Title: All Our Broken Pieces
Author: L.D. Crichton
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Hardcover, 416 Pages
Publication Date: May 7th, 2019
Summary: Lennon Davis doesn’t believe in much, but she does believe in the security of the number five. If she flicks the bedroom light switch five times, maybe her new L.A. school won’t suck. But that doesn’t feel right, so she flicks the switch again. And again. Ten more flicks of the switch and maybe her new step family will accept her. Twenty-five more flicks and maybe she won’t cause any more of her loved ones to die. Fifty times more and then she can finally go to sleep. Kyler Benton witnesses this pattern of lights from the safety of his treehouse in the yard next door. It is only there, hidden from the unwanted stares of his peers, that Kyler can fill his notebooks with lyrics that reveal the true scars of the boy behind the oversized hoodies and caustic humor. But Kyler finds that descriptions of blonde hair, sad eyes, and tapping fingers are beginning to fill the pages of his notebooks. Lennon, the lonely girl next door his father has warned him about, infiltrates his mind. Even though he has enough to deal with without Lennon’s rumored tragic past in his life, Kyler can’t help but want to know the truth about his new muse.
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Hardcover, 416 Pages
Publication Date: May 7th, 2019
Summary: Lennon Davis doesn’t believe in much, but she does believe in the security of the number five. If she flicks the bedroom light switch five times, maybe her new L.A. school won’t suck. But that doesn’t feel right, so she flicks the switch again. And again. Ten more flicks of the switch and maybe her new step family will accept her. Twenty-five more flicks and maybe she won’t cause any more of her loved ones to die. Fifty times more and then she can finally go to sleep. Kyler Benton witnesses this pattern of lights from the safety of his treehouse in the yard next door. It is only there, hidden from the unwanted stares of his peers, that Kyler can fill his notebooks with lyrics that reveal the true scars of the boy behind the oversized hoodies and caustic humor. But Kyler finds that descriptions of blonde hair, sad eyes, and tapping fingers are beginning to fill the pages of his notebooks. Lennon, the lonely girl next door his father has warned him about, infiltrates his mind. Even though he has enough to deal with without Lennon’s rumored tragic past in his life, Kyler can’t help but want to know the truth about his new muse.
*I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.*
You guys...I don't know what the heck has been going on, but I have been LOVING all of my 2019 ARCs so far. As soon as I finished this book I picked up my laptop and knew I wanted to write my review while the feelings were still fresh, because this book was truly such a great story that made me feel so good inside, and I knew I had to capture those raw emotions in this review. So yeah, I apologize if this seems really sappy or gushy or emotional or fangirly. I'm just feeling ALL THE THINGS for this amazing book.
As the summary explains, Lennon thought she has just lost everything that meant the most to her -- her mother, her best friend, and her life back in Maine. Coming to live with her father in Bel Air isn't necessarily a prison sentence, but it's not what she's used to and definitely not what she wants. Even worse? Her father is struggling to understand her OCD, and try as he might, she still feels misunderstood and cast out to sea in this strange place, dealing with both the traumatic loss of her mother and also her constant ritualizing. What she doesn't expect is to fall for Kyler, the badass, mysterious boy next door, both in a rocker band and carrying a mark on his face that causes most people to turn away. But Lennon quickly finds that life in Bel Air is not what she expects, and she's definitely in for an interesting time.
I absolutely loved this book for so many different reasons! For starters, it made me feel all the feels. I think that the portrayal of OCD in this story was both honest and not taken advantage of, and Lennon voices her struggles and her fears quite openly in a way that I very much appreciated. Another thing that I loved about this book was the love story arc between her and Kyler. Things were definitely messy, and certainly a little rocky at first, but as the book went on I found myself cheering them on and my heart was all fluttery and swoony and I just wanted them to have the happily ever after that they so clearly deserved. It was such a well-done story and I can't sing its praises enough! There's so much that this book covers -- love, loss, tragedies, mental illness, physical scars, family, revenge, overcoming fears, etc. -- and it was all done so tastefully and also in a way that made it so hard to put this book down.
My favorite character in this book was definitely Kyler. Not only was he super cocky and sarcastic and hilarious, which made me laugh and really had him grow on me, but he was also sweet and smart and introspective, always saying super adorable and mushy stuff to/about Lennon that made my heart swoon. If you're looking for a book that has a swoon-worthy romance involving a brooding bad boy who is much more of a mushy sweetheart than he first seems, then this is definitely the book for you to pick up!
However, I also really loved Lennon's character as well! She was also really smart and funny, and the way she always treated her little half-brother Jacob with respect and kindness as an equal was something that made me really like her even more. As I mentioned earlier, she was so candid with her struggles and it really helped shine a light on OCD and the importance of mental health awareness, particularly in terms of realizing that it's a different experience for each individual and that Google may be able to explain the technical side of it, but it can never truly explain how someone suffering with it is actually feeling. In that regard, I think that L.D. Crichton (and the sensitivity readers that she mentioned in the acknowledgements) did an excellent job.
I honestly have nothing bad to say about this book and couldn't think of a single critique even if I was forced to come up with one. When I say that I couldn't put this book down, I really mean it! I read it during the really busy week before Christmas (I know, I know, always a bad time to start a new book!), so there were a few days where I was out running errands nonstop and was lucky if I could manage to squeeze in reading one or two pages for the entire day. During those days I found myself super upset because I was itching to curl up with this book and read more! Luckily for me, I managed to find some time to curl up and finish the entire last half (200 pages!!!) in one sitting, and it was such a delightful binge that left me feeling so happy and satisfied.
Overall, I absolutely LOVED All Our Broken Pieces and I know that I'll be referring it to both Emily and Amber -- as well as all of my Goodreads and other blogger/reader friends! And yes, that means you -- what are you waiting for? Add this book to your TBR immediately! Excellent work from L.D. Crichton. I'll definitely be reading more of her YA books in the future!
Also be on the lookout for my exclusive interview with author L.D. Crichton herself, coming soon! :-)
You guys...I don't know what the heck has been going on, but I have been LOVING all of my 2019 ARCs so far. As soon as I finished this book I picked up my laptop and knew I wanted to write my review while the feelings were still fresh, because this book was truly such a great story that made me feel so good inside, and I knew I had to capture those raw emotions in this review. So yeah, I apologize if this seems really sappy or gushy or emotional or fangirly. I'm just feeling ALL THE THINGS for this amazing book.
As the summary explains, Lennon thought she has just lost everything that meant the most to her -- her mother, her best friend, and her life back in Maine. Coming to live with her father in Bel Air isn't necessarily a prison sentence, but it's not what she's used to and definitely not what she wants. Even worse? Her father is struggling to understand her OCD, and try as he might, she still feels misunderstood and cast out to sea in this strange place, dealing with both the traumatic loss of her mother and also her constant ritualizing. What she doesn't expect is to fall for Kyler, the badass, mysterious boy next door, both in a rocker band and carrying a mark on his face that causes most people to turn away. But Lennon quickly finds that life in Bel Air is not what she expects, and she's definitely in for an interesting time.
I absolutely loved this book for so many different reasons! For starters, it made me feel all the feels. I think that the portrayal of OCD in this story was both honest and not taken advantage of, and Lennon voices her struggles and her fears quite openly in a way that I very much appreciated. Another thing that I loved about this book was the love story arc between her and Kyler. Things were definitely messy, and certainly a little rocky at first, but as the book went on I found myself cheering them on and my heart was all fluttery and swoony and I just wanted them to have the happily ever after that they so clearly deserved. It was such a well-done story and I can't sing its praises enough! There's so much that this book covers -- love, loss, tragedies, mental illness, physical scars, family, revenge, overcoming fears, etc. -- and it was all done so tastefully and also in a way that made it so hard to put this book down.
My favorite character in this book was definitely Kyler. Not only was he super cocky and sarcastic and hilarious, which made me laugh and really had him grow on me, but he was also sweet and smart and introspective, always saying super adorable and mushy stuff to/about Lennon that made my heart swoon. If you're looking for a book that has a swoon-worthy romance involving a brooding bad boy who is much more of a mushy sweetheart than he first seems, then this is definitely the book for you to pick up!
However, I also really loved Lennon's character as well! She was also really smart and funny, and the way she always treated her little half-brother Jacob with respect and kindness as an equal was something that made me really like her even more. As I mentioned earlier, she was so candid with her struggles and it really helped shine a light on OCD and the importance of mental health awareness, particularly in terms of realizing that it's a different experience for each individual and that Google may be able to explain the technical side of it, but it can never truly explain how someone suffering with it is actually feeling. In that regard, I think that L.D. Crichton (and the sensitivity readers that she mentioned in the acknowledgements) did an excellent job.
I honestly have nothing bad to say about this book and couldn't think of a single critique even if I was forced to come up with one. When I say that I couldn't put this book down, I really mean it! I read it during the really busy week before Christmas (I know, I know, always a bad time to start a new book!), so there were a few days where I was out running errands nonstop and was lucky if I could manage to squeeze in reading one or two pages for the entire day. During those days I found myself super upset because I was itching to curl up with this book and read more! Luckily for me, I managed to find some time to curl up and finish the entire last half (200 pages!!!) in one sitting, and it was such a delightful binge that left me feeling so happy and satisfied.
Overall, I absolutely LOVED All Our Broken Pieces and I know that I'll be referring it to both Emily and Amber -- as well as all of my Goodreads and other blogger/reader friends! And yes, that means you -- what are you waiting for? Add this book to your TBR immediately! Excellent work from L.D. Crichton. I'll definitely be reading more of her YA books in the future!
Also be on the lookout for my exclusive interview with author L.D. Crichton herself, coming soon! :-)
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