Carmen Rodrigues

My first thought upon finishing this young adult novel was that I really wish they hadn't ripped off the title of 13 Reasons Why for this book - yes, it's definitely In the same vein, but it completely holds its own. I feel like the title is a gimmick the book doesn't need. In the end I actually liked it more than the Jay Asher novel.

Rodrigues hits nearly every teen "issue" you can imagine -- suicide, drugs, abuse, cutting, eating disorders -- but rather than feeling like overkill, the show more story shows how pain and self-abuse can snowball for desperate teens. I thought the characters were really well fleshed out, and the story compelling. Finished it in one night. show less

Review originally posted on my blog http://hobbitsies.net/2012/08/34-pieces-of-you-by-carmen-rodrigues/

Well, I typed up this very long review of 34 Pieces of You by Carmen Rodrigues and then I closed Microsoft Word, whoops. Devastated and what not. Which is kind of how I felt while reading 34 Pieces of You, ironically.

Because 34 Pieces of You is a brilliantly done book. The story is heartbreaking and touching in every possible way and the writing style itself is freaking beautiful and the show more way Carmen Rodrigues organized it is so creative and purposeful. Everything about 34 Pieces of You spoke to me.

There’s so many issues in 34 Pieces of You. Carmen Rodrigues touches on drugs, alcohol, sex, overdoses, suicide, self-mutilation, sexuality, rape – a lot of real life issues that affect teens in a direct way. But she doesn’t smash these issues in the face and tell you to look at them. The issues, rather than the focus of 34 Pieces of You, are just another part of the story that’s being told.

I loved the way Carmen Rodrigues told 34 Pieces of You from three different perspectives with huge time jumps all over the place as well as the notes Ellie left behind. You would think that would get confusing, but I had absolutely no problem following along with 34 Pieces of You and each POV change and time jump made the story even more beautiful.

34 Pieces of You had me in legit sobs. For the last quarter of the book I had to keep taking breaks because I couldn’t see the words through my tears. When I closed 34 Pieces of You, I immediately ran through the house crying to get on Goodreads and Twitter to tell everyone how beautiful and heartbreaking and sob-worthy 34 Pieces of You truly is.

And, for those of you who like kissing, there is a bit of a romance thing going on in 34 Pieces of You. And it was an awesome romance because it was so organic and slow-building and wasn’t super rushed. I thought Carmen Rodrigues did a fantastic job with that.

34 Pieces of You by Carmen Rodrigues is dark, but beautiful story. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read a book that will make them feel. 34 Pieces of You is a brilliantly written book with such depth and importance and I can’t wait to read more from Carmen Rodrigues. show less

Ellie is a girl on the edge. The type of girl that takes you out for the time of your life and brings you out of your shell. She also encourages you to make poor decisions and can cause you to lose yourself in the glare of her spotlight. She is an enigma, complicated and troubled. She is also now dead, due to a tragic night that is somewhat shrouded in mystery.

Through a series of cryptic clues, Ellie's friends try to put together the pieces of her life and discover the truth of the events show more leading up to her death. 34 Pieces of You is told from each characters' perspective and Rodrigues is brilliant at teasing out the details and the secrets that each one is hiding as well.

Each sad, lovely character has a unique and true voice (including Ellie). I laughed and cried right beside them. Rodrigues has created a world that is true to the modern teen experience. While she does not shy away from the dark side of being a teen, none of it is a gimmick or device to seem cool or hip. The final revelation of Ellie's full story is heartbreaking and beautiful.

34 Pieces of You is an exquisite and heart-wrenching tale of the dark side of growing up, loss and finding yourself. show less

i have a very bad habit of impulsively picking up a book based on the cover and title, without reading anything else until I get home. So, when I grabbed this one off the shelf at the library, I didn't expect such a great book.

The story is one that touches my heart as I know someone that committed suicide and I always wondered what I could have done.

After reading all the POVs in the book of Ellie's closest circle, I almost felt like I knew her and I wanted to help her come out of her show more depression so bad. Though it seems that no one in her circle realized that she was depressed, they all just seemed to think that she was "acting out". It broke my heart to hear all the secrets that they were keeping and how everything came to light was amazing. show less