Cover Image: My Final Breath

My Final Breath

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Member Reviews

This story centers on Molly, a 12 year old who dies after fighting illness for 4 years. When she enters limbo and examines her life up to that point she realizes nothing is as it seems.

I want to say I appreciate what the author tried to do with this story. It’s definitely an uncomfortable read about child abuse that has a message.

My issues with the book are more to do with the writing. This biggest issue being that we are supposed to believe the narrator is 12, yet the writing is far too mature for a 12 year old to be speaking. It took me out of the story several times.

Second there are a couple scenes that feel like they were thrown in for shock value. The biggest example was showing a character named Betsey’s death, even though you never actually “meet” this person, her gruesome rape and murder was described so the MC wouldn’t feel alone? I’m all for graphic violent scenes in stories if they serve the plot or move the story along but it just seemed arbitrary and didn’t add anything to this for me.

The third thing that really bothered me was the repetitiveness. This book could definitely have been shorter. Every other chapter molly would say “okay I need to think about what I saw” then go walk in the woods. Then a couple more chapters of actual plot and then molly says “okay I need to think about what I saw” and go walk in the woods. Rinse repeat. I’m a big stickler for pacing and this made the book go by slower.

Other than that it had a decent plot and while the ending may have been a little too neatly wrapped with a bow, it was still a decent book. I wouldn’t read it again but I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading it.

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Such an amazingly heartbreaking read! The author really delves into a young girls mind and narrates perfectly a tale so twistingly sad.

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Heartbreaking book, watching as the story unfolds. God. It was incredibly written. I can't recommend this book enough.

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What an excelent book!
This book was so different from all I've read that I'm still processing all these feelings I got.
It has a lot of powerful messages going on, especially about the people who happened to meet Molly, in life and in death. A mandatory reading not only for teens but for everyone.

As for the story itself, I really liked how the author approached the munchausen by proxy syndrome without resembling the real cases we know off.
I also loved the concept of Limbo and how we get to see the evolution of Molly throughout the whole process. Her guardian is fantastic, I loved that her background story brings awareness to such an important mark of cruelty in our world.

The mother was also an interesting character to see, even though I hated her as a person. On the other side, I felt like the father was under developed. I would have liked to know more of him, even if he's supposedly absent at home due to work matters and we don't get to see him often.

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This story is so heartbreaking and raw and never something I've came across in a book. Even though it's not my usual genre, I couldn't put it down. In many places it's easy to tell where the story is going, but the author just keeps adding more and more.

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After four long and horrible years of excruciating suffering, Molly finally dies. She is only twelve years old, and she has regrets that she died so young. She will miss so much that she could have experienced of life! She finds herself in Limbo, where she meets a guide. Her guide helps her to see the terrible truth about her cause of death. Molly does not want to face it, but she must in order to move on. When she discovers that her dear little sister is also a victim of the same disease, she wishes there were something she could do to save her.

This is a gentle and well-written tale that explains a serious, rare, horrific, and unbelievable disease. It is exceedingly difficult to read, but very worthwhile, too. Our author creates very real characters who make this story come alive, giving it even greater impact.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

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This is very thought provoking and sad. A tale of abuse, neglect and mental illness. It is an interesting concept and tells the story well, the plot line is not unbelievable and it is clear that the author has done her research. I would recommend to anyone interested in mental health issues.

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A story that I found an emotional rollercoaster. Molly is a 12 yr old whose mother drained her of her life is now in limbo having to watch her life back before she can move on.As she revisits her time on earth she learns that her illness' were all caused by her mother. Once Molly is dead her mother then menacingly starts to do the same to Ava, Molly's younger sister. Her father is totally unaware that his wife is slowly killing his children.
In limbo, Molly has a guardian called Gwen she is the one who is there to aid Molly in accepting her life in order to move on. We also see Gwen's life too.
The story is heartbreakingly told from Molly's point of view and it makes it even more touching and emotional for me.
An expertly crafted story told from the heart and that is clear. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy of the book.

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I loved the girls in this book, I couldn't wait to see how it ended. It took a while to pick up again after the first chapters of what had happened to Molly. The ending was worth finishing it! I rate this book a 3..4

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This was absolutely heartbreaking. I had to pause reading this one several times because the subject matter is very difficult to take. It is, however, wonderfully written, and it is a story that will stay with you for a long, long time.

This story has so many content warnings, so if you are easily triggered, please be aware. There is child abuse, homelessness, child murder, Nazi concentration camps, and a brutal rape.

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

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I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thanks to #FictionwithMeaningLLC and #NetGalley for the ARC.
I think this book is geared more for young adult than someone my age., even though I'm sure lots of older adults enjoyed it. It was just a little too childish in the writing style for my tastes.

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My Final Breath by Paige Dearth will not disappoint her readers. Although this was different from what the author normally writes about, it is definitely one that will captivate and hold your attention until the final page. Young Molly wakes in limbo after dying although she has no idea why she died. Now, in order to move on, Molly must watch as her life unfolds. Molly has an angel guide though named Gwen, who will help her get through it. There is one caution though. This book does contain triggers... There are situations where abuse in the form of sexual abuse as well as mental illness. While these may cause triggers to some it is well worth the read. The writer herself has experienced those traumas in her youth and writes stories that contain traumatic issues but does so as eloquently as possible. The characters are well developed and I really came to love Molly and was rooting for her all the way.

Thanks to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Parts of this book were extremely and the ending had me so very emotional! Not your usual kind of thriller but just as thrilling. Definitely recommended and worth the read. I hope everyone read this as quickly as I did. I just wanted to take a day or so to complete a review without giving too much away. I was just blown away!

This book was like a screwed up and darker version of The Lovely Bones, which I loved, but it is so much more than that! This book has some tougher topics like sexual abuse, Nazi concentrations, and other kinds of abuse, which may be difficult for other readers. Molly is killed and is left in kind of a limbo and meets Gwen, who becomes like a Guardian Angel, Together they go though key segments in her life and Molly learns what is the truth versus what she thought at the time. She also learns more about her mom, who is a negligent alcoholic. She learns what drove her to alcoholism and what her mom has been dealing with and that she tried to be a mom as best as she could. You also learn about secondary people in Molly's life, what do they really mean to her? Why did these encounters happen?

Thanks to Netgalley, Paige Dearth And Fiction With Meaning LLC for an after published copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Already available: 6/24/20

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My Final Breath By Paige Dearth

Oh my god where can I get the rest of her books?!?!?!??? I loved her writing style, the way her characters came together and blended so well together! The only thing I can say that I want more closure to is I wish she would have got to see more her moms story and how she killed her on mom and then got to meet her grandma! I’m currently looking for more free books of hers to read!!!!

5 stars I want more!!!

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I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.com and the publisher, Fiction With Meaning LLC in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings for the book: Child abuse/medical abuse, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy/Fictitious Disorder Imposed on Another, medical scenes, feeding tubes, child death, rape.


"Many people die in cruel ways."

This is what Gwen, who died in a Polish concentration camp says to Molly who is newly in Limbo. Many people die in cruel ways. Molly had been sick for a long time, taken care of by her mother, Rona. But in Limbo, Molly finds out that sometimes things are not as they seem, and sometimes you can't see the cruelty of a situation until it's over.

This book deals with Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, (now called Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another), wherein a caregiver makes someone sick to achieve a goal. Quite often it's to get attention for having the sick person in their life, or to feel smarter than the doctors. It's a terrible disorder, and one that has fascinated me since I read the true crime novel From Cradle to Grave by Joyce Egginton when I was a young teen, which dealt with the same disorder.

This book is very reminiscent of the book The Lovely Bones, mixed with the one ghost in The Sixth Sense. It was interesting, and I read it in less than a day, because I needed to know what happened to Molly and what she would learn about her family from her place in Limbo. The book did explain in detail what happened to Molly, but it handled the subject matter in an appropriate way, without being super graphic.

I can't say I enjoyed the book, because of the subject matter, but it was well-written, and I will look into the author's other books.

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This book was outstanding! A young girl dies and is stuck in limbo until she comes to terms with her , life and tragic death. What did her mother do to her and why? What will happen to her little sister? Themes of the afterlife, child abuse and victims guilt. Atmospheric and moody. Beautiful rich characters drive the story. A must read for fans of The Lovely Bones.

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This book reminded me a lot of The Lovely Bones. A young girl dies of a prolonged illness and ends up in Limbo, where she meets her guardian. To move on from Limbo, she must come to terms with the things that happened to her in her life. But things get worse when she realizes that her little sister is starting to show symptoms of the same illness that killed her. Can she save her sister? Will she ever move on from Limbo? This book was a difficult read because of the subject matter (child abuse and child death), but it was really well-written and captured my attention. Thank you to the author and publisher for a review copy!

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I wasn't sure what to expect with the book and it really made me stop and think about death and what may happen on the other side. I was, obviously, horrified about the way Molly was treated by her mother but felt like I had an inside, rare look into how her mind operated and what drove her to want to kill her daughters. The opening scene left me a little confused as it never linked back to the rest of the story. It set the stage for what an awful person the mother was and what lengths she would go to to get what she wanted, but I expected it to enter the storyline again.
The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because I don't believe a 12-year-old would necessarily talk the way Molly did throughout the book. Her conversations with others were adult-like in many ways and I had a hard time justifying her speech and thoughts with a 12-year-old as they seemed much older.

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This story deals with Munchausen syndrome as you can tell from the get go.
Just couldn't get into the 12 year old narrating it. Some things she said didn't come across how a 12 year old would word things.
I was excited to get this as saw great reviews.
It just wasn't for me.

Thanks to the Author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

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What a heartbreaking story. The characters are incredible book and vwry realistic. It is a hard book to read, twisting me up as I read. Amazing and sad that these things actually happen and so many innocents suffer.

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