Breathe Into Me by Sara Fawkes

How did my life get so broken?  It’s a question Lacey St. James asks herself every day.  Stuck raising her little brother in a trailer park while she works a dead end job at a grocery store, she has a stalker exboyfriend, a bad reputation, and no way out.  

And then, she meets Everett, who changes her entire existence.

Everett is an outsider who’s housesitting his family’s mansion off the coast, and for reasons Lacey can’t understand, he’s completely transfixed by her. He seems determined to show her that life can offer more than she’d ever hoped for, if only she believes in herself.  She desperately yearns to trust him, but what happens when she finds out that everything he’s told her is a lie? 

I think I was expecting more intensity than the author was able to deliver in this book.  While the characters were relatable and the plot interesting, it always felt like it lacked something.  My heart went out to Lacey and Everett; both have so much baggage they are carrying in life at such a young age.  Lacey feels alone and abandon in life by those who use to love her.  Facing every day now with people who abuse and destroy her heart, she is still determined to find a way to make a life for herself.   Everett, hiding secrets regarding who he is and what family he comes from, has a heart of gold.  His every motive is towards helping others, being a kind person.  They both are truly what each other need in life. 

While Lacey seemed to have one disaster after another, she finally lands in a place where she can make real friends and have a piece of independence.  She has also found the love and connection with Everett, even though her old boyfriend won’t leave her alone.  When she is faced with an event that is going to tear her family apart, she decides she had to save her sibling from the same life she had.  I really fell in love with Lacey and her survivor attitude, but she seemed flat emotionally most of the time.  I would have expected this character to be more intense with what she faced. 

Everett is hiding a lot from Lacey, but only the personal baggage he is trying to run from.  Every action he takes towards her was with the motive of respect and really wanting to help her.  He is starting a new path with hard work and honesty.  This is the most patience and loving man, a man Lacey really deserves, but all of this could be lost when rumors start and he refuses to set the record straight.  He just had an attitude of defeat most of the time and after a while it began to wear on me while I was reading.

I loved the ending, how certain people from the past come back to help pave the way for Lacey and Everett.  When everything was out in the open, the love that they had been holding back for each other came flowing out.  I did enjoy this book, just once again, felt there were many times the intensity could have been raised to make more of an impact for the reader.  The characters are developed well enough that we could connect with them, but I was left on more than one occasion shaking my head wondering why the character wasn’t having as strong of a reaction as I was.