Mia and Brynn have been haunted by their friend's murder for the last five years, and the whole town believes they are guilty. The girls were once inseparable, united by their adoration for The Way into Lovelorn, a magical novel that allowed them to escape the darkness of their ordinary lives. Now, on the anniversary of Summer's death, the two girls are brought together once more in an attempt to clear their names and learn the sinister truth about Lovelorn.
I really enjoyed getting into the minds of these characters and understanding how their past collided their present. I loved how complicated the relationship between Mia, Brynn and Summer was, and how Summer had such a powerful hold on her friend's lives, controlling their choices and relationships and making them doubt themselves, even in death.
My fascination with this novel was not just limited to the characters. Broken Things is brilliantly plotted, and the glimpses into the world of Lovelorn were truly mesmerizing. Lauren Oliver merges the past with the present and reality with fantasy in a way that really heightens the mystery of the novel. It's difficult to know how much of what the characters remember of the past can be trusted, or if as narrators they are even telling the truth, but it's that uncertainty that makes the story so compelling. Furthermore, the extracts taken from Lovelorn echo the body of the novel beautifully, the blending of the two worlds building up to create an ending that is utterly breathtaking.
With complex characters and a captivating story, Broken Things is a book you don't want to be missing out on this Autumn.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Netgalley for providing me with this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
★★★★★
YA Contemporary/Fantasy
Standalone
Lesbian protagonist
blood, gore, violence, murder, rehab, drug abuse, depression, self-harm, pedophilia, homophobia, emotional blackmail, fatphobia, killing of animals
Ahh this is such a lovely review, and I love your blog aesthetic! I'm so happy you enjoyed this book, it's a really anticipated book of mine, even though the tw's are scaring me off a bit. :/
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Lily! It's a pretty dark book so I tried to cover everything in my TW list. I can tell you that it's not consistently intense, but if there's something in particular that you're worried about I can tell you exactly what happens and where abouts in the story it is so you're prepared (if you still want to read it, that is).
DeleteHappy Halloween!
I loved how Lauren Oliver entwined the world of Lovelorn into Broken Things. I devoured this book because I had to know what happened to Summer, but it was the glimpses into Lovelorn that I found myself looking forward to.
ReplyDeleteSame here! The mystery had me utterly hooked, but the way the main plot of Broken Things paralleled it's storytelling with Lovelorn was simply gorgeous. I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did!
DeleteHappy Halloween!
I actually haven't read a Lauren Oliver book yet but I have heard a lot about them, so I am curious to try one! I'm thinking of actually starting here because it sounds like such a gripping story. And yay for a lesbian protagonist!
ReplyDeleteOther than Broken Things I have only read Delirium by her and although the story wasn't really for me, I loved the writing style. I had forgotten about how much I liked her writing until I came across this book, so I think it will be a good starting point! I can see why people love her books so much, so I might go back and read some of her other books. Also diversity is always a plus!
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