**See this full review and more at http://bookbriefs.net**

What I loved about Just Breathe was how character driven the story was. The plot was good and all, but the characters came to life. They made the story. We got to know both of the main characters so well, even though Just Breathe was told only from Elle's point of view, which is pretty impressive. Dominic shone through Elle and the reader gets a fantastic picture of who he is. Just Breathe really focuses on how Elle and Dominic are getting/have gotten over their respective last relationships, which did a number on each of them.

Elle is so cool. She is a librarian and she loves books just as much as I do. It was hilarious to see her get so genuinely mad about the person that was underlining some of phrases in the library books. She refused to continue reading one of them that had some underlining. It just ruined her reading experience. What I also loved about Elle was how excited she got to recommend books to others. She just lit up like a child at Christmas.

It was hard to see both Elle and Dominic so wrecked over their exes because they both seem like such genuinely good people. People you can't help but sympathize with. Elle is a complete sweetheart and Jason, her ex, just went out of town and somewhere during his trip stopped calling. She found out he moved away without a word. (and don't worry- his jerkiness does not end there.) Dominic's ex lied to him left and right. She did not have her life together at all. It was just so sad because Dominic seemed unreal. I can't imagine anyone not being blown away by him. Elle has a condition called synesthesia, which makes her sensitive to certain sounds and textures. Dominic went completely out of his way to make sure he planned "safe" and pretty amazing dates for the two of them. (like Zookeeper for a day! I want to do that!!)

But as with any good book, things are not always smooth sailing for the two of them. As much as you want everything to be roses and butterflies because they are both just such good people, I could tell that they each had secrets. Elle tells us what hers is and Dominic's were not hard to figure out. I spent a good portion of the book wondering when the other shoe was going to drop. And it did drop. But don't worry. Just Breathe is a really nicely wrapped up standalone so you will get the whole story, and it is a good one. A nice book that made me feel very content. (