Breathe, Annie, Breathe (Hundred Oaks) by Miranda Kenneally

Title: Breathe, Annie, Breathe
Series: Hundred Oaks #5
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: July 15th 2014
Source:Purchased

Summary from Goodreads:
Annie hates running. No matter how far she jogs, she can’t escape the guilt that if she hadn’t broken up with Kyle, he might still be alive. So to honor his memory, she starts preparing for the marathon he intended to race.

But the training is even more grueling than Annie could have imagined. Despite her coaching, she’s at war with her body, her mind—and her heart. With every mile that athletic Jeremiah cheers her on, she grows more conflicted. She wants to run into his arms…and sprint in the opposite direction. For Annie, opening up to love again may be even more of a challenge than crossing the finish line.

Review

Breathe, Annie, Breathe is hands down my favorite Hundred Oaks book.  Everything about this book was what I was in the mood for and what I needed, which is saying a lot since I don't typically lean towards contemporary books.  BAB is Annie's story; Annie decide she is going to run a marathon is honor of her boyfriend who passed away.

The training and struggles Annie faces starting her training from ground zero and hating run was incredibly relate-able.  I have run a half marathon before (3 to be exact) and I don't like running; I mainly don't like it because my knees hurt, the long runs are hard on my joints, and I am not very good at it.  I have been told that long runs might not really be in my cards anymore but that feeling though, crossing the finish line and achieving a goal has me going back to try again.  When Annie faces struggles and has running pains I felt like I was right there besides her commiserating with her. I have felt the desire to get sick on a run and just collapse from exhaustion and I have only run half marathons so I can't even imagine doubling that. I just wanted to be at the finish line cheering Annie on!

Her drive and goals are impressive and motivating; after finishing this book, I wanted to get up and train again.  Aside from the running the romance was slow building and genuine.  I thoroughly enjoyed the dates and competitiveness in both Jeremiah and Annie.  Each individual had their own history to live with yet their back stories felt true and not contrived just for a plot point.

Breathe, Annie, Breathe has a cute athletic guys,  a motivating marathon training group, and a swoony love story.  Just read it :)

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