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AUTHOR: K.A. Tucker SERIES: Ten Tiny Breaths, book 1 PUBLISHER: Papoti Books PUBLICATION DATE: December 11, 2012 ISBN: 9780991686001 PAGES: 262 SOURCE: NetGalley GENRE: New Adult, Contemporary Romance GIVE IT TO: upper-HS, adults |
SUMMARY: Kacey Cleary’s life was shattered four years ago when her parents, best friend, and boyfriend were all killed in a car accident. After a year of surgeries and physical therapy, Kacey survived. Now nineteen, Kasey and her sister Olivia (who was not in the car) have run away from their aunt and uncle after the uncle makes a pass at Olivia. They end up in Miami, where with the help of a few new friends and a hot new neighbor, they must find jobs and learn to survive on their own.
REVIEW: Although I read the New Adult genre from time to time, I do not typically review New Adult books on my blog unless they are something special. Ten Tiny Breaths is definitely something special, and I am reviewing it here because I think it will make readers out of non-readers. Any book that can do that is worth its weight in gold as far as I am concerned.
As a New Adult book, Ten Tiny Breaths includes intense (but not pornographic) sexual situations. It has plenty of profanity. And sure, there are some high school students who are not yet mature enough to handle that. BUT, for older high school students who can handle it (the majority, in my opinion), Ten Tiny Breaths is an absolute gem. If I had an upper-high school daughter, especially one who didn’t like reading, I would totally give her this book.
The characters are well-developed, as is the plot, which tackles post-traumatic stress disorder. This is more than your typical NA read–PTSD is not something I’ve seen explored in fiction for young adults, and Tucker handles it realistically and with sensitivity.
I loved the romance! For teachers and librarians worried about content, it definitely has mature content. There are multiple sexual situations and some intercourse, but none of it is pornographic. Parents, you know your teens. If your older teen likes romantic movies but doesn’t like to read, this book might be just the thing you’ve been looking for to turn that around.
THE BOTTOM LINE: An excellent choice for adults and older teens who love romance, especially those who do not like to read.
STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: I think this is too mature for most HS libraries to offer in the general collection, but I think parents should consider this book on a case-by-case basis for older teens (like 17+) who can handle mature sexual content. It’s a no-brainer for public libraries–get this book now!
READALIKES: Fallen Too Far (or any other book by Abbi Glines); Crash (Williams)
RATING BREAKDOWN:
- Overall: 5/5
- Creativity: 5/5
- Characters: 5/5
- Engrossing: 5/5
- Writing: 5/5
- Appeal to teens: 4/5–it’s NA, so not intended for younger teens
- Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5
CONTENT:
- Language: high–includes multiple sh**, fu**
- Sexuality: high–more than Perfect Chemistry, less than 50 Shades
- Violence: mild; protagonist is a kick boxer and sometimes uses it as a defense/coping mechanism
- Drugs/Alcohol: mild; remembered past drug/alcohol use; protagonist works as a bartender but never drinks alcohol; protagonist’s loved ones were killed in drunk driving accident years ago