Only a Breath Apart

December 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up{amp}ndash;Scarlett and Jesse were best friends as children. Unbeknownst to them, they were each other's refuge from their turbulent and violent families. In their freshman year, Jesse abruptly ends their friendship and makes a spectacle of Scarlett. For the next three years they are enemies, so it is surprising when Jesse suddenly approaches her to rekindle their friendship. He is up-front with Scarlett about his intentions; he needs a relationship with her to ensure that he can keep the land he loves rather than having it sold off. Jesse's grandmother has died, leaving the fate of the farm in the hands of a three-person tribunal, who will vote on Jesse's ability to manage the land for a year. In return for Scarlett's vote, Jesse arranges for her to get a job, so she can pay to attend the University of Kentucky, a plan her father does not approve of. As Jesse and Scarlett become closer, they slowly begin to reveal the personal struggles they've experienced since childhood. Told in Scarlett and Jesse's alternating voices, the plot moves along at a compulsively readable pace. What makes this romance different from many others is that readers are equally, if not more invested in Scarlett and Jesse's individual transformations rather than the survival of their romantic relationship. VERDICT This title belongs in most romance collections and should be featured for its portrayal of a balanced relationship in which both parties get to be the hero.{amp}mdash;Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2018
Grades 9-12 As kids, Jesse and Scarlett were inseparable, but as they enter their senior year, they have nothing in common but memories. After the death of Jesse's grandmother, they receive something like a prophecy telling them that to get what they want they'll have to help each other. For Scarlett that means an escape from an abusive home, and for Jesse, it's ownership of the land his family has promised will protect him from a decades-old curse. They just have to figure out how opening old wounds can get them one step closer to their dreams. This is a beautiful story of two people who can't escape their history together. McGarry ably captures the feeling of desperately wanting to come home to a friendship that has radically changed. The novel manages to tackle domestic violence in a way that never feels clich�d, and the romance is sure to win over even the most cynical reader. This is a story you'll want to read slowly, just to be able to stay with the characters for a moment longer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from November 15, 2018
Two teenagers dare to challenge their destinies in this Southern romance that is so much more.Some believe the Lachlin family curse is that those they fall in love with are doomed. But Jesse's mother believes they're cursed only if they ever try to leave the family land, and she makes Jesse promise to stay. Now 17, Jesse--red-haired and green-eyed--is heir to his family's land. But according to his grandmother's will, a tribunal will vote on whether he is responsible enough to own it when he turns 18. One of the people whose approval he needs is his ex-best-friend, Scarlett Copeland. Scarlett--black-haired and blue-eyed--seems to lead a perfect life, but no one knows that while she dreams of attending the University of Kentucky, her father plans on sending her to a private college in town to keep her close. And no one has any idea that he hits her mother. Jesse and Scarlett reconcile to help one another, and friendship grows into love as they share their burdens and secrets. Beyond a haunted teen romance is a beautiful, moving exploration of domestic violence, forgiveness, and self-love. The plot is well-paced, and the unusual characters, including a self-proclaimed psychic and a pastor who doubles as a counselor, create an authentically complex story. The ways the system sometimes fails the most vulnerable are well-depicted. Simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming. (author's playlist) (Fiction.13-adult)

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