REVIEW, GIVEAWAY & EXCERPT: Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry

REVIEW, GIVEAWAY & EXCERPT: Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry

I absolutely loved Only A Breath Apart and I’m so thankful to be on this tour! So check out my 5 Star Review below and enter a fabulous giveaway! Enjoy!

REVIEW, GIVEAWAY & EXCERPT: Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarryOnly a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry
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Synopsis:

They say your destiny is carved in stone. But some destinies are meant to be broken.

The only curse Jesse Lachlin believes in is his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year.

A fortuneteller tells Scarlett she's psychic, but what is real is Scarlett’s father’s controlling attitude and the dark secrets at home. She may be able to escape, but only if she can rely on the one boy who broke her heart.

Each midnight meeting pushes Jesse and Scarlett to confront their secrets and their feelings, but as love blooms, the curse rears its ugly head…

Review:

Only a Breath Apart was a beautifully, emotional story.  It held my heart in the palm of its hand and I kept finding moments here and there that stole my breath away.  This book was filled with heartfelt characters and friendship, love, forgiveness, bravery and finding oneself was a huge part of this story.  If you’ve never picked up a Katie McGarry book, know that one of my favorite things about her stories are the characters she creates.  They always feel so real, it’s like I could reach into the pages and touch them.  So yes, I definitely recommend this book!  It’s one that will stay with me for a long time to come.

I loved him once—the way a six-year-old loves with abandon. I loved him how I once loved myself. Jesse was freedom when so much of my life meant confinement. He was laughter during dark nights, he was the warrior who scared the monsters under my bed away . . . he was my friend.

Stepping into this story, I was already gutted within those first two chapters.  We jumped back in time and got to see Jesse Lachlan and Scarlett Copeland as children.  While they were both from extremely broken homes, as children they always had each other.  Jesse and Scarlett were not only neighbors, but best friends too.  It hurt to watch them both witness abuse and I could feel their fear pouring off the pages.  I was heartbroken with how hard their lives already were.  But years later, we caught up with them when they were 17.  And while they were both still in a world of pain, they were no longer friends with one another.

Jesse has done this a handful of times since our freshman year. Glance at me as if I’m someone worth looking at, someone worth laughing with a little too loud and smiling with a little too much. Then he remembers who I am and snaps his gaze to someone else.
But he’s not looking away now.

From one event, Scarlett bridged the gap between them and set them on a path.  One that was filled with hope, redemption, heartache, friendship and even the possibility of love.  Hold on though, because it was definitely not an easy path.  Not only do they have their own personal struggles, but there was distance between them.  Even with that distance, when Scarlett and Jesse had the tiniest amount of interaction, I was smiling and sighing out loud.  I just wanted them both to find happiness, and I knew they could find it in each other.

Scarlett lifts her head and smiles . . . at me. It’s a gentle smile, and one that causes a spike of excitement in my blood . It’s as if the sun has melted off her outer shell and has revealed the girl I once knew, and a woman I want to get to know.

Scarlett was a girl who made me feel every single emotion she did.  I felt suffocated by the way her father treated her and in other moments her fear consumed me.  Chills ran down my back and the hair stood up on my arm. I found myself terrified for Scarlett and the life she was stuck in.  Thankfully, she started to find her voice and I was so proud of her.  Scarlett was strong, resilient, loving and I kept hoping her life would change.  That every moment could feel like when she was with Jesse.  Because when Scarlett was with Jesse, it felt like she could be breathe.

The breeze plays with the ends of her hair, and I capture that moment. A snapshot of something I want to remember. Scarlett’s back on my land. My friend. My foe. The person who used to push me, compete with me and made me alive. My Tink.

Jesse captured my heart by listening, helping and always caring for Scarlett when she came back into his life.  While I had my guess for why he shut her out his freshman year, I was still upset with him.  That didn’t affect that I loved him with my whole heart and soul. I quickly connected with Jesse, just like Scarlett.  They both struggled and saw more in their lifetime than anyone should.  But Jesse had a family curse and he was fighting to keep what belonged to him.  His land.  As the story unfolded it became evident that if Scarlett and Jesse both wanted what they desperately needed, they’d have to work together.

“Scarlett, there are two times that I can breathe in deeply without wincing in pain, and being with you is one of them. If I could, I’d keep you here forever.”

My third favorite person in this story was Glory Gardner.  She was a distant cousin to Jesse and played such an important role in Scarlett and Jesse’s life.  I don’t want to say what role she played, but Glory fascinated me with her tarot cards and being able to converse with the spirits.  So I kept hoping that she would lead Jesse and Scarlet into happier times.  Because they more than deserved it!

His fingers trail up and down my arm and the sensation tickles, causing pleasing goose bumps along my skin. There’s a safety that radiates from his touch. A safety I wish I could take with me wherever I go.

Only a Breath Apart was so easy to devour, even with the story constantly pulling on my heart.  So many times I’d go from smiles, to having my heart in my throat and then to having tears pour down my face.  It was such an emotional book. So when I finished that last page, I was so thankful that I stepped into Jesse and Scarlett’s lives.  Now I can’t wait to devour whatever Katie McGarry writes next!

PS I’d love a look into the future!  If Jesse and Scarlett ever have a novella about where the road takes them, I’d one click that so fast!

Here are a few more of my favorite quotes:

Each time I think it’s impossible for my heart to hurt any more than it already does, it finds another painfully imaginative way to twist. – Scarlett
 Second star on the right. I haven’t been Tink to his Peter Pan for a long time. But watching Jesse head off to the land the two of us conquered in battles that belonged in our heads creates a sense of nostalgia I can’t ignore. I start for the land that calls to Jesse, the land that used to call to me. It’s definitely time for an adventure.
 I hate myself because I wish I could feel. I wish I were normal. I wish I wasn’t me.- Scarlett
 I will always risk everything to save her. She didn’t know it then. She doesn’t know it now. Scarlett once said she was empty. I’ve never been empty. I’ve been loved, and I’ve loved in return, but I don’t do it with many. She was one of the few. Still is. Always will be.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by Macmillan-Tor/Forge. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

 

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Excerpt:

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~SCARLETT~

Evangeline fans herself. “That boy is hot.”

Hot isn’t exactly the word I would use for him. Hot somehow feels…lacking. Hot is for some boy in our gym class who has recently grown facial hair. Jess Lachlin is no boy. He has fire-red hair, a sun kissed tan from all the hours working on his land, deep green eyes and a body made to handle rough, rugged days.

I might have been ignoring Jesse for years, but I’ve seen him. Every girl in this school has gone out of her way to drive or walk along one of the country roads to watch Jesse as he works his land. Living across the street, I’ve had a front-row view. His shirt off, drenched in sweat, muscles rippling as he moves, the way he sometimes pauses in his front yard and looks across the road as if he knows I’m watching. A fluttering in my chest and then—

“Would you date him?” Evangeline asks.

“No.” Camila’s answer is swift. “And it’s not like he dates anyone. Except for his friends, the boy is a recluse.”

“Why wouldn’t you?” The kneejerk question surprises even me when it pops out of my mouth. Camila and Evangeline look at me as if those were the first words I’d ever spoken. If I could hide under the circulation desk without making this moment worse, I would.

“Besides the fact he’s cursed and anyone a Lachlin falls in love with drops dead?” Camila walks toward me and Evangeline follows. Camila watches me with more curiosity than I care for, but it’s nice that she’s moving the conversation in my direction. “Jesse’s a train wreck, and he taints anyone in his vicinity. Dating him would be a social, emotional and literal death sentence.”

I’m familiar with the curse, and it’s no truer than Glory and her prophesies. “That sounds melodramatic.”

“It’s not.” Camila has a swear-to-God seriousness to her. “Mom and Dad had Bible study at our house last night, and Pastor Hughes came. Everyone thought I was in the basement, but I went to the kitchen for something to drink, and I heard Pastor Hughes ask everyone what they knew about Jesse.”

Eavesdropping. How Camila.

“Did you know that before Veronica started hanging with Jesse that she was on track to be a concert pianist?” Camila says.

“Seriously?” Evangeline tilts her head in disbelief, and I’ll admit to putting down my cell.

“Seriously. And Leo Wheeling was a star soccer player, predicted to be the first freshman to play varsity for our high school, and then he started hanging out with Jesse.”

Faint middle school memories of hearing Leo’s name over the announcements regarding soccer emerge in my mind.

“Then someone said that before Nazareth Kravitz moved here, he had taken the ACT in the seventh grade and received a perfect score. He moved here, met Jesse and the rest is history.”

Nazareth sleeps through most of our classes, that is, when he bothers showing for school.

I nibble on my bottom lip as I’m not sure how much I like the Jesse-is-the-devil enthusiasm. I may share the opinion, but that doesn’t mean anyone else should.

“Of course, then there’s Jesse himself. Drinking, drugs.”

“The fights,” Evangeline pipes in.

“Don’t forget the suspensions—”

“And he’s been arrested!” Evangeline finishes Camila’s statement like the two share a brain. Her eyes sparkle like that precious piece of scandalous gossip was just too good not to spread.

“The boy is a walking disaster,” Camila continues. “Anyone who hangs out with him wants to become a loser. It doesn’t matter he’s going to be a millionaire once he sells his grandmother’s land. Anyone who spends time with Jesse is asking for hurt.”

And death.”

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Giveaway:

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About Katie McGarry:

Katie is the author of the PUSHING THE LIMITS series, THUNDER ROAD series, SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME, and the upcoming YA novel, ONLY A BREATH APART. Her novels have received starred reviews, critical acclaim and have won multiple awards including being a multiple Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for YA Fiction, multiple RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Award Finalist for Best YA Fiction, including a win in the category, and she was a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick.

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Tour Schedule:

 

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January 21st

@booksniffer7 – Review

 Bickering Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt

 Book Ballistic – Excerpt

 

Book Hoarder Mom – Review

 Brittany and Elizabeth’s Book Boutique – Review & Excerpt

 Celindareyesblog – Excerpt

 Cinta Garcia de la Rosa – Excerpt

 Crystal’s Book World – Excerpt

 Do You Dog-ear? – Review & Excerpt

 Little Shop of Readers – Excerpt

 Novel Addiction – Excerpt

 Resch Reads & Reviews – Review

 Sister Sister Book Blog – Excerpt

 This Jabberwocky Eats Books – Excerpt

 Writing My Own Fairy Tale – Review

 

January 22nd

 A Book Lovers Playlist – Excerpt

 Beware Of The Reader – Excerpt

 Beyourselfbebhaltair – Review & Excerpt

 Booknerd1107 – Review

 CeliaMoontown – Review & Excerpt

 Crazy Chaotic Book Babes – Review & Excerpt

 Echoing Books – Excerpt

 GataLeitora – Excerpt

 Its a mun thing – Excerpt

 Mean Girls Luv Books – Excerpt

 Mythical Books – Excerpt

 Read more sleep less – Review

 Stellar Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

 The Lovely Teacher Addictions – Excerpt

 The Romance Reviews – Excerpt

 Words Are Life – Review & Excerpt

 

January 23rd

 A Novel Glimpse – Review

 Bewitching bibliophile – Review & Excerpt

 Book Freak – Review

 Books Are My Life – Review & Excerpt

 Bookworm Misfit – Excerpt

 ClaryNathanWill – Excerpt

 Craves the Angst Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

 Latteandbook – Review & Excerpt

 Once Upon a Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

 Phishbowl’s bookshelf – Review

 Red Hot + Blue Reads – Review & Excerpt

 Sascha Darlington’s Microcosm Explored – Excerpt

 The Book Hammock – Review & Excerpt

 The Readdicts Book Blog – Excerpt

 Velarisreads – Excerpt

 

January 24th

 A Court of Coffee and Books – Review & Excerpt

 Avid Reads – Excerpt

 Book Boyfriend Reviews – Review

 Bookishly Nerdy – Review & Excerpt

 Collector of book boyfriends – Review

 Dazzled by Books – Review & Excerpt

 Kick Back & Review – Excerpt

 Lisa Loves Literature – Excerpt

 Milky Way of Books – Review

 Star-Crossed Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

 Sweet Red Reads – Excerpt

 Tale Out Loud – Excerpt

 The Cover Contessa – Excerpt

 The Lovely Books – Excerpt

 The Start of Something New – Review & Excerpt

 

January 25th

 A Literary Perusal – Review & Excerpt

 Abellafairytale – Excerpt

 Book Bite Reviews – Review & Excerpt

 Boundless Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt

 Confessions of a Wordaholic – Review & Excerpt

 Fandomly Bookish – Excerpt

 Girl Plus Books – Review

 I Heart Romance & YA – Review

 Kaidans Seduction – Excerpt

 Short and Sassy Book Blurbs – Excerpt

 Tales of dreams and nightmares – Excerpt

 The Book Branch – Excerpt

 The Book Trollop – Review & Excerpt

 VoxLibris – Review & Excerpt

 Witchy Richey’s Booktastic Reviews – Excerpt

 

January 26th

 Ali’s Bookshelf – Review & Excerpt

 Beauty and Lace – Excerpt

 Blunt Book Blog – Excerpt

 Book Angel Booktopia – Review & Excerpt

 Bookish Intoxication Writes – Review & Excerpt

 Confessions of 2 Book Lovers – Review & Excerpt

 Crazii Bitches Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

 Family, Books and Food – Excerpt

 Jesssiereads – Excerpt

 Little Read Riding Hood – Review & Excerpt

 Lovelyreadspublishing – Excerpt

 Madison’s Library – Review & Excerpt

 Rainy Days and Pajamas – Excerpt

 Reese’s Reviews – Review & Excerpt

 Southern Vixens Book Obsessions – Excerpt

 

January 27th

 3 degrees of fiction – Excerpt

 All Things Dark & Dirty – Excerpt

 As the Book Ends – Excerpt

 Book Bitches Blog – Review

 Books 4 Girls – Review & Excerpt

 Bumbles and Fairy-Tales – Review & Excerpt

 Chasing Faerytales – Review

 Feed Your Fiction Addiction – Review

 K&M Sultry Reads – Excerpt

 K’s Korner – Excerpt

 Less Reality More Books – Review & Excerpt

 My Fangirl Chronicles – Excerpt

 Poetry law and something more – Review & Excerpt

 Roxy’s Reviews – Excerpt

 Two Books in a Shelf – Excerpt

 

January 28th

 Aaly and The Books – Review

 A Book Fanatic Obsession – Review & Excerpt

 BenderDreamerGirl: read.dream.escape – Excerpt

 Book Reader Addicts – Review & Excerpt

 Bookishly Slytherclaw – Review & Excerpt

 Contagious Reads – Review & Excerpt

 Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt

 Escape 2 Fiction – Review & Excerpt

 Midnight Book Girl – Excerpt

 PBC – Excerpt

 Rad Babes Read – Review & Excerpt

 The Book Hookup – Review & Excerpt

 Tween 2 Teen Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt

 We Live and Breathe Books – Review & Excerpt

 

January 29th

A Gingerly Review – Review & Excerpt

 A Lovely Book Affair – Excerpt

 Bangor belle books – Excerpt

 Becky on Books – Review & Excerpt

 Books & Tea – Review & Excerpt

 Chapter by Chapter – Review & Excerpt

 Cupcakesandbookshelves – Excerpt

 Desperately Seeking HEA’s Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

 Echosreviews – Excerpt

 GotToReadThoseBooks – Excerpt

 Kindle and Me – Review & Excerpt

 Lita’s Book Blog – Excerpt

 Margay Leah Justice – Excerpt

 The Book Maven – Review & Excerpt

 The Library of Belle – Excerpt

 

January 30th

Actin’ Up with Books – Review

 Book Reader Chronicles – Review & Excerpt

 Bookistry_by_Ashleigh – Excerpt

 Buttermybooks – Review

 Ficwishes – Review & Excerpt

 Geeky Reading – Excerpt

 Little Bookworm Reviews – Review & Excerpt

 Lo’s Lo-Down on Books – Review & Excerpt

 Read. Eat. Love. – Review & Excerpt

 Taylor Fenner’s Bookish World – Review

 The Butterfly Reads – Excerpt

 The Writing Finch – Excerpt

 YA Bibliophile – Review & Excerpt

 

January 31st

Adventures in Writing – Review

 Becca’s Bookish Life – Review

 BookCrushin – Review & Excerpt

 Here’s to Happy Endings – Excerpt

 Little Lovely Books – Review & Excerpt

 Margaux – Excerpt

Ms. Me28 – Excerpt

 Nerdy Soul – Review & Excerpt

Readers Live A Thousand Lives – Review

 TBR Book Blog – Excerpt

 The Bookish Introvert – Review & Excerpt

 True Story Book Blog – Excerpt

 

February 1st

 Alotabooks13 – Review & Excerpt

 bad boys and bedtime stories book blog – Review

 Caitlin’s World – Review & Excerpt

 CJR The Brit – Review

 Court of Binge Reading – Excerpt

 Hedwig Reads – Excerpt

 Literary misfit – Excerpt

 Moonlight Rendezvous – Excerpt

 Readers Retreats – Excerpt

 The Reading Faery – Review

 Total Book Geek – Excerpt

 Twirling Book Princess – Review & Excerpt

Vera is Reading – Excerpt

 Whoo Gives A Hoot – Excerpt

 YA/NA Book Divas – Excerpt

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6 Comments

  1. Jessica

    Thank you so much for sharing ! ~Jessica, InkSlinger PR

    • Jen

      You’re welcome!

  2. Raven

    Great review, Jen! Katie McGarry books are either a hit or miss for me! This really sounds like a great read! I might give it a shot! I’m glad you loved it! 🙂
    Raven recently posted…The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) By Holly Black [Review]My Profile

    • Jen

      Out of all of her books, this one is definitely my favorite. It’s just extremely emotional, because of the abuse, so go into it when you’re ready to read a heavier book. The guy though….*fans face*…..you have to meet him!

  3. Sam@wlabb

    I found the magic McGarry incorporated to be really different for her, but utterly fascinating. I knew I was going to be hit with emotion. There were too many emotional topics to avoid it, but McGarry did it all so well, and also wove in plenty of happy and joyous things for us.
    Sam@wlabb recently posted…Blog Tour: The Birds, the Bees, and You and Me – Olivia HinebaughMy Profile

    • Jen

      Yes! Glory completely fascinated me. I’d love to read a novella about her HEA. And I was so thankful for the happiness she wove into this story since it was so emotional. I’m so happy you enjoyed this story too!

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