Just Breathe by Cammie McGovern (review)

McGovern, Cammie Just Breathe. HarperTeen, 2020 [352p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-06-246335-7 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-06-246337-1 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 8-12

David is the popular senior class president, while Jamie is a shy, sheltered sophomore; the two meet when David is hospitalized for his cystic fibrosis and Jamie, a hospital volunteer, connects with him. The two grow closer, with Jamie breaking David out for forbidden outings outside the hospital. That leads to a touch of romance and then a bigger handful of disaster when David nearly dies—but what do they mean to each other now that he's recovered? McGovern deftly handles the classic sickbed romance elements of her story, but what makes the tale especially rich is the alternating narration that reveals how much Jamie herself struggles (she was hospitalized with depression following her father's suicide), how guarded she is, and how wishful her thinking can be. The book takes its plot a few unexpected places, but none of them will deter thoughtful romance fans, who will appreciate the dimensionality of the characters and the lack of inevitability about the protagonists' final resolution; non-romance readers will also find the authenticity of the human dynamics here a rewarding read.