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Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow // The First Book To Make Me Cry This Year

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow // The First Book To Make Me Cry This Year
Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow
Genres: Contemporary (YA), Mental Health, Own Voices
Pages: 416
Goodreads

Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At seventeen she’s already lost more than most people lose in a lifetime. But she’s learned how to forget. The broken glass washes away the sorrow until there is nothing but calm. You don’t have to think about your father and the river. Your best friend, who is gone forever. Or your mother, who has nothing left to give you.
Every new scar hardens Charlie’s heart just a little more, yet it still hurts so much. It hurts enough to not care anymore, which is sometimes what has to happen before you can find your way back from the edge.

*Content Warning: View Spoiler »

I don’t know where to begin with this review. I’m sure you’ve all heard that this book is heartbreaking, dark, and will most likely leave you in tears. That is so true.

I’ll start with the basics. 

Charlie is a dark character. She has a lot of inner struggles, has been through more than most teenagers, and her thoughts are depressing and scary at times. That may seem like a difficult character for people to connect with if they haven’t ever gone through something similar, but Glasgow manages to create a character that I think many people can connect to.

We’ve all felt the way Charlie feels at times. Even if we don’t act on it, or only feel it for a short period of time, we’ve all felt how Charlie feels after bad things happen to us. With a story like this, it’s important for the reader to feel a connection to her and Glasgow delivers. 

Speaking of the story, it’s a bit different from what most of us would read. There isn’t really a beginning, middle, and end. There isn’t really a build up and a climax. It’s many ups and downs – a  lot of highs and lows. It’s perfect. It’s a perfect way to tell Charlie’s story. It’s fitting that there isn’t a beginning, middle, and end, rather just a life lived with really good moments and really bad moments.

And when I say really bad moments, I mean really bad. This book doesn’t shy away from anything.

One negative I have is the writing style, which eventually turned into a positive. It’s written almost in the voice of someone reading a diary. There’s progression in sentence structure, but at first, it will feel odd. The beginning of the book starts with very choppy sentences, unclear descriptions of the surroundings, and characters that you can’t quite put together yet. It eventually smooths. As the story goes, the writing gets clearer, Charlie’s thoughts are more cohesive. It’s an impactful way to write this – you just have to be patient.

Another criticism is that I wish there was a clearer background on Charlie’s life before the story starts. It was a little difficult to keep up with the names of her old friends because there wasn’t much to connect them to. Bits and pieces were revealed throughout the story, but it would have been nice to have a more complete rundown.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed this one. It hit some personal notes for me that I probably influenced my overall enjoyment of it, but I still think it’s a great read for those who can’t specifically relate to anything in it. It’s a very powerful story that may be hard to get through for some, but I recommend it to anyone who can handle it.

 

Rating Report
Plot
Characters
Writing
World Building
Overall: 5 / 5

14 Comments

  • Reply Grace @ Rebel Mommy Book Blog 06/01/2017 at 10:28 am

    I have this one and need to get to it. Sounds like it heavy but powerful read. The way I connect to a book always influences how my enjoyment so I get that. Great review!

    • Reply Molly 06/05/2017 at 7:19 am

      Thank you! I hope you enjoy it when you get to it 🙂

  • Reply Wendy Falconer Gassaway 06/01/2017 at 3:57 pm

    I was really impressed by this as well. I appreciated the short chapters. You could see her healing as she is able to look more closely at her history and stick with a thought for longer and longer periods of time.

    • Reply Molly 06/05/2017 at 7:19 am

      Exactly! You CAN see her healing throughout the book which is great. I didn’t really include that thought on it in the review because I wasn’t sure if it would be considered a spoiler to some people, but that is exactly how I interpreted it.

  • Reply Nicole Hewitt 06/02/2017 at 2:44 pm

    I heard Glasgow speak at a conference last year, and she seems really impressive. I definitely plan to read this at some point.

    • Reply Molly 06/05/2017 at 7:18 am

      That’s awesome! I hope you enjoy it 🙂

  • Reply Zoe N. 06/02/2017 at 10:10 pm

    I’ve heard nothing but great things about this book and how wonderful it is, so I am so glad to see you enjoyed it so much too! Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! <3

    • Reply Molly 06/05/2017 at 7:16 am

      Thank you! I hope you read it and enjoy it some day 🙂

  • Reply Marie . 06/03/2017 at 4:06 am

    Beautiful review, Molly! That book sounds quite like the emotional read – I really enjoy these kind of books but I think I have to be ready for that one, as it sounds quite dark. I’m just a little worried about not getting into the story, since you said that the beginning is a bit confusing with the writing style and everything, it’s hard to get a good grasp of the characters and surroundings. Definitely a book I’ll keep in mind though! 🙂

    • Reply Molly 06/05/2017 at 7:16 am

      Thank you! You do have to be ready for it. I was not so I cried like a baby. I had to put it down a few times because of that. It’s not TOO confusing at the beginning, and it doesn’t last too long, so I’d give it a try. The beginning is really short chapters so that might help you get through some of the wonky parts.

  • Reply Becky Baker 06/07/2017 at 12:34 pm

    I’ve had a copy of this on my shelf for a while and I’m embarrassed I haven’t read it. I think it’s because it’s one of those reads which really hits you in the feels and I haven’t been prepared for that kind of emotional punch in a book lately. This review definitely makes me want to check out and I’m glad I know what to expect with the writing style as well.

    • Reply Molly 06/11/2017 at 12:02 pm

      I would definitely way until you’re ready for a book like that because it will hit you in the feels >.< haha I hope you enjoy it if you read it 🙂

      • Reply Amman 05/04/2018 at 11:25 pm

        molly I have enjoyed this book a lot and this excerpt which you have shared is also interesting. Now I want to quote your lines in my thesis but I don’t have your full name. Could please tell me your full name for my citation?

        • Reply Molly's Book Nook 05/10/2018 at 8:23 am

          I’m sorry but I don’t feel comfortable sharing my full name! Good luck with your thesis!

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