Customer Reviews

Just Breathe

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Sarah Moon has supported her husband Jack through sickness and health; and after his recovery from cancer, they decided to start trying to have child, but after several costly treatments, they are still childless, and worse, she has just discovered that one reason his sex drive is nonexistent is because he has been sleeping with a client. For cartoonist Sarah, who lives vicariously through her character, Shirl, that is the last straw, and she high tails it to her hometown in northern California. Jack realizes his error when he discusses divorce with his lawyer and his attempts to reconcile fall on deaf ears. As Sarah starts to make new friends and reconcile with old frenemies that she lampooned in her underground high school comic, she discovers that she is pregnant. Torn over what to do, and on the verge of finding love again, she has some hefty decisions to mull over, and it isn't easy when she has the attentions of her high school heartthrob.

I wanted to like Wiggs' story, and for the most part I did, but there is just too much going on to the point that it reads like more of a soap opera than a novel. The arson investigation seemed originally like an integral part of the plot, then it was dropped, only to be resolved (in the past no less) at the end. I liked Sarah's transformation once she returned to her roots, the kindred spirit she felt with Will's daughter who was also on the verge of being an outcast like she was. But I had a hard time understanding how she ever fell for Jack since the only Jack the readers are introduced to is a bitter and not so nice one. I also had to side with her editors in that I did not think that her comic strip was all that funny (at least not the excerpts that were ultimately chosen).

© Tracy Vest, December 2008

Sarah Moon is a cartoonist. She uses her own real life experiences in her comic strip "Just Breathe." Sarah's husband, Jack, works for his family owned construction company. Sarah and Jack have been married for five years, during which time Sarah has stood by and cared for Jack when he had cancer. She went through twelve months of fertility treatments in a desperate attempt to conceive a child to no avail. Then she found Jack with another woman. Sarah left Chicago and gone home to her family in California to lick her wounds and make a fresh start. As she plans her divorce from Jack she gets two unexpected surprises. She's pregnant with Twins.

Will Boon is the boy Sarah had a crush on in high school. He ignored her then. Will is now the town's Fire Captain and father to his thirteen-year-old stepdaughter Aurora. Will and Sarah begin an unlikely friendship that soon becomes more, but neither of them is in a position to start a relationship. That doesn't stop them from falling for each other though.

Just Breathe is a wonderful story bathed in vivid realism. Sarah's response to Jack's cheating, the birth of her babies, and her feelings for Will, are realistic and packed with emotion. I felt a real connection to Sarah. Either because I had a similar experience to one of hers or I felt I would have reacted the same way she did had I been in her shoes. Jack however handled things very badly. I lost respect for him quickly as he became bitter and selfish. His infidelity infuriated me. Will on the other hand is a knight in shining armor. He is compassionate, gorgeous, and honorable. He's the perfect man! Aurora is lovely. She's a typical teenager struggling to cope with some not so typical issues. Just Breathe is a realistic look at one woman's life as she faces loss and heartache, then love and joy. Just Breathe is my first Susan Wiggs novel but definitely not my last. She is a wonderful storyteller.

Nannette
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

In theory the plot line sounds entertaining. It wasn't until I had gotten a few chapters in that I noticed the lack of passion and emotion I had been expecting since page one. While I understand Wigg's mission was for the reader to see the inherent strength Sarah possesses, she fails to show us the range of emotion that Sarah inevitably goes through. I really wanted to get 'into' Sarah but found myself understanding Aurora more. She developed Aurora's character in far more detail than she did Sarah's and she showed the reader Aurora's emotions and inner workings. Being a single mom in a nearly similar situation I was hoping to find a common bond with Sarah and the empowerment she got from liberating herself from a bad life experience and proving to the world that being a single mom does in fact rock. I was let down though when Wiggs casually brushed over the pregnancy and birth... and was rather upset that it took me another 4 pages to find out the sex of the twins. They are a BIG part of her 'life change betterment' and once they arrive they're mentioned only matter of fact-ly. This book wasn't what I expected it to be and while it was entertaining and at some points funny it missed the level of 'astounding' that it could have been given Wiggs had delved deeper into the pitfalls and the emotions alongside them. In a sense I feel Wiggs only half way wrote this book, granted I haven't read any other of her novels, but it read like a 5th grade fictional story assignment: just enough to get by.

The comic strip was lacking as well. Wiggs goes into depth as to how much art and drawing means to Sarah and the comic strip depicted in the book lacks any and all artistic expertise. Plus, perhaps my juvenile sense of humor is at fault here, but I really didn't find the strips between the chapters funny. At all. One or two of them were 'punny' but they failed to capture my attention or make me think higher of the book itself.

Would not recommend. And highly suggest Judy Blume to any readers who are looking for an elevated character dynamic that, thus far in my reading career, has been unmatched.

Am I alone in thinking that this book was very slow and predictable? Not once did I even feel like reaching for a tissue because I needed to cry. Publisher Weekly stated on the back of the book,"An emotionally wrought story that will have readers reaching for the Kleenex one moment and snickering out loud the next." I neither wanted to laugh nor did I want to cry. I was mostly bored. It's hard to believe that Will loved Sarah so much that he couldn't breathe. The build up of their relationship lacked passion. Will seemed to go towards women who needed him and there is nothing sexy/romantic about that. This book is not one of my favorites. I will give the author one more chance.......

After reading some of the raving reviews I was really looking forward to spending a cozy evening with this book. I ended up skipping page after page looking for the story to capture me but it didn't. The story line is predictable, the characters unrealistic and shallow.

After not finding the time to read a book in a long while, I decided that I wanted to make the time to read again. I went to a local store & looked through many books, unsure of most of the authors, since it has been so long since I've read an adult book in it's entirty at least, then I came across "Just Breath" By Susan Wiggs. I thought it sounded like a good book, so I bought it, took it home & started reading... honestly, at first I wasn't sure if I liked it, it seemed slow to me, but I was always use to reading more fast paced suspense/mystery/horror, fictional novels. This book was a lot different for me. Once I really got into the book & started coming to an end I found that I actually ejoyed this book. It felt like I really knew the characters, very realistic, the story line was well thought out & flowed nicely, it included a few important events & the two main events were drawn out to the end, which added suspense to this novel & kept you wanting to read more, this book had a sad beginning,an inspiring middle & a beautiful ending! If you want a book that is real, honest, funny, happy , sad...and many emotions packed into one, you will be happy with this book, I plan to get more books by Susan Wiggs, & I am hoping there will one day be a sequel to Just Breath! Happy Reading... :)

I guess I was expecting something different in terms of humor, especially due to all the reviews about it being so funny. I thought the sad parts in the book far outweighed the funny parts. I'm a fan of the SEP type of humor, which is quick, witty, and regularly found in dialogue....these characters weren't that kind of funny. In fact, I found myself sad, frustrated, and unsympathetic to Sarah at times. I felt the ending was somewhat incomplete.....although I was led to believe it was happily ever after, I was looking forward to a final scene with everyone where their fate was absolutely unquestionable.

I really hate when I get to the end of an awesome book like this one. I wish it could have been twice as long! Thank you again, Susan Wiggs!

When 20-something year old Sarah hits school in Chicago, she quickly falls for Jack, a well-to-do man who bends Sarah's young self into the wife he wants her to be. And she's only too happy to melt into his tight-knit posse of family and friends. The couple's smooth life and plans for a family unravel when Jack is diagnosed with cancer. Sarah nurses him through his illness, and while he comes through okay, the couple soon learn that he will not be able to give her children naturally. Sarah spends the next year at the fertility clinic trying to make a baby through artificial insemination. And Jack (how sweet) rewards Sarah's devotion by having an affair.

Sarah escapes back to live with her mother to try to build a new life, including a love affair with a wonderful firefighter. But soon she learns that her final insemination attempt, the one she endured the very day she walked in on Jack and his lover, took. And...it's twins!

The book is funny, especially the beginning of each chapter, showing scenes from the comic strip (Just Breathe) that Sarah writes. The story itself is at times quite emotional (keep the tissues handy), and if you're a fan of Wiggs writing style, I'm sure you'll enjoy every moment.

"Just Breathe" was boring and predictable. The characters had very little depth and the plot was just easily anticipated. I finished it only because I kept thinking something surprising would happen, but I was disappointed. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone and in fact, I've told several friends not to bother. It was a waste of time.