Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbsman

Rating: 4/5
Age R: 13+
Release Date: April 16, 2009
Thoughts:
Savannah Georgina Brown is a 15 year old girl living in a small town in Carolina. Lately she's been seeing a new guy at the beach who is very, very cute. Unfortunately when he first speaks to her she runs off. Isn't that embarrassing? The second time she reacts in a completely different way. You see, Savannah has asthma and it's pretty bad because she gets attacks that have her end up in the hospital pretty often. You can pretty much guess what happens the next time she encounters this cute guy, Jackson. Yeah, she loses her breath, literally. But then gradually she gets to know Jackson and it seems she can't breathe without him.
Gosh darn, this book is one of those feel good books you just can't help but love even if it is a quick, short read. Savannah's voice was great, I loved reading her thoughts as she went about her life, struggles, and heartbreak especially her life with asthma. She reminded me a whole lot of my sister since she also has asthma. She used to have it real bad when she was a toddler. My mom will tell you how scared she was if you ask her. :( I don't remember a thing so don't ask me. I'm only a year and two months younger than her so ..definitely can't remember. I'm making my sister read this soon because I know she'll relate much more to Savannah. Anywho, that part of Savannah really allowed me to sympathize with her. That's one of the main reasons I loved the book so much.
Another is the fact that Savannah and Jackson's relationship was so darn cute! The guy is just too sweet I love it. If it were a movie it would for sure immediately be one of my favorites along side Never Been Kissed and Penelope. :D
The writing, the characters, the relationships, they were all great but there were some things in the book I wasn't fond of. I did not like how when Jackson and Savannah were separated she became so childish! It was extremely annoying. Not only that but she became very hostile towards her best friends (they're pretty flat characters, I didn't see much point to them) and to her own mother. I thought that was very harsh of her. Then again, even she admits she acts this way because she's not with Jackson. I just think she should have handled it more maturely. She kept calling and calling like crazy even after he told her he's busy with family matters. I think that was stalkerish and very needy of her. I guess she just needs to grow up.
Even though I had issues with Savannah I still liked her and Jackson. I loved how they both helped each other followe their dreams, that's love right there. I still wish the reader would have been given more details about why they liked each other so much though. We're only given bits and pieces of reasons here and there, to me that's just not enough.
I don't care too much about that though because I got hooked from the beginning and enjoyed the whole adorable ride. :D

Note:
I think it's beyond cute that the story is based on the author's real life love story with her husband. There's even a cute picture of them on the beach in the book. :)

Quote/s:

You know how them mobsters like to tie a person to a big ol' concrete block and drop them into the water? That's just how my heart feels--sunk.

YOU WILL ENJOY READING THIS BOOK IF YOU LIKE/ARE INTERESTED IN:
-asthma
-love stories
-long distance relationships
-15 yr old protagonists
-relationships between two people who's age difference could be an issue
-painting
-a small town in Carolina
-beach
-father that walked out
-not a rich household
-annoying little brothers