Pieces of You by Eileen Merriman: Book Review

Wise, tough, heart-breaking, funny, this compulsive love story is about facing your demons.

Fifteen-year-old Rebecca McQuilten moves with her parents to a new city. Lonely but trying to fit in, she goes to a party, but that’s when things really fall apart. 

I couldn’t tell anyone what had happened. Especially since I was the new girl in town. Who would want to believe me?

Things look up when she meets gregarious sixteen-year-old Cory Marshall.

‘You’re funny, Becs,’ Cory said.

‘You have no idea,’ I said, and clearly he didn’t, but I was smiling anyway.

And after that, he was all I could think about.

Cory helps Rebecca believe in herself and piece her life back together; but that’s before he shatters it all over again . . .

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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I was lucky enough to be one of the few people who received an early copy of Pieces of You along with a box filled with related goodies inside, all thanks to Penguin Random House New Zealand. I was so excited that I took a bunch of photos of everything and posted them on Snapchat. This book was nothing but a brilliant piece of young adult literature and I am so glad that I was able to have the chance to read something that brought a fraction of my teenage reality to life. I've never come across a novel that has been able to pin point specific issues that teenagers struggle with every day and has been able to resolve it in a way that doesn't leave you feeling frustrated and ripped off. I'd like to personally award Eileen Merriman for writing the most accurate and unbelievably heartfelt young adult debut EVER!

Pieces of You has to be one of the most important young adult novels ever written because it shines a light on depression, self harm, rape, and grief - a few of the many things that can bring a person to their death if not dealt with sooner than later, and that's exactly what this book entails. Rebecca 'Becs' McQuilten is a fifteen-year-old girl who is forced to move to Auckland from her South Island hometown of Dunedin where she struggles to fit in with her peers. Like many young girls, Becs feels self-conscious about her appearance and struggles with adjusting to her new life where winters are unbearably cold with no snow and being the new girl in a big city is just as bad as moving to a tiny one. I absolutely loved this book with a passion, despite having to put it down many times because of university work. Much of the content reminded me of personal matters I had to deal with during my teenage years, including depression and self-harm, although I used the nail-digging method rather than a blade but I had friends who did and felt exactly the same as Becs. This became almost too much at times because it reminded me of the countless nights where I would worry for hours, staying up texting, trying to make sure my friend wouldn't take their own life. In a way, Becs is the beacon of light that many teenagers might need to relate to and I am so grateful for that. My only worry is that this book may be somewhat of a trigger to those who have cut themselves and I firmly suggest preparing yourselves for a few hard-to-cope-with scenes - I personally had to put the book down during the very top of page 166 because it had hit me a little too hard with the imagery. It hasn't triggered me to self-harm again but it might for others so please be careful.

Here are a list of pages that may be triggering: 22, 35, 44, 94, 165 & 166.

"Nothing compares to kissing the boy you've fallen in love with. Nothing."

One thing I loved was that there were so many times that actual places in New Zealand were mentioned and Maori language was used as well. The Marshall's beach house in Cooper's Beach, Kaitaia, and the Four Square (a mini supermarket which is placed in almost every city and small town of NZ). Being quite connected with the rest of the world and having knowledge about Maori words and traditions, I realised that the book did not have a glossary at the back for those that may not know what some of the words were. I personally was so excited to see them included but I realised that my friends around the world who will probably want to read this book might need a little help with the language so I've taken it upon myself to write a small glossary here so that everyone can refer to it when they read it.

Maori translated to English:

Kia ora: Hello, thank you

Kia kaha: Be strong

Hongi: A Maori tradition where two individuals will press their noses and foreheads together as a greeting (this word was not mentioned but I noticed this happened on page 238 - your welcome!)

Ngai Takoto: A Maori iwi from Northland, New Zealand

Iwi: Tribe

I think the most beautiful thing about Pieces of You is how real and intense the relationship that Becs had with Cory Marshall. Despite having many inner demons, she opens up to him through their mutual love of literature. Their relationship isn't forced like many in other YA novels, it falls together piece by piece and is glued tight with trust and hope. Cory is the type of male that every girl wishes she'd find - a guy who loves reading and writes poems to illustrate the beauty and darkness of the life around him. Without giving too much away, Pieces of You does an amazing job of showing how someone can struggle so much with their own problems that sometimes it blinds them to the suffering of others. I love that this book did not end on a sour note or made out to be a perfectly happy ending, because real life doesn't work that way and depression and grief needs to be tended to over time, not just fixed with a magical pill or potion.

I have chosen to give this book a 5 out of 5 stars for it's ice-breaking reality and beautifully told story that might help inspire many teenagers around the world to see that there is so much more on the other side of the blinding mountain. It is well deserved and I think that this is probably the only book I've read that has really shown what it is like to live as a modern day teenager in the suburbs of Auckland (damn the fact that we don't get snow!). I would recommend to everyone because this is a story that the world needs to read, no matter the location - this is the story that will hopefully help change lives. We all need more heroines like Rebecca McQuilten!

Thank you Penguin Random House NZ for the review copy!

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Are you suffering with a mental illness such as depression or anxiety? Here are some helpful links from BetterHelp that you can check out and find tips on how to live a happier life:

BetterHelp Advice - Anxiety
BetterHelp Advice - Depression
How To Deal with Depression: Tips, Techniques And Finding the Right Treatment

How Do I Find A Therapist Near Me?

10 Depression Quotes That May Change Your Life

Go add Pieces of You to your Goodreads list HERE

Go buy it on MightyApe with 1 day delivery in New Zealand HERE

Buy it on Book Depository with free shipping world wide HERE

Find it on the Penguin Random House NZ website HERE

Find more out about me at:

Website: wordsofeuphoricnostalgia.blogspot.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Twitter: ellabellabellz

Instagram: FeathersandFaith

Snapchat: FeathersnFaith

January/February TBR + Quick Life Update: Where Have I Been?

(Please feel free to skip the update but it will help explain my long hiatus! I miss you guys!)

Before I can even start telling you all what I have planned for the coming year of 2017 (sigh... time is getting on and I'm getting old), I need to explain where on earth I have been for the past few months; why haven't I been uploading videos and many posts, why haven't I been online much or tweeting every hour like I used to, why did I go quiet and didn't explain myself until the following year? WELL HERE WE GO! (I'm scared to explain myself because my excuses are pathetic but true...)

What happened was that our internet cut (we've had a bit of struggles with money lately because the price of everything in Auckland is super expensive and hard for us to afford now but we can't really move away either) and we couldn't have the internet reconnected until we paid the outstanding amount first. As you may have figured out, we still have not found the applicable funds but I'm waiting on a miracle or two that might happen soon otherwise it'll be back to the library for me to study this year.

That brings me to my second point: I was constantly bombarded by university work and everything was almost unbearable to handle thanks to the stress of everything - mostly considering my ADHD making it really hard to concentrate when I actually wanted to. It was my fault that I fell behind and therefore my extra time that I would usually use to read had to be used to catch up majorly on school work. However, by the grace of God, I managed to pass both semesters and (at this point I'm 99.5% sure I did) earn my Diploma in Applied Writing for level 5! Now I'm waiting on my level 6 course this year which sounds super fun! I'll give you guys a list of what I'll be doing this year so you can be excited with me - it's literally the type of papers that will help kickstart my career as an author!

Semester One:

• 601 Business and the Writer
• 604 Project - Planning
• 613 Research for Writing
• 605 Project - Execution

Semester Two:

• 605 Project - Execution (continued)
• 603 Practice of Selected Genre(s)
• 619 Publishing eBooks
• 602 Personal Career Plan

So in terms of my videos, my phone broke... twice. That's why I haven't been able to film or upload. I did have a couple of videos I could have edited and eventually uploaded with some weak wifi at the library but I get a bad feeling about old videos after a while and I just want to re-film them. There's something about uploading a six-month-old video that makes me feel like I'm lying to y'all about my current place in life (I'm just strange so I hope you guys can understand!). I plan to either get my phone fixed or try get another one soon but I'll let you know when something does happen. I'm planning to write more updates since it's easier for me to upload at least least twice every month so I hope that is alright with you until I get back on to my feet!

So enough with the boring information and know that my resolution for this year is to create a world of literacy for myself that will one day support my passion for writing books. I wanted to list a bunch of the books sent from multiple publishing companies in New Zealand that I've chosen to review next . You might recognise a few of these, if not all of them, so feel free to comment your thoughts and feelings down below (no spoilers please!) so that we can fangirl together!

Title: Life and Death

Author: Stephenie Meyer

NZ Publisher: Hachette NZ

USA Publisher: Little Brown Book Group

Title: The Chemist

Author: Stephenie Meyer

NZ Publisher: Hachette NZ

USA Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Title: The Severed Land

Author: Maurice Gee

NZ Publisher: Penguin Random House NZ

Title: A Million Worlds With You

Author: Claudia Gray

NZ Publisher: HarperCollins NZ

USA Publisher: HarperCollins

Title: Moon Chosen

Author: P.C Cast

NZ Publisher: Lighthouse PR

USA Publisher: St. Martins Press

AUS Publisher: Pan Australia (Paperback)

Title: Stealing Snow

Author: Danielle Paige

NZ Publisher: Allen and Unwin

USA Publisher: Bloomsbury

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Those are all the books I hope to read over the next couple of months! I may not finish them all as usual, especially since half of these books are considerably large and I start back university on the 20th of February, but I am super excited because they're all books that I really want to read!

Aside from everything else, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! Please ask me anything you would like to know and I will try respond as soon as I can. Try to keep your New Year's resolutions and I'll try to be a bit more active this year (God help me succeed haha).

See you all real soon!

Bellz x

Find more out about me at:

Website: http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Twitter: ellabellabellz

Instagram: FeathersandFaith

Snapchat: FeathersnFaith

Booktube-A-Thon TBR 2015 on Booktube/Youtube!

Hey everyone!

Booktube-A-Thon 2015 has officially started and so far I've only started one book on my list, "The Winner's Curse" by Marie Rutkoski! I've filmed two video's for my channel as well and I am loving how much fun this challenge is becoming, even though I may not finish my entire list in the week due to how busy I am going to be. I wish I had every day free but unfortunately that won't be possible! Have you checked out my video's on my channel yet? I'll link them down below so you can go watch!

The first challenge was real fun to film but if I had of known about the rule change beforehand I would have put so much more effort into my domino formation. At least it was still a bit of a challenge seeing as spelling out my name with books seemed to be harder than I intended it to be! The next challenge for day 2 is going to be a scene reenactment and I am still trying to figure out what I want to do but I have a feeling it'll probably be something to do with one of Sarah J. Maas' books because why not be Feyre or Celaena for fun!

Let me know whether you are doing the Booktube-A-Thon and what your TBR list is in the comments! Happy reading!

Ella Fleming-Christie

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith