Miranda Kenneally

To honor her dead boyfriend and cope with her grief and guilt, college student Annie trains for a marathon with athletic Jeremiah, who flirts with Annie on the trails and makes her feel alive and happy and guilty all at the same time.

Breathe, Annie, Breathe

Briar's Reviews

Breathe, Annie, Breathe is a great YA tale with a sporty focus.

I'm totally impressed that I finally found a book that centers around sports! It is quite a rare find for me, so I'm ridiculously pleased! As a former athlete, I absolutely love being able to locate a book that reflects my life. It's always nice to know that there's more books out there for us athletes. Throw in the fact that it's also a YA novel and you've got me really interested! The YA crowd, specifically, needs some books that reflect their lives that they can sink their teeth into.

That being said, this book was not for me. I normally love a good YA but this one left me rather bored. It's still a fabulous book and it's fabulously written (so don't get me wrong, I'm really impressed) but I was left rather bored. I may be moving away from the YA genre in general, or maybe this wasn't the book I needed right now. Either way, my review reflects my opinion but believe me - this book is good even though I didn't enjoy it. 

This story follows Annie training for a marathon, and we find out about her complicated relationship history along the way. She works incredibly hard to make it towards her marathon, which is probably my favourite part of this book. Annie doesn't give up easily and perseveres throughout the novel. 

Additionally, this book carries a lot of emotion. There are some scenes that make you really feel for Annie and her situation. I liked how Miranda wrote those scenes and I applaud her for them. 

My negatives for this book focus on Annie as a character. Like most YA novels, she seems to have most of life going for her. Yes, she does have some tragic parts of her life but she also gets things her way in the end. It's a hard mix of struggle and perseverance that I felt just wasn't met in this story. It just didn't feel real or right for me.

Overall, I did enjoy the book but it wasn't my favourite of the year. I think it's a great addition to a teenager or young adult lovers bookshelf. If you're looking for a book about sports and running with a good mix of YA drama, pick up this book!

Two out of five stars.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Olivera Mitić

A solid 3.5 read, one solid contemporary. 
I pretty much got everything I wanted out of it. 
It was fluffy, it was easy to read and it wasn't that profound, but it was very entertaining. 

The marathon was a refreshing element which you really don't come across in YA books and I liked how realistic Annie's preparations felt. As someone who enjoys running, this was such a pleasant addition and the one thing that made me interested in the book in the first place. 

As far as the romance goes, eh, I don't know what to tell you. We all knew how it was going to end, the only thing that kinda got on my nerves was that Annie constantly changed the reasons to why she didn't want a relationship. She wasn't too consistent there, lemme tell you.

The humor was a bit forced and nothing was really funny, even though the author tried to make some snarky remarks. 

That's pretty much everything I have to say about it.

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads
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I'm not entirely sure why I waited so long to read the rest of the books in Miranda Kenneally's Hundred Oaks series, but after my binge-read a couple weeks ago I'm totally kicking myself. I'm also happy I decided to read them when I did because they fit my mood perfectly and were a great break from my recent trend of reading mostly new adult and adult contemporary romance. It's tough to put my feelings about this book into words – and I know my review won't do this book justice – but I'm gonna give it a go anyhow. :)

Breathe, Annie, Breathe is Annie's story. (You don't say?) Annie's training to run a marathon in honor of her late boyfriend. She's going to run the miles he never had a chance to before he was killed in an accident. She channels her guilt and anger into running and uses that, along with her determination, to do what she wasn't sure she would ever be able to. It's not easy. But with the help of some familiar Hundred Oaks faces, she keeps going. All the while learning a little more about herself, and what she wants out of life. 

Annie was a fantastic heroine. She was mature far beyond her 17 years and she found her way into my heart early on in the book. Her struggle was so real. I felt like my own heart was going to crack wide open as she not only dealt with the guilt and anger over Kyle's death, but tried to reconcile the feelings she was having for Jeremiah, Matt's (of Things I Can't Forget fame) brother. She was dealing with a lot of conflicting emotions and I was right there with her the entire time. She was young and had her whole life ahead of her, but Kyle didn't. Can she find the strength and determination to keep going – not just in running, but in all ways? 

I loved Jeremiah just about as much as I loved Annie. He was such a sweet guy. His addiction to extreme sports and constant search for a rush made him a pretty strong contrast to Annie, but somehow they were a perfect match. The chemistry between them was through the roof. I loved how Jeremiah and his brother teamed up to help push Annie when she needed it most. Honestly, I just loved Annie and Jeremiah together. Their relationship was real and treated as such. Which, after all, is one of my favorite things about all of Miranda's books. She's not afraid to tackle real issues teens face and talk about them. I'm a firm believer that anything that opens a positive dialogue is a good thing. Her books do this. 

Breathe, Annie, Breathe was a gorgeous story about one girl's determination to live after a horrible tragedy. The writing was phenomenal. The feels were real. It wasn't always pretty, but it was raw and emotional. Even just thinking about it now, I want to go back and reread it. And, I just may. It was that good. 

I'm fortunate to have a review copy of the next book in the Hundred Oaks series, Jesse's Girl. Believe me when I say I won't be putting this one off. I'm in love with all things Hundred Oaks and plan to read it very soon. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

Maybe you don’t have to figure life out at all.
Maybe it just is.

I’ve had my eye on Miranda Kenneally and the Hundred Oaks series for quite a while now. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a fan of long series. The fact that this one was getting longer and longer scared me. Then fabulous Mel reviewed Breathe, Annie, Breathe, and she stated that these books don’t have to be read in order. Yay!!!!! Well, that was all the convincing I needed. I went on Audible and downloaded a copy that just happened to be on sale at the time. Win win!

Annie is dealing with a whole lot of guilt over the death of her boyfriend, Kyle. Though the death wasn’t her fault, she feels to blame. Maybe if she hadn’t broken up with him it never would have happened? These thoughts are taking over, making the grieving process that much more difficult for her. She decides to run a marathon in honor of her ex-boyfriend, which turns out to be a lot more difficult than she first thought. She feels the pressure to do it, since now his family and friends are all routing for her. But the pressure is getting more and more intense, making her question her decision to do this for him.

This story wasn’t just a story about running a marathon. There was a lot involved in it. Strong messages about finding yourself after a tragic event, and getting back to the life you want to live. I really liked how M. Kenneally writes. It was kind of a cross between YA contemporary and chick lit, in my opinion. Definitely my type of read. For some reason, I just wasn’t into the story as much as I had hoped. Enjoyable, it just didn’t wow me.

I will definitely continue on with reading M. Kenneally’s books. After reading this, I’m so happy to see how much her writing style works for me. I have a feeling I will enjoy some of the others even more than this one. Another great author to add to my must-read list! :)

Audiobook Impressions:
This is the first audio I’ve listened to narrated by Nancy Wu. And though I felt she did a wonderful job at the actual narrating part, I just wasn’t convinced she was the right voice for the part. She sounded like a woman in her 30′s, rather than a young teenager. I had trouble with that throughout, making it difficult for me to relate to the characters.

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

Oh, my heart is still fluttering after reading this book! Without a doubt, Breathe, Annie, Breathe is my favorite of the Hundred Oaks series so far. Miranda Kenneally does YA contemporary romance so well, I already knew I would end up enjoying this latest book of series, but I just never expected to love it THIS much!

I was in the perfect mood for reading a sweet, heartfelt story, and Breathe, Annie, Breathe gave me all that and more. It’s a quick read, but it packs powerful emotions within its pages. I felt every emotion Annie felt–I laughed when she laughed, I ached when she ached, and I loved when she loved. This book is about loss, but it’s also about hope. It’s about trying to find your way through life, and Miranda Kenneally does an excellent job of conveying this in Annie’s journey.

A quarter mile more.
One foot after the other.
Breathe, Annie, breathe.

After the loss of her boyfriend and love of her life, Annie signs up for the Music City Marathon. Her boyfriend, Kyle, was training for it until he died, so Annie decides to honor him by running the race for him. She hires a trainer, and every practice is brutal–Annie has to practice running for miles and miles before she’s ever ready for a 26.2 mile marathon. But what I loved best about Annie is that even when she wants to give up, she doesn’t. She keeps on going. And I loved that fact that she hated running–because I can completely relate to that. I am awful at running, but reading about Annie and her perseverance made me want to pick up a pair of jogging shoes and go out running.

Annie is easily relatable–she’s lost her sense of direction in life, and doesn’t know how to move on from Kyle’s death. She’s about to attend college in the fall, but doesn’t know what to do. It’s like she’s going through the motions in her life, but running is the one thing that makes her feel alive. She meets new people, new friends, while training. We see Matt, from Things I Can’t Forget, who is her trainer. And Annie becomes especially close to Matt’s younger brother Jeremiah.

Jeremiah is a total sweetheart. He’s cute, funny, and cheers Annie on throughout the entire book. Jeremiah wholeheartedly believes in Annie and believes that she has what it takes to finish the marathon. He’s also peculiar in that Jeremiah’s an adrenaline junkie–he’s always looking to find a new challenge to feel a rush. I loved how supportive he is of Annie, and I loved the tension between them. Sparks fly between Annie and Jere–they’re so perfect with each other, for each other. Their banter is hilarious and their friendship is rock-solid.

“Aren’t you gonna run up front and try to win?” I ask.
“I’d rather run with you.”
“You want to come in 5,094th place?”
His mouth quirks into a smile. “I don’t care.”
“Jeremiah? You make me happy.”
“You make me happy too,” he says quietly.

I just can’t get enough of these two! They had me smiling for the entire book. They’re absolutely adorable together!

But Annie, understandably, holds back. She loved Kyle, and finding new love is a scary thing. I loved seeing them grow close to each other, to learn to lean on each other. They fall in love slowly, and my heart was bursting for them.

We get cameos of other characters from the other books in the series, which totally made me squeal!

Overall, I had the most wonderful time reading Breathe, Annie, Breathe. I never expected to love a book about running, but I do! I was cheering for Annie the whole way through. I loved seeing her grow, both as a runner and as a person. The whole book is so emotional, and Annie’s journey warmed my heart.

If you don’t put yourself out there, if you don’t take risks, you can’t truly feel.
And I’m ready to feel again.

I was honestly so sad to get to the end of this book–I never wanted it to end!

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1G74cUP
Amazon Hardcover: http://amzn.to/1E69n1w
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1F7WyaF

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Prerana agrawal

Zahra

"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 L. Armentrout Annie is running from her past and from grief, but is she ready to move on? 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.

Elissa Gleich

madison

caroline glover 

Flavia Machado

AnnRea Fowler

Julia Seiser

Sofie

Alexis Rader

Isabella Brouwer

From the bestselling author of Catching Jordan comes a brand new contemporary YA you won't forget. The finish line is only the beginning... 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 L. Armentrout, New York Times bestselling author of Wait for You