Review: Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala

Title: Don't Breathe a Word
Author: Holly Cupala
Publisher: HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books
Publication Date: January 3, 2012
Pages: 299
Source: Borrowed

From Goodreads:
Joy Delamere is suffocating...

From asthma, which has nearly claimed her life. From her parents, who will do anything to keep that from happening. From delectably dangerous Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out.

Joy can take his words - tender words, cruel words - until the night they go too far.

Now, Joy will leave everything behind to find the one who has offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. She will become someone else. She will learn to survive. She will breathe... if only she can get to Creed before it’s too late.

Set against the gritty backdrop of Seattle’s streets and a cast of characters with secrets of their own, Holly Cupala’s powerful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the meaning of love, and how far a girl will go to discover her own strength.

***

Joy is dealing with asthma that significantly affects her life and has overprotective parents who coddle her beyond belief. Her brother resents her for being “weak” and having to take care of her growing up. And her seemingly beautiful boyfriend is abusing her, both emotionally and now physically. Having had enough, Joy escapes into the dangerous streets of Seattle, attempting to make it on her own and escape the horrors of her life. It’s out on the streets that Joy meets Creed, a boy who has his own haunting past and is struggling to start a new life. Together they begin a journey of survival and rediscovery while battling the tough streets of Seattle as homeless teenagers.

Simply put, Don’t Breathe a Word is hauntingly beautiful, perfectly depicting the horror that is emotional abuse and how to overcome the worst of situations. Holly Cupala expertly takes the reader on an emotional ride throughout the entire story, tugging at heartstrings and filling the reader with hope and a sense of rising above the odds. While Don’t Breathe a Word is hard hitting and gritty, it is filled with love, a sense of family, and knowing yourself and your limits.

I can’t recommend Don’t Breathe a Word enough and am looking forward to reading the rest of Holly Cupala’s work.