Disclaimer: I received an eARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Two years ago, Lia’s father was killed by a mob of dangerous teenagers named the Swarm. That was that last known attack, but Lia’s convinced that this isn’t over and that the Swarm will attack again.

The Swarm appears out of nowhere, targeting one specific person, beating that person to death, before disappearing. They have done 11 random attacks like this over the course of 9 years, and Lia’s dad was investigating the Swarm when he was killed.

She becomes aware of a probable attack at Navy Pier and arrives there, taking pictures of anyone that appears to be there alone. She’s certain that she can find the people who killed her dad. What she doesn’t plan is to be discovered in this process.

Over the course of Every Stolen Breath, set in a near-future Chicago, Lia invokes the help of multiple friends, old and new, to help her in order to discover who is behind the Swarm and behind her father’s death. Unfortunately, Lia also struggles with debilitating asthma as well as PTSD that sometimes results in hallucinations which makes it difficult for her to sometimes distinguish what is a real threat and what is being hallucinated.

Every Stolen Breath is a brilliant debut novel that will steal your breath away throughout. You will cheer for Lia and be heartbroken with her, and you will desperately want to know: who is behind the Swarm and can they be stopped?

Every Stolen Breath will be released November 5.

Every Stolen Breath by Kimberly Gabriel is a fast paced thriller that tells the story of Lia, a high school girl whose father was killed two years ago by the Swarm, a group of young adults that randomly attacks and beats individuals to death. Or are they random attacks? Lia doesn’t think so and is out to prove it, but will she survive herself? The novel has a good premise but needs the characters to be fleshed out a little more and the plot to be more we’ll ordered.

I enjoyed this book, it seemed kind of out there with the plot, I don't recall anything about the events in Chicago that this book was based on though, so maybe if I had been aware of it, it might not be as far fetched to me. I thought the book itself was well written, there were some errors that needed to be fixed, but that could be contributed to being an ARC. The plot was well written until the end, I feel like the ending was sort of abrupt. I kept trying to flip through and find where the rest was, I was left with a lot of questions, (trying not to reveal spoilers here) but what was next? was the person working alone? if not do they catch the other person? if so..how? did they find out who all was involved voluntarily? I needed a more clearer ending.

Aside from that I enjoyed it, it took me longer than normal to read, but only because I've been so busy, and when I put it down and came back to it a few days later I always was about to pick it right back up.

This was a pretty solid debut novel. Centering around Lia, a teen girl, is on the hunt for her dad's killer but ends up finding herself entangled in a much darker plot. Granted the concept of the Swarm itself is very dark, as it was a mystery on why groups of people would ruthlessly beat a seemingly random person to death.

Lia is a pretty interesting character. She may be stubborn, smart, and determined, but physically she is weak as her asthma has hindered her actions quite a few times. Despite this, I enjoyed her character. Even though Lia might not be the best at covering her tracks, she is so determined in cracking the mystery of the Swarm and the killer behind her father's death. The secondary characters were also pretty interesting too, especially Adam and Ryan. They both helped keep Lia in check and safe.

The best part of the story is probably the plot. We the readers aren't provided much about what the point of the Swarm was, as Lia herself doesn't know much about it either. The plot and mystery unfold at a pretty good pace with some nice twists. When I was reading the book, I found myself more focused on the danger that might be creeping around the corner than the perpetrator behind the Swarm. Because of this, the reveal of the mastermind behind the mystery was pretty unexpected. However, I feel like the ending fell a bit flat. With everything going on and everything that had unraveled, I feel like the case of Lia's dad wasn't being brought with complete justice.

Overall, this was a pretty solid read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read Every Stolen Breath in exchange for a honest review.

Once this book grabbed my attention I couldn't stop reading it. I had to know who was in charge of the Mobs. The story had me emotional a couple of times. No matter how much or little a character appeared in the story Kimberly Gabriel has a way of making you connect with them. I would love to read another book with Lia and Ryan! :)

I would recommend adding this to your TRB!

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time! I loved all the characters, and the story was amazing. I had no idea how to predict what was going to happen!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.


wow... just wow. i wasn't completely sure what to expect goign into this book adn was honestly a little hesistant to request it. but man, this was an AMAZING read. get it today!

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of EVERY STOLEN BREATH by Kimberly Gabriel in exchange for my honest review.***

3.5 STARS

Lia is out to catch her father’s murders, a teen gang that her dad believed to be fueled by higher ups in the city. The Swarm surround victims and best them to death. Aside from her two best friends, she’s not sure whom to trust. The mayor’s son Cullen seems to want to protect her, but he’s a bit of a jerk. Ryan, part of The Swarm, claims to have been her father’s ally. And an evil reporter says Lia’s father worked with her.

Kimberly Gabriel’s heart-thumping debut is a complex story filled with mystery and intrigue where teens are smarter, better detectives than adults. The title EVERY STOLEN BREATH refers, in part, to Lia’s asthma, which Gabriel did a fantastic job weaving that into her character and added to Lia’s complexity.

Gabriel’s writing is crisp and detailed, though at times the story felt bogged down in action when I was more interested in plot. I didn’t want to read pages of dodging shady characters trying to get home and felt myself skimming at times. The complexity of The Swarm and Chicago politics didn’t seem like the best plot choice for a YA novel with a teen protagonist outsmarting public officials and law enforcement.

EVERY STOLEN BREATH is a fantastic debut. I can’t wait to see what Gabriel writes next.

Lia is the only one still pursuing her father’s killers, two years after attorney Steven Finch’s murder by the Swarm. Devastated and desperate for answers, Lia will do anything to uncover the reasons behind his death and to stop someone else from being struck down. But due to debilitating asthma and PTSD that leaves her with a tenuous hold on reality, Lia is the last person to mount a crusade on her own.


Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book

Every Stolen Breath literally stole my breath away! From the first chapter there is nonstop action, danger, and mystery. Teens and adults alike will devour this book.

What I loved 🖤💛🖤💛:
1. If you couldn’t already tell, I loved the title which hints at the heart-stopping pace of the plot but also symbolizes Lia’s asthma. From the time she was a premie baby, she has stolen every breath to be here.
2. The swarm: a group of teens that beats people to death. They surround their prey like a swarm of bees. It’s such a unique and fascinatingly violent idea. But who is behind them? And why? Are there kills thoughtless or is there a pattern?
3. I loved Lia’s tech-savvy friend Adam who helps her discover clues on the web.
4. The mystery guy who saves Lia’s life by nearly killing her and who is a part of the swarm.
5. Chicago serves as a beautiful and scary setting for this modern story.
6. Lia’s dad was murdered by the swarm and no matter how much they threaten her, she won’t give up until they’re brought to justice.


Caution, only pick up this book if you have time to read it all be cause you won’t want to put it down.