Review + Giveaway: Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry

 

When it comes to contemporary YA, nobody does it like Katie McGarry. Katie has long been my favorite go-to YA author and the kind of YA contemporaries she writes is exactly what I like: gritty, heartfelt stories about young people dealing with situations that push them to make tough choices and decide who they are. ONLY A BREATH APART delivered an emotional punch and I highly recommend grabbing this one for yourself. Check out my thoughts below - and don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Would you dare to defy destiny? Are our destinies written in stone? Do we become nothing more than the self-fulfilling prophesies of other people's opinions? Or can we dare to become who we believe we were born to be?

“A gorgeous, heartfelt journey of redemption and love” (Wendy Higgins), ONLY A BREATH APART is a young adult contemporary novel from critically acclaimed Katie McGarry. “Haunting, authentic, and ultimately hopeful” (Tammara Webber), order your copy of ONLY A BREATH APART now!

 

About ONLY A BREATH APART:

They say your destiny is carved in stone. But some destinies are meant to be broken.

The only curse Jesse Lachlin believes in is his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year.

A fortuneteller tells Scarlett she's psychic, but what is real is Scarlett’s father’s controlling attitude and the dark secrets at home. She may be able to escape, but only if she can rely on the one boy who broke her heart.

Each midnight meeting pushes Jesse and Scarlett to confront their secrets and their feelings, but as love blooms, the curse rears its ugly head…

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“Gritty and real, Only a Breath Apart is a story of hope conjured from pain, strength drawn from innocence, and love earned from self-respect. Beautiful, poignant, and fierce.” ―Kristen Simmons, critically acclaimed author of the Article 5 series

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Once childhood friends who meant everything to one another, Jesse and Scarlett are now virtual strangers. Having no idea why Jesse cut her out of his life, Scarlett has carried on with friends who know nothing about her life beyond the school walls. At home her father rules with an iron fist and she lives in fear of the next time he will strike out at her mother.

“I’m filled with a sense of hope that maybe we can be a family again.

I wrap my arms around myself because while that hope is uplifting,

it is possibly the most terrifying emotion I have ever felt.”

Jesse’s mother believed the family was cursed and the only way to survive was to never leave their land. At 17, Jesse has suffered more than his fair share of loss and according to his grandmother’s will the ability to keep the family land may lie in the hands of others – a tribunal who will decide if he is responsible enough to manage it when he turns 18.

“If any guy, including me, gets in the way of your happiness, if he stands

in the way of you reaching your dreams, if he can’t understand that

harming someone is wrong, then walk away, Scarlett. It’s that simple.”

I fell a little in love with Jesse, with his bad reputation and heart of gold, and it was impossible not to ache for Scarlett as she dealt with the hell that was her homelife. These two were the perfect example of being stronger together than apart. As Jesse and Scarlett reconciled and friendship developed into love, they were both forced to face difficult decisions about their futures. Scarlett in particular had amazing growth and showed incredible bravery while being conflicted over her feelings for her father (Could she still love him when she hated him for his actions? Was it wrong to still love him?). Jesse struggled to come to terms with his misplaced feelings of guilt and responsibility for his mother’s death while also forging a new path of his own, without the chains of the past holding him back and limiting his options.

“Why would I want to be anyone else 

when I get to be the guy who holds you?”

McGarry has an incredible gift with developing strong characters who are complex and flawed, never cookie cutter. I felt empathy for Scarlett’s father even as I railed at his despicable behavior. I warmed to Jessie’s uncle Marshall who became a stalwart support for both Jesse and Scarlett. And my heart was touched by the kindly Pastor Hughes and made me wish every victim had someone as gentle and unwavering on their side.

Katie McGarry has delivered a powerful and emotional tale of strength, hope, resilience and redemption. She never fails to pull me into every story, engage my emotions, make me care – and this was no exception. Fans of contemporary YA are sure to love Only a Breath Apart.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. This does not my opinion of the book or the content of this review. I received no compensation and my review is voluntary.

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About Katie McGarry: Katie is the author of the PUSHING THE LIMITS series, THUNDER ROAD series, SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME, and the upcoming YA novel, ONLY A BREATH APART. Her novels have received starred reviews, critical acclaim and have won multiple awards including being a multiple Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for YA Fiction, multiple RT Magazine's Reviewer's Choice Award Finalist for Best YA Fiction, including a win in the category, and she was a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick.      

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