Pieces Of Us by Margie Gelbwasser
Format: e-arc
Publisher: Flux Books
Published: 8th March 2012
Pages: 336
Main Characters: Katie, Julie, Alex, Kyle
Date Started: 28th February 2012
Date Finished: 6th March 2012
Rating Given: **
Netgalley:
Two families. Four teens.
A summer full of secrets.
Every summer, hidden away in a lakeside community in upstate New York, four teens leave behind their old identities...and escape from their everyday lives.
Yet back in Philadelphia during the school year, Alex cannot suppress his anger at his father (who killed himself), his mother (whom he blames for it), and the girls who give it up too easily. His younger brother, Kyle, is angry too-at his abusive brother, and at their mother who doesn't seem to care. Meanwhile, in suburban New Jersey, Katie plays the role of Miss Perfect while trying to forget the nightmare that changed her life. But Julie, her younger sister, sees Katie only as everything she's not. And their mother will never let Julie forget it.
Up at the lake, they can be anything, anyone. Free. But then Katie's secret gets out, forcing each of them to face reality-before it tears them to pieces.
When I first came across this on netgalley I thought it sounded good and I wanted to give it a try but I'm not sure that I am glad that I read it as parts where too deep and other parts where far too shallow there was no balance to the book.
I do feel it had the potential to be a fantastic book as the storylines was very hard hitting and that people should know more about. Maybe this would make a better film to show people not just teens but everyone as this talks about different kinds of abuse not that they all understand what is going on. This for me was too dark there wasn't really any light points and I would say no happy ending but maybe that's just the way that I look at it.
I love that we get to hear what the different characters are feeling by changing the point of view as I always wonder what the other person is thinking about. There is Kyle's chapter that doesn't really flow as well as the others as when he speaks he says you when really he is talking about himself it just got really annoying and very fast.
Even though I have given it 2 stars I was addicted to this book and I just wanted to find out what was going to happen but I couldn't give it more stars as I just didn't like the way everything was portrayed. I didn't see the point to some of the storylines for example the chickens getting slaughted it just seemed pointless.
At first I didn't really like Katie's character she seemed very shallow but then something big happens to her and it changes her and she seems less shallow and I also very sorry for her. Even though a lot of the characters say that she is weak I would say she is strong just because she went through it and came out on the other side.
I loved Kyle's character he was my favourite as he seemed the nicest yet he has been through so much as well yet it doesn't take it out on everyone else. The only thing was like I said before the way his chapter was written put me off reading his part yet I always wanted to know what he was thinking.
Alex and Julie I couldn't stand they was horrible and it just made me feel sick the way Julie thought of Katie and yet they are sisters it was very disturbing. I know that both of these characters have been through a lot of abuse as well and that these are portraying how they cope but I still didn't like them.
I didn't like the ending as I felt like I was left with more questions than answers.
Overall this book is actually addicting in the most sick and twisted way and it won't leave you until long after you have finished it.
