Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally (review)

Vomiting, sore muscles, a bum knee—and a wall of grief: eighteen-year-old Annie Winters must push through all these types of pain as she trains for the upcoming Nashville Country Music Marathon, fulfilling the goal of her boyfriend, Kyle, whose own training—and life—ended with a fatal car accident. As she embraces the discipline of running in her quest to honor Kyle’s memory, she meets forward, persistent Jeremiah. The attraction is mutual, but Annie still grieves Kyle and wrestles with feelings of responsibility for his death: if she hadn’t refused his marriage proposal, he wouldn’t have broken up with her, they wouldn’t have gotten back together, and he wouldn’t have been at her trailer that fateful rainy night. Annie’s logic may be flawed and occasionally frustrating, but Kenneally makes her a sympathetic character who understands and respects her own boundaries while still pushing herself out of her own comfort zone in order to heal and to grow. The book makes skillful use of the marathon plot device, moving both the reader and Annie through her training and her grief at a pace that feels authentic to the experience of deep loss coinciding with emerging adulthood and all its accompanying discoveries and excitement. Engaging, contemplative, and hopeful, this sensitive story recognizes the joy of romantic and physical love while reinforcing the importance of self-reliance, friendships, and personal achievement, encouraging readers to build well-rounded lives and perhaps even inspiring a future marathoner or two.