The Next Breath Book Review

Full disclosure: I was given a free advance reader copy of this book by Author Marketing Experts in exchange for an honest review.

Content warning: this review discusses sex and death-related trauma.

Letting go of the past can be hard for many people. One wants to hold onto it even if the future is big and bright. The main character in today’s novel, The Next Breath by Laurel Osterkamp, deals with that in a highly dramatic way. It’s a good book that tackles grief with realistic characters, while involving theater and educating readers about cystic fibrosis. 

The Next Breath is about a woman who goes on a journey to let go of her past boyfriend in order to embrace her new romance. Ten years ago, Robin found true love with Jed, but soon, she lost him. But when Nick enters her life, she starts to believe in second chances. However, she’s reluctant to release her love for Jed. It doesn’t help that she agreed to star in a play that he wrote for her before his death. Robin must reconcile with old wounds and long-buried emotions. As Jed’s ghost lingers in her dreams, she must navigate heartbreak, loss, and her fear of moving on. Can she find the strength to leave Jed in the past and embrace a future filled with hope and love?

I enjoyed the environment. I knew I was going to like this book because of the theatre aspect, but Osterkamp describes the past and present settings in great detail. I could easily imagine the campus Robin was on while she dated Jed, along with the theatre where she performs the play. Osterkamp gives realistic touches to the environment, like the bit with the sex room at the Open House that Nick runs as a real estate agent.

I didn’t know much about cystic fibrosis before reading this book. In the story, Jed had that specific lung disease. I learned a lot about it through the flashbacks when Robin and Jed interact. This includes him teaching her how to pat his back, which helps dislodge mucus from his lungs, as well as him receiving a new lung through a transplant and the complications that follow. While Jed was not a perfect person, I still felt for him due to his circumstances. 

The biggest strength of this novel is the realistic characters. Robin has fallen in love with Nick, but she has a hard time moving on from her first love because of how Jed made her feel during their brief relationship and the matter of his death. This led to her burying her emotions and getting stuck in a limbo. While Robin is kind and creative, she can also be competitive to a fault. Nick even calls her “Rocky” due to her drive and determination. This is exemplified with scenes of her trying to outrun a runner she calls “Flashdance Girl.” 

The author also portrays Nick and Jed realistically. The former is a guy that any woman would dream of for a perfect boyfriend. He’s nice, caring, and encouraging. However, he has his past trauma through the loss of one of his parents and had to raise his younger sister. Additionally, although he loves Robin, he refuses to be compared to a dead guy. I was rooting for them since they are cute and feel authentic. 

Through the flashbacks, readers get to know Jed. At first, I wasn’t keen on him since he was a player. However, once I got to know him and his ailment, I warmed up to him, for he seemed to really care about Robin. He may come off as sarcastic and one who wants to live fast, yet he wants nothing but the best for her, and not to worry about him when he dies. In addition, it helps that Catherine – the college’s theatre director and Jed’s mom – is a wonderful character. She and Robin bond after the latter starts dating Jed, and I could feel the love and respect between them, especially in how they maintain a connection years after his death. Since Robin’s mom died when she was young, she sees Catherine as the mother figure she needed in her life.

Moreover, I adore the dream sequences that Robin has at the beginning of several chapters. They give a theatrical touch and reflect what she’s going through without making it too obvious. For example, in one dream, she’s encouraging Jed to drive safe. This happens another time, so for a brief bit, I was convinced that he died in a car accident.

The Next Breath by Laurel Osterkamp is a good romance book that deals with the art of letting go. The main characters are well-written and have their own personal conflicts. It also helps that there are great descriptions of the locations used in this novel and that readers get to learn about cystic fibrosis. To quote The Page Ladies Book Club on Goodreads, I would recommend it to readers who want stories that involve, “love after loss; theatre; second chances; healing arcs, and thoughtful, emotional writing with a touch of hope.” The Next Breath is out now, so grab it wherever you get your books.

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