The Air He Breathes

By: Brittainy C. Cherry

Narrated by: Brian Pallino, Erin Mallon

Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

I was warned about Tristan Cole. "Stay away from him," people said. "He's cruel." "He's cold." "He's damaged."

It's easy to judge a man because of his past. To look at Tristan and see a monster. But I couldn't do that. I had to accept the wreckage that lived inside of him, because it also lived inside of me.

We were both empty. We were both looking for something else. Something more. We both wanted to put together the shattered pieces of our yesterdays. Then perhaps we could finally remember how to breathe.

©2015 Brittainy C. Cherry (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

5 Beautifully Sorrow Star's

This book is utterly amazing, its a sorrow kind of beautiful.
You know those kinds of books that pull on you emotions so they stay with you for a long time after the final words have been uttered.

This book is that and so much more. Its a story of love and lost and hope and tragedy. But of rebirth and finding a new in a world that isn't always fair.

I am trying not to get emotional writing this but its hard because these 2 people have gone through more any anyone should ever have to endure. And sure Tristan is a bit of a douche and is mean and surly but you tell me if it was you wouldn't you be?

I see through Elizabeth's smiles to the pain inside. And I think that and his pain its almost like, like sees like and they are pulled to one another. They are each others tether.

I won't go in to a synopses type of review if you want that read everyone else reviews. This is how the book made me feel and that's heart broken, sorrow, happiness, joy, shock, awe, and hope.

If your looking for a book that will stay with you long after its done this is a book you need to read.
Also the narration on this book is out of this world good. They bring this book to life. Worth a credit HELL YES.

Thanks for troubled, tender, true-hearted Tristan

Would you consider the audio edition of The Air He Breathes to be better than the print version?

This book 'got me.' I read ALOT and this is one of the few titles I will save, recommend to others and add to my 'read again in a couple of years,' list.
The plot kept me reading/listening and I couldn't put it down. I thought I knew where the story was going and then, it went in an unexpected direction. Tristan is a guy I will remember for a long, long time. I appreciate a story whose characters treasure their FRIENDship and build on that. I also loved the best friend, Faye. She evened out some of the tough moments of loss and sadness. I wish I could be more like her.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened all night (fell asleep listening).
Had to back up to where I left off in the AM and did not stop until I was done. All-consuming!

Incredibly emotional. Great story.

I listened to the entire book in one day. The performances are amazing and helped to bring you into the story.

Real, Relatable, and Thoroughly Enjoyable

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. So good. I definitely recommend it. Brittany Cherry is now my favorite author. She has this talent for creating real, relatable characters that experience real life and hardships like troopers. They feel strong emotions, enabling them to heal but they also know how to move on and create a happy life. You laugh and cry with the characters and you grow a fondness for them. It's hard to put "The Air He Breathes" down, especially if you have ever lost anyone you were close too. Definitely read this beautiful book.

Emotional, beautiful story

This story ripped my heart out and put it back together in the best way.
Great narration.

this is a great book.

I really enjoyed it. It had several twists and turns in it. It kept me in suspense.

You have to judge it for yourself

I was very hesitant about this book because of the reviews but it was so good. The narration was very well done and the story was great. It wasn’t the typical romance novel, and it definitely pushed a wide range of emotions from me. I had tears in my eyes and heartache, I laughed out loud at times, I became very frustrated with the stupidity and ignorance of some characters, and felt my heart warming too. The book has been criticized for several things in the reviews and here are my rebuttals for each:

Overuse of the word soul: the book is about surviving the untimely deaths of wife child and husband......when you experience this type of loss, you become a little more spiritual (you become to understand a higher power and the afterlife or you begin to resent God). This includes a new understanding and acknowledgment of the soul. These characters had to beleive in the afterlife and by default that includes the whereabouts of the souls of the loved ones and souls of the living. There is no getting around the use of the word.

Corney lines that they say to each other:
Tristan is eccentric in every way, so his eye roll lines are fitting for his character. Lizzie, being attracted to this eccentric man, has to has some weirdness in her too. Corney? Yes. True to character? Yes

Foul language: i didnt read that review until i had already started the book, but after reading it, i made a point to listen for profanity. I don’t recall hearing the word fuck ever. Shit, asshole.....yes....but sparingly. Compared to other books, this was like Dr. Suess.

Tristan is a jerk:
Tristan clearly lacks healthy coping skills, and probably should have been medicated. His behavior was characteristic of a male suffering from clinical depression and overwhelming grief. He wasnt a monster, despite his appearance. Again, realistic, i see this everyday.

They used each other to substitute for the others dead spouse:

Taboo, yes. Unrealistic? No. When it hurts like that, It is normal for humans to seek relief from pain however they can. Then they fell in love...i just dont think this is far fetched at all.

Too much predictable drama: it’s a book. Its entertainment. Its expected.

The coincidences are unrealistic: maybe.....maybe not. The universe and God dont create coincidences.

I loved it.

Tremendous Loss and Immense Love

The Author really takes the time to develop the characters. I enjoy a book that gets into back stories, developing the characters thoroughly. Even though the story has an extreme sadness to it, love is in every facet of it. I will certainly listen to other books by Brittainy Cherry.

good pass time read

some of the dialog was eye-rolling, unbelievable and yeah right a guy would say that... but over all a good romance. not to raunchy but just the right amount of heat.

Great story!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, because I found it compelling, emotional, and enjoyable.

What other book might you compare The Air He Breathes to and why?

The Gravity of Us, because it's the same author, therefore the same writing style, and they both deal with life and love in a very mature way.

Have you listened to any of Brian Pallino and Erin Mallon ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, and it's on par with their other work.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book very much, but the twist near the end felt forced and contrived and makes you suspend belief in an otherwise believable story. Also, there was a bit too much corn. I'm all for lovey-dovey deep feelings in a romance, but sometimes it was so over the top my eyes involuntarily rolled back in my head. If not for those minor issues this book would've earned 5 stars. I really did enjoy it, and I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series.