Reason to Breathe

Breathing, Book 1

By: Rebecca Donovan

Narrated by: Kate Rudd

Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Reason to Breathe is the first book in the million-copy bestselling Breathing Series.

“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 - 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 - at the risk of revealing the terrible secret she’s desperate to hide.

Reason to Breathe is one girl’s story of life-changing love, unspeakable cruelty, and her precarious grasp of hope.

©2013 Rebecca Donovan (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

not bad

i enjoyed this book until the END... wow is all i can say... hoping it is redeemed in the next book

There’s a CLIFFHANGER!!!!

Very hard to listen to with the physical abuse story but had to make sure she was ok until the end…. but of course there’s a cliffhanger. Narrator is annoying but if you play it at 1.4X speed it’s bearable. Darn cliffhanger! She lives of course since there’s a second and third book. She’s is annoyingly stupid but then again she’s young……she’s in high school.

Good

The book was good overall but I hated the ending It was a poor ending after the ups and downs of the story.

Good book

Where does Reason to Breathe rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I can't really judge this against other audio books as this is the first I've listened to.

What did you like best about this story?

I like that the author touches on a subject that most people are reluctant to talk about. I love that the main character's best friend is someone who breaks the rich girl stereotype.

What about Kate Rudd’s performance did you like?

Kate Rudd really brought the book to life. I could feel every emotion the characters experienced.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did want to listen to this in one sitting. If life had allowed, I would have.

Deep emotional story

Well written and the narrator dis a good job on the audio.
Poignant story of loss and surviving.

Painful and Good

I didn't want to put it down, but I had to take "emotional breaks" - powerful story.

Hard to listen to, but worth it

Emma lives 2 distinct lives. One with a wonderful caring best friend and a boy who becomes the live of her life with all the emotion that means for a high schooler. But in the other side of her life, she tries to spend as little time at home as possible to avoid the constant abuse. Each time she goes home, you keep wondering if this is going to be the day her aunt goes further and does permanent damage that will ruin her plans to escape with a soccer scholarship. The narrator was lovely, conveying each character uniquely.

Excellent!

I came across this book few times before I read it and I now understand “never judge a book by its cover.” As a man who would have read some other kind of books I was not disappointed in this one! There were moments of outbursts of laughter and then there were the inner moments where I just smile to myself and yes there were sad moments! Ema had a lot of patience lol! I am craving something else from this book! Not the suffering of Ema but what actually happened to George and Carol! I need justice for Ema! I also wonder Evan and Ema still an item.... This is a must read if you are second guessing.

Flak

Mich gold in this article are permitted by applicable that is get 5th by fh

sad, very sad!

the story is tragic and hopeful, right up to the ending! I hated the ending!! Even if it made the most sense to the author and was the most likely ending for realities sake, I still hated the ending!!