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efortier99's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
asiabree1's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
heather_19's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars actually. I was completely absorbed by this book..... until about the last 40-50 pages. The ending seemed extremely rushed and far too perfect for a book that spent the majority of the time in actual teenage feelings. Learning who you are after your first heartbreak, especially one as traumatic as that, can't be wrapped up in a pretty little bow in a couple chapters.
ladytiara's review against another edition
4.0
Initially, I wasn't sure what to make of this book. The description made it sound like a mystery/thriller, but when I first started reading, it felt much more like a very sad book about a young woman grieving for her dead ex-boyfriend. The mystery aspects slowly revealed themselves, and I was completely hooked about 50 pages into it.
Jessa is a high-school junior, and her ex-boyfriend Caleb died in a car accident a few weeks ago. They had only been broken up few a couple of weeks, and she feels very guilty about his death because he drove his car off a bridge during a storm shortly after seeing her at her track meet. Caleb's mother asks Jessa to clean out his room, and because she feels so guilty, she agrees to do it.
As she goes through Caleb's things, each item triggers a memory. At first, the memories are bittersweet and mostly happy, as she remembers the good times. But as the days go on, the things she discovers in his room cause her to question everything about her relationship with Caleb. How much did she really know him? Was he keeping secrets? What really happened the day he died? With the help of Caleb's best friend Max, with whom she has a complicated history, she tries to figure out the mystery of Caleb and come to terms with her own grief.
Fragments of the Lost was an excellent mystery. I was sucked into it very quickly, and it was a quick read for me, because I couldn't put it down (I'm always like that when I'm reading a good mystery). I find YA thrillers a bit hit or miss for me. Often, the plots are a little simplistic and I can figure out the culprit pretty easily (a lifetime of reading mysteries gives me an edge). But Fragments of the Lost kept me guessing. It's obvious pretty early on that there's much more to Caleb's death than meets the eye, but the plot takes a lot of twists, and I was as much in the dark as Jessa until the whole truth was revealed. I really enjoyed this one, and I'm interested to check out the author's adult mysteries.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
Jessa is a high-school junior, and her ex-boyfriend Caleb died in a car accident a few weeks ago. They had only been broken up few a couple of weeks, and she feels very guilty about his death because he drove his car off a bridge during a storm shortly after seeing her at her track meet. Caleb's mother asks Jessa to clean out his room, and because she feels so guilty, she agrees to do it.
As she goes through Caleb's things, each item triggers a memory. At first, the memories are bittersweet and mostly happy, as she remembers the good times. But as the days go on, the things she discovers in his room cause her to question everything about her relationship with Caleb. How much did she really know him? Was he keeping secrets? What really happened the day he died? With the help of Caleb's best friend Max, with whom she has a complicated history, she tries to figure out the mystery of Caleb and come to terms with her own grief.
Fragments of the Lost was an excellent mystery. I was sucked into it very quickly, and it was a quick read for me, because I couldn't put it down (I'm always like that when I'm reading a good mystery). I find YA thrillers a bit hit or miss for me. Often, the plots are a little simplistic and I can figure out the culprit pretty easily (a lifetime of reading mysteries gives me an edge). But Fragments of the Lost kept me guessing. It's obvious pretty early on that there's much more to Caleb's death than meets the eye, but the plot takes a lot of twists, and I was as much in the dark as Jessa until the whole truth was revealed. I really enjoyed this one, and I'm interested to check out the author's adult mysteries.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
mkokopelli's review against another edition
4.0
I love Megan Miranda's style. This was a fast read that was kind of predictable. Though- I loved the story, characters and details. So being predictable wasn't a let down.
olav_grey's review against another edition
5.0
As many others have noted, the beginning is a bit slow but since when was that a bad thing? It gives the book the setup, leaves you to figure out your thoughts and feelings about the main characters before making you question everything!
The last half of the book feels like a blur as I read it so fast, feeling addicted to what was going on and what was happening, I was left guessing till the very end.
The last half of the book feels like a blur as I read it so fast, feeling addicted to what was going on and what was happening, I was left guessing till the very end.
aly36's review
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Jessa Whitworth tried to help pack up her ex-boyfriend Caleb’s room. The memories of their relationship coming back to her. Maybe things were not how she thought they were. Did she remember things that maybe were not as "obvious" before to her? How well did she know this guy? This book was an interesting book full of twists and turns. I enjoyed the book.
bookedbaby's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve always loved Megan Miranda’s books but this one was just a little too slow. I was begging for more information and usually she has decent plot twists but this one was too big of a shocker so it didn’t make the slow build worth it.
But HOW are you going to fake your death and not think about the ones you love most. That was really selfish of Caleb. I felt bad that Jessa had to realize that she once loved a guy that she really didn’t even know. It also sucked that her and Max almost couldn’t be together because they would have always been connected to Caleb and it would have always been wrong. Max deserved her in the end.
But HOW are you going to fake your death and not think about the ones you love most. That was really selfish of Caleb. I felt bad that Jessa had to realize that she once loved a guy that she really didn’t even know. It also sucked that her and Max almost couldn’t be together because they would have always been connected to Caleb and it would have always been wrong. Max deserved her in the end.
kdfelcyn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
michalice's review against another edition
4.0
I've read several of Megan's books, and have had a love/dislike relationship with them. Some I've fallen in love with straight away and some just didn't work for me. After reading the synopsis for Fragments of the Lost I knew I had to know more about this one.
♦ Fragments of the Lost is told in alternating times, a 'during' and 'after' and I think this really worked for this book.
♦ I really liked seeing things revealed as the protagonist, Jessa, discovers them.
♦ I love the connections that were made to the past, how an item relates to the relationship between Jessa and Caleb, or how it indirectly comes into play within their relationship.
♦ I really liked not knowing what was going to be revealed next, and I literally hung on for every minute clue we were given.
♦ I liked how the characters felt real, and that it wasn't all sunshine and roses for them.
♦ The dynamic family situation for Caleb made him come across as the 'left out' character, and I really did feel sorry for him in regards to his family situation.
♦ I LOVED the twists and turns throughout the pages, especially some revelations towards the end of the book.
♦ The end took me by surprise, more so in that I never really saw it coming but I liked how this woven back into the plot.
♦ The pacing of the book felt natural, it wasn't rushed along or skipped in order to get to the end and that helped in the discovery of new clues as well as the story process itself.
I really enjoyed reading Fragments of the Lost and I can't wait to share this book with friends.
♦ Fragments of the Lost is told in alternating times, a 'during' and 'after' and I think this really worked for this book.
♦ I really liked seeing things revealed as the protagonist, Jessa, discovers them.
♦ I love the connections that were made to the past, how an item relates to the relationship between Jessa and Caleb, or how it indirectly comes into play within their relationship.
♦ I really liked not knowing what was going to be revealed next, and I literally hung on for every minute clue we were given.
♦ I liked how the characters felt real, and that it wasn't all sunshine and roses for them.
♦ The dynamic family situation for Caleb made him come across as the 'left out' character, and I really did feel sorry for him in regards to his family situation.
♦ I LOVED the twists and turns throughout the pages, especially some revelations towards the end of the book.
♦ The end took me by surprise, more so in that I never really saw it coming but I liked how this woven back into the plot.
♦ The pacing of the book felt natural, it wasn't rushed along or skipped in order to get to the end and that helped in the discovery of new clues as well as the story process itself.
I really enjoyed reading Fragments of the Lost and I can't wait to share this book with friends.