Breathe (Breathe #1) by Sarah Crossan

Author: Sarah Crossan
Publication: October 2, 2012
By: Greenwillow Books 
2.75 Stars

The world is dead.
The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen-rich air.
ALINA
has been stealing for a long time. She’s a little jittery, but not terrified. All she knows is that she’s never been caught before. If she’s careful, it’ll be easy. If she’s careful.
QUINN
should be worried about Alina and a bit afraid for himself, too, but even though this is dangerous, it’s also the most interesting thing to happen to him in ages. It isn’t every day that the girl of your dreams asks you to rescue her.
BEA
wants to tell him that none of this is fair; they’d planned a trip together, the two of them, and she’d hoped he’d discover her out here, not another girl.
And as they walk into the Outlands with two days’ worth of oxygen in their tanks, everything they believe will be shattered. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?

 A BIG "Thanks" to Jenn from the YA Sisterhood for loaning me her copy, she ROCKS!

OK, so, this is one of those books that I was really, really excited to read but ended up struggling to finish. The concept is interesting, the story well written, and the characters; while engaging, were also annoying a lot of the time. 

Bea and Quinn have been BFF's forever and of course, she's in love with him and he's as clueless as ever. (silly book boy)  Air is the hot commodity that is controlled by the government and they decide who gets more and who doesn't  If you're a Premium (like Quinn) your life is generally better and longer than say, Bea's who comes from the wrong side of the tram stop.  While she may dream of a life with Quinn, it's really just that, a dream because Auxiliaries and Premiums don't belong together.  

Quinn is your stereotypical rich boy whose oblivious to all he's privileged to and Alina, the beautiful girl Quinn falls for, is a rebel looking for change.  If they were political parties, Alina would be the far left, Quinn the far right and Bea, the moderate that balances them out and helps them see reason. I found Quinn to be a bit of a whiner and it doesn't matter how hot a guy (or girl) is, whining is a downer.  Alina may be pretty but her selfishness overpowers her beauty and I just didn't care for her.  I liked Bea most because she's smart, compassionate, selfless and focused on the bigger picture, whereas the other two are too caught up in themselves to notice much else. (Potential spoiler - Quinn and Bea have known each other for YEARS and he doesn't know what color her eyes are. WHAT?!) 

Alina is pining away for someone she believes is dead as a result of her choices and Quinn is caught up in playing Alina's knight in shining armor because he's convinced she's his dream girl.  He eventually learns that what he's really looking for and what he needs has been in front of him all along but at what cost?

For as frustrating as this book was for me, all of the characters have opportunities to make changes for the better not only for themselves, but for the world around them too.  This is part of a trilogy so it will be interesting to see how it all pans outs and who will survive.