Girl in Pieces

“I just want it to be quiet.”

This was nothing like I was expecting it to be.

I think before I even begin talking about my thoughts and feelings about this book, I need to make it known that this could be very triggering for some people as it covers topics such as self-harm and suicidal ideation. I wasn't aware of this before I had begun reading so I figured it's best to give a trigger warning to others. I've been struggling a lot lately so maybe reading a book that is triggering such as this wasn't the best idea of mine.

This was heartbreakingly relatable as someone who has struggled for a very long time with mental health and trauma.

Mental health, especially depression is not one-dimensional and I feel like this book showed that perfectly. I felt a rollercoaster of emotions reading this book. The feeling of guilt, shame and pity that Charlie experienced throughout the book are feelings that I know all too well myself. It's been a while since I read a book that captured these feelings so well.

This was about healing and recovery and the difficult journey it is when the battle you're fighting is against yourself.

Charlie deserves all the happiness in the world.

This book is going to hold a very special place in my heart.

I want to end this review with me saying, to all the Charlies in the world, if you're reading this, I'm proud of you and you're worth it.

3.5 Stars. Girl in Pieces deals with incredibly heavy subject matter. The vivid descriptions of self-harm and overall mental illness was upsetting and very difficult to read, but these uncomfortable and upsetting moments made the purpose of the book that much more apparent. Kathleen Glasgow, having experience with self-harm herself, really made me as the reader feel as though I was listening to someone's authentic experience with trauma and mental illness, as well as bringing someone who has never dealt w

boring book with a pedophiliac relationship written in a good light. gg kathleen

Literally only once in the entire book does someone say "hey thats pedophilia" but does nothing to help the mc. Then NOBODY is surprised when <spoiler>the pedo cheats on her, hits her, and sics his crazy drug dealer girlfriend on her and her friend</spoiler> like ? Why didn't her "friends" do more to help the VICTIM OF PEDOPHILIA?

2/5 stars

For me, this was 50/50. I knew this wouldn't be a light read but I still decided to read it. I got about 50% through the book before I decided to drop this. I didn't fully connect with the book. I wanted to like this book which is why I kept reading but the more I read the more disappointed I was.

One of the main reasons I disliked this book was that it tried to tackle too many issues at once. When I was barely grasping Charlotte's past, we were already dealing with another issue she was facing. We went from learning about her past to talking about her self-harm. I was thrown for a loop when she described her self-harm to the ocean. I do feel like comparisons to water, or bodies of water come up a lot. Maybe it was just me focusing on the small details and not the bigger picture. Moving on the writing didn't help much either. As another reader had mentioned it reads like diary entries. I can read books with this type of format but specifically with this, I feel like a lot of details could have helped readers immerse into the character's story.

I wouldn't recommend this story at the moment. I understand the appeal of this book to other readers. I can also understand why other people resonate with and love it as it gives a different perspective as to how a person deals with self-harm and traumatic events. I may give it another chance in the future, but I doubt my opinion will change.

A really hard read, but very good. A lot of trigger warnings in this book and it did not hold back in showing a very real and raw portrait of Charlie struggling, but that was no bad thing.

I liked the structure of the book very much, and felt the characters were full of emotion and personality. It was a very intense read, due to the subjects it covered, but I didn't feel it was too much. However I took a short break away for a few days as I needed to catch my breath before the end, then it immediately made me cry in the last 100 pages or so as I felt for Charlie so much, and all the characters by that point too.

Reading the author's note was important and interesting as well. I'll definitely pick up her other books and also return to ‘Girl, Interrupted' again as I started it earlier this year and reading this makes me want to finish it.

I'm not sure a book like this will ever be a “safe” read for me. I hadn't realised what this book was about, just saw someone else had given it a good rating so in I jumped without reading the blurb (something I often do with e-book library books). Self-harming is like an addiction, a coping mechanism for me and I found this very triggering but also quite cathartic. Glasgow understands, she's been there. She doesn't apologise or excuse, she just presents Charlie as a complete person - not broken but slowly fixing. This book is full of people who've made mistakes, lost something or nearly fallen apart. Each one is searching for a way out of the mess they've found themselves in. There's so much positivity towards the end, Charlie's so young - I hope she does okay.
The author understands, she's been there, she's writing this to get a greater understanding and to support people like me who see every sharp edge as a possibility. I wear my scars with pride, they show my journey, Kintsugi.