Sunday, January 26, 2014

REVIEW: INHALE, EXHALE BY SARAH M. ROSS

Jillian had a plan: celebrate the end of her first year of college with an amazing summer full of beaches, barbeques, and bonfires. When her mom insists she needs a summer job, and her boyfriend spends more time with his band than with her, Jillian’s plans go down the drain. 

Grant had a plan: finish his Masters, get a great job at Google, and get the hell out of Georgia. He might be giving up some of the fun of his youth, but he knows his all work and no play method would be worth it when his dreams came true.

But things never go according to plan. 

When temptation brings them together and tragedy tears them apart, Jillian and Grant will be forced to choose: fight for their dreams, or fight for each other.


Kindle Edition241 pages
Published May 4th 2013
Source: received from publisher via Netgalley for review
Purchase: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Our Review-- I finished this before Courtney and I'm gonna just guess that Courtney is going to hate the cheating aspect of this novel. She absolutely abhors cheating. I'm not a fan but I guess since I've been cheated on in EVERY SINGLE relationship, with the exception of one, I'm more immune to it (TMI?). So, yeah..I'm not a huge lover of the cheating plotline but I can usually rationalize it if the writer gives me a reason. 

She's right. I don't like it. I guess it's because I've been with my guy since I was 15 and if he cheated on me I might die. Okay, not really...but girl Shel over there would hopefully come help me dig a very large hole (he's 6'5") and then I would feel better. Okay...now I'm way off subject, and if this somehow comes to fruition I swear I didn't do it (that was for the feds). Hahaha. --- Really, though, when I root for the cheater in these situations, I mostly feel like crap about why I justify it in my mind...not that there is anything wrong with using that sort of plot device. I overthink it, and that's why I hate it so dang much.

So here's what you need to know about Inhale, Exhale besides that there is a cheater in our midst. The first half concentrates on character development and waiting. We learn about Grant and Jillian; their desires and hopes and dreams and friends/families/relationships. We wait as the chemistry between them goes from a slow burn to a spark to a fire. 


I really liked the slow burn in this story, and that description is perfect. Though, the start was a wee little bit rocky for me... in that maybe there was a teensy bit too much telling and not enough showing what was happening with these characters, but I do know that by at least 20% this was smoothed out, maybe even before...and I was able to enjoy the rest of the story a lot.

The second half of the novel, I think, went really quickly. There is an incident that creates lots of action and reaction and that pushes all of the characters to do things (can I be more vague? Yes, yes you can. I deal with it all of the time! hahaha). Here's the thing. I thought some of the things that happened were believable and the things that were not really believable for me, were believable for the plot--so I wasn't put off by it because this is fiction, after all.


Yeah, agreed. I wouldn't call the things that went down OTT (as in over the top) in a bad way, but it was fun and made my heart race a little bit deciding what was going to happen and how I felt about it. This story was pure entertainment and fun, and I liked the summer romance feel of it all. 

The characters were likable and the writing was good. The plot was what you'd expect in a contemporary romance and would make anyone who wants a standalone HEA novel feel pleased by the end. A standalone. I almost forgot what that was. Just kidding. It is definitely a feel-good time, so when you need one of those Inhale, Exhale is a pretty good choice. 


Shelley: 3 1/2 Stars

Courtney: 3 1/2 Stars

About the Author--
Sarah started her obsession with reading at an early age, often sneaking BabySitter Club and Nancy Drew books into math class. She would read any book she could get her hands on. Her love of reading quickly evolved into a love of writing and stories began to pour out of her. 

She grew up in Pittsburgh, graduated from The University of Pittsburgh with a degree in English, and taught 8th graders to love reading as much as she does for several years. Sarah will always be a proud member of the Steelers' Nation, but couldn't take the cold and moved her frozen tush to Florida where she now lives with her family and two cats. You will find her now with her trusty Kindle in hand and toes in the sand!

Sarah's debut novel, AWAKEN, released in January, 2012. Other novels include AVENGE, ATONE, ECHO OF AN EARTH ANGEL, and INHALE EXHALE. 

Website- http://www.sarahmross.com
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/SarahtheAuthor
Twitter- http://twitter.com/#!/SarahtheAuthor

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