Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbsman

Savannah lives in small coastal Carolina town with her mom and brother Dog. Her father left her family years ago, and Savannah truly believes he took her ability to really breathe with him, as she has had life-threatening asthma since the day he left. Despite that fact she looks forward to reading tons of romance novels and working at her local library over the coming summer months and of course visiting the beach.

Then Savannah meets Jackson – her true love. He seems to be the only person that gives Savannah her breath back and is just so different from any other boy that she has met.  Jackson seems to be perfect, staying by her side at the hospital when she suffers a severe asthma attack, following all of Savannah’s mom’s crazy rules about “courting,” and even sticking up for Savannah when she is put down by the local ruffians.

It seems though that Savannah’s perfect summer is not meant to be, as Jackson is called back home to help his mom and brothers out. Savannah doesn’t know if their relationship will last, and most of all if she will be able to breath without Jackson by her side.

This book was as sweet as a southern accent! The love story was true and there was a reality to the book that made the book come to life. There was humor and heartbreak, along with reality and creativity. With every sentence it felt like the reader was transported from their living room couch to the sandy beaches of the Carolina coast.

The characters that the author created were real and fun as well as relatable.
Savannah’s true accent made me laugh and grin and her personality really shone. At times she got a bit whiny and fake, but overall she was genuine. While I felt that Savannah was three-dimensional and really stepped off the page, none of the other characters, including Jackson really stood out for me. Yes, Jackson was an incredibly sweet boy, but he didn’t seem real or alive.

Another really strong aspect of this book is the struggle that the characters go through. There is both economic hardships as well as emotional and relationship struggles, ranging anywhere from Savannah and Jackson’s relationship to Dog and his best friend’s relationship. This was another fact that helped the reader to relate with the characters.

Finally the plot was really cute, a little clichéd, but cute none-the-less and thoroughly enjoyable. Fans of Sarah Dessen will enjoy this sweet Southern novel full of charm and wit by this debut author. I look forward to reading more of Cheryl Renee Herbsman’s future works and I truly believe she has a bright future ahead of her.

On a side note the author is coming to the bookstore right down the street from me at the end of the month, needless to saw I am very excited!!!