Good stuff. Cammie knows how to bring characters alive. The sensitive portrayals of people with CF and depression are eye-opening. ( )

Just Breathe is a pretty well-written book. Though the inciting incident was a bit late, the other pinch points made up for that. There wasn’t much suspense, as expected, and the character development wasn’t the best. The thing that really touched me though, was the content itself. It was just this raw sweet bitterness that had you biting your nails and clawing at your hair. The exposition was good, we’re introduced to David and Jamie’s internal conflict; their desires, and fears. The opening was interesting, never before seen. It started off with an email from Jamie’s perspective, and by her response, we could tell she wasn’t a social person. As the book develops, David and Jamie’s anxiousness grows. David’s life at stake, and Jamie’s job and social life have been flipped upon its head. I liked the ending, but, I’m only confused about the several months being away from each other thing, it was kind of unrealistic, going months without talking to the person who saved your life. And, as much as the ending was amazing, we don’t get a hint about what David and Jamie’s next step is. We don’t know what happens at school in terms of their new relationship, like, she used to eat outside. Does she still do that? So, somethings were left hanging, but, overall it was a nice, craziness-filled book.
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See also: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Spoiler alert

David Sheinman is the president of his senior class, but when quiet sophomore Jamie Turner meets him, he's in the hospital: his cystic fibrosis has taken a serious turn, and he may need new lungs. Jamie's mother is a nurse at the hospital, and Jamie works as a "Smile Awhile" volunteer on the pediatric floor. While David's story is upfront, Jamie's is revealed in pieces: her artist father homeschooled her until she decided she wanted to go to "real school." Not long after that, he committed suicide, and Jamie found his body; not long after that, she sank into depression and made her own suicide attempt. But what truly makes her feel better is a new friendship with David. He also encourages her to be friends with his sister Eileen, also a sophomore, and convinces the girls to take dancing lessons where he used to go with his girlfriend, Sharon. But as David's hospitalization stretches from days to weeks, he grows desperate to get out, and convinces Jamie to take him on excursions - including, finally, to a dance, where he collapses.

Point of view shifts back and forth between David and Jamie, including their e-mails and texts.

Quotes

This is the sort of question I lied about last year until I learned that lying only compounds whatever problems you're hiding in the first place and eventually becomes your biggest problem... (Jamie, 37)

I can tell it makes him sad to think about the way he's sacrificed things he loved for a future he's not sure he wants anymore. (Jamie, 99)

...forcing people to be polite makes them all seem nicer. (Jamie, 108)

I didn't understand the way depression worked - that it feels physical for a long time, like something else is wrong. Your bones ache. Food tastes different....Depression is a sickness, and the worst part is that your mind can't remember what better feels like. (Jamie, 114)

For me, the point is: a movie about depressed people doesn't have to be depressing. It can be beautiful and say sad people have access to a world of angels the rest of us can't see." (David re: Wings of Desire, 170)

Being happy takes work....For some of us, it sometimes feels like it might be easier to just be sad. (Jamie, 326) ( )

Just the situation both Jamie and David are in at the start of this story would make it riveting, but the author keeps digging while slowly feeding readers more details about what life was like for each of them before they met. You start to appreciate just how determined these teens are to try going beyond the physical and emotional constraints placed upon them. In David's case, it's his failing lungs that also threaten to bring down other vital organs, not to mention his parents' 'just get better and you'll be off to college' mantra. For Jamie, it's the pitfall-strewn road back from depression and a suicidal episode, coupled with her painful awareness that her former friends are, at best tolerating her, and at worst are using her to make themselves feel better. Kudos for David's sister Eileen. She's appealing all the way through the story, no matter what she wears or does. What really struck me was what happened after their third trip from the hospital. I don't want to give anything away, but that whole part of the story was lights-out the way it was written. This is a truly rich and emotional story of illness, recovery and perseverance. It's an excellent choice for all school and public libraries. ( )