Review: A girl finding herself...my favorite story!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 9, 2013
I reviewed this book at MustReadBooksOrDie (On Blogger, One word!) with my friend Shelley.Shel: You know, Courtney, when I first started reading I Breathe You I didn't really care for Rhane. She seemed so aggressive and possessive and in a semi-dysfunctional relationship with Dalton. I was trying to relate to her and like her or figure out and then BAM! the next thing I know she's waking up in the hospital recovering from a horrible accident. It's only at this point that I began to warm up to her.Court: Yes, in some ways she is very passionate and lets her opinions be known in a loud way, but it was obvious that she goes a little bit too far sometimes. I wasn't sure where things were going, but it was obvious that Dalton grounded her. The time shift changed the story and really brought us to a new although unfortunately for her, not improved Rhane.Shel: Once Rhane checks out of the hospital and is under the care of Gwen (a live in caretaker) and her Uncle T ...and under the smirks and grins of Ian ...she became a character that I felt for. She lost so much in her accident--her livelihood, her love, the ability to vocally express herself--and in her anger and frustration and grief I was able to understand and come to like her. I kept trying to imagine what it must be like to speak in only whispers or feel your throat close up on you, or wake up to the horror of her haunting nightmares, or be helpless to the flashes of her out of control anger and it was in these moments that swept me in to her story. Fortunately her story wasn't just one of anger and horror, it was also one of healing.Court: I can't imagine either. Being in the medical field I,too, am always drawn to stories where people have to heal and find their way, and have that lightbulb moment of clarity of which path they should continue down. She is a very angry person about her situation, and the fact that she can't remember exactly what happened the night of her accident and that can make any person's head want to explode. Couple that with being on the verge of being a breakout band that she is a beautiful vocalist for, and now she can't do anything but whisper and can't walk too far for fear of her throat closing and I would never want to leave the house either.Shel: Ian the troubled and (OF COURSE) hot contractor working on her inherited house very easily grabs her Rhane's attention and over time begins to give her moments to look forward to. His flirtatious quips and knowing smiles begin to move her out an existence in which she seems doomed to be unhappy in to one that helps prod her to take more positive steps. He's not without an unfortunate past and that most definitely causes some problems (a crazy ex, an unfortunate upbringing, a hard life) that keep resurrecting barriers to having a relationship. To Ian's credit, though, he is unwavering in his honesty and desire to make things work.Court: He is honest, eventually... He obviously has things that he omits and keeps to himself because it would be enough to make anyone run the other way, especially Rhane with all of the things she has going on in her life so I totally get his hesitation. Then...when Rhane reacts like Rhane always reacts he was justified to have wanted to wait for the right time. He is persistent though, but totally awesome in not using her and made promises that he 100% kept. He was a great guy! When he finally plays his cards, he goes all in...so that was fun! I was almost like "whoa, who is this guy!"Shel: With the gentle pushing, Gwen, T, and Ian help Rhane see the benefit of moving forward but she actually takes the steps..and I think that is one of the great things about this novel. Instead of wallowing in self pity or adamantly refusing help, Rhane seeks out the support of various types of therapy--some professional and some through her music and writing--to begin to figure out how to control and move away from the destruction of her past. I love it when characters take those hard steps to try to better themselves.Court: Me too. While reading I said to you "I love a story where a girl finds her way on her own, not using a guy to find herself." Rhane did that. She liked Ian, but when push came to shove she had to figure it out on her own. Who is the real Rhane was a theme and when she decides that she can have a little bit of her old self along with her new ideas about things it was a beautiful thing to behold. The only thing I was sad about, but grateful that it was consistent was that her parents were such jerks. They disowned her and stuck it out even after her accident...which was insane to me since she was their only child. But like I said, that didn't change and there wasn't any great revelations of lost family time, so that probably is a good thing.Shel: The ending came faster than I thought it would and I'd love to know where Ian and Rhane go next but I was content to see where they ended up. So if you pick this novel up and Rhane kind of frustrates you to begin with, stick with her and you may find that you like her after all. Court: I know that I did! It ended up being a really solid story that I really, really enjoyed. I was glad of the focus and the pace, and it really being something a little different than I've read in awhile plot wise. It is open to let life happen, but no cliffhanger, so yay!Shelley: 3 1/2 StarsCourtney: 4 Stars