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bookishlee18's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
tab2004's review
2.0
Reading this book was like watching a horrific train wreck happen in front of you that you can't look away from. The MMC, Toby is a complete piece of crap, and why this doormat heroine cannot leave him is beyond me. Truly - their whole relationship seems based on and around sex. Add in he brazenly cheats on her for years and she just meekly accepts it and I am like wtf? Considering he's drunk most of this time and sleeping with 'loose' women, that he flaunts in front of her, can the author please explain to me how no one ends up with an STI? I won't even get into the fact these two morons actually conceive a couple of children. They should be the last two people on earth procreating. Or his sick relationship with his brother and his wife - this book has nothing on my grandmother's soaps.
I am giving it two stars because even though the writing style wasn't my taste, and I liked literally no one in this book, I literally had to finish this to see how much more these two could screw up.
I am giving it two stars because even though the writing style wasn't my taste, and I liked literally no one in this book, I literally had to finish this to see how much more these two could screw up.
thebookfling's review
3.0
I received this book as an ARC. I honestly put it off for a while before reading it because I knew my heart would break into a million pieces. Within the first few chapters my heart was already destroyed from these characters. Many times I had to put the book down, and just sit down to fully digest what I read. At one point I didn't know if I could handle it anymore, but I pushed on.
What do you do when you put two broken people together? You wonder if they'll break each other farther, or will they be each others light? I kept wondering what was going to happen, and how things will end up. It kept getting darker and more devastating at every turn, and honestly I'm completely destroyed over this book.
I wanted to punch and hug Toby all at once. I hated him most of the time, but I did empathize with his past. I understand love makes you do crazy things, but there were many times I wish Joey would just leave him. She definitely deserved better then Toby, in my opinion. They do get their happily ever after, but it's after they’ve been through so much.
I’m not always a fan of when POV switch from outside characters. I enjoy having the focus on the main characters that I’m reading about. The books POV does switch to other people, and I didn’t always understand why that needed to happen. By the 3rd outside point of view I was a little annoyed. I’m thankful it didn’t last to long.
Make sure you have tissues close by. I promise you'll need them.
I received an ARC for a honest review.
What do you do when you put two broken people together? You wonder if they'll break each other farther, or will they be each others light? I kept wondering what was going to happen, and how things will end up. It kept getting darker and more devastating at every turn, and honestly I'm completely destroyed over this book.
I wanted to punch and hug Toby all at once. I hated him most of the time, but I did empathize with his past. I understand love makes you do crazy things, but there were many times I wish Joey would just leave him. She definitely deserved better then Toby, in my opinion. They do get their happily ever after, but it's after they’ve been through so much.
I’m not always a fan of when POV switch from outside characters. I enjoy having the focus on the main characters that I’m reading about. The books POV does switch to other people, and I didn’t always understand why that needed to happen. By the 3rd outside point of view I was a little annoyed. I’m thankful it didn’t last to long.
Make sure you have tissues close by. I promise you'll need them.
I received an ARC for a honest review.
izziede's review
2.0
This series is just not for me.
The writing style is dramatic and the story is a train wreck.
The Hero, if we can call him that, is the other man from book 1, he and the heroine have such a toxic relationship.
It's one of those books that you read and really feel they would have been better off with other people as they have set about to hurt each other so much that there is no coming back from it.
The book deals with alcoholism and cutting, not huge detail on the cutting, it's more about the drinking.
The Hero and heroine end up married.
The book is split to past and present and jumps back and forth all the time, every few chapters, they are all marked clearly.
The Hero thinks the heroine has cheated on him and despite her denying it, he doesn't believe so he regularly has sex with other women, even sending her pictures.
Isn't he a peach??
He has all sorts of warped up issues that lead to this behaviour.
What amazes me is the heroine has a tragic story too, her father's treatment of her and she was attacked and raped with awful consequences when she was younger but
instead of her now being treasured by a man who adores her she is treated like this.
And she didn't cheat but is only with the Hero after meeting him while he gets to have loads of sex with random women, but it's okay as he thinks of his wife while he is.
When he returns even though he smells of another woman and she knows he's cheating, she lets him have sex with her too.
They regularly have hate sex, there is a lot of sex after all she can't resist when he touches her.
She finally has enough but the grovel for me isn't big enough.
There is some history from book 1 and the couple from that book appear to sort out issues with the Hero from this book.
Some intimate scenes with other women, some detail.
HEA.
If you believe it.
Breadcrumbs dropped for another toxic relationship for a future story. I think I'm going to call it a day on the series.
For me some Heroes go beyond redemption.
The writing style is dramatic and the story is a train wreck.
The Hero, if we can call him that, is the other man from book 1, he and the heroine have such a toxic relationship.
It's one of those books that you read and really feel they would have been better off with other people as they have set about to hurt each other so much that there is no coming back from it.
The book deals with alcoholism and cutting, not huge detail on the cutting, it's more about the drinking.
The Hero and heroine end up married.
The book is split to past and present and jumps back and forth all the time, every few chapters, they are all marked clearly.
The Hero thinks the heroine has cheated on him and despite her denying it, he doesn't believe so he regularly has sex with other women, even sending her pictures.
Isn't he a peach??
He has all sorts of warped up issues that lead to this behaviour.
What amazes me is the heroine has a tragic story too, her father's treatment of her and she was attacked and raped with awful consequences when she was younger but
instead of her now being treasured by a man who adores her she is treated like this.
And she didn't cheat but is only with the Hero after meeting him while he gets to have loads of sex with random women, but it's okay as he thinks of his wife while he is.
When he returns even though he smells of another woman and she knows he's cheating, she lets him have sex with her too.
They regularly have hate sex, there is a lot of sex after all she can't resist when he touches her.
She finally has enough but the grovel for me isn't big enough.
There is some history from book 1 and the couple from that book appear to sort out issues with the Hero from this book.
Some intimate scenes with other women, some detail.
HEA.
If you believe it.
Breadcrumbs dropped for another toxic relationship for a future story. I think I'm going to call it a day on the series.
For me some Heroes go beyond redemption.
arushofemotions's review
5.0
I love this author. She's the queen of making it hurt so good. When I finished reading Inhale Exhale by her, I didn't want to read Toby's story. I was still angry with him and how he did what he did in that book. But man, she wrote one hell of a redemption story. It's still full of the twist and turns and angst that you should come to expect from this author, but by the end of the book I felt sated and healed.
There are so many things that I loved and hated in this book. Not that I hated this book at all, but the actions of the characters and twists that this author there in made me want to damage my Kindle again. I love who Joey was and who she became for Toby. I love how they were two lost souls that found each other. And I hate how seemingly small misunderstood things caused so much pain.
For me, this story was about how a misunderstood, hurt, and mistreated person will often self-jeopardize and ruin their own chance at happiness. When these two souls reached out and touched each other, the love story that grew was so breathtakingly perfect. Toby was everything that Joey needed, and Joey was everything that Toby needed. But oh the twist-and-turns that this author took us on to get an HEA were tough to read sometimes.
It's like these two were perfectly imperfect for each other. Their fire, their lust, and their zeal were such a joy to read. And their heartache, their pain, and their self-imprisonment were so perfectly written that I was glued to the pages, waiting to read how this author would tie it all together.
In the end, as stated above, I felt healed and sated. The closure that I was given at the end of this book was beautiful and hard-fought in a lot of ways, but beautiful nonetheless.
There are so many things that I loved and hated in this book. Not that I hated this book at all, but the actions of the characters and twists that this author there in made me want to damage my Kindle again. I love who Joey was and who she became for Toby. I love how they were two lost souls that found each other. And I hate how seemingly small misunderstood things caused so much pain.
For me, this story was about how a misunderstood, hurt, and mistreated person will often self-jeopardize and ruin their own chance at happiness. When these two souls reached out and touched each other, the love story that grew was so breathtakingly perfect. Toby was everything that Joey needed, and Joey was everything that Toby needed. But oh the twist-and-turns that this author took us on to get an HEA were tough to read sometimes.
It's like these two were perfectly imperfect for each other. Their fire, their lust, and their zeal were such a joy to read. And their heartache, their pain, and their self-imprisonment were so perfectly written that I was glued to the pages, waiting to read how this author would tie it all together.
In the end, as stated above, I felt healed and sated. The closure that I was given at the end of this book was beautiful and hard-fought in a lot of ways, but beautiful nonetheless.
proud_book_nerd's review
4.0
An almost love. An almost hope. An almost future.
I wanted to read this book so much because I really wanted Toby to find his HEA. But I found this book to be so heavy.
Both Josephine and Tobias have each been through a lifetime of hurt by the time they meet. I had a very different perception of Toby from 'Inhale, Exhale'. I wasn't fond of his treatment of Joey. both seemed to always be reacting to events in their lives. When they embraced how well they fit each other, they both were happy. I felt that quite a few things weren't resolved, one of them was stuff with Joey's father & mother. I was so disappointed in Ace. But I'm so very glad that there was healing in the end for everyone involved.
If I could pick one line from the book it would be this:
“Love me more than I hate myself.”
I wanted to read this book so much because I really wanted Toby to find his HEA. But I found this book to be so heavy.
Both Josephine and Tobias have each been through a lifetime of hurt by the time they meet. I had a very different perception of Toby from 'Inhale, Exhale'. I wasn't fond of his treatment of Joey. both seemed to always be reacting to events in their lives. When they embraced how well they fit each other, they both were happy. I felt that quite a few things weren't resolved, one of them was stuff with Joey's father & mother. I was so disappointed in Ace. But I'm so very glad that there was healing in the end for everyone involved.
If I could pick one line from the book it would be this:
“Love me more than I hate myself.”
chrissycracksabook's review
4.0
"When life gets impossible, take a moment. And don't forget to breathe."
Breathe is another heartbreakingly beautiful, raw, and honest book by C.L. Matthews. Taking place after Inhale, Exhale this book is Toby's story and life. I loved the returning characters, and truly fell in love with Joey. She is an incredible woman, a perfect person for Toby.
C.L. Matthews has an amazing ability to write stories that are so honest, and raw, they feel like real life instead of fiction. This book is another example of work that will touch your soul.
Breathe is another heartbreakingly beautiful, raw, and honest book by C.L. Matthews. Taking place after Inhale, Exhale this book is Toby's story and life. I loved the returning characters, and truly fell in love with Joey. She is an incredible woman, a perfect person for Toby.
C.L. Matthews has an amazing ability to write stories that are so honest, and raw, they feel like real life instead of fiction. This book is another example of work that will touch your soul.
vera_allbookedup's review
5.0
Where do I start? CL Matthews is a new to me author. And while I’ve read many books full of angst and betrayal, Matthews gave me my first taste of rawness, reality, love, and hate all at once. It was hard not to feel all kinds of emotions reading Joey and Toby’s story. They are both broken, have been betrayed and abandoned, and hate just as much as they love. The back and forth between past and present was perfect for understanding who they both were, where they fit into the world around them, and why they were drawn to each other. Their pasts and upbringings forged so much of who they became and when they collided, sparks definitely flew. These characters, this story will stay with me for a while.
ricekrispy's review
3.0
I didn't hate it, but I definitely hated Toby. A lot.
The first book was really emotional for me because I kind of get how those kinds of tragedies can cause a rift in a marriage and that is kind of what made it more heartwrenching, but I just couldn't get on board with Toby in this book. I actually hated him in the first book, he was far from innocent and if he had been given the chance that Ellie had with Jase, he would've absolutely taken it.
But this entire book was a story in stupidity for him, I could not believe he put his wife through all of that because he made an assumption and she just continued to allow herself to be treated that way knowing she did nothing wrong. It was mind boggling.
The first book was really emotional for me because I kind of get how those kinds of tragedies can cause a rift in a marriage and that is kind of what made it more heartwrenching, but I just couldn't get on board with Toby in this book. I actually hated him in the first book, he was far from innocent and if he had been given the chance that Ellie had with Jase, he would've absolutely taken it.
But this entire book was a story in stupidity for him, I could not believe he put his wife through all of that because he made an assumption and she just continued to allow herself to be treated that way knowing she did nothing wrong. It was mind boggling.