Hold Me Like a Breath: Once Upon a Crime Family

by Tiffany Schmidt

In Penelope Landlow's world, almost anything can be bought or sold. She's the daughter of one of the three crime families controlling the black market for organ transplants. Because of an autoimmune disorder that causes her to bruise easily, Penny is considered too "delicate" to handle the family business, or even to step foot outside their estate.

All Penelope has ever wanted is independence--until she's suddenly thrust into the dangerous world all alone, forced to stay one step ahead of her family's enemies. As she struggles to survive the power plays of rival crime families, she learns dreams come with casualties, betrayal hurts worse than bruises, and there's nothing she won't risk for the people she loves.

Perfect for fans of Holly Black and Kimberly Derting, this first book in the stunning new Once Upon a Crime Family series from acclaimed author Tiffany Schmidt will leave readers breathless.

• ISBN10: 080273782X
• ISBN13: 9780802737823
• Publish Date: 22 October 2015 (first published 19 May 2015)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 2 September 2016
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Walker & Co
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kelly]

Hold Me Like A Breath is a difficult read. Despite the poor reviews and multiple cautions, even having lowered my expectations, I was mildly entertained. Hold Me Like A Breath promises an enthralling read and delivered little more than a thinly veiled mystery and instant romance.

Penelope suffers from a rare autoimmune disease known as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, where her body destroys its own Platelets. She is kept within the secure estate due to the nature of her condition and is never to be touched. But lately she's been restless and although her health fluctuates, she dreams of a life outside of the estate which she now sees as a compound. Although I couldn't connect to Penelope as a character, I understood her frustration at those around her being overly protective and the freedom she longs to experience. But it's how she's perceived on an intellectual level in which I took issue. Physically she's unwell, but she's an intelligent girl who is simply brushed aside when she attempts to ask questions, wanting to understand what the family business entails. It doesn't aid her that she's referred to as Princess.

The storyline doesn't delve into the family business beyond Penelope's understanding, with the focus is placed upon the attraction between she and her brother's best friend Garrett. They share a flirtatious friendship, stolen moments of almost kisses and it's then when Penelope's brother discovers their connection. But before they can explore the new boundaries of their tentative relationship, Penelope is forced to flee the compound for New York City, with her life barely intact.

This is where the storyline took an unexpected and unwelcomed twist. Up until that moment, I was enjoying the storyline for the most part and had expected Penelope to develop self confidence and begin to be treated as an equal. But as she explored the city, she meets Charlie who is also seeing the city as a tourist. Charlie is secretive, but latches onto Penelope to the point of waiting outside of her apartment for a glimpse of the girl he's already falling in love with.



The romance was terrible, not to mention predictable. While pining away for Garrett, she's falling in love with Charlie despite having only known him for days. As a reader, I found it painfully obvious what Charlie was hiding and although she had lead a very sheltered life, Penelope seemed to have forgotten her family and spent her time making the most of her time in the city.



Indeed. That's when the storyline had lost my attention. For a girl so frail she wasn't allowed to leave her estate, her health is failing and yet she strangely has time for a whirlwind romance. She barely gave a second thought to her family. Although Penelope has very little experience with affairs of the heart, being able to trust Charlie so easily was dubious at best considering her family's illegal business. The romance was a deal breaker. It was obvious, predictable and lacked chemistry or any genuine connection between Charlie and Penelope.

Writing a less than positive review gives me no joy, because as many issues as I had with Hold Me Like A Breath, the writing wasn't one of them. I found the overall storyline engaging with an incredible amount of promise, but I just couldn't move beyond the romance. I felt cheated out of what could have been an epic read from a genre in young adult that seems lacking.
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2016/07/hold-me-like-breath.html

[bookishzelda]

Hold Me Like a Breath is a cool mob story with a little bit of mystery.

You control the disease don’t let the disease control you, definitely fits in this situation. Penelope is plagued with a chronic disease that causes her to bruise and bleed easily. She is in a constant to struggle to stay well enough and be able to claim her life. Since she is so protected due to her health, she is kind of in a little bubble but she really wants the opportunity to break out. I liked Penny and that she is trying to find her way. She doesn’t always make the best decisions but she is still learning. She let herself be her family’s fragile doll for so long that it’s hard for not only her to realize she is not, but for everyone else too. They are used to treating her that way and now that she desperately wants to have more in life instead of wandering around the estate. I think she has to break her own personal perception of herself as well.

The romance was eh for me. I actually would have been fine if the book had minal on that part. There are so many other cool and interesting things going on, I didn’t need the long strolls through central park. It might also because I was more partial to the first love interest than I was the the second.

I loved Penny’s little f, which would be her actual immediate family not the mob Family. You quickly fall into bonding with her mother, father and Carter. Simply because even though they are running this illegal operation they are still have good hearts. They also all truly care for Penny.

This is a great plot. I loved that it revolved around the inner working of the crime families and their dealings with black market organ trade. I also really liked how even though the families activities illegal, they are not necessarily bad. We see Penny who is considered fragile and well protected trying to break out of that shell. When things go haywire, she gets her chance to prove how she can stand on her own two feet. The story has plenty to keep you interesting and keep the plot moving with the exception of when the second love interest is introduced. The book kind lags a little at that point. I believe it’s to kind of establish their relationship but the flow of it is off in some way. It’s just a bump in the road because then things really pick up again to carry you to the end.

I did enjoy the book and will check out the second book. I did really like the plot even if I wasn’t super into the romance. I also liked the writing so I’m curious to see where things go.

[Ashley]

I really loved the first 50%. I was fully prepared to give the book 4 stars at that point. Then it was RUINED by one of the worst insta-loves I've ever seen.

...That, and the main character revealed how weak and hypocritical she was. It's funny because the book was all about her being strong and proving herself, but then she just acted weak and useless X_X

[shannonmiz]

This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight

Dear Hold Me Like a Breath,

What a tumultuous relationship we've had. First I didn't like you. I was confused between all the Family (Big F) versus family (little f), and then you throw a random romance my way before I even had a chance to decide if I cared. But then you began to win me over. I started genuinely liking you, I did. I mean, black market organ donations? Yes please! Weird illness that leaves Penny unable to function as a normal young woman? Consider me intrigued!

I read along thinking that this was going to be one hell of a ride. And for awhile, you didn't disappoint me! The twists were totally shocking, and I was SO into it. We were talking about the ethics of organ donation, and the importance of it, and a weird criminal business, and Penny wanting a more active role/live, and things were happening! And then after the second, most ginormous twist... you failed me

You turned into a sappy, wholly unbelievable romance (complete with insta-love™ and a bit of a triangle to boot), and the worst part is, I can't even fully talk about all the things that happen in it because it would be spoilers. It's like you cheated on me, then swore me to secrecy, and I am not okay.  I knew where the romance was going with Guy #2. I knew who he was from the start, your attempt at trickery did not fool me. And what happened to all the feels for Guy #1!? Where are they!?

I know you thought I would be okay with this romantic plot point, but it didn't work on so many levels. For one, if someone lives in a crime family, they are not likely to trust any  random dude they (literally) run into on the street. This is actually what you wanted my mind to believe. For her entire existence, Penny is told to trust no one outside the family (or Family, because hell, I can't keep track) and then she does exactly the complete opposite. And if a girl is dealing with things like "rivals" and "black market" and "casualties" (which, let the record show, are things in your actual synopsis), she's not going to really feel like macking on randos from the street. Furthermore, if she must be entertaining gentlemen callers, can we at least have them had a modicum of chemistry and/or feelings? Because not only did I think it was ridiculous in the first place, but I never even started to care because it was quite bland anyway. Not only that, the romance minimized every twist that had happened thus far. Huge things are happening in Penny's life and with her health and then... no matter, romance to the rescue!

I know you think you redeemed yourself a little by the ending, but... meh. I am not convinced. Frankly, I saw the twists coming, and therefore the ending, while much better than the maudlin and befuddling romance that dominated half the book, didn't hold a ton of weight. So, it is with great sadness that I must reject your meager attempt at reconciliation. I hope your next reader has far more success. And in case it wasn't clear....



Regretfully yours,

Shannon