Review of Breathe, by Abbi Glines

Sadie White's summer job isn't going to be on the beach life-guarding or working at rental booths like most kids her age. With her single mother's increasing pregnancy and refusal to work, Sadie has to take over her mother's job as a domestic servant for one of the wealthy summer families 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 hadn't spent her life raising her mother and taking care of the house she might have been normal enough to be excited about working for a rock star.
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. Relationship's never work in his world and as badly as he wants Sadie, he believes she deserves more. By the end of the summer, Jax discovers he can't breathe without Sadie.
But can their love overcome the disparity in their lifestyles? Or will they have to learn how to without each other breathe again? (From GoodReads)
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It’s not often that I read a young adult novel that doesn’t have a single paranormal element.  Much of the time, I need that little “something extra” to hold my attention.  That was SO not the case with Breathe. Author Abbi Glines has written a beautiful, emotionally charged book about falling in love for the first time.
In Breathe, I found characters that were easy to love, and root for. Main character, Sadie, is a girl who has lived a hard life. Practically raising her own mother, working to provide for them, and all the other responsibility forced onto her has left no room for  friendship, or love, in her life.  Sadie manages to be vulnerable at moments, but never pitiful. Jax Stone, the world’s heartthrob, tries to unwind from his hectic life by spending summers incognito, in coastal Alabama. And guess what, he is a nice guy! No games, no secrets and lies. So nice to read about a great, up-front guy.  Jax is charming, but never smarmy. He’s kind to the people who work for him, taking an interest in them and their lives.  Not what Sadie expected from a world-famous star. The secondary characters were as easy to embrace as Jax and Sadie. They all managed to partake in the story in a meaningful way, not just space-fillers.
Breath was such an easy book to get sucked into. The atmosphere is so richly described, I felt as if I were a part of the scenes. The way coastal Alabama is portrayed, the sand and surf, blazing sunsets,  the sweet tea always at the ready, makes me even more excited that I’m going to actually be where the book is set, very soon.
So, here’s what I LOVED about Breathe. This book managed to put my heart through an emotional wringer. By the end I felt as if my heart had been lifted up, then yanked back down to Earth, twisted up like a sponge, then stomped on. And just maybe, lifted back up.  I loved every breath-stealing second of it. This book made me feel so much. I was reminded of what it felt like to be a young girl falling in love for the very first time.  Breathe made me smile wistfully, cry at the poignance,  tear up with the emotional pain, and laugh with relief.  I went through a gamut of emotions in the few hours it took me to read this book.  It only took a few hours because I could not put this book down.
I think Breathe, while it is perfect to read anytime, is an ideal summer read.  So if, like me, you’re headed to the beach soon, get this lovely book to read while enjoying the ocean.  I think I just may have to re-read this when I head to coastal Alabama…

The trailer to Breathe is debuting at Abbi Gline’s blog today. Here is the link: http://www.abbiglines.com/
You can find Breathe on GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11479285-breathe
                                                        Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051BJSRO/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img
                                    Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/abbi-glines?store=book


* I received this book from the author, in exchange for an honest review. *