Dee, a yoga teacher, tears off her borrowed stilettos at a Sydney society ball and flings them out a window, declaring them to be instruments of torture. Amused, businessman Ethan strikes up conversation with her... he's avoiding his sister Lucy who wants to introduce him to her yoga teacher, he confesses, to Dee's embarrassment. Then Lucy arrives and asks Dee to star in a Health Life Insurance ad campaign. That's the last thing she wants however!

In JUST BREATHE Dee's had a serious accident and still carries scars and back pain, and her confidence is shattered. Yoga has helped her but she's not well off, and when her flat mate moves in with the man of his dreams, Dee needs to pay the bills. Maybe she'll take up that commercial offer after all. It might convince her mother that she's able to run her own life. Lucy meanwhile has had to fire a model for being stoned. She arranges a photo shoot for Dee - they need each other. Taking a spot catering job, Dee keeps running into Ethan, and the glossy people he mixes with don't make her life any simpler.

I liked the number of absolutely normal women in this book, from a perfectionist mother to a yoga student dealing with serious illness. Dee's gay pal gives her makeup tips. Dee is petrified doing yoga on a beach in front of cameras, but focusing on breathing helps to calm her down and after a productive series of shots Dee realises that this is the most assertive thing she's done in a decade. Confidence building, from here on Dee's scattered life begins to improve, without the need for a man to prop her up. She may feel like a traitor to her own social ethics, but Ethan is definitely interested, introducing her to people who may help her, and he's a consummate gentleman, except when sailing a tiny tub....

I did think that Dee spills, trips, and falls too many times for a balanced fit woman, and it got a little tiring instead of amusing. But we learn that lots of people store stress in their shoulders, how to refloat a capsized boat, and how to frame a business plan and budget for a mortgage. Janette Paul puts interesting people in lively situations and shows that people who never plan for the future are not helping themselves. Readers should note that in Australian 'thongs' are sandals. JUST BREATHE - relax and enjoy!