This is an emotional book that deals with loss, grief, forgiveness, and moving forward.  It is a heartbreaking story that delivers a strong message about a topic that is still an unfortunate issue in our society. Despite the fact that Kacey’s story is born out of tragedy, it is a riveting book about survival, strength, and love.

Kacey has survived the unimaginable.  She was the sole survivor in the car accident that killed her parents and her friends. She held the hand of her boyfriend as he died.  She heard her mother take her final breath.  She was left severely injured from the accident, but her body eventually healed, it was her mind, heart, and spirit that had yet to be healed.  How does someone move forward from that? Kacey turned to alcohol, drugs, and sex to mask her feelings and emotions.  She used kickboxing and exercise not only to heal her body and regain her strength, but to release all of the pent up anger and rage that was festering inside of her.  She kept herself guarded and closed off from everyone as best as she could.  The only person who really mattered to her anymore was her younger sister, Livie. 

Kacey and Livie flee Michigan one night on a Greyhound bus and head for Miami.  Kacey is determined to provide a good life for Livie.  They move into a crummy apartment and try to begin their new lives.  It proves to be a difficult feat because they are short on money and food.  When Kacey runs into her new neighbor in the laundry room, she is startled by the attraction and feelings that she is experiencing.  She has excelled at shutting herself off for so long that she had almost forgotten what it is like to feel again. 

Trent Emerson would be a hard person not to notice.  He is good looking, flirtatious, and intriguing.  He seems to be as affected by Kacey as she is by him.  Despite his charm, there is something mysterious about Trent.

Their crummy old apartment building has proven to house some decent people in it.  Kacey and Livie soon find themselves getting friendly with their neighbor, Storm, and her little girl.  When Storm offers Kacey a bartending job at the strip club where she works, she is too poor to turn down the promise of high paying tippers.

Kacey begins to feel a sense of comfort in her new surroundings and her new acquaintances. She still has nightmares in which she is reliving her accident, but she is starting to settle into her new routine.  She is spending more and more time with Storm, and she is getting closer to Trent.  He has helped her move past some of her anxieties that have restricted her.  She has grown to need him and want him near her.  Their chemistry and attraction is palpable.  But Kacey’s ease is short lived.  Secrets get revealed and Kacey’s life is turned upside down yet again.

I don’t want to get into the nitty gritty of the story and give anything away.  I will admit that I did have part of it figured out ahead of time, but there was still a twist that I didn’t really see coming.  Ten Tiny Breaths is definitely what I would categorize as an emotional read. It pulled me in and had me invested in the characters and their stories.  It is a well written story that is as heartbreaking as it is hopeful.

*4 Stars* 

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