Review: Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt

Hold Me Like a Breath

Author: Tiffany Schmidt
Series: Once Upon a Crime Family #1
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Genre: YA Contemporary Thriller
Format: ebook
Release Date: May 19, 2015
Source: egalley received from publisher via Netgalley
Rating: 2.5 Stars
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***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my open and honest opinion.***

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Penelope Landlow has grown up with the knowledge that almost anything can be bought or sold—including body parts. She’s the daughter of one of the three crime families that control the black market for organ transplants.

Penelope’s surrounded by all the suffocating privilege and protection her family can provide, but they can't protect her from the autoimmune disorder that causes her to bruise so easily.

And in her family's line of work no one can be safe forever.

All Penelope has ever wanted is freedom and independence. But when she’s caught in the crossfire as rival families scramble for prominence, she learns that her wishes come with casualties, that betrayal hurts worse than bruises, that love is a risk worth taking . . . and maybe she’s not as fragile as everyone thinks.

My Review:

This book contained a lot of interesting aspects. The black market organ trade. A disease called ITP which causes its victims to bruise and bleed too easily. There's politics and action. Family and business. And it all comes together for a crazy story.

This book was really slow to start. The main character Penny has ITP and therefore is rarely allowed to leave her family's estate. We follow her around while she goes swimming, watches TV and goes to the clinic to get her platelet counts tested. It took me a while to get into it because nothing was really happening.

But then everything is taken from her in an instant and suddenly she's alone in New York City with no one to help her. I thought it would get better here, but then she develops a routine and completely sticks to it. And I started getting bored again. She meets a guy, Char, who I wasn't a huge fan of. The romance was way too fast for me and didn't exactly turn out the way I wanted it to.

But in the last 15% the book picked up with lots of twists and turns I never saw coming. The action ramped up and everything came to a crazy head. And this part, I really enjoyed. But I'm not sure it's enough to make up for the other 85% of the book.

I didn't really connect to the characters. I thought that at times things were a bit too easy for Penny. The romance was blah and I really wanted more politics. We know about the Family business but I wanted more details. Instead we are stuck in Penny's mind where she's falling in love with a boy too fast. I'm honestly not sure if I'll be continuing the series. I think I'll probably wait to see what the other reviews say and go from there. If there's more politics and more focus on the organ trading aspect I would definitely be down for it. But if it’s going to be more wishy-washy angsty drama, then count me out.

Have you read this one yet? What did you think?