REVIEW: TEN TINY BREATHS BY K.A. TUCKER

Four years after losing her parents, best friend, and boyfriend in a drunk driving accident, twenty-year-old Kacey Cleary runs away to begin a new life in Miami. Hardened by the tragedy, she's determined to keep everyone at a distance—until she meets an irresistible and mysterious neighbor who is determined to melt the ice over her heart.

ebook, 256 pages

Published February 12th 2013 by Atria Books 

eGalley received from publisher via NetGalley + Bought

Where to find Ten Tiny Breaths:
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

~Our Review~

Courtney was really eager for me to read this book and now I know why--she loves to get my WTH??!!!! texts...followed by lots of f-bombs and predictions about where this story was going. So guess what? She got some angsty texts from me about this book. I'm always good for a few of those.

Muahahaha! Okay, that probably wasn't an evil laugh moment...but when she got to it in this book, I was giggling a lot. When f-bombs fly in our world you know you have a gem of a book. Highest form of a compliment in our humble opinions. Polite company wouldn't necessarily think so...but watch The Family and you'll find out how much emotion can be explained in just that one word.

This novel starts with a mix of flashback to Kacey's horrific accident and her and her sister's (Livie) escape from their disgusting uncle. They arrive in Miami ready to start anew, to leave the horrors of the last 4 years behind. Problem, for Kacey, is that the nightmares still plague her--either literally or when people ask her fairly innocuous questions about her past. For every step of progress towards happiness she makes, it seems that someone or something triggers a paralyzing memory...a memory that makes her try to breathe her way through the pain. Poor Livie tries to help her as best as she can, but she's a fifteen year old girl just trying to make it through this as well. 

PTSD is a terrible, debilitating thing that we find very, very intriguing when an author writes a character with it. Every single character is so different, and the interpretation is different, but the difficulty coping is the same. It is heartbreaking for memories to trap you in your head and plague you for years afterwards....so Kacey's story pulled me in from the beginning even though she was rough and crass and hard to like.

In their new dwellings, Livie settles in to school and helps babysit Mia their great new neighbor, Storm's, 5 year old. Kacey also begins to feel more comfortable--she's found a new gym, begrudgingly accepts Storm's friendship, and then gets a nice paying job through Storm. The one thing she can't seem to shake is her growing attraction to Trent, her next door neighbor. It starts with a run-in in the laundry room and the heat and chemistry just continues to build. 

Dude, Storm was a seriously awesome surprise as a supporting character in this story! I loved her, though was very apprehensive at first. Was she going to be friend or foe? But like one of our favorite Rock Chick's named Daisy she was awesome. Then Trent. Holy Crap! Trent! He was hot. He won me over when he came busting in to save the day when there is a snake in the shower. There was definitely something about him that I just loved and he made for a very intriguing neighbor! 

As Kacey allows Trent to pierce the armor she's surrounded herself in, she finds her heart open to all of the new people in her life and the beginnings of hope that maybe she will heal from the accident that devastated her. Signal the doomsday music...because of course! just when things seem to be going well, the bottom drops out...multiple times. And just when things seem to right themselves, the shit REALLY hits the fan and ..well...GAH! Signal texts and predictions to Courtney!!!

Dun. dun. dun. Yep...too much happy is a novelty, and that definitely meant something big was coming. It completely blew my mind. I cried. Lots of angsty tears. I was devastated. But as I read it a while ago, Shelley's response gave me great pleasure!!! 

No spoiler here but I love the hard work that we  Kacey and Trent put in at the end make all of those angsty texts I sent worthwhile. I love the epiphany when Kacey realizes exactly how self-absorbed her pain had made her. I truly identified with that moment because I think that many of us think that we're protecting our loved ones from pain but in actuality we are causing even more by neglecting to deal with our pain or underlying issues. I really enjoyed the story and am so very eager to read the entire series.

The last bit was hard. I laughed at your strike out there, but we really did go through the roller coaster that was their journey and got to the end of the ride and were what the eff just happened! It was that kind of read for me, and I think Shelley would agree. Kacey had so many things to deal with, and to have to deal with them on your own and in your mind is not an easy undertaking. I loved how these issues were handled in this book! To think that I highly disliked my psych rotation a few weeks ago in nursing school and subject myself to these deeply psychological stories is the wildest form of irony I can think of. ;) 

Shelley 5 Stars
Courtney: 5 Stars

~About the Author~

Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. 

She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. 

Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures. 

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