Our Broken Pieces by Sarah White
Series: No
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: August 8, 2017
Format: eARC
Source: Provided by Publisher
Find it here: GoodReads | Amazon
The only thing worse than having your boyfriend dump you is having him dump you for your best friend. For Everly Morgan the betrayal came out of nowhere. One moment she had what seemed like the perfect high school relationship, and the next, she wanted to avoid the two most important people in her life. Every time she sees them kiss in the hallways her heart breaks a little more..
The last thing on Everly's mind is getting into another relationship, but when she meets Gabe in her therapist's waiting room she can't deny their immediate connection. Somehow he seems to understand Everly in a way that no one else in her life does, and maybe it's because Gabe also has experience grappling with issues outside his control. Just because they share so many of the same interests and there is an undeniable spark between them doesn't mean Everly wants anything more than friendship. After all, when you only barely survived your last breakup, is it really worth risking your heart again?
Everly goes into a tailspin after her high school relationship ends in betrayal. She’s lost not only her boyfriend but her best friend as well. Her vision of the perfect senior year is ruined and seeing them together at school is almost more than she can handle. Already seeing a therapist for anxiety, Everly now has new issues to tackle. Meeting Gabe in her therapists’ waiting room proves to be a turning point as they start a relationship and offer support to one another.
What I Appreciated:
The supportive family relationships were my favorite aspect of Our Broken Pieces. Both Everly and Gabe have parents who are loving and supportive and this was a refreshing change from the usual dysfunctional (or absentee) parents in YA novels. Everly’s growth throughout the novel was showcased well and I enjoyed seeing her progress as she worked to piece together a newer and stronger sense of self.
What Left Me Wanting More:
While Our Broken Pieces is certainly therapy-positive, at times it almost felt like a PSA for therapy. The positive aspects and outcomes of therapy (for not one, not two, but three of the characters) were delivered with a heavy hand. Our Broken Pieces could have used additional editing. Not only was the writing all telling and no showing, but repetition was an issue and became a distraction. (One example: the phrase “I can’t help…” I can’t help but blush, I can’t help but laugh, I can’t help but smile, etc. was used no fewer than fourteen times.)
Our Broken Pieces is an enjoyable YA contemporary that highlights family, relationships and mental health in a positive light.
3/5 STARS
Note: I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
It truly seemed like Sarah White was everywhere this year. Is she a breakthrough author or something? Especially in the contemporary genre. Great Review!
ReplyDeleteThanks Anne! What's funny is that before I picked up this book I hadn't even heard of Sarah White. Guess my head has been in the sand!
DeleteI can't help parts would also probably bring me out of the book a bit but this one does sound like a decent read. I do like that it is mental health positive.
ReplyDeleteTherapy is definitely presented in a positive light (I think the author is a therapist?) but overall this was one of those "okay" reads for me.
DeleteGreat post. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Shon.
DeleteDoesn't sound like something I'll pick up, but I AM happy to hear that the parents in the book were around and supportive! We need more YA books like that.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
So agree, Lauren! It's a shame when the good parents we see in YA are the exception!
DeleteI had passed on this one because it was a breakup book, and I was still recovering from another breakup book. I had heard it was therapy positive, but I totally get what you are saying. I do not enjoy feeling like I am being talked at or preached to.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't a bad book by any means but after a while I did start to feel like I was being hit over the head with the pro-therapy message.
DeleteI'm a stickler for repetition. But happy that there was supportive family in the story. Sometimes dysfunction can be annoying. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm finding that I'm kind of over the whole dysfunctional family thing. It's like, come on, there ARE some happy families with good parents out there!
DeleteOh, thank heavens for functional, caring parent characters! Honestly, I understand that there are a lot of dysfunctional families out there, but there are also a lot of functional ones, with loving, supportive parents and kids who are anything but boring. And having "good" parents doesn't mean a young protagonist doesn't have any conflicts or issues to deal with in their life. So I'm glad to see a book where exactly that seems to be true. I'm sorry other aspects of the book didn't work as well for you. I probably won't be reading it, mainly because I read very little contemporary YA; though I do read YA, it's generally fantasy or historical fiction. Good review!
ReplyDeleteYes! Obviously there are a lot of dysfunctional parents and families in crisis. But sometimes it seems as if those are the only ones represented. What about good parents? The ones that try their best to support their kids in whatever they're dealing with? It's so rare that I practically cheer every time I see it. LOL
DeleteI don't like it when I can tell that a book is trying to make a "statement." Like, I KNOW that therapy is a wonderful thing for most people. I've been many times myself and really appreciated what it did for me. But I don't want to read a book that feels like a PSA for it, you know? And the repetition thing would make me roll my eyes while reading for sure!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't mind books with a message, but I also don't need to be hit over the head with it. Ugh!
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