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kfriend 's review for:
Pieces of You
by Jay McLean
OH MY GOSH! THIS BOOK! I’m a newbie to Jay Mclean, but I’m about to ravish her backlist because this story wrecked me and consumed me entirely. WOW- what a beautiful, complicated, angsty, and heartfelt story of young love. My emotions were all over the place, but I do know this- this story MOVED me. Touched my heart and soul in ways I didn’t expect, in ways I may never have adequate words to articulate.
On paper, Jamie and Holden couldn’t be more different- Holden’s the golden boy- popular, athletic, sexy, and a ladies man while Jamie is the indivisible outcast- oddly dressed, artistic, guarded, and a loner. Unexpected circumstances draw them together, forces them to see each other and learn that there is more to each other. Because in truth, they are so similar - creating a bond so deep that at times it scares them. Both are lost in themselves, mired in their guilt, trapped in the trauma and mistakes of those they love, broken by it. Jamie’s cracks may be deeper, because she’s well and truly alone- but Holden’s are widening under the pressure of caring for those he loves.
And that’s where this story becomes so profound. As they try puzzle together who they each are, and who they are to each other, they try to understand one another’s broken pieces- and that forces them each to do something that neither has truly allowed themselves to do-to examine their OWN pieces, an introspection that challenges both their maturity and their fragile but deep emotional connection. Because loving each other isn’t easy or light- because of their baggage, it's heady and heavy, complicated and intense-a weight that is equal parts restorative and terrifying for each of them.
Jay is clearly a master of character writing-Jamie and Holden are two of the most compelling characters I’ve read. Both beautifully constructed, nuanced and dynamic- they are just so vividly captured, I felt their every word. Holden is fantastically unexpected- nothing like the jock trope. He’s a pure and sweetheart- he loves his mom, cares for his friends, and opens his heart. Bravo and charm meets compassion and kindness- it’s a beautiful elixir in a hero. And like Holden, Jamie is full of beautiful contrasts- broken but somehow unbreakable, guarded but vulnerable. Both characters have such a profound gravitas to them- a soulful weight that literally pressed on my heart.
There is so much heartbreaking beauty in this story- hope paired with helplessness, pain paired with healing, acceptance paired with fear. This is everything I love about the new adult genre- two characters coming of age trying to reconcile the very adult feeling of loving another while still trying to figure out who you are yourself. But this one is special- it feels deeper than that, more profound than that- and Jay somehow captures a shocking level of maturity and complexity while also embracing their youth. The result is that I connected with both characters so deeply- and admired how gently and graceful they were with each other and they tried to figure themselves out.
Every moment- sweet, sexy, tender, heartbreaking, and shocking- are rendered with such ease and purpose. The puzzle is complex, and still in the process, but I just know that the pieces fit- but now I’m wondering just how. The ending alone tore me in two, but then the epilogue- I gasped, I cried. I am not okay. Needless to say, my heart sits scattered in tiny pieces, and I need Jay to put them back together again, because my heart is now forever with Holden and Jamie.
On paper, Jamie and Holden couldn’t be more different- Holden’s the golden boy- popular, athletic, sexy, and a ladies man while Jamie is the indivisible outcast- oddly dressed, artistic, guarded, and a loner. Unexpected circumstances draw them together, forces them to see each other and learn that there is more to each other. Because in truth, they are so similar - creating a bond so deep that at times it scares them. Both are lost in themselves, mired in their guilt, trapped in the trauma and mistakes of those they love, broken by it. Jamie’s cracks may be deeper, because she’s well and truly alone- but Holden’s are widening under the pressure of caring for those he loves.
And that’s where this story becomes so profound. As they try puzzle together who they each are, and who they are to each other, they try to understand one another’s broken pieces- and that forces them each to do something that neither has truly allowed themselves to do-to examine their OWN pieces, an introspection that challenges both their maturity and their fragile but deep emotional connection. Because loving each other isn’t easy or light- because of their baggage, it's heady and heavy, complicated and intense-a weight that is equal parts restorative and terrifying for each of them.
Jay is clearly a master of character writing-Jamie and Holden are two of the most compelling characters I’ve read. Both beautifully constructed, nuanced and dynamic- they are just so vividly captured, I felt their every word. Holden is fantastically unexpected- nothing like the jock trope. He’s a pure and sweetheart- he loves his mom, cares for his friends, and opens his heart. Bravo and charm meets compassion and kindness- it’s a beautiful elixir in a hero. And like Holden, Jamie is full of beautiful contrasts- broken but somehow unbreakable, guarded but vulnerable. Both characters have such a profound gravitas to them- a soulful weight that literally pressed on my heart.
There is so much heartbreaking beauty in this story- hope paired with helplessness, pain paired with healing, acceptance paired with fear. This is everything I love about the new adult genre- two characters coming of age trying to reconcile the very adult feeling of loving another while still trying to figure out who you are yourself. But this one is special- it feels deeper than that, more profound than that- and Jay somehow captures a shocking level of maturity and complexity while also embracing their youth. The result is that I connected with both characters so deeply- and admired how gently and graceful they were with each other and they tried to figure themselves out.
Every moment- sweet, sexy, tender, heartbreaking, and shocking- are rendered with such ease and purpose. The puzzle is complex, and still in the process, but I just know that the pieces fit- but now I’m wondering just how. The ending alone tore me in two, but then the epilogue- I gasped, I cried. I am not okay. Needless to say, my heart sits scattered in tiny pieces, and I need Jay to put them back together again, because my heart is now forever with Holden and Jamie.