A review by meeklovestoread
Girl in Pieces, by Kathleen Glasgow
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really wished I love this book as much as everyone else does, but honestly I found it a little hard to connect with the story due to how inconsistent the timelines felt. I understand how some people felt when they said it felt like reading two different stories.
I felt like the story could've been more impactful if we got Charlie's story before she went into the psych ward. I have an idea of what happened to her before she was committed, but the fact that we only got fragments throughout the book made her story quite unclear to the reader.
Also there were an overwhelming amount of characters that were introduced from her past and present that it was hard to keep up with. Especially from her past. I'm still unclear as to what happened. Like who is DannyBoy? And I'm still unclear as to what Evan's role was in her life. And what about Fucking Frank? Also I'm still unsure about Ellis's story? Is she in a vegetated state or something?
I'm not sure if it's because this genre is YA and the author felt like they had to censor alot of things. But for a book that dealt with alot of serious topics it felt pretty surface level to me. And a few of the relationships Charlie made in this book felt inconclusive.
Also I wish we could've gotten more of Lousia's letters. She seemed pretty broken and her story just felt undone to me.
Although despite these criticisms, I do feel like the message of this book still resonated. And her feelings, her detachment, her attachment, the cycle of wanting to get better vs. actually having the strength to get better were very well depicted. Also I admired the contrast between Blue, Louisa, Riley, and Charlie as morally grey characters. It really demonstrated how one can end up if their problems become too much for them to bare.
I wanted to note that I found Charlie and Riley "relationship" pretty frustrating yet relatable. Charlie's attachment towards Riley even though she knows he's bad for her is typical behavior of fearful-avoidants. People that feel like they don't deserve better than their current circumstances. She was attached to Riley because she believed a bum like him was the only person that could love her. I just really wished she was not keep in contact with him.
Although frustrating, I feel like alot of people could relate to Charlie, her actions, her feelings, and her story. Overall it was a decent story with a good message.
I felt like the story could've been more impactful if we got Charlie's story before she went into the psych ward. I have an idea of what happened to her before she was committed, but the fact that we only got fragments throughout the book made her story quite unclear to the reader.
Also there were an overwhelming amount of characters that were introduced from her past and present that it was hard to keep up with. Especially from her past. I'm still unclear as to what happened. Like who is DannyBoy? And I'm still unclear as to what Evan's role was in her life. And what about Fucking Frank? Also I'm still unsure about Ellis's story? Is she in a vegetated state or something?
I'm not sure if it's because this genre is YA and the author felt like they had to censor alot of things. But for a book that dealt with alot of serious topics it felt pretty surface level to me. And a few of the relationships Charlie made in this book felt inconclusive.
Also I wish we could've gotten more of Lousia's letters. She seemed pretty broken and her story just felt undone to me.
Although despite these criticisms, I do feel like the message of this book still resonated. And her feelings, her detachment, her attachment, the cycle of wanting to get better vs. actually having the strength to get better were very well depicted. Also I admired the contrast between Blue, Louisa, Riley, and Charlie as morally grey characters. It really demonstrated how one can end up if their problems become too much for them to bare.
I wanted to note that I found Charlie and Riley "relationship" pretty frustrating yet relatable. Charlie's attachment towards Riley even though she knows he's bad for her is typical behavior of fearful-avoidants. People that feel like they don't deserve better than their current circumstances. She was attached to Riley because she believed a bum like him was the only person that could love her. I just really wished she was not keep in contact with him.
Although frustrating, I feel like alot of people could relate to Charlie, her actions, her feelings, and her story. Overall it was a decent story with a good message.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Addiction, Grief, and Self harm
Moderate: Alcohol and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Car accident and Child abuse