• Reason to Breathe

  • Breathing, Book 1
  • By: Rebecca Donovan
  • Narrated by: Kate Rudd
  • Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (2,760 ratings)

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Reason to Breathe  By  cover art

Reason to Breathe

By: Rebecca Donovan
Narrated by: Kate Rudd
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Publisher's summary

Reason to Breathe is the first book in the million-copy bestselling Breathing Series.

“No one tried to get involved with me, and I kept to myself. This was the place where everything was supposed to be safe and easy. How could Evan Mathews unravel my constant universe in just one day?”

In the affluent town of Weslyn, Connecticut, where most people worry about what to be seen in and who to be seen with, Emma Thomas would rather not be seen at all. She’s more concerned with feigning perfection - pulling down her sleeves to conceal the bruises, not wanting anyone to know how far from perfect her life truly is. Without expecting it, she finds love. It challenges her to recognize her own worth - at the risk of revealing the terrible secret she’s desperate to hide.

Reason to Breathe is one girl’s story of life-changing love, unspeakable cruelty, and her precarious grasp of hope.

©2013 Rebecca Donovan (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about Reason to Breathe

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    1,521
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  • 3 Stars
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Performance
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Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    1,334
  • 4 Stars
    557
  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

WOW....Just WOW!!!

I loved this book!!! I was almost breaking my Ipod by pushing the forward button when it ended! Thankful that I already purchased the 2nd book in this series so i didn't have to wait.

This is a very emotional story about a girl who spends her days trying to disappear in plain site until a new boy come into school and won't let her fade into the background. Slowly she starts getting more comfortable in her own skin and starts to find "reasons to breathe". Without giving away an hints about the ending....be prepared to be wrecked emotionally when this book is over.

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31 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Tearjerker for sure! And a bit frustrating

This was a hard book for me to listen to and I had to stop and walk away several times. Not only is the subject matter difficult but the choices made by the main character (Emma) was difficult to believe. I just didn’t understand her indecision and wavering back and forth on taking some action in her life. For a smart girl who participated in so many sports and other activities I just couldn’t reconcile her behavior at this point. Emma made so many stupid decisions that it just became too frustrating.

I did enjoy the romance between her and Evan but it just wasn’t enough for me. Not to mention the ending is horrible! Another huge cliffhanger.

Can’t say I liked it or hated it, but I won’t be getting the sequel for this one.

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28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome

What about Kate Rudd’s performance did you like?

She did a great job with all the characters however she did an exceptional job conveying Carol's hatred and dissension towards Emma.

Any additional comments?

Wow! This is a very intense angst filled story. Be prepared to feel an array of emotions. I was totally emotionally drained by the end. The story contained true to life descriptions of what each character was feeling at the time. I could feel every single emotion! Truely a great story! Can't wait to read the next book.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Such a great story

If you could sum up Reason to Breathe in three words, what would they be?

Emotional, Romantic, Courageous

What was one of the most memorable moments of Reason to Breathe?

The very end. I don't want to spoil.

Which character – as performed by Kate Rudd – was your favorite?

Both Evan and Emma were great, but I love Evan's devotion.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Evan just holding her even when he didn't fully understand.

Any additional comments?

This is just an emotional journey but I loved every minute of it.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

5 Breathe Stars

So I am doing a re-read of all 3 only in audio this time. Again it’s a highly emotional book, look at the subject matter we are talking about. Physical and mental abuse from a parental type. Tears here, tears there, its unavoidable with this book.

“I took a deep breath and allowed a dull wash of nothingness to envelop me.” – Emma

Emma has one friend Sara, and Sara only knows “some” of what goes on in Emma’s house. Emma can’t tell anyone how her aunt treats her, and her uncle goes about his business like nothing is happening.

Emma can’t wait to be out of her own personal hell, she counts down the days. She has her head stuck in a book or on the soccer field or basketball court. Anything to be out of her house as much as she is allowed.

So much so she is oblivious as to the boys and girl of the high school who want to get to know her but stay away because she projects a stay away vibe.

Until Even Mathews come to town, and turns Emma’s world up sided down. But he also makes her learn to live. Something she doesn’t think she can or should do at this point of her life. Just surviving another day is all she is focused on.

“How could Evan Mathews unravel my constant universe in just one day?” – Emma

This is such a touching story, of strength and will. I don’t know who could live through what Emma has and still try to not let anger consume her.

The performance was utterly amazing, one of the best audio’s I have ever listen too. I can’t wait to start book 2.

*All my Reviews are 100% honest and my own.*

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly Good

This book is a YA listen which is not my usual choice. I thought I would give it a try as the book was recommended by a friend and the ratings it has recieved.
I really enjoyed this book though it was tough to read in parts due to the abuse that Emma suffered at the hands of her Aunt.

I felt that the author dealt with abuse in a fairly realistic way, though thankfully I have never suffered myself I have had friends who did.

I know some people felt that either Emma herself or one of her friends should have said something but it's not that easy.
Her aunt had her believing that she was so worthless & she also loved her cousin's & didn't want them to have to grow up without their parents as she had done.
And her best friend Sara did try to tell but Emma threatened to use info on her to stop her from doing so.

Evan was a great love interest, as he was new to the school he didn't have any experience with Emma's ways over the years. Often we have a girl who claims not to know how beautiful she is or why anyone would have any interest in her (which is very annoying IMO) but in this case because of the mental abuse she receives from her aunt it is believable. I love that he never gives up on her when trying to get to know her no matter how many times she rebuffs him.

On the downside I did find myself skimming on occasion as the author got overly descriptive in parts, it felt a bit like she was trying to fill out the book which I didn't feel was necessary.
I also never really understand why her aunt hated her soooo much & why she reacted in such a brutal way to her without any previous history of being violent, I could have done with a bit of back story on this. Also a bit more on George, did he know what was happening, if so did he not care or did he not want to believe it could happen.

If you find after you have read a few chapters that you are enjoying this book as much as I did, I would recommend you have book 2 Barely Breathing at the ready as this ends on a bitch of a cliffhanger.
Kate Rudd was outstanding in the delivery of the story.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Worst pick ever!!

Would you try another book from Rebecca Donovan and/or Kate Rudd?

This book is written for a pre-teen girl. The narration was like a bad soap opera. The story was so uneventful and poorly written. This book makes the Twilight series look like a physics book

What was most disappointing about Rebecca Donovan’s story?

The entire thing was not for me!! The only reason I listened to it was because I didn't want to waste my money and not listen to the book

How could the performance have been better?

Diffrent story and narrator

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Not for me

Any additional comments?

Pretty clear to me the target audience is 12-15 yr olds, wish it would just say that

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Young People-True Problem

What made the experience of listening to Reason to Breathe the most enjoyable?

The tight friendship that was shared between Emma and Sara.

What did you like best about this story?

I found that the topic of child abuse was very compelling. Emma was a stalwart young teen, who found the courage to survive under the hate, cruelty and pure evil of her Aunt Carol.

Which character – as performed by Kate Rudd – was your favorite?

Emma was my favorite character as performed by Kate Rudd. Emma was brought to life through Kate Rudd. I saw her grow from a very insecure, fearful teen into a young girl who knew and now understood that she needed to leave the home of her Aunt Carol and Uncle George, in order to stay alive. She could no longer fade into the background, trying to hide herself away from her own existence. Emma was attempting to live as a ghost but her Aunt Carol would always bring her back to the reality that a ghost, she was not.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, I did have an extreme reaction to this book. Although this book was not written for an adult, I did continue to the end. However, there were quite a few very descriptive scenes of abuse. I will not describe them here, but know that I felt emotions that I have rarely felt. The anger was over-the-top and flowed into a soul filled with hate. That is such a strong word, I know. However, I have no other word to describe the anguish I felt in my soul. And, yes, there were tears. Listening to the words of hate that spewed from Aunt Carol to Emma, such as whore, unimportant, better to have never been born or to have died when born, spawned tears. The many times that Emma was slapped or punched are too numerous to account for. Emma didn't invoke any reason to be hit on her back with a metal spoon, except to be seen by the evil that lived in the soul of her Aunt Carol.

Any additional comments?

I realize now that this book was written for the 11 to 13 age group. I know, in my heart, that not all but most children that age, wouldn't be able to understand what was happening in this book. I would truly hope not but who am I, there may very well be many children who comprehended the words with full understanding. Having said that, choosing topics to write about have intertwined into the issues that are confronting the masses of today's world. Jodi Picoult, would be the author of adult books who deals with today's issues. These books evoke very strong emotions in my soul. I wish the ending could actually be wrapped up in paper and tied with a bow and the world would carry on. However, knowing that not to be true only makes me hope for the impossible dream, that the world and its people could live in peace.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

A Good Candidate for an Oprah's Pick

This book is more or less a your basic "Twilight" rip-off, with an ultra-perfect teen narrator whose angst is driven by the fact that she is the chosen victim of the psychopath in whose home she lives. Think of Harry Potter's dislikable relatives, wrap them in a few extra layers of cardboard and voila! you have the narrator's aunt and uncle. There are a lot of slow-moving teen love stories out there, some of which I liked much better, including "Twilight" and "Amongst Others". While I don't wish to trivialize the the type of abuse portrayed here, I also find that I don't especially want to read about it and I sure as heck don't want a lengthy, nasty, implausible scenario to be the final pay-off. It's a bit like watching a horror movie - you know darn well that there's not a teenager in the universe who would actually go into that basement after hearing that scary sound! In that case, the slapstick violence provides a vicarious thrill because you know it's just plain silly, but here, it's all just so painfully serious and endlessly dreary. Sorry, but for me, "endlessly awful" plots are simply not my favorite form of fiction.

I got this title because I so loved Kate Rudd's narration of John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars" - She does a decent job here, but the dismal content and limited cast of characters doesn't give her much to work with. If you want a great listen, stick with Rudd and Green.

I won't be listening to the rest of the trilogy.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

what a disappointment

I struggled thru the poor writing hoping for at least a reprieve in the ending. What a disappointment on every front.

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9 people found this helpful