My Thoughts: Ten Tiny Breaths by KA Tucker

Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.

Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.

But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.

**Review copy received from Simon and Schuster Canada.

I have been on a New Adult kick these past few months and for the most part it has not been all that satisfying. I have found that a number of New Adult novels are exactly same thing. There are, however, a few diamonds in the rough. While I am not sure that KA Tucker's Ten Tiny Breaths is much different than all the other NA novels out there. However, it was one of the firsts that I read and at the time, and I really really liked it.

Ten Tiny Breaths tells the story of Kacey and her teenage sister Livie years after their parents death in a drunk driving accident. The girls are forced to live with their aunt and uncle which is less than ideal. When things threaten to get violent in their new home, Kacey makes the decision to run away with her sister to start a new life. But the thing is, Kacey is broken. She is hurting and therefore is completely self destructive. Then she meets Trent and everything changes for her.

The thing I liked the most about Ten Tiny Breaths was was KA Tucker's ability to tell the story in a way that made your heart hurt. It was almost impossible to not feel for Kacey and her situation. I am pretty hard to please and when things get overly dramatic I find that I end up rolling my eyes and not taking the story seriously. I never got the feeling while reading this book. Kacey is legitimately sad and the way that her sorrow is expressed is heart breaking. She is a very hard and guarded character, which came off as being sarcastic and tough. But in reality she was pretty vulnerable. Livie, on the other hand was pretty tough- for fifteen years old she was a well adjusted kid. I really liked her. The relationship between the two sisters was amazing. Their need for one another in order to survive was mutual.

Then Kacey Meets Trent- I liked Trent, I liked his attitude, I liked the way he handled Kacey- he took what she gave, and he gave it right back. Their love story is boarder line insta-love. Almost, but not quite. Trent knows what Kacey needs to live again, and he wants to give it to her. However, like I mentioned earlier, Trent has a secret, and it's a biggie.

It was easy for me to guess what was going on with Trent early on. I don't know if that means that it was really obvious or that I can just figure twists out before they happen. So when the big reveal came. It was no surprise to me. But I think it might be for some. I thought it was brilliant- what came after may have been a little hokey but what can you do?

What really made this story though was the secondary characters- specifically Storm, Kacey and Livie's new neighbour. She was a riot and really forced Kacey out of her shell. I absolutely loved her. I wanted her to be my best friend. Her kid was also something great.

Overall, Ten Tiny Breaths was a good way to begin New Adult, and I was glad that it did not take pace in a college. I enjoyed what KA Tucker did with the story and I am excited to read it's sequel One Tiny Lie.

~Happy Reading Everyone!