About the Book:
The Next Breath, 313 pagesI kiss him, choosing love over honesty, which is a choice nobody should ever have to make…"
Robin loves sweet, responsible Nick, with his penchant for Beethoven and Ben Folds Five. But she also still loves her college boyfriend Jed, an irreverent playwright plagued with cystic fibrosis. Now Robin is struggling to reveal her secrets and confront her past, as she finally performs in the play that Jed wrote for her, eleven years ago. Will Robin have the strength to keep her promise and stay true to her heart?
Alternating between present-day scenes, college flashbacks, and segments from Jed’s play, this tear-jerking yet uplifting tale illustrates how life is finite but love is infinite, and the road to recovery begins with the next breath.
Goodreads | Amazon
Review:
I was really excited when I got invited to read The Next Breath. This book is technically a sequel to another book by Laurel Osterkamp that I really enjoyed, The Holdout, but it can be read as a standalone. It provides enough refreshers of what happened for readers to get the gist. (That being said, you should still totally read it. You can check out my review here but I digress). I'm happy to say that makes this book the third by this author that I've thoroughly enjoyed.
Osterkamp has a great way of writing her novels so that you're emotionally connected to them, even if you share little in common with the characters (like me). You learn to care about them and get emotionally entangled in their life choices. You cheer on some and you wince at others, but regardless, the connection is genuinely there. I really wanted Robin to sort herself out and feel better about her struggles throughout the story, and I was frequently cheering her on.
The Next Breath also weaves together moments that are cleverly funny and make you snicker aloud and moments that make you really sad and mopey. I think that's a great thing in a book, and it's not something I personally often find done well. I think this is part of what makes this work of fiction so realistic. Like life, it's not all depressing or all slapstick. It's a blend of emotions that you feel even though you're not exactly sure why you're feeling that way at that particular moment in time.
This book is comprised of scenes that are set in the present voice, flashbacks to when the main character, Robin, was in college, and scenes/snippets taken from her old (or is it?) flame Jed's play that she is presently starring in at her best friend's theater company. Because Osterkamp's writing moves so smoothly, and the segments are labelled with dates, it is easy to differentiate what time span you're reading from.
This is a work of contemporary realistic fiction that anyone can appreciate, especially if you love romantic elements in your stories. It's a pretty fast read because you'll be hooked once you feel yourself attach to the characters involved.
I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions by CBB Book Promotions. Thanks!
About the Author:
Laurel Osterkamp becomes very attached to her characters, and it’s hard for her to stop writing about them. The Holdout, November Surprise, Blue State, Campaign Promises, American Angst and The Next Breath all feature the Bricker family, as their stories continue. (But you can read any of these books in any order.)You can find Laurel on Twitter but she needs to work on sending clever Tweets. A better idea is to follow her blog at www.laurelosterkamp.blogspot.com.
Laurel teaches in Minneapolis, MN, where she tries to stay warm, spend time with her two nearly perfect children and husband, and find the time to write. Her other novels are Following My Toes and Starring in the Movie of My Life. Visit her at www.laurelosterkamp.com.
Website | Twitter
Giveaway:$25 Amazon Gift Card (INT)Ends December 3rd, 2014
I'm so glad you really connected with this one! Fantastic review and very well said. Thank you so much for hosting a tour stop!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the chance to be a part of the tour!
DeleteThanks so much, Jillyn! Your review means a lot to me. :)
ReplyDeleteYou're most definitely welcome.
DeleteI'm so happy that it can be read and understood without the first book, I always find myself sans book #1 of so many series' and I can never get into the story. This gives me hope that I'll still be able to enjoy the second book if I happen to get it first!
ReplyDeleteDo it, but definitely read The Holdout. It was so good.
DeleteThis book sounds like a totally cry fest and not my kinda thing. Plus I really don't like books that are realist fiction. I read to escape and I have way to much real in real life.Great Review.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't call it a cry fest but there's definitely peaks of emotions. But if realistic fiction isn't your thing, then maaaaybe not this book haha. Thanks so much for stopping by!
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