This book broke my heart… and then slowly pieced it back together. No tears were shed, but if you are anything like me, you’ll be hanging onto every word.

In the fields of rural Kentucky, true hardship meets with the combined brute force of true love and everlasting hope. Simultaneously a love story and coming of age story, McGarry dynamically crafts each page to keep you guessing the whole time.

Jesse Lachlin’s Grandmother dies, leaving him to face the family curse on his own. He must find courage to confront his fearful belief that, because of the curse, everyone he loves will suffer.

Scarlett Copeland realizes that there is no going back from what her father has done. She must find the strength to move forward and protect herself from her seemingly ‘perfect’ family.

In the end, when there is no outward stability, these two battered teens must learn to make their own… together.

Katy McGarry guides readers through the rawest of emotional experiences. Only A Breath Apart, confronts the turbulence that domestic abuse and death cause head on. McGarry stays masterfully grounded in reality, weaving infinite hope throughout what is, in the truest sense, a heart wrenching story.

Profound in every sense of the word. I highly recommend the read!

Only a Breath Apart is another stunning YA romance from Katie McGarry. This standalone centers upon Jesse Jameson is in line to inherit the land that's been in his family for generations. He's been in love with next door neighbor, Scarlett Copeland since childhood, but he's distanced himself from her because he wanted to protect her and a dark, family secret.

Scarlett has some dark secrets of her own, namely that her overprotective father is violent, and unpredictable--physically abusing her mother with the potential for more violence to Scarlett and her younger sister. The years of mental and emotional torment have left Scarlett isolated and dreaming of graduation and hopes that college might finally be the opportunity for her to break free. She is still deeply hurt by Jesse's action their freshman year; however, following the death of his grandmother, they seem to be on a destined path toward each other. Jesse's passion is to inherit and tend the Jameson land----there's just one catch: to prove his maturity, he has to win Scarlett's approval and her father's. But when Jesse finds out that Mr. Copeland is abusing her, he must decide what truly matters most: his family's land or helping the girl he's fallen in love with.

McGarry has the knack for writing page turning YA romances which also bridge important real word issues such as abuse and trauma. The relationship between Scarlett and Jesse is honest and heartfelt while being an excellent example for the kinds of relationships young adults should aspire to build. I loved every tenderly, crafted word of this book.

This book!!! I am a huge fan of Katie McGarry and I have read several of her books. This book feels very different from her other books but in a good way. This book is about two people who were close as kids and then because of circumstances drifted apart. These characters face so much difficulty as they navigate through troubles that most adults don't have to face. I really admired Scarlett and Jesse. It's easy sometimes to dismiss feelings in young adults, but the author truly helped me believe the feelings these characters had. The secondary characters brought this book together and rounded the story so well.
I feel like I can see Ms. McGarry growing as an author and it's such a pleasure to read her books. I received this book in advanced but this had no bearing on my review. This is a fantastic book and I highly recommend it, you won't be sorry.

I can't put my finger why I struggled a little with this book but I did. I'm glad this book talked about family abuse and the different types, which unfortunately many teens have to deal with. Overall the book was good, I just struggled to get sucked in and not put it down.

Absolutely loved this title from Katie McGarry. It is one of my favorite books by McGarry. She knows how to pull on your heart strings with an added element of magic. Classic McGarry.

A nice Katie McGarry book. I liked this one much better than I liked her foray into the world of motorcycle gangs but not as much as her initial series.

Once more Katie McGarry delivers a story of two battered souls finding one another again.

Everyone says that Jesse's family is cursed. Anyone who gets involved with a Lachlin is bound for doom. Jesse's seen it. His mother is dead. His grandmother too. He gave up his best friend so that she could have a normal life, not knowing that she was fighting battles of her own. The last straw comes with his grandmother's will and Jesse will have to prove he can handle taking care of a failing farm if he wants to keep the land.

Scarlett's life looks perfect from the outside. Her family has money, they live in a big house. No one sees that her father's controlling tendencies are stifling her spirit or that her father sometimes turns violent. Scarlett just wants out, and maybe her old friend Jesse might be able to help her with that.

Katie McGarry takes two teens on the verge of adulthood and throws them against the hardships of life in ways that are both realistic and heart-wrenching. Scarlett and Jesse see one another in a way that no one else does. Their story is beautiful and uncertain. Only a Breath Apart is about discovering who you want to be and having the courage to stand up for yourself and those you love.

Our community are huge fans of Katie McGarry's series Pushing the Limits and as a matter of fact, its one of our top circulating series in our whole YA collection. We were excited to see that she has a new book coming out and really were curious to see whether or not it is anything like Pushing the Limits especially Take Me On.

Only a Breath Apart tells he story of Jesse and how he is the next heir to his family land and fortune but in order to take the land, Jesse has to win over the approval of his best friend Scarlett and her father. Jesse later spends a lot more time with Scarlett and ends up falling in love with her. He also later finds out that Scarlett's dad abuses her and Jesse will do whatever it takes to protect the love of his life.

This book brought tears to my eyes and really warmed my heart. My suggestion would be to read this book with a beautiful view of scenery such as by the lake, in the park or in a garden, you'll really feel what is happening between Scarlett and Jesse. Our young adult readers are always on the lookout for more teen romance books and having being huge fans of Kate McGarry in the first place, they will be excited to see this book on our shelves. That is why we are rating this book 5 stars!

Another McGarry great. When family curses and perceptions of perfect drive apart young friends, they struggle to make their way back across all too common ground. I was rooting for Jesse and Scarlett all the way to the end. I loved how they found their own ways.

Another beautifully told story by one of my favorite authors Katie McGarry. I was sucked into the story from the first page and I could not put this book down. I fell in love with Jesse and Scarlett and couldn't wait to find out how this amazing story. ended. GREAT BOOK AND A MUST READ FOR ALL!!!!