25th
Nov
Nov
Today I’m really excited to participate in the blog tour of ‘The Next Breath’ by Laurel Osterkamp. ‘The Next Breath’ is an adult contemporary novel and was published on August 11th 2014. This tour is filled with reviews, interviews and guest posts. For the complete tour shedule please visit the tour page.
About the Book:
I kiss him, choosing love over honesty, which is a choice
nobody should ever have to make…”
nobody should ever have to make…”
Robin loves sweet, responsible Nick, with his penchant
for Beethoven and Ben Folds Five. But she also still loves her college
boyfriend Jed, an irreverent playwright plagued with cystic fibrosis. Now Robin
is struggling to reveal her secrets and confront her past, as she finally
performs in the play that Jed wrote for her, eleven years ago. Will Robin have
the strength to keep her promise and stay true to her heart?
for Beethoven and Ben Folds Five. But she also still loves her college
boyfriend Jed, an irreverent playwright plagued with cystic fibrosis. Now Robin
is struggling to reveal her secrets and confront her past, as she finally
performs in the play that Jed wrote for her, eleven years ago. Will Robin have
the strength to keep her promise and stay true to her heart?
Alternating between present-day scenes, college
flashbacks, and segments from Jed’s play, this tear-jerking yet uplifting tale
illustrates how life is finite but love is infinite, and the road to recovery
begins with the next breath.
flashbacks, and segments from Jed’s play, this tear-jerking yet uplifting tale
illustrates how life is finite but love is infinite, and the road to recovery
begins with the next breath.
My Review:
After I
read the description of ‘The Next Breath’ I wasn’t completely sure this was
going to be a book for me. A girl who loves two guys.. But still something made me interested in reading it. So I
signed up to participate in the blog tour and as soon as I could I started
reading.
read the description of ‘The Next Breath’ I wasn’t completely sure this was
going to be a book for me. A girl who loves two guys.. But still something made me interested in reading it. So I
signed up to participate in the blog tour and as soon as I could I started
reading.
In ‘The
Next Breath’ we meet Robin. Robin is a struggling self-employed, amateur actor
and fashion designer. Robin is in love with Nick, a nice and handsome real
estate agent. At first everything seems to be perfect about Robin and Nick. But
Robin has a secret and she hasn’t been able to tell Nick about it. Lately,
Robin has been thinking more and more about her college boyfriend Jed. Jed is
into play writing and he has Cystic Fibrosis. Now Robin is torn between her
love for Nick and Jed and she is struggling with keeping an old promise and
letting go of her past.
Next Breath’ we meet Robin. Robin is a struggling self-employed, amateur actor
and fashion designer. Robin is in love with Nick, a nice and handsome real
estate agent. At first everything seems to be perfect about Robin and Nick. But
Robin has a secret and she hasn’t been able to tell Nick about it. Lately,
Robin has been thinking more and more about her college boyfriend Jed. Jed is
into play writing and he has Cystic Fibrosis. Now Robin is torn between her
love for Nick and Jed and she is struggling with keeping an old promise and
letting go of her past.
I didn’t
really know what I could expect about ‘The Next Breath’. After reading the description I really couldn’t imagine what this book would be really about. I expected
to read about a girl struggling with her feelings for two different guys, I
expected hurt feelings and tears but what I didn’t expect was to be completely
blown away by this story. From the moment I started reading this book I was
completely compelled. This story is told from Robin’s point of
view and alternates from the present Robin, to past, college girl, Robin and I
loved reading it like this. I haven’t read any previous book by Laurel
Osterkamp so Robin was new to me and I loved learning about the girl she was
before.
really know what I could expect about ‘The Next Breath’. After reading the description I really couldn’t imagine what this book would be really about. I expected
to read about a girl struggling with her feelings for two different guys, I
expected hurt feelings and tears but what I didn’t expect was to be completely
blown away by this story. From the moment I started reading this book I was
completely compelled. This story is told from Robin’s point of
view and alternates from the present Robin, to past, college girl, Robin and I
loved reading it like this. I haven’t read any previous book by Laurel
Osterkamp so Robin was new to me and I loved learning about the girl she was
before.
The
thing about ‘The Next Breath’ was that it’s a book filled with a lot of
emotions. And Laurel Osterkamp was completely able to make me feel the emotions
Robin was going through. I even cried at some of the moments in this book. This
book made me feel so many different things and I really loved every part of it.
Being a Nurse, and having worked on a Pulmonary Care Unit for a little while made
me able to almost hear Jed’s breathing when he was struggling. I could totally
imagine the Mayo Clinic and the way Robin would be watching Jed sleep. And I
could totally understand the nurses frustration when Jed accidently ripped his
new stitches (LOL!!).
thing about ‘The Next Breath’ was that it’s a book filled with a lot of
emotions. And Laurel Osterkamp was completely able to make me feel the emotions
Robin was going through. I even cried at some of the moments in this book. This
book made me feel so many different things and I really loved every part of it.
Being a Nurse, and having worked on a Pulmonary Care Unit for a little while made
me able to almost hear Jed’s breathing when he was struggling. I could totally
imagine the Mayo Clinic and the way Robin would be watching Jed sleep. And I
could totally understand the nurses frustration when Jed accidently ripped his
new stitches (LOL!!).
But the
thing I loved most about this book was Robin’s relationship with Nick. I loved
the way they found each other. And I was totally rooting for Nick. He just
seemed like the perfect guy for Robin. Especially since his life hadn’t been
perfect either and the way he seemed to care so much for Robin.
thing I loved most about this book was Robin’s relationship with Nick. I loved
the way they found each other. And I was totally rooting for Nick. He just
seemed like the perfect guy for Robin. Especially since his life hadn’t been
perfect either and the way he seemed to care so much for Robin.
This
book is going to stay with me for a long while. I loved Laurel’s writing and I
hope to read more of her books. This book is definitely a must- read if you ask
me. I promise you, you will be completely blown away by this one 😉
book is going to stay with me for a long while. I loved Laurel’s writing and I
hope to read more of her books. This book is definitely a must- read if you ask
me. I promise you, you will be completely blown away by this one 😉
About the Author:
Laurel Osterkamp becomes very attached to her characters,and it’s hard for her to stop writing about them. ‘The Holdout’, ‘November
Surprise’, ‘Blue State’, ‘Campaign Promises’, ‘American Angst’ and ‘The Next
Breath’ all feature the Bricker family, as their stories continue. (But you can
read any of www.laurelosterkamp.blogspot.com.
Laurel teaches in Minneapolis, MN, where she tries to stay warm, spend time
with her two nearly perfect children and husband, and find the time to write.
Her other novels are ‘Following My Toes’ and ‘Starring in the Movie of My
Life’.
these books in any order.) You can find Laurel on Twitter but she
needs to work on sending clever Tweets. A better idea is to follow her blog at
For more information about ‘The Next Breath’ and Laurel Osterkamp please visit her website and Twitter.
Giveaway:
You might also like:
Blog Tour 'The Witching Elm' by C.N. Crawford
Blog Tour 'Insatiable' by Melanie Harlow
Teaser Tour 'Charter to Redemption' by D.J. Blackmore
Blog Tour 'Weekend Wife' by Erin McCarthy
Blog Tour 'Beneath The Wreckage' by Catherine Cowles
Sunday's Author Spotlight: Jodi Linton
Clean Romance For Christmas - Delaney Cameron - Because You Loved Me
Sunday's Author Spotlight: Sam Davis
Maureen is a mom, wife, nurse, and Ravenclaw living in the Netherlands. She spends her days juggling mom-life, reading, blogging, planning date nights with her husband and working as a nurse. Maureen also is a big Anglophile, loves cooking, Gilmore Girls, Bridgerton and Harry Potter.. Always! Facebook | Instagram
Amazing review! I'm so glad you really connected with this one. I can imagine as a nurse you could really 'see' all the things Jed and her were going through. It was definitely an emotional read, but so good! Thank you so much for hosting a tour stop and sharing your thoughts!
Thanks Candace. And you're very welcome! I'm really happy that I was able to read this wonderful book. Even now, almost two weeks after I read it.. I'm still thinking about that book 😀
Thank you, Maureen, for the awesome review! It means a lot to me, especially since you're a nurse and you connected with it, because I tried very hard to depict Jed's illness in a realistic way. And thank you for taking a chance on reading The Next Breath when you weren't sure about it. 🙂
You're welcome! Thanks you for the message 😀 I think you really did an amazing job with describing Jed's illness. And that part with the nurse.. HAHA LOL!! That's exactly how we nurses would react ;). I'm really happy that I was able to read your book. I will definitely be reading another book from you.