Just Breathe

When I started re-reading this book for the umpteenth time (after several years), I genuinely thought that I would not like it as much, or at least find some new defaults that I haven’t noticed before. In any case, I was never expecting to like it even more than before ! What really moved me this time around was, surprisingly, Ethan.

I never really paid attention to his personality before as I was way to focused on Dee’s.  However, this reread has given me a new perspective on his personality.  What I particularly liked was the fact that he is one of the few ML whom I feel really had a personality of his own. It’s quite hard to explain, but I believe he truly has a personality while ALSO being obsessed with Dee and this is quite rare to witness such  ML.

In books which the main topic is the self development of the protagonist, it is extremely common for the male lead to only be an accessory to the story and only being relevant when helping the female lead reach a milestone.Ethan was not overpowering in Just Breathe, as a matter of fact, he wasn’t even that much present, only appearing for 15% of the book. Yet all of his appearances were impactful. I don’t usually spend this much time analysing the behaviour of a male protagonist, but this time around, it felt extremely special.I do have on criticism though that kind off turned me off, but  ultimately I think it was for the better good because I wasn’t too swayed. I hated that Ethan took on the « you’re not like other girls » act. He kept telling Dee how different and authentic she was and after the second time, it truly pissed me off.

Now, let’s talk about Dee.

I absolutely loved her. She couldn’t be more different than me yet she is so relatable and endearing !  She is so authentic and vulnerable in a good portion of the book, she feels really real. The fact that she is just trying to leave her life and go past her trauma, the she is barely scrapping by each month, makes her even more relatable. I really enjoyed following her in her day to day life in the « routiney » way it was written, made the story really immersive : I feel like I was with her all along. What really made her unique and special to me was her love and passion for yoga. There was no big speech or anything exaggerated but her passion was still visible through her actions and thoughts, and I found it beautiful. Her awkwardness was really cute at times and she truly made me laugh more than once, which is quite rare for me.

Overall, I believe that it is a deeply moving story in its simplicity.  The author really put together a funny light-hearted book that deals in a unique way with trauma and turning the page after living a horrible experience. This story is like a comforting cocoon emotions, that feels extremely raw and truthful.