Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally (Tour Review w/ Q & A)

Welcome to my stop on the Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally
Blog Tour.  A huge thank you to Raincoast books for this tour
 and the awesome Q & A you will see!! I hope you enjoy!!

Genre:	Contemporary, YA
Publication Date:	July 15, 2014
Pages:	306
Published By:	Sourcebooks Fire
Website	Breathe, Annie, Breathe on Goodreads
	Miranda Kenneally Website
My review copy:	Netgally, Provided for honest review in tour

Where to get:

Synopsis

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.(Goodreads)

Quotes

  Instead, I can focus on this new CamelBak water-hydration device I'm wearing like a backpack. It kind of looks like a bong. I slip the plastic tube in my mouth and sip some water, pretending I'm taking a hit. Kyle would laugh at how ridiculous I'm being.
  Stop thinking about him.  Stop already.

  The only negative to Matt's program?  In the gym locker room, old ladies just love walking around naked for some reason.  I pray that when I'm old, I don't have any sudden desire to flaunt it.

  I look down at the plain white panties I wore today.  They're good for running     they keep the wedgies at bay     but they certainly don't make me feel pretty.  They make me feel gross.  I am gross.  What I did today was skanky and selfish.

  "Well, this sure is interesting."  I open my eyes to find Jeremiah.  Without a shirt on.  Watching his brother stretch me in a way that probably looks like dry humping.

  I'm happy Jeremiah's okay, but I want to punch his lights out too.  I'm also glad he came to sit in my section at the Roadhouse.  I don't like all these random emotions.  My life is a damned clown show. 

My Thoughts

Absolutely AMAZING!! 

  This book was nothing short of amazing.  The synopsis sounded promising, but being the person that has always sucked at running, I feared that I would not be able to fully connect with the characters.  I could not have been more wrong!  If anything this book has me believing that with the right support and attitude, you can do anything that you set your mind to.  People are always telling each other this, but the power in Miranda Kenneally's writing has me truly convinced that we need to listen better to these words.  This entire story was a show of strength, and proof that greatness does not have to be achieved to know that you have accomplished something.

  There was emotion in every bit of this book.  Everything felt alive, felt real and slipping into the story was easier than breathing.  There is no real way to describe how the book will make you feel, because I do believe it will be different for everyone.  However, the entire book is a ride and one that pulled me along at a pace that was perfect and yet always kept me wanting to know what was next.  It isn't like there was a huge plot twist, but more I was routing for Annie and hoped that she could achieve what she wanted.  Not because it would change the world, but because it was important to her and would help her achieve the closure she needed.  

  Annie was an amazing character, and I love her.  Plain and simple, she was someone that was easy to feel for and yet she did have an inner strength that didn't call for that.  We have all lost someone or something dear to us and though loss touches us all differently, it is the suffering that we understand.  I didn't think I would ever be able to fully relate to a runner, but I found myself wishing I had some of the strength Annie had.  She wasn't a runner, in fact prior to the accident she never even liked it.  But everything changed in a flash and she was determined to do something she never even considered possible for a moment.  Annie is the type of character that I could read over and over, and never get sick of.  She is strong and yet her weakness is often right there, but ultimately her drive pushes it away.

  The romance was on and off throughout the book.  Not in annoying or I love you/I don't love you way, but more that it was not on the front lines all of the time.  Sure Jeremiah was often on Annie's mind in one way or another, and his appearances are unforgettable, but I guess you could say the formation of their romance was more prominent.  Maybe that is another thing I loved so much; the fact that there was no instant love connection but more of a genuine relationship development.  Sure some things happened a little fast, but things happen in the heat of the moment and they are part of the ride.  Plus I really liked Jeremiah.  He had his own things going on that needed working out.  It just so happened that Annie was going to be a part of that process.  Even if this did mean him doing some things that even made me shake my head, and be proud of Annie and her reactions.

  Breathe, Annie, Breathe is contemporary YA at its best.  You get the emotion and a story that you can really throw yourself into.  I have found myself mor drawn to NA contemporary lately but this read has me convinced that I should reconsider this action.  I will be picking up the other books in this series that I have not yet picked up.  Miranda Kenneally's writing is superb and she with this book has convinced me that I should have already read the previous books, instead of only now doing so.  If you are a fan of contemporary I highly suggest this one with no hesitation, and if you are normally hesitant... Well this one should change your mind! 

Q & A

Q: 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.

Q:  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.

Q: This year has seen so many YA books turned into movies, from The Fault in Our Stars to The Giver. What is your favourite movie adaptation of a YA novel? Or which adaptation are you most anticipating?

A: Honestly, I loved the adaptation of Twilight: Breaking Dawn 1 and 2. I could watch it over and over again! Also, I loved the Harry Potter movies.

Q: You tend to write strong characters who are also athletic. Were you considered a jock in high school?

A: Not at all! If anything, I was a chorus geek. I played soccer, but I wasn't very good at it. I also managed the boys soccer team, but that was really just an excuse to hang around hot guys after school.

Q:  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.

About the Author

Growing up in Tennessee, Miranda Kenneally dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes, and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband.