Just Breathe

November 25, 2019
An unlikely friendship forms between two teens when they become acquainted at a hospital. Jamie, who suffers from chronic depression, is working as a volunteer when David, a patient with cystic fibrosis badly in need of a lung transplant, is admitted. Although popular David has plenty of visitors, including his equally popular girlfriend, he is most eager to see Jamie. Jamie also looks forward to her visits with David, and as she teaches him how to do origami and introduces him to classic movies, their relationship moves from confidantes to something more romantic. Jamie’s mother, a nurse at the hospital, worries that the teens are growing too close, particularly after Jamie breaks rules and takes risks in fulfilling one of David’s requests. Alternating Jamie’s and David’s points of view, McGovern (Say What You Will) skillfully raises the dramatic tension. Additional, effective narrative techniques include David’s surreal out-of-body episodes, reminiscent of those in Gayle Forman’s If I Stay. Sobering in its exploration of mental and physical illness, McGovern’s sensitive, well-crafted novel leads readers to an optimistic outcome. Ages 14–up.

In a beautiful story about illness, family, friendship, and love, narrators Caitlin Kelly and Josh Hurley shine, and the authentic voices they create make the characters immediately relatable and incredibly likable. In many ways, David and Jamie are typical high school students--stressed about schoolwork, worried about friends, and trying to decide what comes next in their lives. However, David, a senior, has cystic fibrosis, and Jamie, a sophomore, struggles with depression. From alternating perspectives and in both present day and flashbacks, Kelly and Hurley effectively peel away the layers of David and Jamie's lives--revealing the health difficulties, past struggles, personal triumphs, and tragic losses that have shaped who they are and what they dare to hope for in the future. K.S.M. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine