Kasie West is an author who has written quite a few young adult books that I’ve loved! At the moment, I still need to read her adult debut, but before that I had to read her newest book, Room to Breathe. Today I want to tell you about this book and what I thought.
A big thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Romance for providing me with an eARC to read and review. This doesn’t affect my opinion in any way.
From the critically acclaimed author of Sunkissed comes a new swoony YA romance. Indy and Beau’s friendship is shattered, but getting accidentally locked in a bathroom together just might be what’s needed to reconnect.
When the walls close in, the truth comes out.
When Indy’s life came crashing down, she made a no one could know. To the world, she’s still the same Indy—cool, calm, unshaken. But behind the scenes? It’s chaos.
Her tight-knit crew—Beau, Caroline, and Ava—were once her everything. Now they’re strangers she can’t seem to reach—especially Beau. And the only person she talks to these days is Cody, a skater-boy she used to think was so not her type. Funny how everything changes when your world flips upside down.
And then, as if things couldn’t get weirder, Indy finds herself literally stuck in a school bathroom with Beau. After months of silence, and there’s no escape. If they want out, they’ll have to face the messy truth about what happened between them and find a way back to what they once had. Or maybe even more . . .
Review
Even though I read less YA than I used to, if I’m in the mood for one, I will always pick up a Kasie West story. I tend to fly through her stories and that was also the case for Room to Breathe. While it felt a little different than other YA books by her in the past, I feel like it was still easy to tell that she gave us this story.
Room to Breathe is told in two timelines and I feel like that this was perfect for this story. Two ex best friends getting stuck in a bathroom together seems like it can only cause drama, but I also feel like in this case it was also very healing. Indy has a lot going for her in the before chapters and things are going great. It’s clear something happened in the now chapters, because it seems like Indy has done a 180 with her personality.
I don’t want to give too much away, but this was such an emotional journey. As a teenager we’re trying to figure everything out. Then you find out that your parents aren’t necessarily who you think they are, you might not be able to trust them, and having it mess up your life. On top of that you have to deal with school and friendships. I think a lot of us would just take a completely different path and may not be ourselves anymore.
Out of all the books I’ve read by Kasie West, this one definitely felt darker, but it also felt genuine. The time that Indy and Beau spend in the bathroom together was hard, but it also gave Indy a chance to realize her friend was still there. There does always seem to be more to a story than you realize. In all honesty, Room to Breathe also had me tearing up. I really felt for Indy. Kasie West showed me once again why I love her YA books so much.
Another amazing book by Kasie West! Do you have an author you used to read YA books from that now writes adult books? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!
