Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker
Series: Ten Tiny Breaths, #1
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Atria
Publication Date: September 24, 2013

Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.

Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.

But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.

Ten Tiny Breaths surprised me in a good way. I had seen this one around, and I'd been keeping it in my sights, but it was one that I wasn't sure I'd ever get to. Turns out that it would of been a mistake if I had never read it, because I really liked it. Kacey was such an amazing character, and I love watching her grow and heal as a character.

Her sense of humor was fantastic, and I loved that tough-as-nails exterior that she was putting off, it was great. My favorite part of this book would have to be the character relationships, though. Every one of the secondary characters was well developed and had a purpose...which only made me love them more. I was mostly proud that there was no pointless characters, to tell you the truth. My recent experiences with New Adult have left a bit to be desired, if you catch my drift. I'm glad that this one didn't. It was fantastic.

Every page of this was like...I don't know. It was just really good. There were a few predictable scenes, but what is a good book without a feeling of predictability? Personally, I'm a fan of some predictable things, so it was no problem for me. Kacey still remains my favorite part of the book, though.

She was her own person, and although she didn't pick the best way to handle her problems, I think that in the end it made her every bit of who she was. I also loved her relationship with Trent. He has several skeletons in his closet too, but he was perfect in almost every way for Kacey. They compliment each other.

Just like Storm and Kacey-- Storm makes a fantastic best friend for Kacey. I couldn't help but think that the balance each other out, and I was really surprised by Storm. Though I keep wanting to call her Stormy, and I have no idea why...

All in all, Ten Tiny Breaths is worth a read...like a lot. I think that you should give it a chance, because it might surprise you.