Review - Breathe Into Me by Sara Fawkes

A Review by Carol

Book – Breathe Into Me

Author – Sara Fawkes

Publication Date – April 8, 2014

Type – Stand Alone

Genre – Romance, New Adult

Rating – 3 ½ out of 5 Stars

Complimentary Copy kindly provided by SMP via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Synopsis

How did my life get so broken?  It’s a question Lacey St. James asks herself every day.  Stuck raising her little brother in a trailer park while she works a dead end job at a grocery store, she has a stalker exboyfriend, a bad reputation, and no way out.  

And then, she meets Everett, who changes her entire existence.

Everett is an outsider who’s housesitting his family’s mansion off the coast, and for reasons Lacey can’t understand, he’s completely transfixed by her. He seems determined to show her that life can offer more than she’d ever hoped for, if only she believes in herself.  She desperately yearns to trust him, but what happens when she finds out that everything he’s told her is a lie?  

Review

Again I’m on the fence about a book ---- part of me enjoyed the crap out of it…but then there’s that little voice inside that keeps reminding me of inconsistencies, too much angst, too much drama etc.  I struggled between a 3 and a 3 ½ Star rating…..

To start off - I had a problem with the fibs Everett kept telling Lacey and was never called on it and I think I just had a problem connecting with the characters as a whole.  Lacey, in my opinion was an on again off again type of heroine in the story…there were times I wanted her to get a fucking clue but then she would redeem herself and fall back into my good graces…..Now Everett on the other hand, I liked him and how down to earth he was – I liked that he didn’t throw money at Lacey to try and help her out of her problems….instead he gave her support and a shoulder to lean on by making her own decisions and fighting for what she wanted on her own. Then there were times where I wanted to scream at him to just come clean with Lacey because if he truly cared for her….he had to know that keeping secrets will only turn into unwanted drama and a broken heart.

I understand Everett was looking for a second chance while Lacey was looking for any type of chance she could to drag her out of the stereotypical thoughts from the town.  I think in order to focus more on Lacey’s obstacles she had in life, the author could have deleted some of the drama she was dealing with – it just seemed to be too much of overkill and took away from the premise of a love story.

Overall, the book kept my attention and did at times hold me captive in order to find out what would happen next.  By the time I made it about ¾ in – I was mesmerized and couldn’t put the book down just waiting to find out what would happen next. 

Re-Cap

Lacey has had a real shitty life and is still living it – she is considered the town whore….trailer trash and is stuck with a boyfriend who abuses her physically, mentally and sexually.  Her only friend is a bitch and a user and her home life is another issue that weighs heavy on her mind. 

It’s not until Everett walks into her life and she realizes that he isn’t just interested in her for sex – instead he wants to get to know her, spend time with her and just be a friend without wanting anything in return.  She is dealing with too much – problems at home – keeping her psycho ex-boyfriend away – holding her head up high when she is put in embarrassing situations by a jealous bitch – keeping her jobs – dealing with a drunken mother and an abusive grandmother……and the list goes on.

Everett starts to bring sunshine back into her darkness and for once Lacey thinks she may just get a break after all.  Well, that is until secrets start revealing themselves….. 

Wrap-Up

If you love books full of drama – a girl that needs saving and a boy who has the world on his shoulders…then this is a perfect read for you!