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Girl in Pieces
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.
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.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2016
About the author
Kathleen Glasgow
12 books6,022 followersKathleen Glasgow is the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces, You'd Be Home Now, How to Make Friends With the Dark, and The Agathas series (with Liz Lawson). Visit her on Twitter (@kathglasgow), Instagram (misskathleenglasgow), her website (www.kathleenglasgowbooks.com), or TikTok @kathleenglasgow.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 14,686 reviews
December 3, 2020
2 1/2 stars. An extra 1/2 star because I think a lot of readers will love this - it's just a certain type of storytelling that always leaves me cold.
The many fans of Ellen Hopkins should love this book. It's a dark contemporary dealing with self-harm and it's written in a mostly fragmented series of one/few paragraph chapters (sometimes they are longer). Glasgow is not afraid to go there and covers a whole range of topics, from cutting to abuse to suicide.
Firstly, I didn't like the writing. Another reviewer pointed out that it reads like short diary snippets, but I felt completely disconnected from the characters and the story. Charlotte Davis' story is built up in these short pieces of narrative, but there was something about them that made it feel more like a creative writing exercise than the emotional tale it was supposed to be.
As well as this, there are some sentence/wording choices that are not to my tastes. Sometimes it is reminiscent of We Were Liars - which I know will be a big selling point for many readers - but that book also irritated me. I find myself becoming detached when I read nouns used as adjectives, and phrases like: "My eyes are fierce with water."
Though the main reason I couldn't fully connect - and the reason I think Hopkins fans will enjoy this - is that I think the author took on too many issues at once, exploring none of them in the depth I feel such subjects warrant.
But for those who do enjoy books that cover a wide range of issues, and this style of writing, then I'm sure Girl in Pieces has a lot to offer. It's just not my cup of tea.
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The many fans of Ellen Hopkins should love this book. It's a dark contemporary dealing with self-harm and it's written in a mostly fragmented series of one/few paragraph chapters (sometimes they are longer). Glasgow is not afraid to go there and covers a whole range of topics, from cutting to abuse to suicide.
Firstly, I didn't like the writing. Another reviewer pointed out that it reads like short diary snippets, but I felt completely disconnected from the characters and the story. Charlotte Davis' story is built up in these short pieces of narrative, but there was something about them that made it feel more like a creative writing exercise than the emotional tale it was supposed to be.
As well as this, there are some sentence/wording choices that are not to my tastes. Sometimes it is reminiscent of We Were Liars - which I know will be a big selling point for many readers - but that book also irritated me. I find myself becoming detached when I read nouns used as adjectives, and phrases like: "My eyes are fierce with water."
Though the main reason I couldn't fully connect - and the reason I think Hopkins fans will enjoy this - is that I think the author took on too many issues at once, exploring none of them in the depth I feel such subjects warrant.
But for those who do enjoy books that cover a wide range of issues, and this style of writing, then I'm sure Girl in Pieces has a lot to offer. It's just not my cup of tea.
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June 17, 2017
Although this book tells a story of people being cruel to themselves, it is a book about being gentle with yourself. It seems odd to call this novel kind, as it was often a savage read (it is unflinching in its portrayal of self-harm, homelessness, addiction, and desperation) but it has such a sweet heart, such a piercing desire for its characters to improve themselves in every way, that hope persists in even the darkest moments. Glasgow's use of adult characters to challenge, support, and mirror the teen characters is genuinely inspired, and the resulting fictional neighborhood dynamic felt intensely real. In general, the characters are wonderfully drawn, and although this novel is nothing like Code Name Verity, I think I might recommend it to folks who enjoyed that one. Girl in Pieces prioritizes characters and their complicated truths in a similar way. I'd probably recommend this one for older teens and adults who read YA, not because I believe in shielding kids from content, but because the characters in this novel make nuanced and morally gray decisions that might render them unlikable to a less experienced soul. I know I would have judged the narrator more harshly at 13 than at 18, and that would have been a shame.
This one earns a place on my keeper shelf. Will instantly pick up whatever Glasgow puts out next.
This one earns a place on my keeper shelf. Will instantly pick up whatever Glasgow puts out next.
March 7, 2018
LIKE A BABY HARP SEAL, I'M ALL WHITE. MY FOREARMS ARE thickly bandaged, heavy as clubs. My thighs are wrapped tightly, too; white gauze peeks out from the shorts Nurse Ava pulled from the lost and found box behind the nurses' station.
Like an orphan, I came here with no clothes. Like an orphan, I was wrapped in a bedsheet and left on the lawn of Regions Hospital in the freezing sleet and snow, blood seeping through the flowered sheet.
The security guard who found me was bathed in menthol cigarettes and the flat stink of machine coffee. There was a curly forest of white hair inside his nostrils.
He said, "Holy Mother of God, girl, what's been done to you?"
My mother didn't come to claim me.
But: I remember the stars at night. They were like salt against the sky, like someone spilled the shaker against very dark cloth.
That mattered to me, their accidental beauty. The last thing I thought I might see before I died on the cold, wet grass.
There are many people out there with some kind of mental illness, I'm one of them. I have many disorders but I have never been a cutter. One of my friends of many, many years, was a cutter. It's not a pretty thing for anyone. She doesn't do that any more, thank God, but she still does have her mental issues.
I have known a lot of people throughout my life with mental disorders. A lot of them were older people, some have committed suicide, and one was the nicest old man I have ever met - but he had to have an older son live with him and his mom so he wouldn't have an episode and hurt her. He was schizophrenic, had a wonderful job until he retired and like I said, was a wonderful man until the day he died of old age. You don't really know people when your hidden behind the internet. Some have family members or friends with mental disorders and can or can try to relate.
I read these types of books to gain more insight into people with the different disorders. And the author's note is sad, I will add a little excerpt from it at the end.
This book is about Charlie Davis, she's a cutter and she tried to kill herself. She had a bad home life with her mother after her father died and she took to the streets. She was with some really messed up druggies at one point and almost sold to a sex house. She's only seventeen.
Charlie gets put in the mental facility after they release her from the hospital. I felt like she was slowly starting to find a little bit of herself. And then they just release her, I mean can we not focus on taking care of OUR people!
Charlie has friend from her past, Michael, that sends her a bus ticket to come and live in Arizona with him and his mom gives her some money too. She ends up finding a job washing dishes, moves into her own place (not a very nice one) and gets with some older man who is on his own downward spiral. I was afraid for Charlie there for a bit, but she is also an artist and Michael's landlord notices her because she is an artist too, has a studio, teaches, etc.
After a little bit of stupidity I like the way the ending happened and felt like things were finally looking up for Charlie, which she needed so badly.
Some places I felt the book dragged but that's just me. This isn't a book about happy go lucky times and fairies around every corner. It's just an author that is telling a story, an author that seems to know things from a personal perspective.
And remember, don't treat people with mental disorders like they are not real. Don't treat them like they are not lovable, not fun enough, too sad to talk to, blah blah blah. Show some kindness and respect what a person is going through. I'm not saying be their best friend, just don't be a bully or a jerk!
Portions of the Author's Note:
Years ago, I did not want to write this story.
Years ago, on the city bus, making notes for another story I was writing, I glanced up when I felt someone slide into the seat next to me. I planned to give her only the most perfunctory of glances and go back to my notes, but then my breath caught in my throat.
She had skin like mine. Feeling my eyes on her, she hastily slid down her sleeve, cloaking her thin, fresh red scars from view.
I can't tell you how much I wanted to pull up my own sleeves and say, "I'm just like you! Look! You are not alone."
But I didn't. Frankly, I was unnerved by her. After years of wearing long shirts, hiding what I had done to myself, in the hopes that I could "have a life," I found myself reeling back to when I was at the very depths of myself, more alone than I have ever been in my life.
Years ago, I didn't want to write the story of my scars, or the story of being a girl with scars, because it is hard enough being a girl in the world, but try being a girl with scars on your skin in the world.
I let that girl get off the bus without saying a word. And I shouldn't have. I should have let her know that even mired in the very depths of herself, she wasn't alone.
Because she's not.
You are not alone. Charlie Davis's story is the story of over two million young women in the United States. And those young women will grow up, like I did, bearing the truth of our past on our bodies.
I wrote the story of Charlie Davis for the cutters and the burners and the kids on the street who have nowhere safe to sleep. I wrote the story of Charlie Davis for their mothers and fathers and for their friends.
Charlie Davis finds her voice, and her solace, in drawing. I find mine in writing. What's your solace? Do you know? Find it and don't stop doing it, ever. Find your people (because you need to talk), your tribe, your reason to be, and I swear to you, the other side will emerge, slowly but surely. It's not always sunshine and roses over here, and sometimes the dark can get pretty dark, but it's filled with people who understand, and just enough laughter to soften the edges and get you through the next day.
KUDOS! ♥
If you know someone who self harms, get help right now.
S.A.F.E Alternatives: selfinjury.com 1-800-DONTCUT
To Write Love On Her Arms: twloha.com
Mental Health America (MHA): mentalhealthamerica.net/self-injury
DEPRESSION:
Teen Lifeline: teenlifeline.org; 1-800-248-8336 (TEEN)
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): nami.org
Teen Mental Health: teenmentalhealth.org
SUICIDAL
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: suicidepreventionlifeline.org; 1-800-273-8255
NEEDS A PLACE TO SLEEP
National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)
National Runaway Switchboard: 1-800-RUNAWAY
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
August 25, 2022
!!!!FIVE STARS!!!!
!!!TRIGGER WARNING: SELF-HARM AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE!!!!!
So this review is going to be a serious one!!
Yesterday was one of the biggest reliefs for me. I checked my tracking app to see that I had reached day 50 of no self-harm. It's still very hard. I have urges to hurt myself and rub my wrists whenever they get too strong.
Even now while writing this review I have the urge to take a knife and cut myself and waste a month. and a half of progress.
I think one of the many factors that inspired me to stay clean was this book. I related to the character so much and her experience was so painful, but beautiful. I remember when my mother made me wear long sleeves so that nobody could see what was hiding beneath. it was painful, really painful. And not the cutting, but what came after The. guilt, the shame, having to see the look of happiness disappear from my parent's faces. I remember I would cry in the bathroom. I cut myself because i thought I deserved it. because i said things that made people uncomfortable. Because I finally was myself around them and didn't realize that i had to be quiet.
the things charlie went through and continues to go through, show how strong she is. Part of myself wants to believe I'm weak for crying, that I have a home, I was never sexually assaulted, or held at gunpoint, or abused. That is why I cut myself. But Charlie believed that too, and every second I heard her doubt herself I wanted to tell her "but you have to stay strong." She couldn't hear me through those pages, but I could. And I think somehow, i was communicating with myself. With the part of me that was similar to charlie. the part that wanted it all to end.
I've tried to end my life before. Twice. No attempts worked. I lived with this guilt, that I was going to leave my family and friends. Even though I loved them so so much. seeing charlrie move on, and realize that she had to pull herself together, made me think to do the same thing.
Charlie is flawed, broken. But she is human, and so am I. And if a girl with no parents, who was sexually assaulted, abandoned, and isolated could fight her way to the top, then so can I.
thank you Glasgow for this beautifully heartbreaking novel.
--------------------------------------------
Holy shit, did this book break my fucking heart.
Review to Come
________________________________
I am so scared to read this book. Seeing as I have been ten days clean and do not want to relapse.
but still...sacrifices must be made since I have heard only the BEST things about this book.
!!!TRIGGER WARNING: SELF-HARM AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE!!!!!
So this review is going to be a serious one!!
Yesterday was one of the biggest reliefs for me. I checked my tracking app to see that I had reached day 50 of no self-harm. It's still very hard. I have urges to hurt myself and rub my wrists whenever they get too strong.
Even now while writing this review I have the urge to take a knife and cut myself and waste a month. and a half of progress.
I think one of the many factors that inspired me to stay clean was this book. I related to the character so much and her experience was so painful, but beautiful. I remember when my mother made me wear long sleeves so that nobody could see what was hiding beneath. it was painful, really painful. And not the cutting, but what came after The. guilt, the shame, having to see the look of happiness disappear from my parent's faces. I remember I would cry in the bathroom. I cut myself because i thought I deserved it. because i said things that made people uncomfortable. Because I finally was myself around them and didn't realize that i had to be quiet.
the things charlie went through and continues to go through, show how strong she is. Part of myself wants to believe I'm weak for crying, that I have a home, I was never sexually assaulted, or held at gunpoint, or abused. That is why I cut myself. But Charlie believed that too, and every second I heard her doubt herself I wanted to tell her "but you have to stay strong." She couldn't hear me through those pages, but I could. And I think somehow, i was communicating with myself. With the part of me that was similar to charlie. the part that wanted it all to end.
I've tried to end my life before. Twice. No attempts worked. I lived with this guilt, that I was going to leave my family and friends. Even though I loved them so so much. seeing charlrie move on, and realize that she had to pull herself together, made me think to do the same thing.
Charlie is flawed, broken. But she is human, and so am I. And if a girl with no parents, who was sexually assaulted, abandoned, and isolated could fight her way to the top, then so can I.
thank you Glasgow for this beautifully heartbreaking novel.
--------------------------------------------
Holy shit, did this book break my fucking heart.
Review to Come
________________________________
I am so scared to read this book. Seeing as I have been ten days clean and do not want to relapse.
but still...sacrifices must be made since I have heard only the BEST things about this book.
February 10, 2021
Caution: Trigger Warnings: self harm, suicide, drug use, abuse: rated R for language and other adult content.
This book is gut wrenching! 😭 From the first chapter, I got that ‘Girl Interrupted’ feel. With that said, I knew early on that this was going to be a HEAVY book, tackling many hard hitting issues. ☝️ It really grabs your attention. I could not stop reading! When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. For me, that equals five well deserved stars!! ⭐️ Charlie is a lost soul. This poor girls journey will just make your heart ache. 💔 This is going to be a book that stays with me for a while.
This book is gut wrenching! 😭 From the first chapter, I got that ‘Girl Interrupted’ feel. With that said, I knew early on that this was going to be a HEAVY book, tackling many hard hitting issues. ☝️ It really grabs your attention. I could not stop reading! When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. For me, that equals five well deserved stars!! ⭐️ Charlie is a lost soul. This poor girls journey will just make your heart ache. 💔 This is going to be a book that stays with me for a while.
February 8, 2023
“That's how hearts get broken, you know. When you believe in promises.”
Before I go on, let me just say that this book is very triggering, so if you struggle with suicidal thoughts or self-harm I would not recommend reading this book.
I feel like I've been putting off writing reviews lately, like I have no motivation to write them, but I felt like I had to immediately (or maybe a few hours after finishing) write one for this book.
I think that this review is going to be extremely difficult to write. I have so many thoughts and opinions on this book, but I don't know how to write them. This book had an impact on me, and it made me think. It made me think a little too much, but I think I'm okay.
I also feel like I can't format this review like I typically format reviews- I don't know why, it just feels...wrong.
I thought that I would hate the writing going into this honestly, but I found it gorgeous. The author writes like how I always wished I could write before I discovered that I'm positively awful at writing beautiful sentences.
“Girl listens to radio. Girl finds music. Girl has whole other world.
Girl slips on headphones. World gone.”
Music is my life.
The plot never felt slow- even if it may have felt slow at times, I just couldn't stop reading. The book captivated me, hooked me in like a fish on a line, and I couldn't stop. I'm glad I didn't, because this book is just....I don't even know. Sorry.
I felt so many emotions reading this: sadness, guilt, pity, hope, disappointment. Mainly sad, since this book covers many dark and upsetting subjects, but there was also the hope. Hope when Charlie was getting better, hope when Charlie was smiling.
Speaking of Charlie, even if/when she made irrational or stupid decisions, I just couldn't hate her. After all she'd been through, it had changed her and forced her to act out, and feel unwanted emotions, and I couldn't judge her too harshly because of that. I loved how she jumped back and tried to find life and love, and she sometimes did find it.
“I remember the stars that night. They were like salt against the sky, like someone spilled the shaker against very dark cloth. That mattered to me, their accidental beauty.”
This may seem out of the blue, but I hated Riley. It felt like he was using Charlie just for the drugs and for a distraction or someone to lean onto, which I'm pretty sure he was doing. And his and Charlie's relationship just made me far too uncomfortable. I thought that he was going to get redeemed at the end when certain scenes popped up, but I don't think he actually was.
I'm sorry if this review is odd, it's just incredibly difficult for me to review books like this, especially ones that had an impact or made me think/feel a lot. It was hard to come up with what to say, what words to use, but here it is. If I apologized a lot throughout this, I'm sorry. That doesn't help my case, but I honestly do not know what to say. But anyways, thanks for reading, let me know what you think because I just feel odd right now and can't think at all 😅
5 stars
“Don't let the cereal eat you. It's only a fucking box of cereal, but it will eat you alive if you let it.”
<><><><><><><>
I don't even know what to say
rtc
Before I go on, let me just say that this book is very triggering, so if you struggle with suicidal thoughts or self-harm I would not recommend reading this book.
I feel like I've been putting off writing reviews lately, like I have no motivation to write them, but I felt like I had to immediately (or maybe a few hours after finishing) write one for this book.
I think that this review is going to be extremely difficult to write. I have so many thoughts and opinions on this book, but I don't know how to write them. This book had an impact on me, and it made me think. It made me think a little too much, but I think I'm okay.
I also feel like I can't format this review like I typically format reviews- I don't know why, it just feels...wrong.
I thought that I would hate the writing going into this honestly, but I found it gorgeous. The author writes like how I always wished I could write before I discovered that I'm positively awful at writing beautiful sentences.
“Girl listens to radio. Girl finds music. Girl has whole other world.
Girl slips on headphones. World gone.”
Music is my life.
The plot never felt slow- even if it may have felt slow at times, I just couldn't stop reading. The book captivated me, hooked me in like a fish on a line, and I couldn't stop. I'm glad I didn't, because this book is just....I don't even know. Sorry.
I felt so many emotions reading this: sadness, guilt, pity, hope, disappointment. Mainly sad, since this book covers many dark and upsetting subjects, but there was also the hope. Hope when Charlie was getting better, hope when Charlie was smiling.
Speaking of Charlie, even if/when she made irrational or stupid decisions, I just couldn't hate her. After all she'd been through, it had changed her and forced her to act out, and feel unwanted emotions, and I couldn't judge her too harshly because of that. I loved how she jumped back and tried to find life and love, and she sometimes did find it.
“I remember the stars that night. They were like salt against the sky, like someone spilled the shaker against very dark cloth. That mattered to me, their accidental beauty.”
This may seem out of the blue, but I hated Riley. It felt like he was using Charlie just for the drugs and for a distraction or someone to lean onto, which I'm pretty sure he was doing. And his and Charlie's relationship just made me far too uncomfortable. I thought that he was going to get redeemed at the end when certain scenes popped up, but I don't think he actually was.
I'm sorry if this review is odd, it's just incredibly difficult for me to review books like this, especially ones that had an impact or made me think/feel a lot. It was hard to come up with what to say, what words to use, but here it is. If I apologized a lot throughout this, I'm sorry. That doesn't help my case, but I honestly do not know what to say. But anyways, thanks for reading, let me know what you think because I just feel odd right now and can't think at all 😅
5 stars
“Don't let the cereal eat you. It's only a fucking box of cereal, but it will eat you alive if you let it.”
<><><><><><><>
I don't even know what to say
rtc
April 22, 2017
I made it. I finally made it through 400 and something freaking pages. This book started out great, but as I read on, it just got worse and worse. I'm probably one of those 5% of readers this book didn't have an effect on.
Trigger warning: Self-harm, drugs, alcohol, sexual abuse
●I was okay with the writing. This book is written in three parts. (Honestly, I don't really get the point of having it written in three parts.) Sometimes there was a paragraph a page sometimes it was long. I actually liked how it was written. I have read reviews where people had problem with the writing style, but I personally liked it. Kathleen Gasgow's writing is beautiful and heartbreaking.
●I loved how the author hits on the subject of self harm, but then as we read on, drugs, and alcohol are thrown in there. I felt like the author was trying so hard to include all these tough subjects into one book. I was starting to drift away from the story and I was starting to lose the plot.
●I didn't like Charlie's character at times. She would start self pitying herself and it was getting annoying. Charlie was one hell of a strong character though. She's been through abandonment, losing a father, losing a very close friend, and she was homeless for a year. She got the help she needed and was then released to her mother who gave her a bus ticket to Arizona to go fend for herself. Times were hard for her. She had to get a job. She had nothing. She was alone.
●I connected with Charlie. I felt her desperation for money and a job and a place to live, but I couldn't really connect with her pain and self-harm.
●This book was depressing. It was so depressing I wanted to freaking scream.
●I also felt like the author could have clarified a few things to us that are mentioned a lot in the book.
-Charlie's relationship with Mikey.
-Charlie's relationship with Ellis.
-Charlie's fathers death.
-Charlie's mother.
-A bit more information about when she lived with Fucking Frank.
-And rape.
This was a heartbreaking story, but just not for me. It didn't affect me. I didn't cry.
Trigger warning: Self-harm, drugs, alcohol, sexual abuse
●I was okay with the writing. This book is written in three parts. (Honestly, I don't really get the point of having it written in three parts.) Sometimes there was a paragraph a page sometimes it was long. I actually liked how it was written. I have read reviews where people had problem with the writing style, but I personally liked it. Kathleen Gasgow's writing is beautiful and heartbreaking.
●I loved how the author hits on the subject of self harm, but then as we read on, drugs, and alcohol are thrown in there. I felt like the author was trying so hard to include all these tough subjects into one book. I was starting to drift away from the story and I was starting to lose the plot.
●I didn't like Charlie's character at times. She would start self pitying herself and it was getting annoying. Charlie was one hell of a strong character though. She's been through abandonment, losing a father, losing a very close friend, and she was homeless for a year. She got the help she needed and was then released to her mother who gave her a bus ticket to Arizona to go fend for herself. Times were hard for her. She had to get a job. She had nothing. She was alone.
●I connected with Charlie. I felt her desperation for money and a job and a place to live, but I couldn't really connect with her pain and self-harm.
●This book was depressing. It was so depressing I wanted to freaking scream.
●I also felt like the author could have clarified a few things to us that are mentioned a lot in the book.
-Charlie's relationship with Mikey.
-Charlie's relationship with Ellis.
-Charlie's fathers death.
-Charlie's mother.
-A bit more information about when she lived with Fucking Frank.
-And rape.
This was a heartbreaking story, but just not for me. It didn't affect me. I didn't cry.
February 10, 2016
The first thing that gripped me about this book was the writing. Glasgow’s style is so thick with emotion and yet sparse on the page. In places, it reads like poetry. I was immediately drawn in by Glasgow’s words, the book’s atmospheric setting. Then there was the character’s struggle with her sense of self, her mistrust of others. Charlie’s pain was so pervasive that it felt like layers of gauze being stripped away from a wound. Layer after layer we see what and who has hurt Charlie. Glasgow is an artist when it comes to building tension, revealing the ache. And there is a lot of ache in this book. My chest felt tight with fear and compassion for Charlie, a homeless 17-year-old cutter.
While Charlie is in therapy, her counselor reminds her to breathe. I had to remind myself to do just that as I read these pages because I wanted so badly for Charlie to survive. I wanted to heal her and comfort her and make the world a better place for her.
Glasgow’s debut doesn’t shy away from the physical act of cutting or exploring the physical and emotional residue left behind. We see Charlie hide the shame of her scars. We know Charlie feels unloved and unloveable because of her scars. And yet the thing she keeps so dear, so close to her is her “tender kit” the small safety blanket (shards of glass, gauze and ointment) that she uses to drain the pain from inside. Her tender kit is her comfort because people are unreliable. People hurt. Cutting transfers that pain for a brief swell of moments.
This is a book about survival. The horrors of physical survival when you are homeless: getting food, daily shelter, remaining safe in the unprotected dark. It is a book about emotional survival and how one teen works through the pain of abandonment and abuse. How she deals with the scars that her family, strangers, and even friends have etched into her heart. It is a book about embracing your art & your voice, finding a way to set the beautiful parts of you free in the world. For Charlie, that was her drawing. Her art was her language, and it was beautiful.
GIRL IN PIECES is an intense and gorgeously written book about survival and the kind of precious hope that can spring from the most desperate of wells. After being with Charlie on her journey of survival, it was a gift to see her gather her pieces and begin to thrive.
While Charlie is in therapy, her counselor reminds her to breathe. I had to remind myself to do just that as I read these pages because I wanted so badly for Charlie to survive. I wanted to heal her and comfort her and make the world a better place for her.
Glasgow’s debut doesn’t shy away from the physical act of cutting or exploring the physical and emotional residue left behind. We see Charlie hide the shame of her scars. We know Charlie feels unloved and unloveable because of her scars. And yet the thing she keeps so dear, so close to her is her “tender kit” the small safety blanket (shards of glass, gauze and ointment) that she uses to drain the pain from inside. Her tender kit is her comfort because people are unreliable. People hurt. Cutting transfers that pain for a brief swell of moments.
This is a book about survival. The horrors of physical survival when you are homeless: getting food, daily shelter, remaining safe in the unprotected dark. It is a book about emotional survival and how one teen works through the pain of abandonment and abuse. How she deals with the scars that her family, strangers, and even friends have etched into her heart. It is a book about embracing your art & your voice, finding a way to set the beautiful parts of you free in the world. For Charlie, that was her drawing. Her art was her language, and it was beautiful.
GIRL IN PIECES is an intense and gorgeously written book about survival and the kind of precious hope that can spring from the most desperate of wells. After being with Charlie on her journey of survival, it was a gift to see her gather her pieces and begin to thrive.
April 3, 2023
WOW JUST WOW!!! Girl In Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow was no exception, this book was utterly heartbreaking and real. I saw so much hype for this book and I knew I had to read it immediately, i'm so glad I picked it up because it was so good!! I have never read a book by Kathleen Glasgow before, but i'll definitely read her other books. CHECK TW'S before reading this story because it does include addiction, self-harm, suicide, and depression. This story was so gut wrenching it left me in tears. I knew nothing going into this story, and i'm so glad for that because it was unputdownable! The abuse that Charlie Davis went through was just heart wrenching, my heart goes out to Charlotte💓!!!!
"Like an orphan, I came here with no clothes. Like an orphan, I was wrapped in a bed sheet and left on the lawn of Regions Hospital in the freezing sleet and snow, blood seeping through the flowered sheet. I remember the stars that night. They were like salt against the sky, like someone spilled the shaker against very dark cloth. That mattered to me, their accidental beauty. The last thing I thought I might see before I died on the cold, wet grass".
Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At seventeen she's already lost more than most people do in a lifetime. But Charlotte has 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. Charlotte doesn't want to remember the man who has sold her for her body, or the underpass. after losing so much, Charlotte thought the only way out was self-harm, which has caused her to end up in the psychiatric ward. After spending a few months there Charlie is let out but she goes and lives with her friend Mikey in Tucson, Arizona.
After leaving Charlotte promised her doctors and nurses she would never return to drinking, doing drugs, and self-harming but things get too tough for Charlie. 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. Charlotte lands herself a job as a dishwasher at the local cafe where she gets too close to Riley, who has his own secrets. This is a deeply moving story of a gilr in a world that owes her nothing, and has taken so much, and the journey Charlotte undergoes to put herself back together. After Charlotte's father died, her mother would grow quiet and constantly hit Charlie for absolutely no reason.
My heart still hurts two months later after reading this story!!!!!
"Like an orphan, I came here with no clothes. Like an orphan, I was wrapped in a bed sheet and left on the lawn of Regions Hospital in the freezing sleet and snow, blood seeping through the flowered sheet. I remember the stars that night. They were like salt against the sky, like someone spilled the shaker against very dark cloth. That mattered to me, their accidental beauty. The last thing I thought I might see before I died on the cold, wet grass".
Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At seventeen she's already lost more than most people do in a lifetime. But Charlotte has 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. Charlotte doesn't want to remember the man who has sold her for her body, or the underpass. after losing so much, Charlotte thought the only way out was self-harm, which has caused her to end up in the psychiatric ward. After spending a few months there Charlie is let out but she goes and lives with her friend Mikey in Tucson, Arizona.
After leaving Charlotte promised her doctors and nurses she would never return to drinking, doing drugs, and self-harming but things get too tough for Charlie. 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. Charlotte lands herself a job as a dishwasher at the local cafe where she gets too close to Riley, who has his own secrets. This is a deeply moving story of a gilr in a world that owes her nothing, and has taken so much, and the journey Charlotte undergoes to put herself back together. After Charlotte's father died, her mother would grow quiet and constantly hit Charlie for absolutely no reason.
My heart still hurts two months later after reading this story!!!!!
March 24, 2023
—4 broken, beautiful, and brave stars—
“And you know what makes me super mad? If a guy has scars, it’s like some heroic shit show or something. But women? We’re just creepy freaks.”
————about the book————
Age: YA and up
Genres: Contemporary
Cliffhanger: no
Writing: 8/10
Quotes: 8/10
World building: n/a
Characters: 7/10
Romance: 5/10
My rating: 8/10
Triggers: self-harm, depression, sexual assault, physical assault, rape, violence, alcoholism, drug use, suicide, etc.
‼️spoilers below‼️
———my feelings———
Charlie Davies is in pieces. At only seventeen, she’s lost more than you’d ever want to imagine.
Charlie needs the broken glass, needs the feeling of being able to forget.
Forget about her friends that left her, forget about her parents, everything.
But when you’re so close to the edge, can you bring yourself back?
This was heart breaking, it was hard to read, it was, at times, horrible. But it was also beautiful, the story of a girl finding her way back from hell.
The thing that sucked me in at first, was the writing. The descriptions of people, the sounds and tastes and smells, you could almost feel it.
But I stayed for Charlie.
Charlie, who’d made bad decisions, made mistakes, who’d had terrible things happen to her. But she kept on going, even when she almost gave up, fighting her way through this world.
Charlie, who felt so unflinchingly, beautifully, human.
The world is not kind to teenage girls.
Teenage girls will change to survive, will make bad decisions just because it feels like the world is daring them to, will bottle all their feelings up inside.
This is the world we live in.
Where girls with scars are seen as unnatural, to be pitied, and to be scorned.
But scars are their own kind of beautiful, a badge that says “look, I survived”.
Charlie went through so much in this book, that I just wanted to hold her, and tell her everything’s going to be alright.
And it was.
So if you keep holding on, I promise you, life will get better.
———characters ———
Charlie: she felt so real to me, that I couldn’t help but love her. My baby.
Blue: ok, maybe she’s my favourite character... so brave and unwilling to give in. LOVE HER.
Riley: I never liked his and Charlie’s relationship. He’s almost ten years older than her, so the power dynamics were completely skewed.
————quotes————
“People should know about us. Girls who write their pain on their bodies.”
“There is the person people see on the outside and there is the person on the inside and then, even farther down, is that other, buried person, a naked and silent creature, not used to light.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you, Charlie. Not one thing. Can’t you see that?”
———random extra thoughts———
My crazy self decided that yes, it’s an AMAZING idea to read this and a little life at the same time! Who doesn’t want more trauma?
Thanks for reading!❤️
“And you know what makes me super mad? If a guy has scars, it’s like some heroic shit show or something. But women? We’re just creepy freaks.”
————about the book————
Age: YA and up
Genres: Contemporary
Cliffhanger: no
Writing: 8/10
Quotes: 8/10
World building: n/a
Characters: 7/10
Romance: 5/10
My rating: 8/10
Triggers: self-harm, depression, sexual assault, physical assault, rape, violence, alcoholism, drug use, suicide, etc.
‼️spoilers below‼️
———my feelings———
Charlie Davies is in pieces. At only seventeen, she’s lost more than you’d ever want to imagine.
Charlie needs the broken glass, needs the feeling of being able to forget.
Forget about her friends that left her, forget about her parents, everything.
But when you’re so close to the edge, can you bring yourself back?
This was heart breaking, it was hard to read, it was, at times, horrible. But it was also beautiful, the story of a girl finding her way back from hell.
The thing that sucked me in at first, was the writing. The descriptions of people, the sounds and tastes and smells, you could almost feel it.
But I stayed for Charlie.
Charlie, who’d made bad decisions, made mistakes, who’d had terrible things happen to her. But she kept on going, even when she almost gave up, fighting her way through this world.
Charlie, who felt so unflinchingly, beautifully, human.
The world is not kind to teenage girls.
Teenage girls will change to survive, will make bad decisions just because it feels like the world is daring them to, will bottle all their feelings up inside.
This is the world we live in.
Where girls with scars are seen as unnatural, to be pitied, and to be scorned.
But scars are their own kind of beautiful, a badge that says “look, I survived”.
Charlie went through so much in this book, that I just wanted to hold her, and tell her everything’s going to be alright.
And it was.
So if you keep holding on, I promise you, life will get better.
———characters ———
Charlie: she felt so real to me, that I couldn’t help but love her. My baby.
Blue: ok, maybe she’s my favourite character... so brave and unwilling to give in. LOVE HER.
Riley: I never liked his and Charlie’s relationship. He’s almost ten years older than her, so the power dynamics were completely skewed.
————quotes————
“People should know about us. Girls who write their pain on their bodies.”
“There is the person people see on the outside and there is the person on the inside and then, even farther down, is that other, buried person, a naked and silent creature, not used to light.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you, Charlie. Not one thing. Can’t you see that?”
———random extra thoughts———
My crazy self decided that yes, it’s an AMAZING idea to read this and a little life at the same time! Who doesn’t want more trauma?
Thanks for reading!❤️
![Profile Image for Youssra♡ [On hiatus].](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1682365942i/151627451._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
April 30, 2023
Caution: Trigger Warnings: self harm, suicide, drug use, abuse, depression, alcholism, etc.
5 beautifully brave stars
It took me almost 2 exhausting months to get through this book, and it was worth every second. I'm so glad I took my time reading this. This book was so raw and heart wrenching but most of all beautiful. It was so hard to read at times that I had to take so many breaks to recover from what i read and just breathe in! Breathe out! I’m a weeping mess.
Throughout the whole book it was like I could feel what Charlie felt and it made me want to hold her so tight and hug her while telling her everything is gonna be alright and that i´m so proud of her.
Most of all I wanted her to be the best version of herself and to be proud of the human beige she has become and will continue to grow. She deserves to be proud of herself after everything she's been through.
Her body tells her story, and shows us the human eye that she's so so so strong for still standing up and not giving up on herself.
This story was so gut wrenching, it left me in absolute tears.
This book has left such an impact on me and I will never forget this book or my baby Charlie.
Blue Blue Blue, she's one of my favorite characters, she's so brave and I admire her sm for that.
Riley, i´ve felt weird about him from the start tbh. He gave off such a weird vibe, idk what it was about him. I just couldn´t get myself to like him.
I´m so glad he and Charlie didn't end up together.
~Quotes~
“𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙤. 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙘. 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙.
𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙥��� 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨. 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙚.” Music is my life and more.
“𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙨.”
“𝘿𝙤𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙪𝙩, 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧.”
“𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙙? 𝙄𝙛 𝙖 𝙜𝙪𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙨, 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣? 𝙒𝙚'𝙧𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙨..”
“𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣, 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣, 𝙖 𝙣𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩.”
“𝘼 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡'𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙. 𝘼 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡'𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙨: 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙙, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣.”
“𝙋𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙪𝙨. 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙨.”
“𝘿𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙤𝙭 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙩.
--------------------
Thank you sm for reading this review! 💗
5 beautifully brave stars
It took me almost 2 exhausting months to get through this book, and it was worth every second. I'm so glad I took my time reading this. This book was so raw and heart wrenching but most of all beautiful. It was so hard to read at times that I had to take so many breaks to recover from what i read and just breathe in! Breathe out! I’m a weeping mess.
Throughout the whole book it was like I could feel what Charlie felt and it made me want to hold her so tight and hug her while telling her everything is gonna be alright and that i´m so proud of her.
Most of all I wanted her to be the best version of herself and to be proud of the human beige she has become and will continue to grow. She deserves to be proud of herself after everything she's been through.
Her body tells her story, and shows us the human eye that she's so so so strong for still standing up and not giving up on herself.
This story was so gut wrenching, it left me in absolute tears.
This book has left such an impact on me and I will never forget this book or my baby Charlie.
Blue Blue Blue, she's one of my favorite characters, she's so brave and I admire her sm for that.
Riley, i´ve felt weird about him from the start tbh. He gave off such a weird vibe, idk what it was about him. I just couldn´t get myself to like him.
I´m so glad he and Charlie didn't end up together.
~Quotes~
“𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙤. 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙘. 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙.
𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙥��� 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨. 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙚.” Music is my life and more.
“𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙨.”
“𝘿𝙤𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙪𝙩, 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧.”
“𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙙? 𝙄𝙛 𝙖 𝙜𝙪𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙨, 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣? 𝙒𝙚'𝙧𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙨..”
“𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣, 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣, 𝙖 𝙣𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩.”
“𝘼 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡'𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙. 𝘼 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡'𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙨: 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙙, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣.”
“𝙋𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙪𝙨. 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙨.”
“𝘿𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙤𝙭 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙩.
--------------------
Thank you sm for reading this review! 💗
April 18, 2022
4/5 stars
If you want to know more of my thoughts don't forget to check out my video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmPaB...
*Got a ARC of this book at BEA*
If you want to know more of my thoughts don't forget to check out my video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmPaB...
*Got a ARC of this book at BEA*
August 28, 2016
I'm not one to write long reviews. This book is spectacular for many reasons, and there will be many reviews digging into those reasons. For me, there is one standout reason you must read this novel: there is no such thing as "all the way better."
Whether it's dealing with self-harm like the protagonist Charlotte, or an ED, or depression, or chronic illness, or alcohol addiction, or ANYTHING, recovery has no endpoint. You live with your physical or metaphorical scars forever. Yes, there are highs and lows. Yes, there is plenty of hope that you can be much better off ten years down the line, but when you battle with anything so deeply destructive and chronic, there is no such thing as "all the way better."
Girl In Pieces deals with this truth so beautifully. Too many books end with the character entering therapy and a false *nudge* to the reader that the character will then be miraculously cured of their ailment. Instead, the majority of Girl In Pieces takes place after Charlotte leaves the nest of therapy, and it explores the many, many, many, step ups and step downs to living with her tornado. It's chillingly real, hauntingly beautiful, and above all - a necessary narrative.
Girls, and all people, who are trying to OVERCOME need this narrative. Girls need this narrative. They need to not hate themselves for being unable to achieve the myth of "all the way better." They need to know, and perhaps more importantly their friends and caretakers need to know, "all the way better" is a myth. When someone suffers from any type of chronic mental or physical disorder or addiction, it will always be with them. They can pull their life together, but the threat of falling backwards will always be hiding in the corner. Society needs to readjust their understanding of what "recovery" means, and I genuinely believe Girl In Pieces is a book that will help with that understanding.
I could talk about the million other reasons I love this book, but simply, beyond the importance of the message, Glasgow's prose isn't 5/5, it's 10/10. And I'm picky. I really am. But this is the type of prose that will inspire me to work harder, to become a better writer myself.
I'm so honored I had a chance to read this breathtaking novel early, and I hope all of you will read it too. I cannot wait to see what Glasgow writes next.
Whether it's dealing with self-harm like the protagonist Charlotte, or an ED, or depression, or chronic illness, or alcohol addiction, or ANYTHING, recovery has no endpoint. You live with your physical or metaphorical scars forever. Yes, there are highs and lows. Yes, there is plenty of hope that you can be much better off ten years down the line, but when you battle with anything so deeply destructive and chronic, there is no such thing as "all the way better."
Girl In Pieces deals with this truth so beautifully. Too many books end with the character entering therapy and a false *nudge* to the reader that the character will then be miraculously cured of their ailment. Instead, the majority of Girl In Pieces takes place after Charlotte leaves the nest of therapy, and it explores the many, many, many, step ups and step downs to living with her tornado. It's chillingly real, hauntingly beautiful, and above all - a necessary narrative.
Girls, and all people, who are trying to OVERCOME need this narrative. Girls need this narrative. They need to not hate themselves for being unable to achieve the myth of "all the way better." They need to know, and perhaps more importantly their friends and caretakers need to know, "all the way better" is a myth. When someone suffers from any type of chronic mental or physical disorder or addiction, it will always be with them. They can pull their life together, but the threat of falling backwards will always be hiding in the corner. Society needs to readjust their understanding of what "recovery" means, and I genuinely believe Girl In Pieces is a book that will help with that understanding.
I could talk about the million other reasons I love this book, but simply, beyond the importance of the message, Glasgow's prose isn't 5/5, it's 10/10. And I'm picky. I really am. But this is the type of prose that will inspire me to work harder, to become a better writer myself.
I'm so honored I had a chance to read this breathtaking novel early, and I hope all of you will read it too. I cannot wait to see what Glasgow writes next.
May 19, 2020
3.5 stars
March 19, 2019
4,5* - I'm normally very easily annoyed by characters who pity themselves all the time. But this wasn't the case with Charlie and I can't really explain why. It didn't really feel forced but natural and understandable how she felt and acted.
I pretty much liked everything about this book except for the ending. It was overdone and extremely unrealistic.
I would totally recommend this to everyone who is interested in topics like self harm and mental illnesses. ( So obviously, trigger warning for these things!)
I pretty much liked everything about this book except for the ending. It was overdone and extremely unrealistic.
I would totally recommend this to everyone who is interested in topics like self harm and mental illnesses. ( So obviously, trigger warning for these things!)
March 1, 2018
This was an okay read. Not really something that I would normally reach for, but I’m not mad that I read it. I will say that I had an EXTREMELY hard time getting into the beginning of this, but once the main character moved cities things really started holding my attention and I ended up enjoying it in the end.
Also: I read this for MissSassyKassie’s book club for February! The live show will be on Sunday 3/4 at 1pm PST on her channel!
Also: I read this for MissSassyKassie’s book club for February! The live show will be on Sunday 3/4 at 1pm PST on her channel!
February 4, 2022
Ever picked up a book and thought, okay, just another book to tick off my to-read list, no expectations but ended up loving it instead and wondering why no one else is talking about it?
Girl in Pieces is that book. And as Ellis says it, this book is fucking angelic.
Girl in Pieces is that book. And as Ellis says it, this book is fucking angelic.
February 16, 2022
that was rough
May 3, 2019
3.5 Stars
Mental Health Read-A-Thon: Other(Non Suicidal Self Injury)
I wasn't sure what rating I would give this book. Girl In Pieces is about Charlotte(Charlie) Davis who is a barely 18 year old homeless girl whose mother is terrible and whose friends are all drug addict criminals. She finds herself living in an underaged brothel and one night cuts herself so badly she ends up in the hospital.
Charlie is a mess!
I'm just gonna admit it, I know nothing about cutters and I truly don't understand how pain makes someone feel better. As someone who is in near constant pain, I don't understand why someone would want more pain. The amount of emotional pain you would have be in to harm yourself to feel better must be ENORMOUS. It makes me sad and I hope you know that help is out there.
I didn't know how I would rate Girl In Pieces because I didn't understand the choices Charlie made. She really got on my last nerve and I just wanted to shake her and say stop hanging out with lowlifes and get your shit together. The love interest in this book was a terrible person and even the other terrible people around her were like "girl he's just not that into you". I had to take a step back and realize that Charlie's decisions were probably based in reality and I based my opinions on my own life experiences. I dont have terrible parents, I've never been homeless, I've never been friendless, and I've never felt unloved. So at about halfway through the book I decided to give Charlie a break.
But she still worked my nerves!
Girl In Pieces is a dark and emotionally raw read. I ended up enjoying it despite my earlier reservations.
Mental Health Read-A-Thon: Other(Non Suicidal Self Injury)
I wasn't sure what rating I would give this book. Girl In Pieces is about Charlotte(Charlie) Davis who is a barely 18 year old homeless girl whose mother is terrible and whose friends are all drug addict criminals. She finds herself living in an underaged brothel and one night cuts herself so badly she ends up in the hospital.
Charlie is a mess!
I'm just gonna admit it, I know nothing about cutters and I truly don't understand how pain makes someone feel better. As someone who is in near constant pain, I don't understand why someone would want more pain. The amount of emotional pain you would have be in to harm yourself to feel better must be ENORMOUS. It makes me sad and I hope you know that help is out there.
I didn't know how I would rate Girl In Pieces because I didn't understand the choices Charlie made. She really got on my last nerve and I just wanted to shake her and say stop hanging out with lowlifes and get your shit together. The love interest in this book was a terrible person and even the other terrible people around her were like "girl he's just not that into you". I had to take a step back and realize that Charlie's decisions were probably based in reality and I based my opinions on my own life experiences. I dont have terrible parents, I've never been homeless, I've never been friendless, and I've never felt unloved. So at about halfway through the book I decided to give Charlie a break.
But she still worked my nerves!
Girl In Pieces is a dark and emotionally raw read. I ended up enjoying it despite my earlier reservations.
August 22, 2017
It took me a minute to get into this story. The style and narrative are unlike anything I usually read. I quite enjoyed this book and I would like follow up to see how the characters evolved.
March 25, 2022
should never have been written 😍😍😍
December 15, 2016
The thing is...the more drama you add won't mean it'll make people suffer more, it's even more, it'll make you roll your eyes for a long time and it's disturbing. I'll write a review soon.
March 12, 2020
Awfully slow. Feels like a constant pity party.
August 29, 2016
Thank you Penguin Random House / Delacorte Press for the ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Full review posted at Confessions of a Pinay Bookaholic
Charlotte Davis lost everything in her life; her father, her mother, her best friend and her direction in life. She became homeless and lived on a sex house where she witnessed abuse. She doesn't have a good relationship with her mother because she neglected and abused her. Handling all these is too much for her, given she's 17 years old. It's indeed traumatic. Every emotion and pain builds inside her. As a means of coping, she cuts / self-harming herself to release it and continuously do it until she finds peace. Here, we get to follow her journey of vulnerability and healing from the mental facility to the real world where she meets new people and explore to find a sense of direction. She keeps herself busy and productive to distract herself on moments she's tempted.
A beautiful story filled with raw emotions and the heroine expressed it genuinely. She represents people who are unable to cope which lead them to darkness and struggles to find the light. Her journey isn't easy and she met people along the way. These people have their own dark stories that made them self-destructive too (alcohol, drugs, sex etc.) yet, they helped & motivated her to become whole again. What's more admirable? Her strength to get out of that darkness even if it's trying to drag her down. She let people in her life and she help herself not to go on that path again. I could never be more proud and I just want to cheer and hug her for all the things she'd been through. I am satisfied with the ending. It's realistic and I love it's not all about romance.
I want to praise Ms. Kathleen Glasgow for her courage to write this book. Her note at the last part is amazing.. So deep and hands down amazing. This is a greatly written debut novel and an eye opener to self-harm. These people want to voice out but no one is willing to hear them out, WHEN WE SHOULD HAVE. Worse, being judge of whatever problem they're facing. It's important we should not ignore these people and help them in every possible way. For those who are experiencing this, express it before you explode. Don't let your burdens destroy you.
Let me share my favorite quote in this book:
I gave this book 4.5 /5 stars. I am indeed recommending this book and I am looking forward to read Ms. Glasgow's upcoming novels.
Full review posted at Confessions of a Pinay Bookaholic
Charlotte Davis lost everything in her life; her father, her mother, her best friend and her direction in life. She became homeless and lived on a sex house where she witnessed abuse. She doesn't have a good relationship with her mother because she neglected and abused her. Handling all these is too much for her, given she's 17 years old. It's indeed traumatic. Every emotion and pain builds inside her. As a means of coping, she cuts / self-harming herself to release it and continuously do it until she finds peace. Here, we get to follow her journey of vulnerability and healing from the mental facility to the real world where she meets new people and explore to find a sense of direction. She keeps herself busy and productive to distract herself on moments she's tempted.
A beautiful story filled with raw emotions and the heroine expressed it genuinely. She represents people who are unable to cope which lead them to darkness and struggles to find the light. Her journey isn't easy and she met people along the way. These people have their own dark stories that made them self-destructive too (alcohol, drugs, sex etc.) yet, they helped & motivated her to become whole again. What's more admirable? Her strength to get out of that darkness even if it's trying to drag her down. She let people in her life and she help herself not to go on that path again. I could never be more proud and I just want to cheer and hug her for all the things she'd been through. I am satisfied with the ending. It's realistic and I love it's not all about romance.
I want to praise Ms. Kathleen Glasgow for her courage to write this book. Her note at the last part is amazing.. So deep and hands down amazing. This is a greatly written debut novel and an eye opener to self-harm. These people want to voice out but no one is willing to hear them out, WHEN WE SHOULD HAVE. Worse, being judge of whatever problem they're facing. It's important we should not ignore these people and help them in every possible way. For those who are experiencing this, express it before you explode. Don't let your burdens destroy you.
Let me share my favorite quote in this book:
“Everyone has that moment I think, the moment when something so momentous happens that it rips your very being into small pieces. And then you have to stop. For a long time, you gather your pieces. And it takes such a very long time, not to fit them back together, but to assemble them in a new way, not necessarily a better way. More, a way you can live with until you know for certain that this piece should go there, and that one there.”
I gave this book 4.5 /5 stars. I am indeed recommending this book and I am looking forward to read Ms. Glasgow's upcoming novels.
December 2, 2022
✩ 4 stars
~
i would definitely recommend looking at the trigger warnings bc IT’S INTENSE!
~
as someone who struggles who self harm, i found this soo relatable but also so eye-opening at the same time.
~
even though it was hard to read, i didn’t feel super triggered. i think that has to do with the state of mind i was in when i read this.
-
anyways again i HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS!
unless u feel like u can’t, then i totally understand <3
~
i would definitely recommend looking at the trigger warnings bc IT’S INTENSE!
~
as someone who struggles who self harm, i found this soo relatable but also so eye-opening at the same time.
~
even though it was hard to read, i didn’t feel super triggered. i think that has to do with the state of mind i was in when i read this.
-
anyways again i HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS!
unless u feel like u can’t, then i totally understand <3
April 22, 2019
Translation widget on the blog!!!
O carte cutremurătoare și captivantă. Despre o tânără care se luptă cu depresia, care încearcă să se lipească la loc după ce a fost făcută bucăți. O poveste despre curaj și forță. Despre dorința de a răzbate.
Recenzia mea completa o găsiți aici:
https://www.delicateseliterare.ro/o-f...
O carte cutremurătoare și captivantă. Despre o tânără care se luptă cu depresia, care încearcă să se lipească la loc după ce a fost făcută bucăți. O poveste despre curaj și forță. Despre dorința de a răzbate.
Recenzia mea completa o găsiți aici:
https://www.delicateseliterare.ro/o-f...
March 29, 2023
“is everyone looking at me as i fumble for the bills in my pocket? they are. arent they?”
never related to something more.
never related to something more.
November 14, 2018
Interesting...
Charlotte Davis is not your average teenager. She practices self harm in the form of cutting. Glasgow gives us an intimate look into the life of this lonely and distraught teenager who is torn to pieces in more ways than one.
I personally think this book should come with a gigantic trigger warning. But I guess if the cover and title doesn't do that in itself then you're just fooling yourself. Although this book was very well written and obviously carefully thought out, I think that it was a bit too long for the subject matter. It got very tedious and boring in the second half.
This book was very personal for me. It triggered a lot of emotion and memory out of me. Without going into too much detail, I can relate very much to the protagonist in this book. But I think we all can in our own ways if we can remember what it's like to be a teenager and even imagine what it's like to be a teenager in Charlotte's life.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is curious about mental illness and self-harm.
Charlotte Davis is not your average teenager. She practices self harm in the form of cutting. Glasgow gives us an intimate look into the life of this lonely and distraught teenager who is torn to pieces in more ways than one.
I personally think this book should come with a gigantic trigger warning. But I guess if the cover and title doesn't do that in itself then you're just fooling yourself. Although this book was very well written and obviously carefully thought out, I think that it was a bit too long for the subject matter. It got very tedious and boring in the second half.
This book was very personal for me. It triggered a lot of emotion and memory out of me. Without going into too much detail, I can relate very much to the protagonist in this book. But I think we all can in our own ways if we can remember what it's like to be a teenager and even imagine what it's like to be a teenager in Charlotte's life.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is curious about mental illness and self-harm.
October 5, 2022
DNF. I always feel bad abandoning a book.
I am about 23 percent in, I just can't. I have kept this in my Libby queue, watched it leave, started it again, only to struggle. Maybe it's the timing. The space I'm in, that makes the words hard to read. I am usually magnetized to brooding, pained protagonists, but this one is different.
It's the writing style, maybe. I get that Charlie has had it hard as hell, the feeling of empathy is there, but the writing reads like snippets, making it difficult to connect to any of the characters.
The best way to explain it: short, quick sentences, but no congruent writing. Maybe it's the present tense writing.
Hard to say.
2/5
I am about 23 percent in, I just can't. I have kept this in my Libby queue, watched it leave, started it again, only to struggle. Maybe it's the timing. The space I'm in, that makes the words hard to read. I am usually magnetized to brooding, pained protagonists, but this one is different.
It's the writing style, maybe. I get that Charlie has had it hard as hell, the feeling of empathy is there, but the writing reads like snippets, making it difficult to connect to any of the characters.
The best way to explain it: short, quick sentences, but no congruent writing. Maybe it's the present tense writing.
Hard to say.
2/5
May 3, 2017
This book is ridiculously good. It reminds me of everything I loved reading when I was a teen/early 20-something, most notably Mark Lindquist and Stephanie Kuehnert. It's realistic urban survivalism combined with the raw, real truth of girlhood, and all matters of second chances (and third and fourth) without taking easy paths. Yes, it shattered my heart over and over, as I knew it would, but never in a way that felt irreparable, which feels like exactly the point.
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