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Girl in Pieces

by Kathleen Glasgow (Goodreads Author)

4.25 · Rating Details · 1,484 Ratings · 491 Reviews

For fans of Girl, Interrupted, Thirteen Reasons Why, and All the Bright Places comes Kathleen Glasgow’s debut novel about a girl who has lost everything—almost even herself.

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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 t ...more

Hardcover, 416 pages

Published August 30th 2016 by Delacorte Press

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Books On Self-Injury

25th out of 91 books — 186 voters

Books About Cutting Yourself

36th out of 68 books — 245 voters

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Community Reviews

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Sep 07, 2016 Emily May rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Ellen Hopkins fans

Shelves: young-adult, arc, contemporary, 2016

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. Anot ...more

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Oct 18, 2016 Cait (Paper Fury) rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary, 3-star, mental-illness, read-2016

Wow this was a seriously heavy, but beautifully written book. Like I knew it'd be about dark things when I picked it up from the library, but it still made my HEART ACHE with just how much trauma and damage Charlie went through. Like, life really sucks sometimes, okay? I think this book did a good job of balancing the dark realism of mental illness/addiction + a smidgeon of hope. Although I kind of feel like I've been smushed like a watermelon sundae. This was HARD TO READ.

So the themes are pret ...more

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Sep 17, 2016 Jacqueline rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4/5 stars

Honestly don't even know where to begin.
Well, pretty much I had really high expectations for this book and sadly it didn't live up to them. I myself self-harmed for two years. It's something very personal to me and when I read the author herself was inspired to write this book through her own experiences that gave me hope. I can happily say my favorite thing about this novel was how realistic Kathleen Glasgow handled not only the self-harm aspect but the mental illnesses found in this ...more

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Aug 29, 2016 Beatrice Masaluñga rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, young-adult

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 o 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:

“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.
...more

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Oct 10, 2016 Sana Khalid °¤° rated it it was ok

Shelves: romance, young-adult, family-problems, abuse, it-was-okay, heart-touching-books, realistic-fiction, rape, emotional, i-need-a-sequel, fucking-why, contemporary, interesting, what-the-fuck

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 like ...more

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Sep 20, 2016 Heidi Heilig rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

So painful, so hopeful. So perfect. The pain of reading GIRL IN PIECES was the most exquisite sort.

You know what happens when a star collapses? It makes a black hole that pulls everything in, even light. That's Charlie, our main character. Watching her wobble off her axis, be drawn into the gravity of another raging star, was so terrifyingly familiar.

But there is great beauty there, too. The beauty of a girl trying to put herself back together, trying to find and sculpt a life of her own, surrou ...more

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Feb 10, 2016 Shannon Parker rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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 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.
...more

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Jun 11, 2016 Julia Ember rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: queer, own-paper, favourites

When I first heard about this book, I was a bit nervous. I thought, what if it's done badly? What if it's not sensitive or doesn't read real?

But within a chapter or two, I realised how unfounded that fear was. Girl in Pieces is a heart-breaking book that handles the difficult topic of self-harm with sensitivity matched with a sort of stark realness. Charlie has to overcome so much to survive: both emotional and physical trauma, the loss of her first love and best friend, sexual assault.

The writ ...more

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Aug 28, 2016 Laura Silverman rated it it was amazing

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 high 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. ...more

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Aug 29, 2016 Dahlia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-in-hardcopy, 2016-releases

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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Aug 31, 2016 Taneika rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

4.5 out of 5 stars
Review to come

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Feb 02, 2016 Kerry rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I had the privilege of reading an ARC of this book well in advance of its Fall 2016 release date.

This was such an emotional reading experience for me that I struggle to describe it well. The writing is like nothing I have ever read--so piercing and beautiful and brutal and raw and true--that it truly has to be experienced first hand. There were passages that were so stunning, so shockingly brilliant that it quite literally took my breath away.
The story itself is made of the darkest dark and the ...more

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Jul 23, 2016 Stefani Sloma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-releases, physical-arcs, 2016-september

Haunting and heartbreaking but so very beautiful. From Kathleen's author's note: "and sometimes the dark can get pretty dark, but it's filled with people who understand." Full review soon.

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May 11, 2016 Jeff Zentner rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Moving, haunting, and harrowing. Reading this book is like standing in a pounding surf, or being caught outside in a ferocious storm. It will batter you. It will cause you discomfort. It will leave you awestruck over its sheer power that threatens to unmoor you and beauty that threatens to overwhelm you.

And when you're finished, you'll know what it feels like to survive what you never imagined you could and to walk into the light of a new day.

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May 01, 2016 Laurie Flynn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-contemporary, sweet-sixteens

To say that I had been eagerly anticipating this book would be a grand understatement. I heard it pitched as a modern-day GIRL, INTERRUPTED, and that was enough for me to know I had to read it immediately. A fear sometimes exists with books you crave that badly- the fear that they won't live up to your expectations, but I didn't even have that feeling with this one. I knew somewhere in my soul that I would connect with it and love it beyond words. And I did.

GIRL IN PIECES is the story of Charli To say that I had been eagerly anticipating this book would be a grand understatement. I heard it pitched as a modern-day GIRL, INTERRUPTED, and that was enough for me to know I had to read it immediately. A fear sometimes exists with books you crave that badly- the fear that they won't live up to your expectations, but I didn't even have that feeling with this one. I knew somewhere in my soul that I would connect with it and love it beyond words. And I did.

GIRL IN PIECES is the story of Charlie, a girl who has lived an incredibly painful life and experienced more sorrow in her seventeen years than most do in a lifetime. She's haunted by many demons- her father, her best friend, her relationship with her abusive mother, her time spent on the streets. Charlie carries scars both emotional and physical- she's a cutter, which is her way of dealing with the pain, and her skin bears the marks of her trauma. As she struggles to make a new life, Charlie has to learn to live in her own skin and make peace with herself, even as external influences threaten to bring her back to dark places.

This was a book that sucker-punched me in the first page, that grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go. Kathleen Glasgow has such a totally original, immersive way with words. This is the kind of writing that feels fully, shockingly inventive. Charlie's voice is raw and hurt and sad, so sad, but she can also be hopeful and funny and strong and dynamic. I love that she is an artist and uses her drawings to channel her energy, both positive and negative. The emotions she channels into her art are visceral. Every time she pulled out her sketchbook, or got excited about the prospect of creating art, I wanted to cheer for her and hug her and tell her how amazing she is. Because she is amazing. She is learning that she can be loved, despite being told girls like her, girls with scars, are unlovable. And she is learning about a different, very important kind of love- the love she has for herself.

The sentences in this book are haunting, lyrical, sparse, purposeful. While the words aren't easy to digest, there is so much raw beauty in them, a tenderness pulsing under the surface, a hope brimming through even Charlie's ugliest thoughts. Charlie is a survivor, and I don't doubt that her story will change lives. As a reader, I will certainly never forget her.

A heartbreaking, beautiful debut that I will be recommending to everyone. GIRL IN PIECES is nothing short of a masterpiece.

...more

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Oct 01, 2016 Kelly (Diva Booknerd) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: bookgasm, harper-collins

Girl in Pieces is momentous, a narrative beautifully written with tenderness, emotion and conviction. Kathleen Glasgow is a remarkable author, drawing on her own experiences to lend voice to Charlie, a girl who feels irrevocably tarnished and uses self harm to soothe her emotional ache. Charlie's character represents so many young women within our communities. Girls who have been abused, who haven't been afforded the opportunity of a loving family, to experience kindness or sanctuary. After her Girl in Pieces is momentous, a narrative beautifully written with tenderness, emotion and conviction. Kathleen Glasgow is a remarkable author, drawing on her own experiences to lend voice to Charlie, a girl who feels irrevocably tarnished and uses self harm to soothe her emotional ache. Charlie's character represents so many young women within our communities. Girls who have been abused, who haven't been afforded the opportunity of a loving family, to experience kindness or sanctuary. After her father was cruelly taken from her, her mother became her tormentor and precursor.

Charlie's narrative is poignant yet incredibly captivating. The reader is introduced to Charlie's character as she is brought into the institute, bleeding and abandoned after trying to end her own life. Her grief and longing are palpable, my heart ached for Charlie and her sense of abandonment. Self harm is her coping mechanism, using broken fragile pieces of mason glass to lacerate her arms, mutilating her body as tenderly as she creates her art. Charlie may have recovered from her physical anguish but her emotional scars remain and she becomes a fatality of the mental health system, the institute no longer able to treat the seventeen year old due to the lack of financial aide and releases her into the care of a mother who has no intention to care for her daughter.

Charlie's journey is confronting. Her Tender Kit she holds dear but determined to not only survive but flourish against adversity which begins with the kindness of Michael. Although Michael and Charlie were once friends, Michael can only provide Charlie with the bare necessities to survive while he's away. With a warm bed and the security of Michael's bungalow, Charlie's employment search finds her washing dishes at a small coffee house where Riley is regrettably employed.

The charismatic and charming Riley, a former musician whose life is a calamity of alcohol fuelled drug dependency, provides Charlie with a tenderness of a physical relationship beyond the confines of an intimacy. While Charlie begins to rebuild her life, Riley's addiction threatens to consume him. Riley was an interesting character. Although I didn't particularly like his character, it felt as though so many in his life enabled his drug and alcohol abuse and he held an heir of entitlement. Their relationship was toxic, but an incredibly important pinnacle in Charlie's journey.

Kathleen Glasgow's debut is courageous and unapologetic. Mental illness and addiction are often lifelong issues that so many in our community confront. Charlie's journey of healing is anguished, confronting and proving that even fictionally, there is no antidote.

Kathleen Glasgow is a remarkable woman who has breathed life into her characters through her own experiences, exposing herself so that others may find empowerment. Girl In Pieces was beautifully lyrical, yet dark and confronting, rarely seen in young adult novels. I commend Kathleen for her courage, composure and her ability to create a character who readers will see themselves within.

Charlie was beautiful yet so incredibly brave. The story of a girl who longs to feel loved, to feel safe and still dares to hope for what so many take for granted. Dark and captivating, Girl In Pieces is a narrative to be cherished. ...more

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Jun 28, 2016 Allison rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The short of it (and I will write a lengthier one at some point, I swear):

The "Girl, Interrupted" comparison has never been so spot on. (*whispers* and I liked this more)

This is THE crossover title of the season. I can't see adults passing this up. Glasgow is an absolutely terrific writer and Charlie's story is as unputdownable as it is difficult to read. I had to take a break after each part, but was also entirely spellbound. A rough book to digest, and one that will stick with readers long aft ...more

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Sep 11, 2016 Drew (Drew’s Cup of Tea) rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary, arc

Hm, this is a tricky book to rate. I feel like I should give it a high rating because it's a well-researched look at a serious matter - self harm. But I can't bring myself to give it any more than two stars simply because I didn't enjoy Girl in Pieces.

You're probably thinking, "How could anyone enjoy a book about self harm?" but with these kinds of gritty, realistic novels, I can usually appreciate how the author chose to tackle such a delicate subject, or at least take away new knowledge from b Hm, this is a tricky book to rate. I feel like I should give it a high rating because it's a well-researched look at a serious matter - self harm. But I can't bring myself to give it any more than two stars simply because I didn't enjoy Girl in Pieces.

You're probably thinking, "How could anyone enjoy a book about self harm?" but with these kinds of gritty, realistic novels, I can usually appreciate how the author chose to tackle such a delicate subject, or at least take away new knowledge from being able to step into the shoes of a character who's gone through so much more than I ever have.

Why didn't I like this book? Let's start with the narrator. Charlotte cuts to rid herself of the pain her life has caused her - her father abandoned her, her mother abused her, and she lived in a sex house.

When Charlotte poured out her tragic backstory, I felt like I should have been sobbing at the sheer misery of it. But I honestly couldn't have cared less because her voice was so flat. As I was reading, she carried no emotion whatsoever and it sounded like all of those horrible and heartbreaking things happened to a robot. I don't know if I've ever been as unattached to a narrator as I was with Charlotte.

Another big problem I had with Girl in Pieces was the seriously unhealthy relationship that was a main focus in the plot. Charlotte got involved with her co-worker, Riley, who was said to flirt with "every female person." Now, I didn't care how much of a womanizer Riley was, but he was ten years older than Charlotte and she was underage. Charlotte was so broken that I don't think she should have been involved in any romantic relationship, much less with a fully grown man while she was still a child.

Also, the poetic writing style made me a little uncomfortable since it was describing such a gruesome topic. I'm not saying the author did anything wrong, but when the main character was describing why she cut herself and comparing the world to an "ocean" and water "drowning" her heart, it was a little disbelieving.

“I cut because I can’t deal. It’s as simple as that. The world becomes an ocean, the ocean washes over me, the sound of water is deafening, the water drowns my heart, my panic becomes as large as planets.”

You should probably take my opinion with a grain of salt, however, since this book has been out for less than a month and already the high ratings and rave reviews are pouring in. It seems I am in the minority here. ...more

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Jun 21, 2016 adam (booksss.0k) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: book-expo-america-2016, arcs, review-copies

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO MY BLOG: www.booksss0k.com

DISCLAIMER: TRIGGER TOPICS: SUBSTANCE, PHYSICAL, AND MENTAL ABUSE + SELF-HARM.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS QUOTES FROM AN UNCORRECTED PROOF OF THE NOVEL. QUOTES ARE NOT FINAL AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Review: 4.5 / 5

“In Group, Casper doesn’t like us to say cut or cutting or born or stab. She says it doesn’t matter what you do or how you do it: it’s all the same. You could drink, slice, do meth, snort coke, burn, cut, stab, slash, rip out your eyelashes, or fuc

...more

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Aug 31, 2016 Rachel marked it as dnf · review of another edition

Shelves: sensitive-self-harm, ya-contemporary, ya-realistic-fiction, am-wary

Oh, look! "For fans of Girl, Interrupted, Thirteen Reasons Why"

~~I don't trust you, but you have some very, very big shoes to fill if this is anywhere close to being true.~~

So after months of writing that comment up there, the book is finally out in the world. I'm too wary to buy a copy of it to read so I've got a sample off Amazon and erm.

Okay, maybe it's not that bad. What I got from my sample copy was just fragments of a story. Like, really short chapters that are supposed to work together ... ...more

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May 15, 2016 Karen Fortunati rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is one of the most profound and powerful books I've ever read. Kathleen Glasgow tells us the story of Charlie, a girl who manages the enormous pain in her life with self-harm. The story is ultimately one of magnificent hope, all the more so after witnessing Charlie's journey wrought with danger, despair, doubt and self-loathing. Glasgow's writing mirrors the story - raw, tragic, stark and utterly beautiful - with some scenes evoking a visceral response. Her characters are rich and complex ...more

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Sep 01, 2016 Kaitlin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review-complete, 2016-release, read-in-2016

*I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Let's say that you were only allowed to read one contemporary YA for the rest of the year. If you're reading this, you're might be a fan of this genre and are thinking ONLY ONE BOOK? *cue sounds of despair* I know, only one would be tough. My highest recommendation would be to make that one book Girl in Pieces! Charlie is a wonderful and well developed character. Her story is a powerful and heartbreaking and 100 percent w ...more

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Mar 29, 2016 Jennifer Bardsley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Normally book reviews are super easy for me to write, but Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow is so powerful that it's hard to rattle off a couple of paragraphs and then turn the computer off. This is a book that is heartbreaking, challenging, thought-provoking, and hopeful, all rolled into one. It's like an Ellen Hopkins book without so much poetry.

When Girl in Pieces opens we meet Charlie Davis in a mental hospital for girls who self-harm. As Charlie's story reveals itself, we discover that a l ...more

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May 27, 2016 Danielle Guzzardi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Girl in Pieces is such an important work of literature because it's brutally honest about a topic that is mostly taboo in today's society. This book starts out with the main character, Charlotte, in a hospital specializing in treating girls who self harm. Charlotte is only 17, but already has lead a very tough life including being homeless, almost getting sexually assaulted and practically losing her best friend. We follow her journey as she gets released and moves to another state to start ...more

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Mar 19, 2016 Jeff Giles rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I just finished reading this novel a couple of minutes ago, and I just want to say how beautiful and true and diamond-hard it is. I won't rehash the plot, which you can read up above. I WILL say that Glasgow can write like nobody's business and that there's a level of honesty here (about pain of every kind, about love, about what we do and don't owe each other, about what a dangerous game hope is, about how two wounded people can help each other OR wound each other even more) that's just ...more

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Aug 08, 2016 Alexandria Ang rated it really liked it · review of another edition

** WARNING: This book talks about the following: sex, drugs, cutting, suicide, rape, loss, death. If you are sensitive to any of these topics, please refrain from reading this review **

Kathleen Glasgow's debut novel takes a dip into uncharted territory. Here the raw and ugly truth of mental health is exposed. Glasgow is not merciful and at times, I found myself cringing. There are things we just don't like to talk about. Suicide, cutting, death, loss and even rape. They're not very popular conve ** WARNING: This book talks about the following: sex, drugs, cutting, suicide, rape, loss, death. If you are sensitive to any of these topics, please refrain from reading this review **

Kathleen Glasgow's debut novel takes a dip into uncharted territory. Here the raw and ugly truth of mental health is exposed. Glasgow is not merciful and at times, I found myself cringing. There are things we just don't like to talk about. Suicide, cutting, death, loss and even rape. They're not very popular conversation starters. But I believe Ms. Glasgow's novel will be the one to strip all those barriers aside.

Don't go into this story expecting it to be like every other YA mental health novel out there. For some stories, there are no happy endings, just resolutions. Charlotte Davis is seventeen at the beginning of the book, and she's already been through more hell than any normal teenager. Her mother has all but abandoned her, her father past away, she's been felt up by some pretty shitty people and her best friend has been sent far far away, to a place Charlie (short for Charlotte) can never reach her. So what does she do? She takes the thickest, longest shard of a glass bottle and drags it through her skin because the pain it causes couldn't possibly be worse than what she's feeling on the inside.

We find out later that there's a name for it. It's called NSSI. Non-Suicidal Self-Injury. It means that although she hurts herself, she has no desire to die.

You might be asking yourself: How the fuck does someone have the guts to hurt themselves? Going into this book, I thought I would never understand Charlotte's story. I always thought to myself, people have it worse. What gives you the right to hurt yourself when others are suffering more? Then 244 pages later, I'm gripped. I've fallen in love with Charlie. All of her- her scars and her past. Sure, her past was grim and the people in her life were real assholes, but the one feeling you gain from Charlie's story is not pity. I did not, through any part of reading this book, feel pity for her. I can't exactly place what I felt but I definitely didn't feel bad for her. I didn't constantly think, oh poor Charlie. Poor girl. Your life sucks and you need help.

Glasgow's story is brutally honesty. The reason I loved Charlie's story so much was because it didn't dance around the fact that she cut herself. Her scars don't just magically disappear, and she's not automatically accepted into society. Truth is (and the truth is shit), people are scared and they like to turn their backs on reality. This is clearly shown when Charlie is asked by her employer to wear long sleeve shirts to cover up her scars so she won't scare away the customers. Charlie cut herself, and now she has to live with the repercussions of her actions.

She doesn't give her characters a break. When you think things couldn't get any worse, they do. I liked that, I really did; that she wasn't giving Charlie the easy way out. Charlie's more human than any main character I've ever read about. Her character was really well thought out from her flaws to just how much she realizes she's imperfect.

Girl In Pieces is no medical textbook on mental illness, but it does give insight on the topic. For those that weren't aware, self-harm/injury is not just limited to cutting. Self-harm is any harm a person does unto him/herself. Charlotte didn't just cut herself. In certain situations of extreme anxiety, she often pinched herself to keep from reacting.

Not to be cliche but this book spoke to my soul. Finally a book that's true to what I want to say. On my Twitter & Instagram, I post A LOT (and I mean a lot) about the semi-colon project and suicide prevention. Yeah, I know what you're going to say. Alex, why are you bringing up all this semi-colon stuff again. I have a reason trust me. Not too long ago, self-harm was just another way for me to relieve myself of stress. I scratched myself because there was a ball of fire inside of me, and I didn't want to let it out in front of other people. And for a while, I didn't feel the pain. It never hurt. I was almost numb to the feeling.

I always thought to myself, how fucked up am I that I don't feel the pain I'm causing myself? My life isn't shit. I don't have it as hard as others. What gives me the right to hurt myself when there's nothing wrong with my life? People assume it's for attention when they don't know one fucking thing about what's going on inside that person's head. Me and anxiety? We don't mix well. So if I was piled with tests from school and/or my parents wouldn't let me go out with my friends, I scratched myself to assure that if I could get through the pain, why couldn't I trudge through a few tests and live up to my parent's decision?

I'm not proud and even writing this makes me feel like shit. But this book, holy shit you guys. If this book isn't mantra for people to stop hurting themselves, I don't know what is.

Mark my words, Girl In Pieces will be one of the most important books in YA. Charlie's story is incredibly horrifying and even with such a small support system, she managed to rid herself of the pain. Why can't we all do the same? Poignant and beautiful, you will be won over.

For more information, I recommend checking out The Butterfly Project and The Semicolon Project! ...more

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Mar 28, 2016 Adriana Mather rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book. This beautifully written, haunting, heart-breaking book.

The story begins with 17-year-old Charlie in a mental health facility that specializes in the treatment of girls who suffer from nonsuicidal self injury (NSSI) disorder. When Charlie is released prematurely because of a lack of insurance coverage, she must find her own way in a world she is unprepared to deal with. We are with her as she struggles to meet the challenges of survival and as she follows the path of least resistance ...more

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Aug 23, 2016 Shannon (It Starts At Midnight) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016, own-physical, read-for-review, august-2016

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
Guys, this book isheavy. In a good way, but still, know that going in.It's going to fucking hurt. Because Charlie hurts- she hurts inside, and she transfers that pain to the outside. Your heart will absolutely break for Charlie, because man, she has been dealt a very crappy hand in life. And I think that the portrayal of mental health and the issues surrounding it is so, so accurate. For ...more

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Jun 29, 2016 Stacy Fetters rated it it was amazing

"A girl's life is the worst life in the world. A girl's life is: you are born, you bleed, you burn."
Your heart will break and fill with love over Secret Girls story.
Got a copy from BEA Chicago!!!
Self-harm is such a taboo subject and has been written about over and over again to no avail. But this will make you feel the hurt and the devastation of the life of a cutter.
Charlie wakes up in an odd home surrounded by other girls with a similar situation as hers and she clams up. Charlie has bandage "A girl's life is the worst life in the world. A girl's life is: you are born, you bleed, you burn."
Your heart will break and fill with love over Secret Girls story.
Got a copy from BEA Chicago!!!
Self-harm is such a taboo subject and has been written about over and over again to no avail. But this will make you feel the hurt and the devastation of the life of a cutter.
Charlie wakes up in an odd home surrounded by other girls with a similar situation as hers and she clams up. Charlie has bandages over her arms and thighs. She doesn't talk and stays quiet for a long time before she realizes not everyone is out to destroy her. It takes some coaxing to get her to speak and when she does, she makes friends for a lifetime.
While getting computer privileges for school, she logs into an old email account and messages her good friend Mikey to save her.
Her funds are dwindling and can no longer stay in the house for support and she must venture out into the real world to live a better life than before. With the help of Mikey, she moves to Tuscon, Arizona. There's not much she can get into in a desert community, besides love.
New town, new experiences and a means to live. She must find a job and it just so happens one falls into her lap and she falls in love.
Men usually wind up ruining everything you thought and hope for. Riley, a musician, and cook for True Grit spots out strange girl and gives her a job washing dishes. He has a big secret too and the two broken people find each other. But their secrets are too much to handle together and it becomes toxic.
What saves Charlie from her life is drawing. it releases stress and makes her remember the bad/good times of her life.
With Mikey away with his band on tour, leads Charlie to continue her toxic relationship with Riley, a user who terrifies Charlie but also makes her heart race.
With them, two together leads Charlie through some things she prayed she would never get into again.....

When you're broken into pieces you have to pick yourself up and mend back together. In order to do that, you'll have to want to change.
This is a real eye-opener to people who believe that this is all for attention and for people who want to know more about what travels through someone's mind as they do devastating things.
An intense story of straight emotion that will make your flesh goose and tears flow heavily. I'm so in love with this story that I'm ready to read this all over again. This is one every parent and teen need to pick up. This is real life, this is what happens when people bully or take advantage of someone. This does not make you a bad person, people need to learn to love one another and stop the hate.
And the greatest line from a book ever...
"The singer splashes his face with a cup of beer, lights a cigarette, throws it into the crowd, and hunches back over the microphone, singing about coyotes and girls and beer and being a garbageman." ...more

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Apr 21, 2016 Margot Harrison rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, 2016-debut, bent-my-mind-in-good-ways

In my long life of seeking out unsettling literature, I've read many novels and memoirs about young people struggling with mental illness and urges to self-harm. The Bell Jar and I Never Promised You a Rose Garden helped shape my teenage years. I wasn't sure a book like this could still surprise me.

But Girl in Pieces did. I think it's because the book pulls off two seemingly contradictory feats: It is authentic and gritty and does absolutely nothing to glamorize its subject, and it is incredibly ...more

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Square In Wonderl...: Girl in Pieces [SPOILER Discussion]	1	2	Nov 16, 2016 07:07AM
Square In Wonderl...: Girl in Pieces [Non-Spoiler Discussion]	1	1	Nov 16, 2016 07:05AM
self harm	1	3	Sep 15, 2016 02:43PM
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Goodreads Librari...: Missing Page Count	2	22	Apr 29, 2016 05:00AM

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About Kathleen Glasgow

Kathleen Glasgow lives in Tucson, Arizona. She likes Tyrion and Shireen, musty old paperbacks from used bookstores that have cats wandering the aisles, cheesecake, coffee, and the Isle of Skye. Visit her on Twitter (@kathglasgow), Instagram (misskathleenglasgow), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/KathleenGlas...) or her website (www.kathleenglasgowbooks.com).

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Quotes from Girl in Pieces

“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.” — 29 likes

“That's how hearts get broken, you know. When you believe in promises.” — 20 likes

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