FIVE STARS TO FALLING TO PIECES
I can’t describe how much I
absolutely adored Falling to Pieces. This
story wrecked me, like completely wrecked me from the inside out.
I’ll let my heartbroken messages
and Facebook statuses speak for me:
It’s the story of Jade Carlson, a
young girl with scars deeper than the ordinary eye can see. Jade deals with the
worst kind of hate at school, and due to her low self-esteem, she imagines that
everyone is insulting her even if they aren’t. I thought this was an extremely
realistic portrayal of someone who deals with bullying and insecurities,
because some of the people around her are saying one thing, but Jade is hearing
another. Furthermore, Doug, Jade’s douchebag boyfriend doesn’t even try to put a filter on: he puts her down
every chance he gets and treats her as subhuman. As though being the odd girl
out in school isn’t bad enough, Jade’s Hell continues even after she’s returned
home. Whereas home is meant to be a safe haven for most, for Jade, that’s a
foreign concept, thanks to her moody, alcoholic, verbally abusive mother.
But once Kiernan Parks waltzes back
into her life, he’s a lot more than a knight in shining armor. Kiernan’s goal
isn’t to save Jade. He helps her put the broken pieces of herself back
together, and helps her start to actually live her life, rather than just go
through the motions. He helps rid her of Doug—thank God—and he becomes the
friend she’s always needed.
Jade and Kiernan’s friendship and
subsequent relationship is a bit out of the ordinary. Kiernan brings light,
laughter, and happiness into Jade’s life, even if at first she’s reluctant to
accept it.
The two best parts of any story, in
my opinion, are:
a)
The moment when the characters confess their
feelings for each other, and
b)
Spectacular minor characters.
In Falling to Pieces, both are in full effect. Kiernan’s mother and
his brother Caulder are two minor characters who refused to go unnoticed. Cal
stepped in to protect and take care of Jade just like Kiernan did, and his
mother is Heaven sent. The two of them make the pieces of Falling to Pieces fit perfectly together. And furthermore, the
moment when Jade and Kiernan tell each other their feelings is one of my
favorite love scenes ever written. It’s innocent and beautiful, and it shows
love in its purest form. Kiernan and Jade’s love story is one for the ages, and
I look forward to seeing what happens next.
No matter your age or reading preferences, this is a love story you'll want to reread over and over again.
Personally, I wish that I was able
to give Falling to Pieces more than
FIVE STARS because this is the first book since my three day read through of Les Miserables at 14 that had me
questioning everything I thought I knew about my life. I didn’t just relate to Jade. I was Jade, all through high school, so this book and all of Jade’s
experiences made me relive all of mine.
 |
| What I looked like during 75% of Falling to Pieces. No lie. |
Jamie Canosa is a master
storyteller, and she really brought these characters to life in a way that I
never thought was possible. She creates beautifully broken female characters
who have all the tools to believe in themselves, they just need someone to show
them the light, and her male characters are the kind of characters a reader can
fall in love with time after time as the pages turn, and bring hope to all who
have the pleasure of reading their story. I highly recommend Falling to Pieces to fans of YA, and I
will warn to keep some tissues handy, because I rate FtP a Farrah on my ugly-cry scale of 1 to Farrah Abraham.
FAVORITE
QUOTES:
·
“Trust me, love can be the most painful thing there
is.” –Kiernan
·
“If even one of your brain cells thinks I’m
strapping a couple thin slabs of wood to my feet and sailing down the side of a
mountain, it must be diseased.” –Jade
·
“Good things do happen, Jade.” Kiernan scooted his
chair closer. “It’s okay to have hope.”
·
“You can’t keep hiding from everyone because it’s
not just them you’re hiding from. You’re hiding from yourself. And if you keep
that up, you’ll start to forget who you really are.” -Kiernan
·
“I hurt.” The answer was simple enough, but it
seemed to confuse him further.
“Where do you hurt?”
“My heart.” Alcohol, the great
lip-loosener. I wanted to smack myself, but that would have required too much
coordination. And effort. “My heart hurts, Kiernan.”
EXCERPT:
“Then it’s your mother. What did
she do to you last night?”
“Nothing.” I gave up
the futile attempt at escape I’d been trying to make. The look on his face said
he wasn’t letting me go until he got some answers. “She’s never laid a hand on
me, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Kiernan’s shoulders
slouched, bringing him closer to my eye level. “There are different wounds
people can inflict on us, Jade. Just because yours aren’t physical doesn’t mean
they aren’t there. Just because they aren’t visible doesn’t mean I can’t see
them.”
He always had a way of
making my heart melt in the absolute worst way. He reached right inside that
locked box like he was the key and smashed it all to pieces. But that box was
my safe place, my protection. I needed it.
“Kiernan…I can’t do
this.”
“Can’t do what?”
“This.” My hand waved
between the two of us. “Whatever it is we’re doing, I can’t. I’m sorry. I
really am.”
I expected confusion,
maybe even anger. I was sure Kiernan Parks wasn’t used to being dumped.
Especially by the likes of me. But I didn’t get either. I didn’t get anything.
He just stood there, watching me until he simply said, “No.”
“No?”
“No, Jade. I’m not letting you do this. I’m not going to let you push me away. You’re scared. I get that. Believe me. I’m scared, too. But I can’t let you do this. I can’t stand here and watch you crawl back inside that shell of yours. I won’t give up on you, Jade. Not ever.”
“No, Jade. I’m not letting you do this. I’m not going to let you push me away. You’re scared. I get that. Believe me. I’m scared, too. But I can’t let you do this. I can’t stand here and watch you crawl back inside that shell of yours. I won’t give up on you, Jade. Not ever.”
Jamie Canosa is a full time author of YA/NA literature, which she absolutely loves. When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, she can usually be found with her nose in a book. She currently resides in Upstate NY with her husband, and their three crazy kids . . . plus the cat, the bird, and the rabbit.
