Breathe With Me by Becka Mack
Breathe With Me by Becka Mack is not just the 5th and final book in the Playing for Keeps series; it’s arguably the most anticipated book of the lot. The story follows the only couple in the series that existed before book one.
Cara and Emmett are ridiculously fun, attractive and loyal, and have been a staple in the love stories of all four previous couples — from Consider Me, Play With Me, Unravel Me and Fall With Me.
My biggest fear regarding this release was that it would be a marriage-in-trouble story, and I’d be devastated for 400+ pages. Who knew it could be so much worse than that — and who knew I’d like hurting my own feelings so much?
The Heart of the Series
Playing for Keeps is a hockey series that follows four couples on their journeys to love. There are a lot of hockey romance series out there, but what has always made this one a standout is the found family.
These giant hockey men play like children on and off the ice, with each other and with their families. We see them go from playfully tackling one another to dressing up in group Halloween costumes for trick-or-treating with their growing families. Most importantly, we see how they support each other no matter the situation.
I’d say the most important relationships forged through these books, though, are the friendships between the women these hockey stars married. All this love and support are essential in Cara and Emmett’s story.
Cara and Emmett’s Journey Through Infertility
In Breathe With Me, Mack takes us along as Cara and Emmett struggle with infertility. We bounce between timelines — the start of their love story and the present day — as we experience each agonizing step they take.
This isn’t a look back at a challenging time in a couple’s life; we are in it through it all. Every month, every negative pregnancy test. All the heartbreak nearly took me out. Maybe I’ve seen too many friends on this journey, but I felt it each time Cara and Emmett’s hope for a positive result died.
I loved our main characters individually and together. Cara truly loved herself, and Emmett knew the moment they met they would be together forever. Between their playful nature and affirmations, they were made to have a family.
Really, in this book, we watch a woman struggling to stay in love with herself while feeling like a failure. Shifting between timelines — seeing how strong her love for herself was — and watching that waiver was deeply emotional.
We should all be so lucky to have the support of someone like Emmett. Cara was his priority every step of the way, whether she was crying on a bathroom floor or finding moments of light to celebrate their love, he was right there with her.
Laughter, Loyalty, and Letting Go
As heavy as it was, the levity came in the form of team captain, Carter Beckett — the court jester of the friend group. His shenanigans in the flashbacks reminded me of why I always think of this series as laugh-out-loud funny, but his tenderness in the present day made me want to be a better friend in my own life. The way Mack writes her leading men is something special.
Of all the romances I’ve read about infertility, this is easily my favorite. In other books, this journey is framed as a past problem with a present marriage in crisis story, or the book’s focus is on the developing love between a couple while the female main character believes herself to be infertile. But Breathe With Me tackles the topic head-on; the infertility journey is the main focus, and based on Mack’s forward, comes from firsthand experience.
I cried a lot, but I also laughed in equal measure. I can honestly say I feel like this series could not have been wrapped up in a more satisfying way.
