A lovely, slow-burn, coming-of-age story

I just finished A BREATH APART by Christina Lee, and this was a book that I jumped into on a whim, suspecting that I wouldn’t finish it. To my surprise and delight, I found this book to be utterly lovely and charming, and voice-actor Iggy Toma (who I’ve been hot and cold on in various books) does a splendid job here.

I usually don’t got for “slow burn” type of stories; I’m usually like “let’s get to the sex!” But this story of two young men transitioning from high school to college each of whom have difficult family histories in their own ways and their own reasons for being closeted (and both virgins) I found to be exceptionally engrossing. The book is more character study than plot-heavy, but the two MCs are so well drawn and we get to know their inner struggles and fateful attraction so well that I savored the author’s ability to keep me hooked through their journey of self-discovery and their gradually developing relationship.

One interesting aspect of the book is an unusual device that author Lee employs quite well: the chapters alternate between first-person diary entries by Josh (athletic but smart kid, a baseball player), and other chapters are told in third-person omniscient focusing on Brennan’s perspective (artistic deep thinker, and recently adopted after a series of foster homes). This was an artful way to get inside both young men’s heads, and in a way that added variety to the storytelling.

There was just enough angst in this book for me (again: high-angst is not my fave mode), and there’s such a long buildup to the sex in this book that it’s pretty hot (and also sweet and tender) when they get around to it.

Some of the themes underlying the story are the repressiveness of high-control Christian churches, homophobia in sports, and traumas encountered in the foster care system, and I thought these were all handled with sensitivity and insight.

So if you enjoy a well told coming-of-age, friends-to-lovers, slow-burn novel with sweet, likable characters and a lovely HEA, A BREATH APART is worth your time. Overall 3 and half ⭐️’s from me.

Oh, and if anyone recommends other books by Christina Lee, let me know, especially if they’re higher heat than this one…this was my first exposure to her writing.

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Gentle characters who just want to be free to love each other

Josh was raised in a very religious family and feels the pressure to conform, even though he has strong feelings for Brennan. Brennan feels insecure - he has struggled with his weight and he worries about being rejected by his adoptive parents, having lost his mother to drugs. The boys, in their early twenties, are both deeply closeted - can they trust each other enough to be open about their feelings? I loved this slow-burn coming out story! Once again Christina Lee has written strong believable characters in a tender and moving plot where the emotions are deep and hard-won, there’s no instalove here. As a gay man raised in a religious family, I could relate to so much of Josh and Brennan’s stories - especially feeling at odds with your straight peers and the fear of being found out. Iggy Toma is always an excellent audio narrator, but he brings a lovely gentleness to pathos of these characters.

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Very Sweet and cute.

Cute story about two young men finding them selves and each other. It's worth a listen.

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