Review: Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally

Book Title: Breathe, Annie, Breathe

Author: Miranda Kenneally

Published Date: July 15th, 2014

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Genre: YA/NA Contemporary

Standalone/Companion

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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.

Disclaimer: Library book.

Review:

I had a lot of hope for this book. I had heard awesome things about it and it was going to be my first Miranda Kenneally book, so I was definitely feeling apprehensive. What if I didn't like it? What if it didn't wow me like I wanted it to? I'm so glad I can answer this positively. It was an awesome book where I very quickly fell in love with Annie and with Jeremiah.

I loved how Jeremiah didn't push her, he let things unfold at her pace and he didn't try to rush her. He reminded me of my fiance in that way. He knew Annie was still grieving for the boy she loved before.

Yet he introduced her to his family along the way. Guys don't do that unless they are seriously interested in a girl. He even took her to meet his grandfather who was living in an old folks home. Jeremiah had a close relationship with his PopPop, allowing them to joke around.

"Stop hitting on her PopPop. She's not your type." -Jeremiah-

"And what is her type?" -PopPop-

"Somebody under seventy." -Jeremiah-

I loved the rest of Jeremiah's family. They all seemed very close knit, and his mother especially seemed overly concerned. I understood why she was so anxious about her adrenaline seeking son, but as someone who is very much an adrenaline junkie, I totally sympathized with Jeremiah. I understood the feeling of wanting that rush, but not wanting to hurt or even scare my family.

Annie's family was interesting. It was just her mom, Annie, and Annie's brother Nick. Annie lives her life with constant thoughts of what if. She constantly blames herself for Kyle's death although as we find out, no one is to blame. She even goes as far as to blame her mother for Kyle's death. Of course she regrets saying that. 

Her mom never really felt things with Kyle were all that healthy. When Annie began dating Kyle, she dropped everything. Her friends, her activities, things she did for herself. If Kyle wasn't a part of something, Annie didn't want to participate. 

"A guy should fit into your life, Annie, not become it." -Annie's mom-

I totally agreed with her mom on this. A guy should never be your whole life. He should never become the only thing you think about or hang out with. A guy should compliment you, not complete you. 

Kyle was also the reason she lost friends. Kelsey in particular was hurt when Annie began dating Kyle and I totally understood. To Kelsey, it felt like Annie had left her behind in favor of a boy. While I understood Annie a little bit, I was also so angry with her. Boys should never come before friends and I was so annoyed that Annie had allowed that to happen.

I loved the ending, it was awesome and it left me incredibly happy. It felt like I was Annie for so many reasons. We were both afraid to move on, and love someone no matter how caring and supportive and patient they were. I absolutely loved this book and I cannot wait to read more of Kenneally's books. 5 stars to this awesome book that broke me out of my reading slump.

"If you don't put yourself out there, if you don't take risks, you can't truly feel."