Name: Ari 😚's review of Barely breathing by Donovan, Rebecca (Novelist)
Item: Barely breathing
Rating: 5
Author: Ari 😚

Donovan, Rebecca (Novelist)

Although Emma Thomas's secret abusive home life has been exposed and her tormentor eliminated, she is still haunted by her experience, and must learn to reclaim her life.

Emma Thomas is trying to put her life back together after emotional, verbal, and physical abuse by her aunt Carol. The plot contains profanity, sexual situations, violence, and alcohol and drug abuse. Book #2

Barely breathing

Rebecca Donovan

Barely Breathing by Rebecca Donovan is a US bestseller and the incredible sequel to Reason to Breathe. An utterly addictive and heartbreaking novel that will leave readers breathless and desperate for more. All fans of Jodi Picoult and new adult fiction such Colleen Hoover's Slammed, Tammara Webber's Easy and Abbi Glines' Vincent Boys will love Rebecca Donovan's incredible writing. A must-read. Unanswered questions. Burning desire. Heartbreaking consequences The scandalous secrets of Emma's abuse are revealed, but she still has so much to learn out about her past. Why did her mother leave her all those years ago? What really happened the night Emma's father died? Were her memories of being happy just a dream? The repercussions of one horrific night has affected the lives of everyone involved. But with the promise of true love and new relationships, will Emma let it ruin hers for good? Praise for Barely Breathing: 'Raw, honest, unflinching and unforgiving, Barely Breathing will take your emotions for a ride and deliver an ending you didn't see coming' - Tracey Garvis-Graves, New York Times bestselling author of On the Island www.facebook.com/thebreathingseries www.rebeccadonovan.com @BeccaDonovan

Barely Breathing (The Breathing Series #2)

very very very very very very very very sad and intresting.

Ari 😚

(this is my 22nd book of 2-22-2022 hehe HOW SERENDIPITOUS)

. . . wait what WAIT WHAT!???! THEENDING THO “I don’t know if I’m staying.” :( 

sorry not enough evan

Gisela Ayala 

Not to be cliche with what I am about to say, but I was barely breathing when I read this book. I could not put the book down! I really do like Emma's development as a character even if I didn't like all the choices she made. I could tell she was finally releasing all the emotions she has had during her trying times, not that her trying times are over. No, they are far from over. I really wish she would just trust Evan more. I really think he would be understanding and even if he doesn't "get it."

We get introduced to Emma's mother in this book, and I can say right off that I do not like her one bit. Maybe some people will be sympathetic to her cause, but no, just no. And Jonathan, right there with her. My blood is boiling just thinking about them two!

My goodness that ending though! Everything just hit the fan and everything turned to crap. Kind of like the first book. I am not satisfied and I need to know what happens next. Right now.

Katelyn Broad

This book was a lot of things: sad, interesting, fun, and emotional. It left me wanting more but afraid to read more because while I was reading this book, my emotional stability was hanging by a thread. 
After the first book leaves you in heart-breaking suspense, this book picks up a little while later, when Emma is trying to pick up the pieces. Moving back in with her mother didn't seem like an option but Emma knows she needs to look to the future and hopes that living with her mother will help her do so. 
Carol may be locked up but the damage was done. And then there are other pieces to Emma's heartbreaking life, pieces that Emma doesn't even remember. 
I rarely cry during books (I didn't even cry during the first one) but this one had my eyes filling with tears. Especially after that ending. Now I can't wait for the next book, although I feel as though I have to so I can hold onto some of my sanity. 
Anyone who enjoyed the first book, read this one. It is just as good, if not better.

Samantha 

O.M.G. THESE BOOKS ARE AMAZING!!!

I absolutely adore Evan, I swear but also like Emma I seem to have this undeniable connection to Jonathan. 

Poor Emma, and poor Evan, and poor Jonathan! Why can't they all get a happy ending?

I guess I'll find out more about them in the next book.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

SERIES REVIEW:

This. Series.

*sigh*

What a roller-coaster! This is the type of series that I felt needed to be reviewed together, all in one review, rather than each book separately. Each book ends with a cliffhanger of sorts. Definitely left me hanging enough that I instantly downloaded the next book each time. Which also means each book kind of runs right into where the prior one left off. It definitely had the flow of one really long book, rather than three separate books. Man, this series was GOOD!

What first made me want to read this book, honestly, was that it takes place in Connecticut. We don’t see that very often. I’ve only read maybe two books prior that took place near home, and I love that. I’m a sucker for hometown stories, apparently. ;) The second thing? Becca’s love for this series. She read this series some time last year, I believe, and I still remember her fangirling over how amazing they were. I know sometimes people’s interests change after they start blogging and reading more, and maybe books they loved prior and rated 5 stars would be rated differently now. Not this series though. Becca STILL to this day raves about this series. Since we have such similar taste, that was all the push I needed to start this series.

In Reason to Breathe we meet Emma, who is living a pretty horrific life. One that NO ONE would chose to live. After the death of her father, her mother went into a depression, drinking heavily, barely functioning, and was in no shape to parent her daughter. Emma was placed at her aunt and uncle’s house to live with them and her little cousins. Let’s just say this house wasn’t a happy one for Emma. She dealt with some pretty heinous behavior, felt completely unwanted in the house, and was counting down the days until she could go off to college.

In Barely Breathing Emma’s mom re-enters the picture. After not being a mother to Emma most of her teenage years, Emma is a bit hesitant about letting her back in. But with the hopeless feeling that is consuming her, she gives in and gives it a try. I’m sure you can imagine the messiness this situation will bring. Trust me, this book is a toughy.

Lastly, in Out of Breath, just when you think poor Emma can’t possibly face any more grief and tragedy in her life… BAM! She’s struck again.

This series constantly has twist and turns, slapping you in the face with a pillow when you least expect it. Warning: a lot of the behaviors in these books, by certain people in particular, are pretty horrifying. It was very difficult to read at times, and I was overcome with vast amounts of frustration, grief, and anger. This series definitely brought out the worst in me as far as feelings were concerned. It isn’t a happy, pretty, warm-and-fuzzy type of story. It’s harsh. It’s terrifying at times. It’s wicked. And you know what… it’s also realistic. It’s sad to say, but it’s true. There are children and teenagers that are living lives similar to this story. It’s heartbreaking, really.

That’s not to say there aren’t happy moments in this series too, because there are. Emma makes some pretty amazing friends along her journey, friends that will prove to have her back when it’s needed most. She also has a lot of fun and even meets a few interesting guys she gets to know better. ;) But Emma is a mess. She’s doesn’t always make the right decisions. She is a teenager, of course, and she definitely acts like one. But this girl is dealt a pretty crazy hand, which she’s going to have to grow as a person and figure out who she is, or who she wants to be, and how she’s going to get there. It’s a story about hope. A story that you CAN be better than the life you’re stuck in. That you CAN persevere even if it seems hopeless at first. It’s about change, and learning to be a better person. It’s also about love.

I’ll leave it at that. I don’t want this review to be too spoilery because I want you ALL to read this series. Be in the right frame of mind for it. Know that it’s going to mess with your mind a bit. But give it a shot. It’s worth the read, for sure. I know it’s usually listed as NA, but it can definitely fall into the YA category because of the characters being in their teens. Now that I’ve flown through this series like a madman, I’m definitely hoping to get to my copy of What If asap. :)


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