Review: Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

Title: Girl in Pieces

Author: Kathleen Glasgow

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publishing Date: August 30th, 2016

Pages: 416
Audio Length: 10 Hours 42 Minutes

Genre: YA Contemporary/Mental Health 
TW: Self harm, mention of suicide and eating disorders, mention of sexual assault, alcohol abuse and drug addiction. 

Series: Standalone

Source: Audio

 

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

Let me start this by saying that this book is intense. It's hard to read, and it's personal, and it's heavy, and it's beautiful. 

Self harm and suicidal thoughts are something I've struggled with since I was 11 years old. It's hard and it hurts. 

This book was honestly incredibly difficult to read, because it was a little triggering. But at the same time, it was so amazing to read about this from someone else's point of view. I really enjoyed reading Charlie's story and seeing her growth and how she overcame everything. 

I'm sorry if that's a little bit of a spoiler, but honestly with a book like this you can almost expect it. 

I have a love/hate relationship with this cover. I like the simplicity, I like the smeared ink, the colors, and the cuts. But there's something about it that I just don't like about it.



Something about this book wasn't quite what I was expecting. I think I was expecting more of her at the psyche hospital and less out in the world living. It still talks about her hurting herself, and drinking, and hurting. But not quite what I thought it was.

That being said, I still liked the story. I still liked seeing the growth and how much Charlie matured. It was still a good one. 



I think for a contemporary the pace is perfect. It has a nice level pace where it feels slow but fast all at the same time. I feel like a lot happens without being overwhelmed by it. 



Good LORD. Where do I start with Kathleen's writing. It's beautiful. It's dark and raw and just perfect. She has a very poetic way of writing that just completely absorbs you. 



The reason that I rated this one low isn't because of Charlie. It's because of Riley. I *CANNOT* stand Riley. I think that a lot of people would think about him in a romantic James Dean type of way. A I want to save him type of way. 
But no. I just found it kind of gross and I wanted to roll my eyes the whole time.

I did like Charlie. I related with Charlie to a certain extent. I did get annoyed by her a few times, but for the most part I appreciated her. As I said above I did love her growth and seeing how much different she was from the beginning to the end. 



Not much to build, it was in New Mexico. Kathleen did a good job describing where she lived and where she worked. But it's not like a fairy tale place that needed to be described and described and described. 



The GROOOOOWTH. Everything fell together in the end and honestly I don't think I could have written a better ending. I loved it.



The narrator did a great job. 




A heartbreaking and beautifully written story. 

“She's not a cookie, or a book, or a record on a shelf. You can't just play with her and then put her back.”
― Kathleen Glasgow, Girl in Pieces

Kathleen Glasgow is the author of the New York Times bestseller Girl in Pieces (also a Target Book Club pick--seriously!) and How to Make Friends With the Dark. Proud faulty robot. Visit her on Twitter (@kathglasgow), Instagram (misskathleenglasgow), or her website (www.kathleenglasgowbooks.com)