Breathe, Annie, Breathe (Hundred Oaks #5) by Miranda Kenneally (Tour)

Title: Breathe Annie Breathe (Hundred Oaks #5
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Pages: 306
Genre: YA
Publisher: Sourcebooks/Raincoast
Release Date: July 15, 2014
Rating: 5/5
Buy: Amazon| Kobo| Chapters Indigo| B&N
*Got for Review from publisher*


Summary: (Goodreads)

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.

"Breathe, Annie, Breathe is an emotional, heartfelt, and beautiful story about finding yourself after loss and learning to love. It gave me so many feels. Her best book yet." — Jennifer Armentrout, New York Times bestselling author of Wait for You 

Review: 

I want to hug this book! Including Jeremiah :) I totally devoured this book! Miranda Kenneally's writing was beautiful and heartbreaking. It was also great to see all the character cameos from Miranda's past books where we got to see many people like Sam Henry, Matt & Kate, and many more but the main character Annie is a person you can connect to right away. Plus Jeremiah is Matt's younger brother who is an adrenaline junkie and cutie.

Like any other of Miranda Kenneally's other books she brings the characters to life and in Breathe, Annie, Breathe the main character is trying to become a runner. Annie is completely different and the way running is brought in the story is about. She is running a marathon in honor of her boyfriend who was training for one before he died. While she is not exactly a great runner, its her passion and determination do this for Kyle. The story definitely made me cry and laugh. 

The romance in Breathe, Annie, Breathe was jaw dropping swoon-worthy. Jeremiah and Annie start off in a weird relationship and the chemistry is steaming. It was slowed down and they also start off as friends. Jeremiah was funny throughout the entire book. When I found out that Jeremiah was going to be the next the love interest (Matt's brother) I was soo excited! Annie did not want to risk getting hurt and even lose the person she loves again since Jeremiah loves to be a thrill seeker/adrenaline addict. He is definitely lovable, patient, and is definitely worth the risk! He is not perfect but he does have his flaws. He is still a good sweet guy who loves his family. He is growing up and with Annie starting to come into his life changes his views, a bit. Jeremiah is Matt's younger brother (past characters - fav male lead in Things I Can't Forget)   

What I love about Miranda's books are that they are smart, swoony and brings contemporary YA into a better atmosphere. Her books are plain addicting, and revolve around real issues that teens go through. I loved everything about this book from beginning to end! I definitely would recommend this book and author to anybody since Miranda also loves to give us updates on past characters (favorite parts) Read this book!!

5/5

Questions for Breathe, Annie, Breathe Blog Tour

1)      Your main character, Annie, is training to run for a marathon.  You also provided a great deal of detail about how hard it is on your body to train for a marathon.  Did you do any background research for this?

A: Yes! In the past I ran a marathon and a half-marathon, so I used experiences from training for those races to write BREATHE, ANNIE, BREATHE. I also consulted "Runner's World" magazine and interviewed trainers at my gym. I also spoke to a few former pro-athletes. 

2)      When you work out, what music is on your playlist?

A: Most of the time I forget to charge my iPod before I go to the gym, but when I remember it, I listen to lots of upbeat pop music like David Guetta, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Ke$ha, and Calvin Harris.

3)      Recently, there has been a huge trend with dystopian YA novels. Why do you choose to write realistic fiction?

A: To tell you the truth, I would love to write sci-fi or fantasy, but I've never been all tha t great at world-building. I love reading contemporary fiction, and people say you should write what you love reading. 

4)      What are your favourite books so far this year?

A: I've loved A MAD, WICKED FOLLY by Sharon Biggs Waller, CRUEL BEAUTY by Rosamund Hodge, and THE WINNER'S CURSE by Marie Rutkowski. Also, it doesn't come out until 2015, but I got a sneak peak at Trish Doller's next book THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, which is an awesome thriller. 

5)   Running the marathon for Kyle was Annie’s way of coping with her stress and grief.  What advice would you give others in similar situations of grief or stress?

A: I would say give yourself time to heal. Recognize that everyone's healing process is different. Don't beat yourself up if you don't feel better in a certain amount of time; everyone heals in different ways. If you need to, talk to good friends, your guidance counselor, or a therapist. 

6)   Your characters often crossover in your novels.  Is this your way of giving your characters a sequel or a happy ending?

A: Yes, I chose to write companion novels rather than sequels, because to write a sequel, you have to create drama. If I've already given my characters a happy ending at the end of a book and they have grown and developed, I don't want to take that away from them by creating unnecessary drama. I also loved the idea of creating a community in which kids influence each other in different ways throughout the books. 

7)   Who is your favourite character to write?

A: This is a super easy question! Sam Henry is my favorite. He's just so silly and wild, but honest and sweet at the same time. He was never meant to be a big character in my books, but he showed up on the page one day and would not go away no matter how much I wanted him to.