REASON TO BREATHE & BARELY BREATHING

"No one tried to get involved with me, and I kept to myself. This was the place where everything was supposed to be safe and easy. How could Evan Mathews unravel my constant universe in just one day?"

In the affluent town of Weslyn, Connecticut, where most people worry about what to be seen in and who to be seen with, Emma Thomas would rather not be seen at all. She’s more concerned with feigning perfection while pulling down her sleeves to conceal the bruises - not wanting anyone to know how far from perfect her life truly is. Without expecting it, she finds love. It challenges her to recognize her own worth - but at the risk of revealing the terrible secret she’s desperate to hide. 

Reason to Breathe is an electrifying page turner from start to finish, a unique tale of life-changing love, unspeakable cruelty, and one girl’s fragile grasp of hope.

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Emma’s struggle with an abusive home life came to a heart pounding conclusion in the final chapters of Reason to Breathe. Now everyone in Weslyn knows Emma’s secret, but Carol can’t hurt Emma anymore. Some are still haunted by the horror of that night, and some must face the repercussions of their choices. Fans of Rebecca Donovan’s debut novel will discover there’s still much to learn about Emma’s life. 

Author: Rebecca Donovan 
Book Title: Reason to Breathe (Book #1) & Barely Breathing (Book #2)
Publish Date: May 9, 2011/April 30, 2012
Reviewer: Megan

My Review: I Absolutely Loved it!!
This was a phenomenal read that I could not put down!!!

I had this book in my nook library for months and every time I went to read it something else came up. However, over the holidays I was laid up from surgery and decided it was time to finally read this book... Once I started, I COULD NOT STOP!! My eyes couldn't read the words fast enough as I became more and more entangled in the story. The ending scared me, angered me, and left me hanging on for dear life! I was thankful when I turned the page and saw there was a second book already out, and thought maybe this was instinctively why I had waited to read this book.

I am not one for patience and to be left hanging with an ending like that, would have KILLED me. I quickly downloaded Barely Breathing and again was enthralled in the world of Emma. 

I finished both books in a day and a half, letting everything else fall away while I was immersed in Reason to Breathe and Barely Breathing. I loved how Barely breathing ended... a semi-cliffhanger, with a glimpse of Evan's anguish. Perfect!!

I think one of the things that I loved was seeing a similar story line to my own novel Harvest Moon. It was the first time I saw the protagonist keep such dangerous secrets since writing about Lexie's abuse. I finally felt like Lexie could find a place in the literary world, just like Emma had. 

I cannot wait for the third book in this series... I have been eagerly awaiting it since reading the last line of barely Breathing.