I was really excited for this one because I found the pitch really enticing but it fell apart in execution. This book doesn't have a lot of substance. The strongest part was probably having a character who was confident in her bisexuality slowly realise that she is a lesbian (as it my and many of my friends' story). But even the ballet and music aspect were not strong enough to carry the story. it was just lacking a plot or a guiding thread than just they fall in love. I am unable to tell you what happened in this book or the main themes.

Hanna is a lesbian military kid facing her mom's impending deployment, again. Zoe is an autistic ballerina who identifies as bisexual. When Hanna and Zoe meet in Spanish class, sparks fly, but neither girl is sure what to do about it. Zoe is in a relationship with band kid Jay, and Hanna isn't looking for another person to lose. Through all the "will they or won't they," there are a lot of big feelings, but the story isn't really satisfying because the rest of the characters, especially the parents, don't seem to be fully developed.

For Hanna, uprooting is normal. As an army brat, she's used to picking up and moving. Zoe, though, is grounded—except when she dances. Then she flies. And when their lives intersect, sparks fly too.

I don't read as much YA as I used to, but I like ballet books, so here we are. This was a fun read with a number of overlapping themes—as well as Zoe making tentative plans for her future (and Hanna, well, putting off making even tentative plans for her future), we have neurodiversity, Hanna's worries about her mother, figuring out (some of) the intricacies of sexuality, Hanna struggling with the idea of developing relationships that might last, and so on.

I appreciated Hanna's struggle with sorting out her emotions around parental deployment; she's of an age to be butting heads with her parents but also old enough to understand the real risks that come with deployment, and her struggle to balance all those emotions feels realistic. (I also kind of love how ill prepared for post–high school life she is; she has big dreams but not really the drive to pull them off.) I think I would have liked to see Hanna's storyline with her parents explored a bit more, though; she's perhaps a little less stormy by the end of the book but hasn't worked all that much out yet. Or rather—she starts to figure out how some of that uncertainty has affected her, but not really to make any progress with her family.

This feels like one for readers who like their characters' emotions big—Hanna and Zoe fall hard and fast, and their conversations lean intense and sometimes dramatic in that way of teenagers who are, well, hormonal and full of emotions and still figuring out what to do with them all. I probably could have used a bit more levity at times, but I think this will be a good fit for teenagers who are also in that figuring-it-out stage.

Thanks to the authors and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

I was so excited to see another book from Sara Waxelbaum and Brianna R. Shrum, authors of Margot Zimmerman Gets the Girl, which I absolutely loved. I mostly enjoyed Don't Forget to Breathe, but I'm not sure it was the book for me in the way Margot Zimmerman Gets the Girl was. I did love that both main characters, Hanna and Zoe, are Jewish and are living in the South. However, I wish there had been more about their Jewish identities; Hanna primarily discusses her dad's Jewish identity and practice, rather than her own, and I think we only learn that Zoe is Jewish from Hanna—Zoe doesn't mention it herself. Also, what I loved about Margot Zimmerman Gets the Girl is that it was laugh-out-loud funny at times, while I think Don't Forget to Breathe could have benefitted from some of those lighthearted moments. There were a lot of capital-F Feelings, as well as Zoe and Hanna making pretty infuriating teenage mistakes with regard to those Feelings, which I do think that young adult readers might identify with and see themselves in. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I tore through the book.The writing was exquisite and I was able to completely throw myself into these characters. I love a coming-of-age novel. This book had so much representation. The two MCs both were neurodivergent in different ways, and you could really see how it affected them and their thought process. A book that changes my outlook on life, even a little, is a great book in my eyes. The military aspect of Hanna’s world really got to me. I’m not a military brat, but I debated going into the military— I still was really until reading the novel. But seeing the perspective of a child having to deal with it really changed my mind. I liked the love story aspect, but the ending left me unsatisfied, a little rushed maybe? I’m just the type of person who likes a drawn out happy ending. But I can appreciate the unknown. This wasn’t necessarily a third act breakup, but there was drama. I cried in some moments, feeling their turmoil like it was my own. I like that Zoe didn’t immediately go back. It felt different.