ALL ABOARD THE FEELS TRAIN. Holy hell, this book slay’d me in ways I was completely unprepared for and now I am left with a complete book hangover and a need for everyone to read this book so we can talk about it!

I should have known a book titled All Our Broken Pieces was going to take my heart, squeeze the heck out of it, and leave me smiling on the floor afterward. A story of trauma, love, and compassion, this story finds its way from the beginning and draws you in completely. I have not stayed up late to read a book in 5 years (no joke) and I stayed up til 3am and was up at 7am to finish this one.

Lennon, one half of the dual POV, walks us through her world, one where she uses uneven counting to cope through the day. Terrified that someone will notice, she shies away from her peers. Thrown into a new life after tragedy strikes, I just wanted to reach through the pages and give her a hug.

Kyler, the angsty boy next door, has a no-fucks attitude that followed after years of peer bullying. He wears his trauma on his face, literally, after a house fire leaves him burned. This boy is full of lyrics and love and I just.

As you can imagine, the inevitable relationship between these two is the main driver of the story, lead by music, a willingness to open up, and a treehouse. These two have a whole lot of emotional intelligence, and an unwillingness to give up, that the rest of us could benefit from learning. Readers will connect with them immediately and be left thinking about them long after the book is closed.

The mental health rep here is some of the best I’ve read. It’s tangible and the adults (parents, school officials, and therapists) handle it appropriately (at least with Lennon). This is more than a story of tragedy; it’s a story of finding the person who is willing to look past it. It’s deep and visceral and full of things I remember feeling as a youth (before critical thinking and experiences left me more jaded haha). I dare you to try putting this down once you pick it up!