Would you dare to defy destiny? Are our destinies written in stone? Do we become nothing more than the self-fulfilling prophesies of other people's opinions? Or can we dare to become who we believe we were born to be?
“A gorgeous, heartfelt journey of redemption and love” (Wendy Higgins), ONLY A BREATH APART is a young adult contemporary novel from critically acclaimed Katie McGarry. “Haunting, authentic, and ultimately hopeful” (Tammara Webber), order your copy of ONLY A BREATH APART now!
About ONLY A BREATH APART:
They say your destiny is carved in stone. But some destinies are meant to be broken.
The only curse Jesse Lachlin believes in is his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year.
A fortuneteller tells Scarlett she's psychic, but what is real is Scarlett’s father’s controlling attitude and the dark secrets at home. She may be able to escape, but only if she can rely on the one boy who broke her heart.
Each midnight meeting pushes Jesse and Scarlett to confront their secrets and their feelings, but as love blooms, the curse rears its ugly head…
“Gritty and real, Only a Breath Apart is a story of hope conjured from pain, strength drawn from innocence, and love earned from self-respect. Beautiful, poignant, and fierce.”
―Kristen Simmons, critically acclaimed author of the Article 5 series
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~SCARLETT~
Evangeline fans herself. “That boy is hot.”
Hot isn’t exactly the word I would use for him. Hot somehow
feels…lacking. Hot is for some boy in our gym class who has recently grown
facial hair. Jess Lachlin is no boy. He has fire-red hair, a sun kissed tan
from all the hours working on his land, deep green eyes and a body made to
handle rough, rugged days.
I might have been ignoring Jesse for years, but I’ve seen
him. Every girl in this school has gone out of her way to drive or walk along
one of the country roads to watch Jesse as he works his land. Living across the
street, I’ve had a front-row view. His shirt off, drenched in sweat, muscles
rippling as he moves, the way he sometimes pauses in his front yard and looks
across the road as if he knows I’m watching. A fluttering in my chest and then—
“Would you date him?” Evangeline asks.
“No.” Camila’s answer is swift. “And it’s not like he dates
anyone. Except for his friends, the boy is a recluse.”
“Why wouldn’t you?” The kneejerk question surprises even me
when it pops out of my mouth. Camila and Evangeline look at me as if those were
the first words I’d ever spoken. If I could hide under the circulation desk
without making this moment worse, I would.
“Besides the fact he’s cursed and anyone a Lachlin falls in
love with drops dead?” Camila walks toward me and Evangeline follows. Camila
watches me with more curiosity than I care for, but it’s nice that she’s moving
the conversation in my direction. “Jesse’s a train wreck, and he taints anyone
in his vicinity. Dating him would be a social, emotional and literal death
sentence.”
I’m familiar with the curse, and it’s no truer than Glory
and her prophesies. “That sounds melodramatic.”
“It’s not.” Camila has a swear-to-God seriousness to her.
“Mom and Dad had Bible study at our house last night, and Pastor Hughes came.
Everyone thought I was in the basement, but I went to the kitchen for something
to drink, and I heard Pastor Hughes ask everyone what they knew about Jesse.”
Eavesdropping. How Camila.
“Did you know that before Veronica started hanging with
Jesse that she was on track to be a concert pianist?” Camila says.
“Seriously?” Evangeline tilts her head in disbelief, and
I’ll admit to putting down my cell.
“Seriously. And Leo Wheeling was a star soccer player,
predicted to be the first freshman to play varsity for our high school, and
then he started hanging out with Jesse.”
Faint middle school memories of hearing Leo’s name over the
announcements regarding soccer emerge in my mind.
“Then someone said that before Nazareth Kravitz moved here,
he had taken the ACT in the seventh grade and received a perfect score. He
moved here, met Jesse and the rest is history.”
Nazareth sleeps through most of our classes, that is, when
he bothers showing for school.
I nibble on my bottom lip as I’m not sure how much I like
the Jesse-is-the-devil enthusiasm. I may share the opinion, but that doesn’t
mean anyone else should.
“Of course, then there’s Jesse himself. Drinking, drugs.”
“The fights,” Evangeline pipes in.
“Don’t forget the suspensions—”
“And he’s been arrested!” Evangeline finishes Camila’s
statement like the two share a brain. Her eyes sparkle like that precious piece
of scandalous gossip was just too good not to spread.
“The boy is a walking disaster,” Camila continues. “Anyone
who hangs out with him wants to
become a loser. It doesn’t matter he’s going to be a millionaire once he sells
his grandmother’s land. Anyone who spends time with Jesse is asking for hurt.”
“And death.”
Katie McGarry Bio:
Katie is the author of the PUSHING THE LIMITS series, THUNDER ROAD series, SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME, and the upcoming YA novel, ONLY A BREATH APART. Her novels have received starred reviews, critical acclaim and have won multiple awards including being a multiple Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for YA Fiction, multiple RT Magazine's Reviewer's Choice Award Finalist for Best YA Fiction, including a win in the category, and she was a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick.
There is so much beauty and hope in this story and I want readers to embrace it just as I have. Like Noah and Echo from Pushing the Limits, Beth and Ryan from Dare You To and Emily and Oz in Nowhere But Here, Scarlett and Jesse are characters that I will continue to hold in my heart and imagine their beautiful future together.
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