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lalexvp's review
4.0
4 stars for highlighting important experiences and lives in a queer romance, but I can’t get over the writing style. It doesn’t flow well. Scenes don’t transition clearly to the point where I don’t know where my characters are or how much time has passed. I feel like I blacked out when I blinked and somewhere between the lines I missed the story. I liked the idea, I liked the characters (though I felt that only one was really fully developed) but I felt so lost sometimes that it made me detached.
iam's review
4.0
This was lovely.
A Tiny Piece of Something Greater is a calm and emotional story in which Joaquim, who's from Brazil and currently doing an internship as a Master Scuba Diving Trainer, and Reid, who is cyclothymic (a mood disorder) and just needs time away from his family, fall in love.
The center of the story is very much Reid's mental illness and how he deals with it, and how that makes him navigate the blossoming relationship with Joaquim, while at the same time Joaquim learns about the needs the man he loves has - both the ones he's heard about before and the ones he hasn't.
The way these two treated each other was lovely. Their relationship and emotions felt so real, especially the nervousness and anxiety (both in and out of context of Reid's cycling through hypomania and depression), which often seems to be lacking in romance books. The insecurity about how to treat each other, how to interpret the other's reactions, how to manage an emotion that seems not justified while also still acknowledging it - all those and more were very present, which was made even more soothing to read by how constant and honest the communication between the two main characters was.
The one thing I have to criticize was how sometimes I could not tell who of the protagonists was meant. The writing is good, but there were rather frequent occasions where I couldn't figure out who "he" was out of the two, and also at the beginning of a few chapters it took me a few pages to realize who's POV I was reading from.
Thank you to A Novel Take PR for providing me with an eARC
A Tiny Piece of Something Greater is a calm and emotional story in which Joaquim, who's from Brazil and currently doing an internship as a Master Scuba Diving Trainer, and Reid, who is cyclothymic (a mood disorder) and just needs time away from his family, fall in love.
The center of the story is very much Reid's mental illness and how he deals with it, and how that makes him navigate the blossoming relationship with Joaquim, while at the same time Joaquim learns about the needs the man he loves has - both the ones he's heard about before and the ones he hasn't.
The way these two treated each other was lovely. Their relationship and emotions felt so real, especially the nervousness and anxiety (both in and out of context of Reid's cycling through hypomania and depression), which often seems to be lacking in romance books. The insecurity about how to treat each other, how to interpret the other's reactions, how to manage an emotion that seems not justified while also still acknowledging it - all those and more were very present, which was made even more soothing to read by how constant and honest the communication between the two main characters was.
The one thing I have to criticize was how sometimes I could not tell who of the protagonists was meant. The writing is good, but there were rather frequent occasions where I couldn't figure out who "he" was out of the two, and also at the beginning of a few chapters it took me a few pages to realize who's POV I was reading from.
Thank you to A Novel Take PR for providing me with an eARC
elm's review
4.0
4.5 stars
my heart... it's so full :') this was such a sweet, raw, hopeful, honest, and incredibly important book. It frankly depicted the hardship and struggle of living with a mental illness, while never portraying it as a weakness or as a flaw. The message, that people with mental illnesses are worthy and capable of happiness and love, is one that needs to be understood by everyone and is one that this book aids in spreading by just existing.
my heart... it's so full :') this was such a sweet, raw, hopeful, honest, and incredibly important book. It frankly depicted the hardship and struggle of living with a mental illness, while never portraying it as a weakness or as a flaw. The message, that people with mental illnesses are worthy and capable of happiness and love, is one that needs to be understood by everyone and is one that this book aids in spreading by just existing.
devalabra's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
wintersorbit's review against another edition
4.0
The set-up of this book is really quite simple--two guys in their early twenties are both away from home on the same island, meet, and fall in love. Reid is 20 and taking care of his grandma's condo while she's with his family in Wisconsin. Joaquim, who is 22, has come to the island from Brazil to intern as a scuba diving instructor. They meet when Reid signs up for scuba diving classes. It really just follows the two of them as they get to know one another and build a relationship, which is sometimes difficult because Reid is cyclothymic and deals with mood swings and other mental health problems. Seeing these two fall in love and navigating a relationship together was something that just made my heart ache; it isn't easy for either of them, but they really try to understand each other and make the best of it. Finding books about people in their early twenties that aren't new adult college romance is kind of hard, especially queer ones, so I just really appreciate this book for being exactly what I needed.
Content warnings (as found in the book): Discussion of mental illness, therapy, and recovery. It includes a portrayal of a cyclothymic character who experiences rapid mood cycles and anxiety. There is non-graphic discussion of past self-harm and off-page relapse. It also contains non-graphic reference to a past suicide attempt.
Content warnings (as found in the book): Discussion of mental illness, therapy, and recovery. It includes a portrayal of a cyclothymic character who experiences rapid mood cycles and anxiety. There is non-graphic discussion of past self-harm and off-page relapse. It also contains non-graphic reference to a past suicide attempt.
heresthepencil's review
4.0
rep: gay mc with cyclothymia, Brazilian gay mc
ARC provided by the publisher.
This isn’t the kind of love story I usually go for & I’m very grateful for that. But also, despite the romance being a major part of the novel, somewhat of a catalyst for the whole plot, this isn’t really a love story. Not in the sense that the love is the most vital & important arc. Rather, it’s a story of a young gay man who is still learning to navigate adulthood while battling his mental illness and who also happens to fall in love.
The main character - Reid - has cyclothymia and that really shapes the whole novel. He moves into his grandmother’s condo by the ocean to get away from his family & all the bad, exhausting things (and people) that make it harder for him to truly recover. To breathe. It’s not often that you find a book that honestly is mostly about living with a mental illness and even less often - an ownvoices one. That’s why A Tiny Piece is even more special.
Sierra doesn’t shy away from describing all the ugly parts of a mental illness, all the ache, the struggles, all the ways in which it can break a person. At the same time, though, she always makes sure not to paint it as something bad. There was this great quote that stayed with me, something Reid’s therapist said during one of their group therapy sessions:
Nothing here would work as well as it does, if it wasn’t for Sierra’s wonderful writing. Her prose feels very lyrical in all the small moments, the ones that could otherwise be read as mundane. She plucks just the right words & even though they’re simple and not “fancy” at all, she still manages to weave the most delicate, graceful metaphors. She turns the otherwise harsh feelings into something tangible (still able to hurt you but not without you knowing why) and gives an extra layer of warmth to the soft ones.
Like I said, the romance is quite a big part of the novel as well. Reid meets Joaquim - a Brazilian scuba diving instructor - at the very beginning and they both develop crushes on each other right away, it’s extremely cute. It’s not an angsty story where you’re not sure about the romantic outcome until the very end (the boys start dating soon after meeting). Instead, A Tiny Piece is their journey to a warm, healthy relationship. We get to watch the guys through each bump along the way, through the obstacles that they resolve by talking and listening to one another.
The love is in abundance on every single page of the novel, it pours out of their words and more importantly - their actions. This makes A Tiny Piece one of the most hopeful books you could imagine & together with the sunny beaches of Florida, it creates a beautifully summery, tender story.
ARC provided by the publisher.
This isn’t the kind of love story I usually go for & I’m very grateful for that. But also, despite the romance being a major part of the novel, somewhat of a catalyst for the whole plot, this isn’t really a love story. Not in the sense that the love is the most vital & important arc. Rather, it’s a story of a young gay man who is still learning to navigate adulthood while battling his mental illness and who also happens to fall in love.
The main character - Reid - has cyclothymia and that really shapes the whole novel. He moves into his grandmother’s condo by the ocean to get away from his family & all the bad, exhausting things (and people) that make it harder for him to truly recover. To breathe. It’s not often that you find a book that honestly is mostly about living with a mental illness and even less often - an ownvoices one. That’s why A Tiny Piece is even more special.
Sierra doesn’t shy away from describing all the ugly parts of a mental illness, all the ache, the struggles, all the ways in which it can break a person. At the same time, though, she always makes sure not to paint it as something bad. There was this great quote that stayed with me, something Reid’s therapist said during one of their group therapy sessions:
“You are a normal person. We all are. We all have brains that work differently, that’s all. You guys have been handed challenges. But you are worthy of happiness and health and help.”
Nothing here would work as well as it does, if it wasn’t for Sierra’s wonderful writing. Her prose feels very lyrical in all the small moments, the ones that could otherwise be read as mundane. She plucks just the right words & even though they’re simple and not “fancy” at all, she still manages to weave the most delicate, graceful metaphors. She turns the otherwise harsh feelings into something tangible (still able to hurt you but not without you knowing why) and gives an extra layer of warmth to the soft ones.
Like I said, the romance is quite a big part of the novel as well. Reid meets Joaquim - a Brazilian scuba diving instructor - at the very beginning and they both develop crushes on each other right away, it’s extremely cute. It’s not an angsty story where you’re not sure about the romantic outcome until the very end (the boys start dating soon after meeting). Instead, A Tiny Piece is their journey to a warm, healthy relationship. We get to watch the guys through each bump along the way, through the obstacles that they resolve by talking and listening to one another.
The love is in abundance on every single page of the novel, it pours out of their words and more importantly - their actions. This makes A Tiny Piece one of the most hopeful books you could imagine & together with the sunny beaches of Florida, it creates a beautifully summery, tender story.
leahkarge's review against another edition
4.0
This book was both incredibly heartbreaking and wonderfully soothing at the same time. This was my first Jude Sierra book, and I will definitely be checking out more from her!
Read the full review on my blog!
Read the full review on my blog!
cadiva's review against another edition
I'm not rating this one as I've not been able to finish it and I think it'd be unfair to pull this book's overall rating down.
There is some exceptional writing in this book, the true voice experience is clear to see and, as the author's note elaborates, it is something they have intimate experience with.
Part of my problem is that I feel so far removed from the characters that it's difficult for me to relate to them and so I found it really hard to get enthused about wanting to read more about a young lad struggling to deal with his mental health.
Is that a poor effort on my behalf, yes it probably is, I think books like this need to be written and I think they need to be read and I probably will come back and try and finish it at some point when can give it the serious time and consideration it needs.
But, at the moment, that isn't now and I have too many other books that I need to read for specific deadlines to want to read a book which, while important, isn't giving me any enjoyment as well.
#ARC kindly provided by the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
There is some exceptional writing in this book, the true voice experience is clear to see and, as the author's note elaborates, it is something they have intimate experience with.
Part of my problem is that I feel so far removed from the characters that it's difficult for me to relate to them and so I found it really hard to get enthused about wanting to read more about a young lad struggling to deal with his mental health.
Is that a poor effort on my behalf, yes it probably is, I think books like this need to be written and I think they need to be read and I probably will come back and try and finish it at some point when can give it the serious time and consideration it needs.
But, at the moment, that isn't now and I have too many other books that I need to read for specific deadlines to want to read a book which, while important, isn't giving me any enjoyment as well.
#ARC kindly provided by the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
jessy_reads's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Homophobia
tragicgloom's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5