She is the ultimate best friend, she doesn’t care what others think and would do anything to help/protect Emma. Emma had an exceptional best friend, Sara, who was another awesome character. I went through scary movie syndrome, where I was yelling at her at times to tell someone and to stop keeping everything such a secret, but I do understand why she was doing the things she was in order to protect others. I did get frustrated with her at times, but I guess that is to be expected. She excels academically, is a phenomenal athlete, while she suffers such cruelty at home. The struggles that she faces the whole book make you really feel for her and develop a sense of awe at how she holds her life all together throughout all that she is faces with. It did become repetitive at points, but it really helped you to feel like you were in the story and were an invisible bystander in Emma’s life.Įmma was such a dynamic, complex and overall extremely strong woman. I love that for the most part it was told in a way that was day by day.

Although at times there were scenes that were so detailed and vivid, depicting the horror that Emma faces, there were also beautifully developed characters, relationships and romantic moments that were extremely moving. She paints such a beautiful picture of love, loss, pain and overall the reason to keep breathing. Donovan’s writing is poetic is a way and wonderfully descriptive and detailed. It was an inspiring story about how love and great friendships have helped a girl named Emma and have given her a reason to keep breathing. It was heartbreaking, upsetting and at times absolutely beautiful.

I was taken on an emotional roller coaster with this book. Reason to Breathe is an electrifying page turner from start to finish, a unique tale of life-changing love, unspeakable cruelty, and one girl’s fragile grasp of hope. It challenges her to recognize her own worth – but at the risk of revealing the terrible secret she’s desperate to hide. She’s more concerned with feigning perfection while pulling down her sleeves to conceal the bruises – not wanting anyone to know how far from perfect her life truly is.

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. “Love helped me live life instead of just survive it.”

Reason to breathe book