One Breath Away: Book Review

One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf was the other book that I picked up when my friend and I went to a local book store. I'd been wanting to read it for awhile now, but didn't want to pay full price because I had never heard of the author before and I was quite hesitant as to whether the book would be good. Well I definitely would've paid full price because it was that good. I was kept on the edge of my seat the entire time while reading it. 

Synopsis According to Barnes&Noble:

In the midst of a sudden spring snowstorm, an unknown man armed with a gun walks into an elementary school classroom. Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits.

Officer Meg Barrett holds the responsibility for the town’s children in her hands. Will Thwaite, reluctantly entrusted with the care of his two grandchildren by the daughter who left home years earlier, stands by helplessly and wonders if he has failed his child again. Trapped in her classroom, Evelyn Oliver watches for an opportunity to rescue the children in her care. And thirteen-year-old Augie Baker, already struggling with the aftermath of a terrible accident that has brought her to Broken Branch, will risk her own safety to protect her little brother.

As tension mounts with each passing minute, the hidden fears and grudges of the small town are revealed as the people of Broken Branch race to uncover the identity of the stranger who holds their children hostage.

My Review:

This book was amazing from front to back, but I had a difficult time keeping up with all of the characters; I even have to write them all down. I swear, my notebook looked like a family tree when I was done with it, but that's also because I need a visual of the characters in order to remember who is who, and how characters know one another. Gudenkauf allows her readers to be able to connect with the characters because they are written so powerfully and so realistic. The cover was what drew me into the book, with the lines "One school. One gunman. Your child" because really, could you ever imagine, or want to imagine that? No. The characters and storyline were what made me read it from cover to cover. This book takes you through many relationships, through different perspectives, something that I love when authors do. It leads you guessing who is in the school keeping the children and teachers captive, and just when you think things can't get any worse - they do. It'll lead you guessing till the end, but it also gives you plenty of clues that'll lead you right to the individual that would do this. I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. 

My Rating: 5 Stars