Holy emotions!!! My heart hurts.


After the death of his younger sister, Jason comes to realize that his crew of soccer friends (him, Mario, Jordie, and Chick) are growing apart and there's nothing he can do about it. Jordie is more interested in impressing his "high class" friends, Mario has fallen in with a druggie crowd, and Jason is having a tough time controlling his anger. The only person that even cares about saving them is Chick, a small sickly boy that the other 3 have let tagalong with them for years. The problem is, while Jason is quick to look out for Chick, he's not sure how to relate to his odd behavior.

Jason meets Raine, but doesn't know if he wants to put himself out there since they come from such different circumstances. And after all, people always find a way to leave Jason.

My Thoughts:
This book!!! An emotional book to begin with, and then there's that surprise twist of the knife that left me in tears. It's been a long time since I read a book that made me feel so much, but this one just crawled right up into my heart.

I didn't love this book right away. It started off kind of slow, and I was starting to question if I would like the book at all when all of a sudden I didn't want to put it down. I fell in love with Jason's character. He was a guy with a lot of layers. He has had a rough start to life, and he has a lot of anger about that, but he's also someone who cares a lot. I also found it endearing how he put up this tough exterior, but really he was just this insecure guy who felt lost. I didn't love Raine, but I really liked the way Jason interacted with her. Somehow he was able to have this back-and-forth smart-ass relationship, while also being really respectful towards her. There was just something about the way he acted with her, that made me want to make him one of my new book boyfriends.

It was interesting and sad how the friendships between the boys broke down. I wanted them to care about each other and come back around, but I also know how it is when you grow apart from friends you never thought you would grow apart from.

The only thing I would have changed is that I wanted more from Raine. I didn't find her all that interesting or unique. She tried to act like a hard-ass, but once she got with Jason, she changed all that, and I didn't like it. Be who you are. The only thing I found interesting about her was Jason.

I know this book is not one of the "hot", hyped books that everybody has to read right now, but I hope if you are reading this, you will give it a try. If you push past the first chapter or so, it gets SO good. The feel of it and the writing was just so honest. It's definitely one of those books that's going to stay with me for a long time. I'm really, really happy I read this and I will be reading more by this author!

WARNING: The ending is as real as the rest of the book, and I appreciated that the author didn't try to "fix" everything and make things perfect for all the characters. It wasn't a lessons book and I was happy for that, but I also felt like things were cautiously optimistic.

PS- What happened to Silvia?? Did I somehow miss that this was explained?

OVERALL: An emotional book that I hope everybody reads!! I fell in love with Jason and everything going on with him. I totally recommend this awesome story about friendship and loss, family and abandonment, and love and redemption.

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Kat Spears has become a go to author for me. I love her characters: flawed but redeemable boys, believable girls, and realistic adults.

Looking at the cover of this book, one might be led to believe it's really more about soccer, but soccer is just a background, a link between the four guys in this story, the only one they have that keeps them together after a while. Jaz, or Jason, is reeling after the death of his younger sister. Everyone is grieving, his mother, her friends and the rest of the high school, even those who didn't know her. His friendships are starting to change: Mario, has chosen a life of oblivion through drugs, Chick, has always been the small, socially awkward one, Jordie, having landed the girl he really wants, is letting his family's wealth dictate his social life. Jaz needs to figure out how to grieve, who he is, and what he wants. I loved going on his journey and watching him grow. ( )

Jason (Jaz) is dealing with the recent death of his younger sister, Sylvia and his mother's withdrawal. At the same time, he's dealing with the dissolution of his group of friends: Mario hanging with the stoners and Jordan hanging with his girlfriend Cheryl, leaving him and Chick, who is socially awkward, sickly and more of a hanger on.

When he is set up with Raine on a double date with Jordan and Cheryl, the date turns into a disaster. One reason is the chip on Jaz's shoulder regarding the economic inequality between himself and Raine, he being poor and she being rich. However, as any astute reader will predict, attraction will soon follow, with all its complications.

Breakaway was an interesting read. I liked the characters. Kat Spears left the ending open ended, to some extent. However, me being the skeptic that I am, I can't see Jaz and Raine living happily ever after. ( )

Breakaway by Kat Spears is contemporary young adult fiction for an empathetic and perceptive reader.

In the wake of his younger sister’s death, Jason Marshall is sad, angry and lost. As his single mother sinks into depression, Jaz should be able to rely on his best mates, but Mario is too busy getting high, Jordan is distracted by his new girlfriend, and Chick has his own problems.

Written in the first person, Jason doesn’t really have insight into much of what motivates him, nor Spears other characters, so the underlying pathos that unravels his story has to be pieced together from the context and subtle leads in the narrative.

Struggling with his past and present, Jason is a sympathetic protagonist. Desperate to protect himself from further pain related to his father’s desertion, his mother’s emotional absence, and his sisters death, he retreats into himself, often taking refuge in an abrupt, defensive and sarcastic attitude.

While previously the linchpin for his group of best friends, Jason simply doesn’t have the emotional strength to confront either Mario or Jordan, or cope with Chick’s distress at the relationship drift. It’s easier for him to just let it go and pretend it doesn’t matter, or to blame circumstances outside his control, especially as his experience has taught him that everybody leaves.

Raine proves to be an excellent distraction for Jason. Convinced she couldn’t be interested in him, he feels in control of their interactions, and most importantly to him, there is no risk of the rejection he fears. Raine in turn is good for Jason, calling him out on his worst behaviours and attitudes, and eventually offering him hope that things can be different.

An edgy, poignant coming of age novel exploring the themes of friendship, loss and love, Breakaway reflects the ordinary, often messy, complicated and dark, reality of adolescence. ( )

Review to come closer to release day ( )