Blog Tour Stop : Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Breathe, Annie, Breathe (Hundred Oaks #5)
Author : Miranda Kenneally
Publication Date : July 15th 2014
Publisher : Sourcebooks
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Annie hates running. No matter how far she jogs, she can’t escape the guilt that if she hadn’t broken up with Kyle, he might still be alive. So to honor his memory, she starts preparing for the marathon he intended to race.

But the training is even more grueling than Annie could have imagined. Despite her coaching, she’s at war with her body, her mind—and her heart. With every mile that athletic Jeremiah cheers her on, she grows more conflicted. She wants to run into his arms…and sprint in the opposite direction. For Annie, opening up to love again may be even more of a challenge than crossing the finish line.

Personal Thoughts

I'm pretty certain when I say that Breathe, Annie, Breathe is going to be a favorite among a lot of readers, especially fans of the Hundred Oaks series. It certainly was the case for me. Miranda Kenneally has grown to become such a reliable author for me. Anything and everything that she writes is pure gold.

What made Breathe, Annie, Breathe  such a resounding book was the phenomenal characters. Miranda Kenneally has a knack for writing realistic and easily relateable main characters and Annie was no different. Annie was an even more special character to me because she was much more mature than the other heroines in the Hundred Oaks series. She was a sweet girl and I admired her strength and bravery through the face of her sorrow and guilt very much. Losing your long time boyfriend soon after you get together after a break is undeniably hard, especially for a teenager. Annie suffered quite a bit in the book, but she directed her sadness into practicing running for a marathon in honor of her boyfriend. You can't help but love and cheer on Annie as she pushed herself to strive to complete this marathon. I'm not going to lie, if I don't think I would ever be able to run a marathon, mostly because I'm lazy, but also because I don't have the endurance that Annie had. I was also ecstatic to see Matt from Things I Can't Forget play such a big role in this book, as Annie's trainer. I absolutely loved him and he was my favorite Kenneally boy( until this book). He was all grown up, and I loved what a role-model and supportive character he was to Annie. I also loved the glimpses we got to see of Kate and Jordan. Speaking of Kenneally boys, I fell in insta-love with Jeremiah (I believe that's possible with book boyfriends! Don't judge!). He was flawed and reckless, but a gentleman through and through. I couldn't help but fall for him along with Annie (If I'm going to be honest, I was actually very much jealous of Annie).

Annie and Jeremiah's relationship was the perfect example of a slow-burn relationship. While they started off with a sexual relationship, Annie pushed him off because of her guilt over her boyfriend's death. They decide to start afresh as friends and watching that friendship between the two of them develop was the highlight of the book for me. The banter and the comfort level that the two of them shared was adorable and had me laughing in delight. I shipped the two of them so hard, you guys. I kept wanting to push them to be together, but I appreciated the pace that their relationship developed at because they both had their fair share of problems to overcome first. Another highlight of Breathe, Annie, Breathe was the running. I was fascinated and, at the same time, in awe of everything I learned about marathons from the book. It just never clicked with me how much hard work that goes into preparing yourself for one. It was definitely a knowledgeable experience for me. Miranda Kenneally also has such an engaging writing style. Every single emotion that the characters went through hit me right in the heart. Her writing is simple and quiet, but incredibly powerful.

Breathe, Annie, Breathe might end up being my favorite YA contemporary of the year. It was a real, raw and emotional experience reading this book. The gorgeously fleshed-out characters, the slow, but intense romance and the focus on the marathon blended extremely well together to give a stunning book that deserves all the hype. Go buy a copy ASAP!

Rating 

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 5/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 5/5


Author Biography

Growing up in Tennessee, Miranda Kenneally dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes, and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband.

Author Links:

Giveaway

Prizes:
- 2 $50 B&N Gift Cards
- 3 Signed Copies of Breathe, Annie, Breathe

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Be sure to check out the other tour stops here.

Thank you to Giselle at Xpresso Tours for letting me be part of this tour and NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the e-ARC of Breathe, Annie, Breathe.

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