34 Pieces of You

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 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.

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 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, show more 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 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 show more 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 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 show more amazing. show less

This review was originally posted on Melissa's Midnight Musings on November 13, 2012.

All I can say is wow. This book is intense, to say the least.

It touches on so many different issues. In some books, this might be a bad thing, meaning that there's not enough focus and it feels a little aimless, or just like a laundry list of issues to spout off. That's not the case here. While there are lot of issues mentioned within the first chapter or two, it's done in a natural way, so that you don't get bogged down in them.

This book touches on everything from divorce, to drinking, to sexuality, to sexual abuse, and several other complex issues.

It's a very hard book to put down because you get so drawn in, so fast. Or at least I did. And the show more characters are all so interconnected, in ways that you wouldn't even think of. Ellie is the magnet, the one that draws them all in. To her, and to each other. I think that Ellie enjoyed that, in a way that it gave her power. But, at the same time she was hurting and lost and lonely, even surrounded by all these people that it was just too much for her.

In reading it you might say that Sarah was affected the most, because she attempted suicide with Ellie, but survived, so the survivors guilt must be horrible. Which, I'm sure it is a horrible thing. But, I wouldn't necessarily say that she was the one who suffered the most. I think they all did, in their own way, each equally painful and significant.

I felt the most for Tommy and Jess, because they were the ones who had plenty of secrets of their own to hide, and they were with people who didn't necessarily openly want to be with them, or who were lusting after other people. I'm not mentioning other names because I don't want to give away major plot points or spoilers. Lets just say that when you read it you might be surprised at just how interconnected they all are with each other and some relationships develop that you might not expect, that you'll be rooting for.

The evolution of the characters is intense, as these painful events draw out memories that they want to forget. The evolution of all the characters is significant in it's own way, even the more minor characters like Jake and Ellie's parents. It was good to see the book from both the kids and the adults perspective, which can be rare for YA books. Usually the parents are distant, or not around at all, and in this case, while they were not the major characters, they played more of a significant part in the story.

I also really liked the way that the story was set up, structurally. Each of the chapters was told from a different character's point of view. But, prefacing each of the chapters was one of Ellie's 34 secrets that she kept in a box under her bed. They were secrets about all of them, what she really felt. And each one set up the coming chapter perfectly. I also like how the chapters are titled either "Before" or "After" because I think that's a mindset that many people can get into when a loved one dies. There's life before it happens, and then life after.

I am very glad that I got the opportunity to read this book and I can't wait to see what comes next from Carmen Rodrigues. If you're looking for something to make you think, this is it.

Have you read this? If so, what did you think? 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 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 show more amazing. show less

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A heart-wrenching tale about the ugly truth in a teen’s melancholy life.

Opening Sentence: It happened on a Saturday.

The Review:

I wasn’t instantly attracted to 34 Pieces of You by Carmen Rodrigues when I first picked it up. There is something about the cover that turned me away. But after reading several pages, I was quickly enthralled by the story. Rodrigues writes an emotionally dark story, chilling and powerful to the core.

In 34 Pieces of You, Ellie has left this world, leaving her friends and family devastated and left with many unanswered questions. Ellie was different and learning about her life will emotionally drain you. She is complex, layered with many emotions and show more complications – too many for a young girl like herself. Despite the smile she may or may not have on her face, deep down Ellie has a dark and depressing soul attached to her. For her brother Jake, her friend Sarah, and Sarah’s sister Jess, they find all of this out a little too late. Only 34 pieces of Ellie’s deepest thoughts are scrawled onto paper, individualized and torn, just like her life.

In a multi-point-of-view format, pieces of Ellie’s life is brought together through the eyes and memories of Ellie herself, Jake, Sarah. Each memory is told either before or after her death. For me, I felt that most of the darkest and earliest memories come from Jake, having the insight that a brother could only have. As a reader, I saw their family dynamic and where Ellie’s problems could have started from. Sarah’s memories were closer to the end, and as a reader, I saw how dark Ellie got. There were some things that surprised me, and not for the better.

With Jess, there was a softer side of Ellie that I was able to see. For the most part, Jess’ memories were from the outside and apart from what Jake and Sarah saw. She wasn’t really a part of Ellie’s life until later on, and it wasn’t as up close and personal like it was with Jake and Sarah.

Rodriques’ world is dark and intense, bringing out the deep emotions from people, and not just from Ellie herself. There are two sides of the story, and it is apparent from the memories and thoughts of each person. There are so many levels of dysfunctional within the story that it’s hard to separate my own personal thoughts with the characters themselves. Rodriques speaks about so many issues, each one a little worse than the first.

Not many authors can do it, but Rodriques has managed to walk the fine line of reality and fiction without doing too much. There’s a nice harmony between the two, despite the topics that she writes about. Ellie’s life is sad and melancholy, but I also saw some happy moments shared between her loved ones. Her life wasn’t always sad and depressing, and Rodrigues’ writing showcased the differences nicely. There’s something to be said about the writing style used. I thought the lyrical prose gave justice to the life of Ellie.

I’m not sure if I got all of the answers that I needed, after finishing 34 Pieces of You. I felt that there could probably have been something more said between Ellie and the others or even between the others and each other. I recommend this book for the realistic truth that Carmen Rodrigues writes about.

Notable Scene:

I stare out the window and think about Sarah. I wonder if she’s doing better. i wonder if I should go to her. I want to tell her everything. I want to let her rub my head until it falls forward in perfect submission. But I can’t… The world has shifted too much, and I don’t know where to go from here.

FTC Advisory: Simon Pulse provided me with a copy of 34 Pieces of You. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don’t receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site. show less