ARC Review: Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Keneally

Breathe, Annie, Breathe 

by Miranda Keneally

Series: Hundred Oaks #5

Genre: YA, contemporary, romance

Expected publication: April 7th 2015 by Sourcebooks Fire

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Purchase: Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Book Depository

Local order/purchase: Fully Booked * National Bookstore

Blurb (Goodreads):

Annie hates running. No matter how far she jogs, she can’t escape the guilt that if she hadn’t broken up with Kyle, he might still be alive. So to honor his memory, she starts preparing for the marathon he intended to race.

But the training is even more grueling than Annie could have imagined. Despite her coaching, she’s at war with her body, her mind—and her heart. With every mile that athletic Jeremiah cheers her on, she grows more conflicted. She wants to run into his arms…and sprint in the opposite direction. For Annie, opening up to love again may be even more of a challenge than crossing the finish line.

"Breathe, Annie, Breathe is an emotional, heartfelt, and beautiful story about finding yourself after loss and learning to love. It gave me so many feels. Her best book yet." — Jennifer Armentrout, New York Times bestselling author of Wait for You 

My Thoughts:

*This review is based on advanced reading ecopy. There might be some changes with the finished copy.

It's been ages ago since I last read a Miranda Keneaally book. My first was Catching Jordan, which I loved, and Stealing Parker. I'm so glad that this is [only a] companion series, I can still read this (fifth!) book even without reading the third and fourth. There aren't spoilers on each book but each of them features the previous (and possible future) characters. 

When I dived in to Breathe, Annie, Breathe, I was reminded of Miranda's trademark--which is the sports. I was reminded on how she talks about sports in her book like it's really part of the characters' lives (which, technically, is). Like it's really part of this series, the thing her readers would never miss. I'm not a sporty type of person, I've said that before, and when I say I'm not sporty, I say it's like you're talking to me Math. I'd just *pretend* to listen to you but it would never really register. However, in Miranda's books, it wasn't something I hated or avoided. It's actually something that for me, makes her book(s) more interesting to read and stands out.

I like Annie for her determination and her passion for her loved one. She hates running but she does it for Kyle, her deceased boyfriend who wasn't able to finish twenty-six-mile run (his thing, originally) for Country Music Marathon. Despite of how her body screams for pain or how she's so not meant to run, she pursued. Along the way, she found herself more as an individual and learned to start over again. I like her story. However, I am not much of a fan of her (new) love story or her and Jeremiah as a pair. I think it's because they started as superficial and after that I had a hard time seeing them as a pair with more genuine relationship. During the course of the book, Annie had flashes of memories about her and Kyle's relationship so I was able to witness their love story too. And I very much prefer them and fell in love with the cuteness on how they met and started getting together. Too bad he was the "one that got away". I understand Annie's pain and inability forget him.

Breathe, Annie, Breathe was another Miranda Kenneally interesting trademark: hot romance and with the involvement of sports. It's like you've read two-in-one romance and sports book. And you don't have to be a sporty person to enjoy this! You definitely will, as I did too.

I reviewed the (first) Catching Jordan and (second) Stealing Parker companion on the blog.

*Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for the review ecopy in exchange of an honest review!

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