Mysticism and trauma collide in McGarry's beautiful YA romance

      Katie McGarry has written many romance and young adult novels over the years, but her most recent novel, Only a Breath Apart, shows the raw and real side of a love story. This YA romance shows how external factors can determine how people react and behave, but only you can change your destiny.
     Jesse’s family is supposedly cursed. However, the only thing he’s worried about right now is his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, Scarlett, the girl he froze out his freshman year. A fortune-teller tells Scarlett she's psychic, but the only reality in her life is Scarlett’s father’s controlling attitude and the dark secrets at home. She may be able to escape her current life, but only if she can rely on, Jesse, the one boy who broke her heart. With each secret midnight meeting, Jesse and Scarlett come closer to confronting their secrets and their feelings for each other. But as their love blooms, the curse comes back to bite them…
      What was first an impulse buy at BookCon has quickly turned into a favorite read of the year! Simply put, this story is beautiful. The imagery of Jesse’s land is stunning and the way the story is written is just eloquently done. The alternating POVs allows for the reader to get a better sense of what the characters are feeling and shows the progress in their respective battles with past pain and figuring out what they need in life.
   It not only has romance, but also involves dealing with your past trauma, family obligations, and knowing when to put yourself first. There is an emphasis on the complexity of human relationships and what is means to forgive and love. Jesse and Scarlett both have pain they are burdened with and don’t know how to release it. Their journeys of self reflection and figuring out what is best for them leaves them with tough choices to make.
     With themes including abuse, trauma, and loneliness, both Scarlett and Jesse deal with many issues and the reader gains a better understanding of what it’s like living with secrets and pain that no one else knows about. But it also how you don’t have to go it alone. Only a Breath Apart perfect blends romance, pain, and a bit of mysticism into a beautifully moving novel that hits all the right notes. For fans of YA or modern-day romance, this novel is sure to make you feel.

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