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Learning To Breathe
“Two months isn’t fair,” she began quietly. “It sucks. But it’s reality. There’s nothing anyone can do to change it. And I’m not here to pretend like I can make it go away. I just need to know if you’re going to use your two months to die. Or to live."
When 18-year-old Ryann Evans learns that her favorite former teacher is living in a hospice, she decides to volunteer. Working there won’t be easy—all the patients are terminally ill—but after losing her mother to cancer when she was five, she understands what she’s getting into. And with her bright smile and vibrant energy, she’s the perfect person to help the patients feel less alone. But not everyone wants her around.
19-year-old Kade Alexander just wants to die in peace. It won’t be long before his heart gives out, and he doesn’t need anything to complicate what’s left of his life. So when the cheerful new volunteer arrives and upends his peaceful existence, he’s not shy about letting her know that she’s not welcome. The more he tries to push her away, though, the closer she seems to get... and the more he begins to realize that maybe he wasn’t as ready to die as he’d thought.
Because until he met her, he’d never truly lived.
When 18-year-old Ryann Evans learns that her favorite former teacher is living in a hospice, she decides to volunteer. Working there won’t be easy—all the patients are terminally ill—but after losing her mother to cancer when she was five, she understands what she’s getting into. And with her bright smile and vibrant energy, she’s the perfect person to help the patients feel less alone. But not everyone wants her around.
19-year-old Kade Alexander just wants to die in peace. It won’t be long before his heart gives out, and he doesn’t need anything to complicate what’s left of his life. So when the cheerful new volunteer arrives and upends his peaceful existence, he’s not shy about letting her know that she’s not welcome. The more he tries to push her away, though, the closer she seems to get... and the more he begins to realize that maybe he wasn’t as ready to die as he’d thought.
Because until he met her, he’d never truly lived.
448 pages, Paperback
Published October 29, 2021
12 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
K.C. Coombs
1 book4 followersWhen she was 12 years old, K.C. Coombs was helping her mother prepare for a yard sale when she found a pen in a box of her older brother’s things. Not just a pen, but a “fancy” pen—one you could see the ink slosh around inside, ink that would smear if you brushed your hand over it while writing. And not just a “fancy” pen, but a red fancy pen. It was maturity. It was for Writing.
After her mom said she could have it, K.C. started to consider what to write. It had to be something worthy. Something real. Something much better than the stories she’d always written in pencil, filling up the front of a single sheet of notebook paper in her large, childish scrawl, those brief tales she’d spun since she’d learned to put a sentence together.
That night, while she lay in bed, characters came to her. Real characters, not the one-dimensional stars of those single-page snippets she’d written before. Actual people, who led her to realize she could write complex narratives and truly explore who these characters really were.
K.C. has come a long way since then. She now writes mostly on a computer, and if she does write in pen, it’s a specific ballpoint—but still in red, always in red. She still sees characters as real people, and they most often visit her at night to tell her their stories. But now, their stories are richer and more real than they ever have been, worthy of that fancy red pen with the sloshy red ink. The pen that made K.C. realize she didn’t just want to write; she wanted to be a writer.
After her mom said she could have it, K.C. started to consider what to write. It had to be something worthy. Something real. Something much better than the stories she’d always written in pencil, filling up the front of a single sheet of notebook paper in her large, childish scrawl, those brief tales she’d spun since she’d learned to put a sentence together.
That night, while she lay in bed, characters came to her. Real characters, not the one-dimensional stars of those single-page snippets she’d written before. Actual people, who led her to realize she could write complex narratives and truly explore who these characters really were.
K.C. has come a long way since then. She now writes mostly on a computer, and if she does write in pen, it’s a specific ballpoint—but still in red, always in red. She still sees characters as real people, and they most often visit her at night to tell her their stories. But now, their stories are richer and more real than they ever have been, worthy of that fancy red pen with the sloshy red ink. The pen that made K.C. realize she didn’t just want to write; she wanted to be a writer.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 11, 2021
Part of why I enjoyed this book so much is because K.C. Coombs can portray her characters' emotions in realistic and relatable ways, and so I felt like I knew them, too. Ryann and Kade's relationship unfolds beautifully with the intriguing tension of "enemies-to-lovers" (although "enemy" is a strong word... it's more like "snarky-to-loving"), and there's never a dull moment with their banter. This story has a hint of A Walk to Remember vibes, and the hospice setting and Kade's foreboding heart condition reminded me of The Fault in our Stars, BUT Learning to Breathe is undoubtedly a story of its own. I had the privilege of reading an ARC of sorts, and I'm going to read the published version as well because there are details you'll want to flip back to find by the time you've read the ending (no spoilers here!).
I smiled, I cried... I might have yelled "WHAT!" a time or two while reading. Highly recommend!
I smiled, I cried... I might have yelled "WHAT!" a time or two while reading. Highly recommend!
November 5, 2021
Ryann and Kade stole my heart! This book should come with a tissue warning... But please don’t let that deter you! I fell fast and hard for these characters (including the supporting characters - I especially love Teagan) and sped through reading this novel over the course of two days. I won’t give anything away but I will say that for a new author, K.C. Coombs deeply impressed me with her ability to weave this beautiful story and captivated me immediately. I truly look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Highlights for me as an avid reader:
1. Lovable and relatable characters
2. Storyline tugged on my heartstrings, which always makes me love a book more
3. Grammar was on point! There’s nothing like seeing a bunch of errors to ruin my reading experience
I highly recommend. Go give this novel and author a try. I found this little gem available on Kindle Unlimited.
Highlights for me as an avid reader:
1. Lovable and relatable characters
2. Storyline tugged on my heartstrings, which always makes me love a book more
3. Grammar was on point! There’s nothing like seeing a bunch of errors to ruin my reading experience
I highly recommend. Go give this novel and author a try. I found this little gem available on Kindle Unlimited.
May 10, 2022
This book was a delight to read! It did not take long for me to be really engaged with the characters, to the degree that I thought about them when I was working or doing other things. To me that is the mark of a good book.
This novel will make you think about the important things in life, and will keep you on your toes— looking around the next bend in the road.
Learning to Breathe will stay with you after you’re done reading. It is a breath of fresh air.
This novel will make you think about the important things in life, and will keep you on your toes— looking around the next bend in the road.
Learning to Breathe will stay with you after you’re done reading. It is a breath of fresh air.
December 28, 2021
Talk about a beautifully written book. I fell in love with the characters and the story. And yes, I had an idea how it would end, but it was so much more. Friendship, love, family and no pity!! A great read!!!
November 11, 2021
I think young audiences will enjoy reading this! Coombs has strong characters. I couldn’t put the book down!!!
January 4, 2022
Wow
What an amazing read, I laughed, I am cried and I stayed up to late to read. This is a book that will stay with me. I absolutely loved it.
What an amazing read, I laughed, I am cried and I stayed up to late to read. This is a book that will stay with me. I absolutely loved it.
January 8, 2022
Amazing read
Beautiful characters and beautiful writing. Heartbreaking but the best book I’ve read in a while. I couldn’t put it down. Ryan and Kade are captivating.
Beautiful characters and beautiful writing. Heartbreaking but the best book I’ve read in a while. I couldn’t put it down. Ryan and Kade are captivating.
March 7, 2022
heartfelt
I loved this book. While I did not see the ending I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and weeping along with the pages
I loved this book. While I did not see the ending I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and weeping along with the pages
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews