. I really don't know what changed.

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  15. I ended up really liking this one but i did have quite a few issues with it,especially the romance! I was okay with Annie overall but the romance didn't make me completely swoon, either and i felt like it did take over a large part of the book but i still did manage to enjoy the book since i liked the overall plot of Annie running the rave for her ex boyfriend.

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    1. Yes the marathon was the best thing in this novel, in my opinion. I'm glad that I wasn't alone with the romance, too. I just didn't like Jeremiah that much.

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  16. I've stopped reading the books in this series since I feel the same way about the male romantic leads--all too similar and perfect to be memorable--and I'm not a very patient reader so I wouldn't enjoy Annie in the least. I love the themes of this book from the synopsis itself but maybe the novel is one I'd be better off avoiding. Thanks for your honest review!

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    1. Sigh. I do hope I can say it's different from the rest, Keertana, but alas, it isn't. All of us who feel this way must really look for another book.

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