Breathtaking

The author nailed it with this well crafted story of a Cara, Adam, and Reid. The emotional tumult and storyline really pulls at your heartstrings. The setting and era may be difficult for today’s young people to relate to but totally adds to the realism of the novel. For instance, the Christmas Sears catalog and walkie talkies are nostalgic of a kinder society that still had school issues and social situations that still exist today. An excellent read that I highly recommend.

“We all have a story - our reason to breathe. We don’t get to choose how it begins, the people who enter, or the pain that comes along the way.” - Courtney Turcotte Bond, Breathtaking.

The author kindly asked me to listen and review her audiobook for Breathtaking. I read the synopsis, and I knew this one was for me. Breathtaking is a powerful and marvelous story that speaks to the soul. I loved how this story followed Cara, the narrator, from age 8 to her years after college. Many themes of this novel resonated with me, but I don’t want to name them because they would give the plot away. I experienced all the emotions from happiness, tears, anger, shock, grief, and love as the story unfolded. I would highly recommend this book to everyone. I loved the poems throughout the book. Even though I was gifted this audiobook version, I purchased the ebook version to reread the story and poetry.

A portion of the proceeds from this book will be used to support two scholarships honoring Madison Taliaferro and Alex Lott. These were the two young people who inspired this story to be created and shared with the world.

Thank you for my gifted audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Breathtaking is one of those stories you simply can’t put down. Courtney - you drew me completely in as I found myself experiencing a range of emotions throughout. I was reminded both from the story and inspirations behind it, to never lose sight of hope. Although life will bring darkness, you will find hope and light in the most unexpected ways. While we can only see one page at a time, our entire life’s story has been miraculously orchestrated, in ways we could never imagine. May we never take a day or moment for granted. Thank you for pouring yourself into this book, for giving us a glimpse into the amazing and inspiring lives of Madison and Alex, and for sharing your talent with this world. Looking forward to reading more from you!