Kat Spears

Breakaway by Kat Spears is contemporary young adult fiction for an empathetic and perceptive reader.

In the wake of his younger sister’s death, Jason Marshall is sad, angry and lost. As his single mother sinks into depression, Jaz should be able to rely on his best mates, but Mario is too busy getting high, Jordan is distracted by his new girlfriend, and Chick has his own problems.

Written in the first person, Jason doesn’t really have insight into much of what motivates him, nor Spears show more other characters, so the underlying pathos that unravels his story has to be pieced together from the context and subtle leads in the narrative.

Struggling with his past and present, Jason is a sympathetic protagonist. Desperate to protect himself from further pain related to his father’s desertion, his mother’s emotional absence, and his sisters death, he retreats into himself, often taking refuge in an abrupt, defensive and sarcastic attitude.

While previously the linchpin for his group of best friends, Jason simply doesn’t have the emotional strength to confront either Mario or Jordan, or cope with Chick’s distress at the relationship drift. It’s easier for him to just let it go and pretend it doesn’t matter, or to blame circumstances outside his control, especially as his experience has taught him that everybody leaves.

Raine proves to be an excellent distraction for Jason. Convinced she couldn’t be interested in him, he feels in control of their interactions, and most importantly to him, there is no risk of the rejection he fears. Raine in turn is good for Jason, calling him out on his worst behaviours and attitudes, and eventually offering him hope that things can be different.

An edgy, poignant coming of age novel exploring the themes of friendship, loss and love, Breakaway reflects the ordinary, often messy, complicated and dark, reality of adolescence. show less

A smart and empathetic story about a teen whose attempt to grieve his father's death from cancer keeps getting derailed by everyone in his life. Dean's internal monologue keeps him well away from the annoying whiny/sympathy line that plagues so many teen protagonists these days. He has to deal with not caring about school or going on to college, his mother letting his late father's law partner move in, Mom's determination to 'normalize' him by dominating his therapy sessions, the law show more partner's son who is a total hedonistic jerk, and his intense feelings for Olivia, his super confident (or so Dean thinks) neighbor. Watching him navigate all of this makes for a fast and very enjoyable read. show less

What an amazing story.
I love that it's messy and dark. Dane is struggling - struggling with reasons to get up in the morning, get dressed. Why finish high school? Why go to class? Why eat in the morning? Why does any of this matter? Because Dane has recently lost his dad and life feels. . .like a series of pointless activities.

It was dark and angry to be in Dane's head but it resonated as so realistic. The anxiety of the big life choices and the pointlessness of the little ones. The show more frustration of not understanding others and not really being sure they are worth understanding. That realization that high school is really a sea of people you don't like but are forced to spend all day with. I just wanted to hug Dane and tell him the same platitudes that would have made him mad.

Ophelia was a great addition to the story - she's this anomaly you don't really get to start knowing until about 1/2 way through the book. I also liked the additions of the therapy sessions, both as family counseling and individual. The more we grapple and tackle and talk about mental health, the more we'll search to try to understand and know more.

I can see this story really reaching a lot of people right now who are struggling with the big scary things they can't solve and give them just a glimmer of sunlight under the big dark door. I loved it.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. show less

I don't know what it is lately with these detached (supposedly), misbehaving male characters in YA books and why I like them so much, why I get sucked into their stories, but I do.
Jesse's a difficult character: he lies,deals drugs and doesn't exhibit much of a conscience or consideration for others. It's hard to see any good in him at first, but his character is still intriguing. His savvy, his "sway," is a little too flawless, the extent of his power unbelievable, but I was still very drawn show more to his story. It's interesting that Carter and Joey, and a host of other characters in the book, have the same reaction to him that I had as a reader: they like him despite his actions. They see something in him that he doesn't see in himself. And it takes talent to be able to get that across while writing from the point of view of a character who acts like a bad guy and thinks he's a bad guy.

The drug use and casual sex bothered me, and I thought the resolution went a bit too fast. Bridget and Pete are both pretty saintlike in their forgiveness of Jesse, but I can see how it works for both of them. As much as Jesse thinks he's got Pete's number, I think Pete's got Jesse's too. And Bridget's in love with him. People have forgiven much worse because they love someone.

The book had a nice mix of supporting characters, and I was sad to leave them behind when I finished the book. It would be neat to see some of them featured in their own novels, say Joey or Carter.

Nick Podehl was a great choice for narrator of this on audio. His depiction of Jesse was perfect. show less