Throwback Thursday Review: Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

Ten Tiny Breaths by K. A. Tucker

Series: Ten Tiny Breaths #1

Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Release Date: September 24, 2013

Format: Trade Paperback

Source: Purchased

Find it here: GoodReads | Amazon

Four years ago Kacey Cleary’s life imploded when her car was hit by a drunk driver, killing her parents, boyfriend, and best friend. Still haunted by memories of being trapped inside, holding her boyfriend’s lifeless hand and listening to her mother take her last breath, Kacey wants to leave her past behind. Armed with two bus tickets, twenty-year-old Kacey and her fifteen-year-old sister, Livie, escape Grand Rapids, Michigan, to start over in Miami. Struggling to make ends meet, Kacey needs to figure out how to get by. But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle anything—anything but her mysterious neighbor in apartment 1D.

Trent Emerson has blue eyes, deep dimples, and he perfectly skates that irresistible line between nice guy and bad boy. Hardened by her past, Kacey is determined to keep everyone at a distance, but their mutual attraction is undeniable and Trent is determined to find a way into Kacey’s guarded heart—even if it means that an explosive secret could shatter both their worlds.

Originally Read and Reviewed: November 2014

I'm not sure how I first came across Ten Tiny Breaths but it was my first by K.A. Tucker and remains my favorite (although last years Until It Fades is a close second). As a side note, the novella In Her Wake is listed as #0.5 in the Ten Tiny Breaths companion series, but I highly recommend reading it after Ten Tiny Breaths. 

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This book. OMG, this book. Ten Tiny Breaths took me by surprise and it was so much more than I was expecting.

Four years ago Kacey lost almost everything - her parents, her best friend, her boyfriend - in a car accident. All she has left is her younger sister Livie who she is determined to protect. Even so, Kacey descends into the escapism of alcohol, drugs and sex to help numb her loss. Even when she moves past those vices she is still closed off to those around her. And when Livie's well-being is threatened Kacey packs their bags and they flee to Miami for a new start.

"No human can bury their past indefinitely.

"It's only a matter of time before you crack."

Once there she meets Trent, who has just moved into the apartment next door. Trent is the first person she's been drawn to and had feelings for since the accident. As much as she tries to fight against it, she finds herself allowing Trent glimpses of the real Kacey. Her other neighbor is Nora/Storm, a young woman with her own difficult past but is doing her best to raise her five year old daughter.

Despite Kacey's best efforts, these people become an integral part of her new life and she comes to count on them and the friendship and support they offer. But even as she tries to start over, the past won't stay buried and she'll have to confront it if she has any hope of truly moving on.

"Isn't it exhausting?"

"What?"

"Keeping people out."

My first status update when reading this book commented on what a closed-off, prickly character Kacey was. I was worried that it might wear thin fast and I would have difficulty feeling any connection to her. Not so. I warmed to Kacey quickly and wanted so much more for her. She was so completely defined by her past and convinced there was no happiness left for her. Her constant struggle was painful to witness, her tentative steps toward opening herself up to others was hopeful, and her final acceptance was heart wrenching. The 'twist' (which seemed obvious to me, though not in a bad way) was so well done and added so much to the story.

"Give me your heart, Kacey. 

I'll take everything that comes with it."

The secondary characters throughout were so well written and made me want to know more about each of them. I loved the part they each played in Kacey's life. 

"I'll make you whole again, Kacey.

I promise you, I will."

Ten Tiny Breaths is about grief and acceptance, loss and forgiveness, and, ultimately, redemption. And I loved it start to finish.

4.5/5 STARS