Breathless by Jennifer Niven Pages: 384
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on September 29, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, contemporary, Romance
Source: Paperback ARC from Publisher
From Jennifer Niven, the New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places, comes an unforgettable new novel about a sensitive girl ready to live her bravest life--sex, heartbreak, family dramas, and all.
Before: With graduation on the horizon, budding writer Claudine Henry is making plans: college in the fall, become a famous author, and maybe--finally--have sex. She doesn't even need to be in love. Then her dad drops a bombshell: he's leaving Claude's mother. Suddenly, Claude's entire world feels like a lie, and her future anything but under control.
After: Claude's mom whisks them away to the last place Claude could imagine nursing a broken heart: a remote, mosquito-infested island off the coast of Georgia. But then Jeremiah Crew happens. Miah is a local trail guide with a passion for photography--and a past he doesn't like to talk about. He's brash and enigmatic, and even more infuriatingly, he's the only one who seems to see Claude for who she wants to be. So when Claude decides to sleep with Miah, she tells herself it's just sex, nothing more. There's not enough time to fall in love, especially if it means putting her already broken heart at risk.
Compulsively readable and impossible to forget, Jennifer Niven's luminous new novel is an insightful portrait of a young woman ready to write her own story.
Breathless is a young adult contemporary novel by Jennifer Niven. It is a coming of age story that does explore mature themes and difficult topics for some readers, so be warned if you are a younger reader. I really enjoyed this story. It felt raw and very realistic. I think there is something in this book that so many young readers will relate to. If you a re looking for a realistic fiction contemporary that discusses, divorce, sex and a million other things that can come with the rite of passage of becoming a young adult, Breathless is a great book for you to check out. It was an emotional ride for me.
Breathless is very much a coming of age story about our main character, Claudine, or Claude as she experiences some significant rites of passages for young adults, as well as her fair she of tough times. In Breathless we are taken on an emotional rollercoaster ride as Claude deals with family issues, the divorce of her parents, as well as personal issues stemming from those and stemming from teh fact that Claude is growing up. Be warned that Breathless does discuss the topic of sex and losing your virginity, so if that is something that is sensitive to you or if you would prefer younger readers not read about, this might not be the book for you. But I think it is a wonderful story that felt raw and real, and of so relatable. I think mature young adult readers will really relate to Claude. I will admit that it took me some time to warm up to her as a character, but I very much appreciated her journey and her narrative throughout the story.
The book starts out very much on a lighthearted note. Claude is getting ready for a summer road trip with her friend, hanging out with her crush and just being a normal carefree teenager when her parents give her the big D bombshell- they are getting divorced. Claude’s summer takes a sharp turn and our real emotional journey begins. Breathless does a good job of balancing the lighthearted with the tense and tough. There are some satisfying highs and some heartbreaking lows, but I have come to learn that I like that in my coming of age novels. I want the characters to go through some pain to learn and to grow. Jennifer Niven is fantastic at giving her characters great hurdles, struggles and really digging into what makes them tick and what makes them grow as a character and person. If that sounds like something you would enjoy, then I think breathless is a book you should pick up ASAP. I really enjoyed Claudine’s story.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2020 New Release Challenge
- Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge 2020
This sounds so good!
Can’t wait to read this book!
This book sounds very good.
I like the cover and the storyline sounds good. YA readers will enjoy this. Best wishes to the author on the novel.
Sounds like an awesome book!
looks like a fun one
The cover is cool and the story sounds like a great read. I am adding this one to my to-read list.