Happy Monday my friends. So I start this week with a bit of good news, I amongst so many amazing bloggers have been shortlisted for the UKYA Blogger Awards, for Best Established Long list. I’m so immensely grateful for the nomination and to be with such an amazing bloggers that I can call friends. If you would like to vote for me or any of the nominated – please follow the link here. Thank you so much in advance. Right now we need this bit of happy in these times and this is just what I needed.
Now, on to my review from one of my favourite authors, here is my review of The Pieces of Ourselves by Maggie Harcourt.
The Pieces of Ourselves by Maggie Harcourt Published by Usborne Publishing on April 2, 2020
Genres: Contemporary
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Goodreads
Flora doesn't do people", not since the Incident that led to her leaving school midway through her GCSEs. The Incident that led to her being diagnosed with bipolar II. The Incident that left her in pieces. Until Hal arrives. He's researching a story about a missing World War I soldier, and he wants Flora's help. Flora used to love history before the Incident, but spending so much time with Hal is her worst nightmare. Yet as they begin to piece together the life of the missing soldier, a life of lost love, secrets and lies, Flora finds a piece of herself falling for Hal.
My Review
Flora has bipolar II, it happened during her year of GCSEs and she’s hasn’t been able to go back. Everyone was talking about her and how she was the freak, but they didn’t understand. So she moved in with brother Charlie and his partner, Felix on the estate and working with Hopwood Hotel. This Incident broke, she doesn’t know where to go in life, until a guest known as Hal needs help with a history, World War project. Hal wants to find a soldier, after a story he got told from her Pa. He wants to live on the past rather than focus on the planned future he has. Together they piece together the lost soldiers story but also building something together that even more precious and wholesome.
When I got half way through the book, I continued reading one evening I couldn’t put it down I got so lost in the story. I finished just before midnight, and I was complete. That moment after finishing meant so much, as does this book. I was captured by how the story of lost soldier can build so many bridges, can create a purpose in life and create the most poignant love story both in the past and in the present. I was there and I couldn’t pull myself out of the book until the final piece was in place. Stunning.
So I’ll be honest this is the first book, I’ve come across that has bipolar representation in YA. It astounds me from the books we read that we still learn about mental health in different ways, there is so much out there.
“Its because if I was a compass, they’d be no east and no west. No sunrise or sunset. Just me, in the dark, with my needle spinning from pole to pole. and both poles are just as hostile, and both poles can kill you.”
What I really loved was how Maggie captured Flora’s character with bipolar, her diagnosis and her own healing process weaving in-between the many timelines throughout the novel. Flora acted as it was a thing in her brain, whilst she never wanted to be rescued, Hal and his project managed to piece her together. She also found a new hope for her life, and like with all of Maggie’s books it’s about accepting yourself, all of you, and embracing it.
Hal has had a different upbringing, he’s grown to be a tough exterior, but his interior, he true self really shines in his lost soldier story. He has quirks, he doesn’t quite know if he’s in the past or present, bless him. But his floppy hair and dimpled smile captures your heart, just imagine those slow-mo shots you get in movies, that give you that shy blush, he has that effect on Flora, she yearns for it in her life. He’s finally doing something for himself. The best bit, whilst the World War story starts out to be for his grandpa, it ended up being the most important love story of all.
There was something about this book from the cover, to the synopsis that I could tell is slightly different from her usual books. I find myself saying that The Pieces of Ourselves is the best book she’s written to date. It combined everything that I love about her previous books whilst bringing her writing to a whole new level in YA. The Pieces of Ourselves is a unique, poignant and timely novel on mental health and lost love stories.
Thank you to Usborne for sending me copy in exchange for an honest review.
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