Review: Breathe Again
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 3, 2014
*I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.Where to start with this review? I'm going to make this brief and to the point since I don't want to spoil too much! Warning - if you HAVE NOT read the first two installments in this series then I recommend you turning away NOW!Tate and Sav have a special place in my heart. They are two of the most passionate, wild, and stubborn characters I have ever come across. When I read Just Breathe a year ago, I was sucked in to their world and impressed with how real Tate and Savannah were. I'm sad that this was the final book in the series (but I'm seriously crossing my fingers for a possible Blake spin-off, please?) but I really enjoyed the ride from start to finish.This book (much to my surprise and excitement!) was split into two parts. The first part finds Savannah returning to L.A. after an extended stay in New York City. Pregnant and heartbroken, Sav must decide whether she is willing to give Tate her heart again. Tate and Savannah must both deal with their insecurities and fears regarding their impending parenthood, as well.Rachel Brookes has a real talent for writing an emotional and captivating story. I found myself laughing, crying, and feeling anger so potent someone might have thought I was experiencing the events firsthand. Her ability to not only write strong main characters but also a cast of extremely important and three-dimensional secondary characters is what makes this series so powerful. I LOVE Jack, Tanzi, Mr, Davenport, Blake, and little Max SO much! They aren't just filler characters but feel real and important to the story. I was also impressed the Brookes tackled what comes after the baby is born. Pregnancy has become a popular theme in NA novels but usually it ends badly or the baby isn't born until after the last book concludes. Not only did Savannah and Tate have to learn to deal with their relationship but also how to be parents. It was also nice to see that Max was a fleshed out character and not just the baby in the background.My only complaint was that while I felt Tate really grew up in the second half of the book, Sav seemed to regress for the better part of it. I know it was important for the story-line but I was a bit disappointed that she lost some of the fire that made her who she was. This didn't take away from the story because I was rooting for Sav the entire time, I just wish she wasn't so stubborn in the first place! I was, however, impressed that overall Tate and Sav seemed to eventually find their way and grow as not only people but as parents, as well.I think this book offered a wonderful conclusion for Tate and Savannah and was a brilliant combination of angst, love, passion, despair, and shocking moments galore.