In the shore town of Sea Breeze, Sadie discovers that fame is nothing in the face of passion.
Sadie White’s summer job is at the beach, but she won’t be working as a lifeguard. Since her mom is pregnant and refuses to work, Sadie will be taking over as a domestic servant for a wealthy family on a nearby island.
When the family arrives at their summer getaway, Sadie is surprised to learn that the owner of the house is Jax Stone, one of the hottest teen rockers in the world. If Sadie were normal—if she hadn't spent her life raising her mother and taking care of the house—maybe she’d be excited about working for a rock star. But she’s not.
Even though Sadie isn't impressed by Jax’s fame, he is drawn to her. Everything about Sadie fascinates Jax, but he fights his attraction: Relationships never work in his world, and as badly as he wants Sadie, he believes she deserves more. Yet as the summer stretches on, Jax’s passion leaves him breathless—and Sadie feels like the only source of oxygen.
Can their love overcome the disparity in their lifestyles? One breath at a time, they’re going to find out…
Review
I repeat. I have yet to find an Abbi Glines book that I irrevocably fall in love with... or even like. Of course
Breathe had its merits, albeit very few. The rock star meets small town girl story-line is cute, but a little predictable. It honestly feels as if someone took a YA novel and just put a bunch of romantic scenes in it to spice it up. Still, I liked it enough to finish the book since the romance between Jax and Sadie was sweet even if it seemed unrealistic.
Breathe follows Sadie, a teenage girl who goes to work for teen rocker Jax Stone's family during the summer. She needs this job to support her mother and herself, especially since her mother is expecting another child soon. She meets Jax, and despite all logic, she falls in love with him. But the clashes between his rocker lifestyle and her normal one seem to tear them apart.
I initially thought Sadie was a weak character, but was surprised on how she held her own later in the book. I admired Sadie's strength despite her mother's neglect the most. Her mother's lack of responsibility was appalling. I couldn't imagine having a mother as ignorant as hers. Still, Sadie does a good job assuming the role of responsibility. Her independence is astounding, but it borders on foolishness. There were times when I was thought she should have reached out to others for help, rather than carrying all her burdens by herself, especially when she faces taking care of her little brother. Her romance with Jax is probably the one thing that saves her from going completely crazy. He was like a lifeline, which I found sweet.
Jax is your typical teenage heartthrob (Think
Jonas Brothers or
Jesse McCartney). Despite his wealth, he's actually a pretty sensitive and down-to-earth guy, just looking for someone who'll see him for who he is. He fits the stereotypical mold for a "teenage rocker meets small town girl" story. He falls in love with Sadie mainly because of her nonchalance towards him. She's the first girl who doesn't throw herself at him like all his obsessed fan-girls. The only big problem is his fame gets in the way of a normal romance. Through this book, I gained some insight on what the lives of Hollywood stars must be like. The hectic scheduling and distance really do make it difficult for them to have a normal boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. No wonder we hear about so many breakup. And even then, they're not necessarily true; sometimes they're just publicity stunts and such.
The main flaw I found in this book was the quasi-YA/NA feel of it. After doing a little research, I found out there are actually two versions of this book. An original YA version and then a NA version, which is the one I read. The rest of the books in this series are actually New Adult.
Still, maybe this book would appeal more to younger readers who haven't really been exposed to the overused "rocker falls in love with normal girl" drama. This book definitely seems like a good beach read, if you're looking for something quick and fun to read.
Overall Rating: ★★ 2 stars
Renée
.JPG)
