Breathe

By: Abbi Glines

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne, Shayna Thibodeaux

Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

In the shore town of Sea Breeze, Sadie discovers that fame is nothing in the face of passion. A steamy listen from best-selling author Abbi Glines.

Sadie White’s summer job is at the beach, but she won’t be working as a lifeguard. Since her mom is pregnant and refuses to work, Sadie will be taking over as a domestic servant for a wealthy family on a nearby island.

When the family arrives at their summer getaway, Sadie is surprised to learn that the owner of the house is Jax Stone, one of the hottest teen rockers in the world. If Sadie were normal - if she hadn’t spent her life raising her mother and taking care of the house - maybe she’d be excited about working for a rock star. But she’s not.

Even though Sadie isn’t impressed by Jax’s fame, he is drawn to her. Everything about Sadie fascinates Jax, but he fights his attraction: Relationships never work in his world, and as badly as he wants Sadie, he believes she deserves more. Yet as the summer stretches on, Jax’s passion leaves him breathless - and Sadie feels like the only source of oxygen.

Can their love overcome the disparity in their lifestyles? One breath at a time, they’re going to find out.....

©2013 Abby Glines (P)2013 Simon & Schuster

I didn't think it was YA!

I debated about getting this book for eons...I'm not really into young adult novels, sure twilight was decent but I tell myself it was the vampire thing that got me through the intense YA story....I didn't get the same vibe from this book, I would classify it as Romance of the fluff variety.

Yes, the story revolves around a 17 year old girl....but this "girl" has been the head of her household since she was 11 due to piss poor parenting. I know a "kid" like that and trust me, she is no kid! But I see why people would confuse a younger person storyline with it being a YA novel.

There were a few steamy scenes (in full detail) and a few f-bombs dropped, but ultimately the story moved slower in the romance department because we are dealing with inexperienced kids and to have them shack up on page three would have just been horrible. So yes, this is romance not erotica, and it was predictable and full of fluff but that was what I wanted. I really wish there was a sequel to this couples story, this is part of a series and I hope the writer comes back to these two...I want to know more of their story.

So, if you are looking for some wham bam action on page 3 this is not the book for you, but if you want some fluffy romance star crossed lovers thing then add it to your cart :-)

First Audio book!

Would you consider the audio edition of Breathe to be better than the print version?

I have to say I prefer to read a book rather than listen to it only because the voices I imagine in my head aren't the ones in the audio book~ but that is no fault of anyones. I think Jax's voice wasn't manly enough. I liked Sadies voice just fine though.

What three words best describe Kirby Heyborne and Shayna Thibodeaux ’s voice?

Kirby Heyborne- young, smooth, green
Shayna Thibodeaux - young, innocent, friendly

Arbitrary Problems. No real thickness to the plot

Alright... let me start by saying that I sm an Abbi Glines Junkie. no matter how many times I've seen the "innocent girl meets bad boy" plot I still keep coming back for more!

Abbi lost me with this one however, with such a 2 dimensional, unrealistic Jax Stone. a rockstar who is incapable of being normal enough to date a regular girl. Sadie, however, I felt her pain. She was missing out the normal things of growing up because she was taking care of a lazy mother.
In the end, paparazzi finds out about Sadie and Jax thinks he's doing what's best by leaving her. shocker.

Then there is an accident which almost kills Sadie and Jax is immediately by her side again- never to leave it.

Big but.... Unlike most of Abbi's stories that are filled with sexy time, this one didn't have much. Therefore, you got a deeper feel for their relationship and actually watched it blossom vs. it feeling like their relationship is fueled by sex. Which I personally think is what saved the story.

Again I'm a Glines junkie, so while I admit this was not her best work, I will be back for more.

As far as the narrators go, I loved Shaina. I liked her other narrations Harlow in the Rosemary Beach series and she does not disappoint. Kirby, however, I personally don't like as a male narrator. something about his voice makes me picture a scrawny looking punk. But I didn't hate it so much that it took away from the story.

My first Abbi Glines book!

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

This book isn't one of my favorites, but I wasn't the biggest fan of Sadie. That being said, this book is probably more middle of the road for me. The narration was okay, the story line semi-predictable, and the forbidden aspect of it perfect.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jax Stone. Who doesn't love the broody rock star who is sweet and irresistible and perfect?!

What aspect of Kirby Heyborne and Shayna Thibodeaux ’s performance would you have changed?

I'm not sure if I would have changed anything about their performance. I'm not sure how much of my struggle was with the performance and how much was just an issue with the characters.

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

Yes. Once I got started I just had to see where things went. In fact, I did finish this book in one sitting while on a ridiculously long car ride.

Had me on the edge of my Seat

It was so good I listened to the whole book in a day! Definitely worth the buy and time to listen to it.

Amazing !! ❤️😘

I love this book and will definitely be listening to the whole series ❤️😘 jadie forever

Very Sweet & Romantic!!!!

Which character – as performed by Kirby Heyborne and Shayna Thibodeaux – was your favorite?

All the characters are good. Their accents and their attitudes are funny and great to listen to. The only person I didn't really care for was Sadie's mom.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed and cried. There are some very funny moments and very sweet romantic moments that are very touching that will make you cry.

Any additional comments?

This book is a good quick listen. Its funny and really sweet and very touching. A teenage girl that is doing everything on her own and the rock star that falls in luv with her. Great!! I'd definitely listen to this again.

Sweet story...

What made the experience of listening to Breathe the most enjoyable?

Wonderful romantic story where love concurs all. Having a male and female narrator only enhances the story.

MADE ME WANT TO SAY AWWWW!

Abbi Glines knows how to give good teen angst! This was a really sweet story, and very much akin to an "After School Special". I'm a fan of Glines' Rosemary Beach series, and so far, Sea Breeze is definitely comparable. My biggest issue is with the male narrator...Ugh, not a great choice. Narrator aside, it was well written, and the overall story was good enough to make me explore the remainder of the series, teen drama and all!

Enjoyed it - despite some obvious flaws

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes - Although read my full review in the additional comments to really see my explanation.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Kirby Heyborne and Shayna Thibodeaux ?

I loved Shayna, but Kirby just didn't mesh with the story for me.

Any additional comments?

A few months back Breathe was on sale on Audible (a BOGO deal, if I remember) so I bought it and then forgot it. I tend to do that a lot – then when I’m desperate for an audiobook (because my house needs cleaned or something) I go through my forgotten books and pick one. I finally did that two days ago, and I couldn’t stop listening!!

I have a love/hate relationship with the characters in Breathe. Jax and Sadie? They drive me kind of insane. Their whole insta-love, “you are my air” **GAG** just made me want to barf. But I kept reading, because I loved Sadie’s relationship with Marcus. I loved Miss Mary. I wanted to know what happened with Sadie’s no-good mom! (Who I’m royally pissed that everyone kind of ignored, because if all these people care about this 17 year old girl so much, how come none of them even realize or do anything about the fact that she is paying all the bills, going to school and taking care of her mother? How come Jax never questioned more? Etc, etc, etc.)

I have never read an Abbi Glines book (despite everyone telling me I would LOVE her) so this was a pleasant surprise. Despite my distaste for the two main characters? I loved this book. (I know, that’s odd – I didn’t like the main part of the story. But I loved it anyway.) There was so much with the secondary characters, so many relationships, and everything was so complete and vivid.

We all know what makes or breaks an audiobook is a narrator sometimes. I loved the female narrator (Shayna Thibodeaux) but the male? (Kirby Heyborne) just didn’t fit the characters in my mind. Everytime Jax had his viewpoint I would cringe a little.

After glancing at all the Goodreads reviews, I am seeing that I’m not alone on my feelings about Jax and Sadie – but I seem to differ in that I really liked the book despite (or maybe in spite of) that. I’ve already purchased and downloaded Book #2 in the Sea Breeze series, Because of Low.