Found myself unable to breathe at times
356663
I love the Thompson sisters. Each one of them is so unique and yet they still need each other to get through life. I feel in love with Julia in A Song for Julia and now in Just Remember to Breathe, I absolutely love Alex. I love how Charles is so dedicated to each sister's story and you get to read the story from his and her point of view. If you haven't bought this book you are totally missing out. This is a must have for your eBook library. BUY IT NOW!!!
2105620
sometimes I felt like it was jumping around to much. Hard to keep up and figure out who was talking at the time
681769
Weddings are stressful enough, this was tough. I laughed a ton and really enjoyed the ending, but the middle had me doubting my sanity for awhile.
288900
It's a perfectly good story, full of empathy, peril, lessons in life, etc.
I just had a difficult time getting through it. I felt ashamed of myself, but it was difficult nonetheless.
I'm sure it's perfectly acceptable, but the manner in which the author used quotations -- without marks, begun with a dash as a signal -- struck me as nettlesome. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned and unnecessarily orthodox, but the form annoyed me.
I couldn't submerge myself in the story enough to appreciate it fully.
2602408
Breathe is the debut novel by author Sarah Crossan, and I have to say, I have extremely mixed emotions when it comes to the story within.  This book is the first in a dystopian series or trilogy, and while ultimately, I will read the books to come, I'm still somewhat disappointed in some aspects of Breathe.

With a fascinating premise - a dying world, no air, and a domed civilization where any source of air that isn't controlled is illegal - I expected to dive right into Crossan's book.  Instead, I struggled through the first half of Breathe.  I think it's a lot to do with the flawed characters.  Quinn is a sheltered, rich boy, and doesn't evolve beyond that for almost the entire book.  Bea is, to be honest, a very weak character, the type I have trouble sympathizing with.  Alina by far was my favorite character - she showed strength and determination, even in the most terrifying circumstances.  I kept expecting more from these characters, but they never lived up to my hopes, and sadly, most of their actions and personalities felt like stereotypes.

However, the last third or so of Breathe is much better.  The plot came together and various character's motivations became clearer, even as new questions and foundations were laid for the sequel.  I wish the entire novel read as clearly as the final portion did!  I'm excited enough to read the sequel, because I want to see what's in store for Alina (who again, I have to say, is my favorite), Quinn, and Bea.  The latter two characters are still somewhat immature though, so I hope that they grow in the coming book/s.
910727
The bra was well made but it came too high up on my chest. I felt like I was choking in it. I sent it back
2783598
I'm an Inflexible person, and I'm not sure this video was for me.  I still had a hard time with some of the poses, although I'm sure after doing it awhile longer I'll get better.
3486432
From almost the beginning I could see where this story was going and it made me feel oddly uncomfortable.  My feelings got worse as I continued reading the book.  For a book club I belong to.
It ended as I hoped it would nd I was glad to be done with it.
1550933
It was engaging and had some degree of suspense but I was trying to relate to real happenings and people and it wasn't coming together for me.
I could put it down and I wasn't dying to pick it up again.
1303413
It's not for me... I am older and have breathing problems sometimes and I found this doesn't give me enough air to feel comfortable.  I ended up giving it away while I was in Hawaii.
2398875
Allegiant did not keep my attention, at times I had to focus or my mind would wander. Its also a sad ending, some people may think that its more dramatic that way. I just felt depressed
3723117
Left breathless in "Reason To Breathe", I quickly picked up "Barely Breathing" and got immersed in the story. For a while, I was even able to breathe again because it looked like Emma was on the mend and growing in so many ways. Whew!

I don't want to go into too much detail about "Barely Breathing" because readers just have to read "Reason To Breathe" in order to go on to this one and try to figure it all out. For this reader/writer, the single word that describes "Barely Breathing" is heartbreaking. And, for me, this inevitable heartbreak takes place over the course of the novel in this slow agonizing way.

Once again, I have to say that I am so impressed with Ms. Donovan's writing and her patience in allowing the story to unfold. As a writer, the thing that I was most amazed by was Donovan's talent in letting her readers in on what is about to happen. Her ability to draw her readers in was so subtle and so well done it's incredible. There isn't so much as surprise in this novel as there is this ever increasing build of tension as readers must feel, as I did, this overriding sense of dread as well as this acute helplessness that there is "nothing" I can do to prevent the bad from happening. It's a heavy feeling--this angst--accompanied by this ever present concern for Emma that I think most readers must feel for this particular character throughout the book.

Truly? At times, Emma was so frustrating and I just wanted to scream at her: Stop what you're doing right now! At other times, my heart ached right along with hers, especially when it was clear that all she wanted was to be loved and try to love those closest to her in return. What was interesting about all these characters, that we've come to know from "Reason To Breathe" and now here in "Barely Breathing", is that life goes on and people can be so self-absorbed and miss the very pain and suffering of those around them. Just completely miss it. That happened again in this book.

Donovan's last chapters of "Barely Breathing" will bring the story to yet another cliffhanging moment. As a reader, I felt that I truly understood where Emma was at and could vaguely understand why she did what she did. But, it didn't make me happy. And now, I'm just sad, plagued by the angst of the storyline, and more than impatient for the release of the third book. I can't wait for Out Of Breath. Can't wait.

Readers will be drawn into "Barely Breathing", disappointed when it's over, and a little bothered by the heartbreak within this storyline. And yet, this invisible thread of hope for these two will wend its way through to you, ensuring your return for the third installment in the series. But, like me, you'll just have to wait and see what happens next.

As I've said before, I am in awe of Ms. Donovan's writing talent and her ability to weave complicated storylines and the fearlessness with which she crafts each one and the inevitable questions she leaves readers with at the end of each novel. Brilliant, once again, Ms. Donovan. Brilliant!

Katherine Owen ~ Author of "Seeing Julia", "Not To Us", & "When I See You"
1038390
Learning to Breathe is a deeply emotional book, one that tugs at the emotions and draws the reader into the story.  The relationship between Micah and all the characters in the book is evident and when tragedy strikes, everyone is affected, although Michelle has the most difficult time. There was tenderness and sensitivity in dealing with a cruel topic and the group of close friends who make up this community of people are drawn together in adversity.  Although this book is a standalone, it does appear that it would be beneficial to read previous books in this series, as references are made to events of which the reader has no knowledge. I personally found the tense in which the book was written to be disconcerting.  It's the first time I have read a story written in present tense and I found it uncomfortable reading. Nevertheless, I found that the story jerked at my heartstrings and that I was mopping my eyes repeatedly in the middle section of the book.  This is a well worthwhile read and leaves one with a feeling of hope.  I received a copy of this book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.
4829955
It was ok but didn't really work from me.  The narrator's voice is soothing and she goes through a series of visualization techniques but I couldn't get my brain to relax enough...
1263498
This book was a little hard to fallow until I was 3/4 of the way through.  Then why did I keep reading?  Right?  The chapter had me engaged but I had a hard time jumping between  past and present.  I would love to see a sequel to this book.  I felt like the ending was a roller coaster and I was dropped before we made it down the hill.
440262
I seemed to get confused at times. It may be that I was sick for 2 weeks and then continued reading after that.
4615897
I've got a big head and felt like I could only keep it on for a minute or two before I started to run out of oxygen.  Looks hilarious though.