I love Katie Mcgarry! Once again she has a great story of friendship, family and love. Have you ever had a friend that you would give up everything for? Someone that you can share everything with and tell them anything? True friendship? Well this is the perfect book to read for you! Once again Katie Mcgarry hits a home run!

This is a beautiful story about two damaged people dealing with troubled pasts and trying to pave a better future for themselves.

This was a very sweet love story that tackled the very difficult topic of abuse. Both Scarlett and Jesse have been victimized by a parent, causing deep and lasting trauma.

At times this was a painful read, because it really shows how devastating and self-perpetuating the cycle of abuse can be. Sadly, it is not uncommon for a victim of abuse to blame themselves, and many are trapped in a toxic relationship because of fear, love, finances, and/or a misplaced belief that the abuser can change.

This story also demonstrates that there are different types of abuse, and that emotional/psychological abuse can be equally as damaging as physical abuse.

Scarlett and Jesse show that it is possible to heal, and that reaching out to people we trust can help us transcend a dangerous situation. There are many other important lessons to be found in this story and I think that makes it is a great reading recommendation for teens.

Jesse and Scarlett are two very memorable characters. They are dealing with the cards life has dealt them and chasing their own personal demons while still in high school. They have a choice. Do you stay in the familiar and deal with what you know and end up making the same mistakes as your parents or do you risk it all to gain control of your destiny? This story’s sheds new light on situations many of us may not have dealt with personally and more importantly shows places where the best help can be found. I would highly recommend this book to others. Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Katie McGarry gets what many romance writers don't - character development. What I love about her books is that her characters are more than just one dimensional boy meets girls and falls in love. The have ISSUES and they work to resolve these issues.

Scarlett and Jesse have know each other forever, living across the street from one another and playing together as children. Now seventeen, Jesse has lost his grandmother and is all alone. All he wants is to hold onto his land, to which he feels an almost mystical connection to the land. Scarlett lives in a large house with a seemingly perfect family, but others don't see the truth behind the facade - the fact that her father is controlling and abusive.

Their lives intersect when Jesse learns that Scarlett is part of a 3-person tribunal who will decide whether he gets to keep his land. Jesse has to work to repair his relationship with Scarlett which was broken after he publicly humiliated her freshman year.

I loved this book!
The perfect YA Romance with a touch (but not a lot) of supernatural. I love the characters and the story line. I can't wait for more books in the series!

This book broke my heart… and then slowly pieced it back together. No tears were shed, but if you are anything like me, you’ll be hanging onto every word.

In the fields of rural Kentucky, true hardship meets with the combined brute force of true love and everlasting hope. Simultaneously a love story and coming of age story, McGarry dynamically crafts each page to keep you guessing the whole time.

Jesse Lachlin’s Grandmother dies, leaving him to face the family curse on his own. He must find courage to confront his fearful belief that, because of the curse, everyone he loves will suffer.

Scarlett Copeland realizes that there is no going back from what her father has done. She must find the strength to move forward and protect herself from her seemingly ‘perfect’ family.

In the end, when there is no outward stability, these two battered teens must learn to make their own… together.

Katy McGarry guides readers through the rawest of emotional experiences. Only A Breath Apart, confronts the turbulence that domestic abuse and death cause head on. McGarry stays masterfully grounded in reality, weaving infinite hope throughout what is, in the truest sense, a heart wrenching story.

Profound in every sense of the word. I highly recommend the read!

Only a Breath Apart is another stunning YA romance from Katie McGarry. This standalone centers upon Jesse Jameson is in line to inherit the land that's been in his family for generations. He's been in love with next door neighbor, Scarlett Copeland since childhood, but he's distanced himself from her because he wanted to protect her and a dark, family secret.

Scarlett has some dark secrets of her own, namely that her overprotective father is violent, and unpredictable--physically abusing her mother with the potential for more violence to Scarlett and her younger sister. The years of mental and emotional torment have left Scarlett isolated and dreaming of graduation and hopes that college might finally be the opportunity for her to break free. She is still deeply hurt by Jesse's action their freshman year; however, following the death of his grandmother, they seem to be on a destined path toward each other. Jesse's passion is to inherit and tend the Jameson land----there's just one catch: to prove his maturity, he has to win Scarlett's approval and her father's. But when Jesse finds out that Mr. Copeland is abusing her, he must decide what truly matters most: his family's land or helping the girl he's fallen in love with.

McGarry has the knack for writing page turning YA romances which also bridge important real word issues such as abuse and trauma. The relationship between Scarlett and Jesse is honest and heartfelt while being an excellent example for the kinds of relationships young adults should aspire to build. I loved every tenderly, crafted word of this book.

This book!!! I am a huge fan of Katie McGarry and I have read several of her books. This book feels very different from her other books but in a good way. This book is about two people who were close as kids and then because of circumstances drifted apart. These characters face so much difficulty as they navigate through troubles that most adults don't have to face. I really admired Scarlett and Jesse. It's easy sometimes to dismiss feelings in young adults, but the author truly helped me believe the feelings these characters had. The secondary characters brought this book together and rounded the story so well.
I feel like I can see Ms. McGarry growing as an author and it's such a pleasure to read her books. I received this book in advanced but this had no bearing on my review. This is a fantastic book and I highly recommend it, you won't be sorry.

I can't put my finger why I struggled a little with this book but I did. I'm glad this book talked about family abuse and the different types, which unfortunately many teens have to deal with. Overall the book was good, I just struggled to get sucked in and not put it down.

Absolutely loved this title from Katie McGarry. It is one of my favorite books by McGarry. She knows how to pull on your heart strings with an added element of magic. Classic McGarry.

A nice Katie McGarry book. I liked this one much better than I liked her foray into the world of motorcycle gangs but not as much as her initial series.

Once more Katie McGarry delivers a story of two battered souls finding one another again.

Everyone says that Jesse's family is cursed. Anyone who gets involved with a Lachlin is bound for doom. Jesse's seen it. His mother is dead. His grandmother too. He gave up his best friend so that she could have a normal life, not knowing that she was fighting battles of her own. The last straw comes with his grandmother's will and Jesse will have to prove he can handle taking care of a failing farm if he wants to keep the land.

Scarlett's life looks perfect from the outside. Her family has money, they live in a big house. No one sees that her father's controlling tendencies are stifling her spirit or that her father sometimes turns violent. Scarlett just wants out, and maybe her old friend Jesse might be able to help her with that.

Katie McGarry takes two teens on the verge of adulthood and throws them against the hardships of life in ways that are both realistic and heart-wrenching. Scarlett and Jesse see one another in a way that no one else does. Their story is beautiful and uncertain. Only a Breath Apart is about discovering who you want to be and having the courage to stand up for yourself and those you love.

Our community are huge fans of Katie McGarry's series Pushing the Limits and as a matter of fact, its one of our top circulating series in our whole YA collection. We were excited to see that she has a new book coming out and really were curious to see whether or not it is anything like Pushing the Limits especially Take Me On.

Only a Breath Apart tells he story of Jesse and how he is the next heir to his family land and fortune but in order to take the land, Jesse has to win over the approval of his best friend Scarlett and her father. Jesse later spends a lot more time with Scarlett and ends up falling in love with her. He also later finds out that Scarlett's dad abuses her and Jesse will do whatever it takes to protect the love of his life.

This book brought tears to my eyes and really warmed my heart. My suggestion would be to read this book with a beautiful view of scenery such as by the lake, in the park or in a garden, you'll really feel what is happening between Scarlett and Jesse. Our young adult readers are always on the lookout for more teen romance books and having being huge fans of Kate McGarry in the first place, they will be excited to see this book on our shelves. That is why we are rating this book 5 stars!

Another McGarry great. When family curses and perceptions of perfect drive apart young friends, they struggle to make their way back across all too common ground. I was rooting for Jesse and Scarlett all the way to the end. I loved how they found their own ways.

Another beautifully told story by one of my favorite authors Katie McGarry. I was sucked into the story from the first page and I could not put this book down. I fell in love with Jesse and Scarlett and couldn't wait to find out how this amazing story. ended. GREAT BOOK AND A MUST READ FOR ALL!!!!