Only a Breath Apart: A Novel

"Only a Breath Apart" was a hard-hitting, moving read that had me hooked from the start. It was written with feeling and depth, and the characters touched my heart. The physical, emotional, mental and verbal abuse throughout the novel had my stomach churning on many an occasion.

I loved Jesse and Scarlett. They were childhood friends who had a falling out and had to learn to trust again. The were broken, flawed and made mistakes, but I was invested in both their lives. Their pain, loneliness and struggles felt real, and their connection to each other was amazing; they just belonged together.

Jesse was a breath of fresh air and I adored him. Despite the life he was living, he was pure goodness and he touched me with the way he cared, show more helped and listened, not only to Scarlett, but his other friends as well. He allowed Scarlett to set the boundaries and never once did he try to overstep them.

Despite living in constant fear and feeling as though she had no control of her life, Scarlett was such a strong character. She was compassionate, kind and full of love, and I admired her for the choices she ended up making. Sadly, I also felt every emotion she felt when she watched her father physically abuse her mother.

My biggest complaint about this book was the psychic element. It's not my thing, but I did love the connection both Jesse and Scarlett had with the land. Also, I would have liked V's story to have been fleshed out more. I was left wondering what was wrong with her. Hopefully, she will get a novel of her own soon.

Even though "Only a Breath Apart" was an emotionally raw read dealing with some harsh issues, it was also a book about courage, hope, forgiveness and growing up. An emotional and heartfelt read. show less

* I got this book for review from the publisher*

I really loved this story so much. I really enjoyed this hard hitting contemopory. I really enjoyed the duel POV and found how this book tackled various types of abuse super compelling/heartbreaking. I liked the longer time frame of this novel. I really love the blast from the past love and really enjoyed this aspect of the novel. I was equally invested in both storylines. I found the end pacing a bit wired but other then such a stand out novel. I am super excited to see who book focused on.

3.5 Stars

“Sometimes, there aren't words and that's okay.”

If you’ve enjoyed McGarity’s mildy angsty wrong-side-of-the-track romances, you might be surprised at the intense emotional toll Only a Breath Apart will take on you. Following childhood friends who’ve drifted apart and have now come back into each other’s lives, Jesse and Scarlett are each battling some intense demons that threaten their happiness and their futures. There wasn’t really anything that I disliked about the story, but nothing I really loved either. The setting and atmosphere: good, the characters: good, the romance: good, the progression and character journey: good. The story was engaging and executed well, I just didn’t fall head over heels in love. show more The story didn’t sugar coat anything, and when there’s physical and verbal abuse, the emotional trauma weighs heavy. I liked the messiness of the story. It felt real, even if there was a whisper of magical realism with the Lachlin curse and psychic energy. Overall I thought this was a solid quick read and I’m definitely going to read more from McGarity.

Massive TRIGGER WARNING for verbal and physical spousal abuse and childhood trama show less

This book is in short amazing, It's not a run of the mill YA. This book tackles some serious issues, such as abuse. It's handled beautifully by the author, This book has so much depth to it, the depth of the story, the depth of the characters, all make this book flow seamlessly, The characters have so much to overcome. While not yet adults, they have to make adult decisions. In this day and age, that isn't unheard of. It does show a strength of character. The flow of the book is flawless, there is always great dialogue and inner dialogue as well. Told in dual pov, this is a heart wrenching all the feels sort of book.

While I enjoyed this book on some levels, there wasn't really anything particularly unique or different about it. The characters felt a little flat (except for the psychic, Glory) and the plot followed a predictable path. I never really believed in Jesse's curse or the attachment he had to the land he was so desperate to own, despite the number of times he stated the connection.

It was not a difficult read, and certainly filled a long ferry ride adequately, but it doesn't make the top of my list of favorite romances.

* I got this book for review from the publisher*

I really loved this story so much. I really enjoyed this hard hitting contemopory. I really enjoyed the duel POV and found how this book tackled various types of abuse super compelling/heartbreaking. I liked the longer time frame of this novel. I really love the blast from the past love and really enjoyed this aspect of the novel. I was equally invested in both storylines. I found the end pacing a bit wired but other then such a stand out novel. I am super excited to see who book focused on.

3.5 Stars