Breathing

Savannah would be happy to spend the summer in her coastal Carolina town working at the library and lying in a hammock reading her beloved romance novels. But then she meets Jackson. Once they lock eyes, she’s convinced he’s the one—her true love, her soul mate, a boy different from all the rest. And at first it looks like Savannah is right. Jackson abides by her mama’s strict rules, and stays by her side during a hospitalization for severe asthma, which Savannah becomes convinced is only improving because Jackson is there. But when he’s called away to help his family—and seems uncertain about returning—Savannah has to learn to breathe on her own, both literally and figuratively.

from amazon.com

Beth says 3.5 Stars...

This book came to me highly recommended, so I decided to give it a try despite the fact that it didn't appear to be quite my cup of tea. Well, it really wasn't my cup of tea, or perhaps glass of sweet tea would be a bit better. One thing that I felt was very well done was capturing North Carolina. A someone who has spent most of her life in NC, I was really able to feel the authenticity in both the dialogue and the setting. The snapshots of life in rural North Carolina were spot on. Where I had my main issue was with Savannah's character. At times I found her desire to better herself inspiring, but a majority of the time I just wanted to shake her. I couldn't stand the fact that she based her entire being around Jackson. She couldn't do anything without him, and constanly put her need to have him physically there with her over everything else. Being with him defined who she was. As a card carrying feminist, that REALLY bothered me. Jackson was much more interesting because he was not defined entirely by the relationship. I felt like some of the other characters helped to make up for Savannah, but in my mind the book couldn't recover. I think that this is a good summer read for those who like love stories, but it really wasn't my taste at all.