This place is a very slowly paced book with odd characters and a weird love triangle. There was an odd magical theme to it but I don't think it was fleshed out as well as it well as it could have been. I found myself not really caring too much about the characters. It was just an ok book for me.

Magical realism, spells, and twisted family histories. Another by this author I just couldn't put down.

I tried reading this book but sadly I didn't make it very far while reading this book. I think that the different point of views made it a bit difficult to understand . I usually love this author's books and I hoped that this one would work out for me.

I was looking for amazing Gothic-style suspense in The Breathless, but the writing took all the creepiness away from me. It just didn't do anything for me and I did not finish it, so I will not be writing a formal review.

This seemed promising since it was described as an emotional mystery but I did not get any of that. I just felt like the character did lots of sighing and not enough emotions.

I'm kicking myself for not reading this sooner! This is a dark, beautiful tale set in Southern gothic territory. The plot and story are seamlessly intertwined to keep the story moving at a wonderful pace. It's full of richness and depth of mystery that kept me turning pages long into the night. I will definitely recommend The Breathless to my mystery loving friends!

This book sort of defies explanation. The plot is fairly shadowy. lacking in clear events. We're meant to draw conclusions based on a handful of facts. Even without detail, though, our intended assumptions are pretty clear. THe plot is potty at times but the actual line to line writing is admirable.

The book kept me riveted for quite a while, but something in the end was missing.

This was very dull and dry in the beginning and not enough to make me finish this story.

One year ago Roxanne Cole’s body was discovered on the beach…and her friend was seen fleeing. Cage hasn’t been seen since, until the day he shows up at the Coles’ asking for Ro like nothing had happened. Cage claims to have no memory at all of the past year and after Ro’s sister Mae discovers a secret little book, she’s beginning to believe him.

The Breathless was one of my most anticipated reads of 2017! I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy and when I did, I immediately dove in. Not only did it sound super intriguing, but it also seemed perfect for fall/Halloween reading! ..guys, The Breathless was a DNF. I got 49% of the way through before I finally called it quits. How can a book about dead girls and magic be boring?! I felt like it wasn’t going anywhere, there was a gross love triangle that seemed to be in the works (Mae is Ro’s little sister and one boy was Ro’s boyfriend, the other had a crush of Ro. ew.) and I simply didn’t care enough about the story to keep going.

Wow!!! Super fun, atmospheric southern gothic -- where has this been all my life?! Make sure to pick this up when it releases in October!

Roxanne Cole died a year ago, and her family still hasn’t come to terms with her death. Ro was the light of the Cole family, and everything has been dark since her death. Her boyfriend, Cole, vanished the night she died, and no one has seen him since, but when he shows up at the door to Blue Gate Manor asking where Ro is, Mae doesn’t know what to think.

Her sister’s death hit her hard, and Mae is still struggling, but to Cole, Ro was just alive yesterday. When Mae finds the little green book that was never far from Ro’s hands, she also finds dark secrets about her family’s past, and realizes that Ro might be gone now, but that doesn’t mean she has to stay gone.

The Breathless is a creepy Southern gothic mystery that tells three stories: the present-day tale of Cole and Mae struggling to deal with Ro’s loss, Cole’s memories of his relationship with Ro, and a dark time in the family’s past. The setting adds an eerie layer to an unsettling story, as Mae finds out just what was in that little green book. The storyline about the family’s past does deal with a history of racism that was common in that era, but does not glorify it, instead it reveals the results of such violence and hate.

(Galley provided by Delacorte Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Let me completely honest with you here. I finished reading The Breathless a couple of weeks ago and have just been sitting on writing this review. Why? Because I have no idea really what to say to you about it. And I have been finding myself still lost in thought over things that happened in this story.

The Breathless was one of those books where you read it and it just makes you think. A lot of things happen in this story and the writing is beautiful. But there is something about it that makes you keep going "hmm" when it's over and done with.

The Breathless is about a girl named Mae. Her sister had suffered a tragic death - the kind where they think she was murdered and they think that her boyfriend is too blame. However, her boyfriend has been missing since it happened...almost a year. Her sister then finds this mysterious book and other strange things start happening....

One thing really just rolls into another and you find yourself spellbound by the story within. Yes, sometimes you can pretty much see what is happening, you don't really find yourself caring that much. The story telling is superb and it makes up for that *some* of the story is predictable.

Now, you may recall that I told you I keep thinking on this book. And it is because that despite being able to predict things, there were other bits I was not. And there are strange bits littered throughout the story. It was one of those books that when I finished I was really tempted to go back and reread it again. To see the things that I missed. Part of me thinks, though, that if I were to do that I may be even more confused than I am.

There is just such an air of mystery and intrigue to The Breathless. I am not really sure if we are supposed to be able to decipher all of the strange.

I have really wanted to discuss this book with someone since I read it, so please contact me once you finish!

My Rating
5 Stars

This review is based on an eARC copy provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone

The Breathless is compelling and atmospheric. Just FYI: tt’s not an in-your-face, page-turning kind of book, but the kind of book that slowly and masterfully weaves its spell over you.

Mae’s sister Ro died almost a year ago and everyone thinks that Ro’s boyfriend, Cage, killed her.

But maybe things aren’t that simple. Mae finds a little green book that belonged to her sister and begins to unravel a twisted tale of dark family secrets that goes back generations.

The Breathless gives the reader Mae’s perspective and Cage’s, and also goes back in time to show the reader how Ro’s death is connected to a whole (creepy) family history.

You will need some patience for this one but I think the payoff is ultimately worth it!

This novel had a great premise with loss, romance, and the pull of magic. The characters were al present for a mystery/romance that get a reader excited and swoon at the same time. Unfortunately, they never got past the concept. The story was all there, it simply was not put together in a fashion that kept the reader engaged or brought it all together. It was almost like reading a first draft. The progress of the story was very stunted. It was frustrating to jump from one person to the next without much resolved or explained each time. Breakthroughs in the mystery were random and seemed thrown in instead of naturally flowing with the plot line. Secondary characters, especially Fern, were used as a means to the end and lacked definition. Mostly, this novel lacked refinement. I felt that after some more revisions and by adding details throughout, this story could flow better and be a great read. As of now, it is too muddled and sporadic to keep teens interested.

The Breathless, the ones who cannot join us in the living, the dead, and sometimes the dying. The Breathless is mixture of dark magic, death, and what happens when you love too deeply. It sheds light on the darkness we sometimes have in our souls and how hope can sometimes lead you to do bad things.

What I enjoyed most was that this book was a big mystery to me at first. From page one I didn’t exactly know what to expect and what began to unfold before my eyes ended up being a dark and turbulent chain of events that blurred lines between right and wrong. However, there were some times I got confused about the storyline (which is admittedly my own fault for only glancing at the synopsis and not getting myself acclimated with how this story was going to go). I was expecting this to be a bit more paranormal, but instead it was very witchy and I was pleasantly surprised by the storyline I got.

I felt very in the mood for Halloween while reading this and the spookiness of it made me very happy. I think that the best way to experience this novel is going in only knowing the synopsis and just a little bit about the general vibe this book has.

With atmospheric descriptions, a unique storyline, and a old spell book connecting past and present, The Breathless will delight and scare you until the very end. This book will jar you and make you question what is really going on and even what you would do if you had a chance to bring a loved one back from the dead.

So one word for this book, tragic. There was not a whole lot of happiness throughout this book, which is to be expected when dealing with death, but I had not expected it to be so heartbreaking. I thought the book was a little slow at times. However, by the end of the book, it picks up quite a bit and I flew through it. There are flashbacks to the 1800’s which I really enjoyed and could have used more of those. The history of the family was really interesting. I did actually like the way Cage has flashbacks to what happens throughout the book. I thought those were really well done. Mae is such a sweet quiet girl, so unlike her sister Ro. I really appreciated her quiet way. The relationship between Cage and Mae is a complex one for sure. Mae has to determine if she can trust Cage and you see a lot of who she is while she is determining if she can trust him. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it was a little too depressing for my taste.

I am of two minds about this book.

One half thinks it was a very interesting mystery with some definitely spooky parts that made my heart beat fast and my breathing slow. I enjoyed the author's tone and cadence. She has some evident story-telling skills. The mystery itself was engaging, and I found myself reading just to know the answer. (It was worth it! WORTH IT!)

The other half... well, it is nitpicking at one main thing. Mae is such a weakling character. Two boys (who are both obviously still mooning over her dead sister, Ro) display interest in her, seemingly primarily because of her resemblance to Ro.........what? And Mae is just like, "Okay, that's fine! I'm cool with that. Which one do I choose?" Oh, Mae. You are worth so much more than that!!!!

Anyone who knows me is aware that a weak character who doesn't get stronger is a sure-fire way to earn my ire. However, the mystery was strong enough to overcome that.

The first thing that made me look into this book a little further was the stunning cover. The deep purple colors at the edge merging into black, and the girl in the write dress along with the white, fading writing were haunting and beautiful at the same time. When the description stated that 'The Breathless' was "for fans of the dark family secrets of 'We Were Liars'" I was sold.

When Roxanne Cole died on the beach, her boyfriend, Cage, was with her. He is also the only one who knows what really happend that night. But before anyone could ask him about it, he took off and hasn't been seen since. Almost a year to the day of her death, Cage returns and knocks on the door of Blue Gate Manor and asks where Ro is. He claims that he has no memory of the past 12 months and no one but Ro's younger sister, Mae, believes him. Then Mae discovers a green book which contains dangerous secret about her family and Ro. If what it says is true, then maybe, just maybe, Ro isn’t lost forever. And maybe there are secrets better left to the dead.

The book started off really interesting and set the mood for what was to come in the upcoming chapters. Throughout the story there were actually some really creepy scenes and I was thinking "Thank goodness it's broad daylight and not the middle of the night!" I'm a little chicken when it comes to horror movies or creepy stories. Okay, I am a big chicken. Anyways, although some scenes were scary, it's not that those will keep you awake a night, so don't worry about that.
Unfortunately, the story was really slow-paced and dragged after a while and I had difficulty picking it up. I also would've loved a little more suspense.

What I didn't expect was the dark magic in this story, the dark magic from the deep south. I was positively surprised and it was really interesting to read about. However, in my opinion the story was missing proper explanations regarding the dark magic, which led to confusion on my part. I didn't mind the lack of explanation in the middle of the book too much because I knew everything would be explained in the end. Unfortunately, nothing remotely happened. I still have comprehension questions and I don't like having those after finishing a book. The Breathless has no follow up story, it's a full-length standalone novel and this is why I, as a reader, want every question to be answered by the end of the book.

The story is told in a third person narrative and alternates between Cage's and Mae's POV. I also noticed that Tara Goedjen used the first person narrative in a couple of scenes throughout the story. I am still a little confused why she did that, and this is only one of the many questions I still have regarding the story.
What I really enjoyed, however, were the flashbacks to the time of Ro's ancestors in the mid-eighteen hundreds. It gave the story an even more haunting feeling.
An issue that was brought up by a few readers was the issue of racism. Their reviews stated that a few scenes in this book were racist and shouldn't have been written by the author. I was actually surprised to find those comments in the reviews since I didn't find any scenes racist whatsoever.

Tara Goedjen's debut novel is original and has huge potential, but unfortunately, this potential wasn't explored to the fullest. However, 'The Breathless' is still an interesting and solid read.
If you want to know what happened to Ro, and what Cage and Mae have planned with the green book, check out 'The Breathless' yourself.

I was so excited by the promise and it hasn't disappointed me at all, I think this book is an incredible debut for the author, from now on I'm sure I would love to read more about Tara Goedjen in the future.
This mystery story will keep you on the edge of your seat, it's also very easy to read and fast-paced. The characters are very well developed and everyone has a unique and interesting personality. Although I expected a little more of the ending, I feel it's a solid and good mistery book that you can't miss, it's worth it guys.