ABOUT THE BOOK
How do you let go of your first love when his memory still owns your heart?
Ten years ago, Robin’s world was cracked open by Jed—a brilliant, complicated young man who told her not to fall for him. But she did. She gave him everything, only to lose him to a chronic illness that was always waiting in the wings.
Now, Robin is finally rebuilding. She has a new career, a small but solid circle of support, and Nick—a funny, passionate, infuriatingly earnest guy who sees her for who she is. He doesn’t know about Jed. Or the play Jed wrote for her. Or that Robin has agreed to star in its long-overdue debut.
As opening night nears, Robin is haunted by what could have been—and by what still might be. She’s caught between honoring the past and claiming her future, between the person she was and the person she wants to become. And the more she tries to move forward, the more she wonders: is letting go an act of betrayal… or the bravest kind of love?
MY REVIEW
I chose to read this book because of its themes of love and loss, and its setting is right here in Iowa, my own backyard!
The story is told in dual points of view in the past and present. There’s truly so much potential in the story, but it left me feeling a bit confused and yearning for more.
Robin is struggling with her past while trying to move forward. She owns a fashion studio, has a reality show celebrity background, and carries around a heavy secret. At thirty-something, Robin has faced her fair share of heartache, and the story kicks off as she finds herself falling in love for the second time with a guy named Nick. But here’s the twist: she’s also haunted by her first love, Jed, who is gone but still holds her heart.
The way Robin navigates her feelings makes her very relatable. As she tries to embrace her new relationship with Nick, an aspiring musician who works as a real estate agent, Robin feels her past with Jed holding her back, but it didn’t really work for me. It felt like the story could have thrived with a more linear approach. Instead of adding depth, it left me scratching my head for a good chunk of the book, especially when it came to understanding Robin’s attachment to Jed. I mean, we’re talking about several years of being stuck in this long limbo of emotion without really doing much healing. And what is her obsession with Flashdance Girl? Just baffling. I couldn’t wrap my head around it, and it detracted from the overall narrative. I also stumbled a bit with the play which felt like a weird detour from the overall story.
Despite these bumps in the road, The Next Breath manages to capture the essence of moving on from trauma and finding new love. Kudos to the author for not shying away from the emotional chaos of a chronic illness. It added so much depth, showing how an illness can ripple through a family, affecting everyone involved, not just the sick person. So while Robin’s character didn’t resonate with me, the core theme of the story did shine through.
All in all, it’s a nice story with some heartfelt moments about healing and letting go. If you’re into those themes, you might find something to appreciate here. But if you’re looking for a fluid narrative with a protagonist you can really connect with, this one might leave you wanting more.
Thank you to Ms. Osterkamp for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laurel Osterkamp is the author of The Side Project, Favorite Daughters, and Beautiful Little Furies—a #1 Amazon bestseller. Her novels explore the intersections of love, identity, and self-reinvention, often with strong, complex female leads. Laurel lives in Minneapolis, where she teaches middle school enrichment and adult ESL. When she’s not writing or teaching, she’s raising a family of deep thinkers and a couple of unapologetic cats.
Follow Laurel on her website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Bluesky.
