Broken Things

** spoiler alert ** "That's the problem with lies. They aren't soils. They melt and seep, and leak into the truth. And sooner or later, everything's just a muddle." -Brynn McNally. This is my second Lauren Oliver. The moment I read the first line I knew I had to read this book. The first part of the book hooked me already. Like, is that for real? Did they really? Did Mia and Brynn murdered Summer Marks? Those question struck me when I stumble across the first chapters. Plus, the plot is so intriguing. I find my self playing detective all the time. I thought that the whole story was a cult thingy because the way Summer Marks murdered was ritualistic-style killing. I was just distracted to some excerpts from the book called "The Way into Lovelorn" -- obsessed by Summer, Mia and Brynn. I didn't expect how Lauren Oliver revealed the killer. I was so invested to Abby (Mia's friend) she's so suspicious and too nosy about the murder case of Summer Marks. I love Wade Turner's (Brynn's nerdy cousin) character too. I did enjoy it nonetheless.

Bit slow and ending was rushed

unfortunately, i couldn’t really get into this book. i read about halfway through before deciding to skip to the end to see who the murderer was, something i don’t think i’ve ever done before. the writing was good but i couldn’t connect with the characters at all and they all just kind of blended together, i almost couldn’t keep track of who was who. i have to admit i didn’t guess who the killer was, but it did make a weird sort of sense. i just honestly couldn’t bring myself to care very much. 2 stars

I don't like DNF'ing books, but this just did not grip me. Also there is apparently (view spoiler)[ animal cruelty/death of a cat, (hide spoiler)] and I don't like subjecting myself to that.

3.5 ⭐️ Felt like the slenderman movie/case meets something out of a lifetime movie.

I’m not really a thriller person. But I did really enjoy this one from Lauren Oliver. I liked the dual points of view and the flitting between present day and the past. It was an interesting way to tell the story. I enjoyed the ending. And didn’t see who the perpetrator was. Although I know other people did guess. Still a really good thriller. That was well-written and was a very interesting concept.

First of all, I love Lauren Oliver. The only reason this book didn’t get 5 stars is because after reading some of the reviews I realized it wasn’t as great as I thought at first. Characters are kind of bland and don’t really develop at all but I can still connect with them. As for the mystery part, I did have it solved almost right away, but every time a new character was introduced as possibly being the killer, I questioned if I was actually right. But overall it was a great read and a pretty fast one as well.

3.5⭐

While this wasn’t the kind of fast paced thriller I usually prefer, I was so invested in the characters and what really happened to Summer. I really enjoyed reading this book.

Lauren Oliver has a way with words. I just love her style! That said, I feel I’ve read this exact book before?

I was so excited to read this book, but it’s a flop for me. Lackluster at best.

*I got this book for early review from the publisher for my honest thoughts* I really enjoyed this book. I loved the mystery of this book so much. I read this book in about two days. It was a very fast read. I really grew to love the main characters. I would consider these characters to have moments of being "Unlikable" but they grew on me and by the end of this novel, I really enjoyed them. I love the duel timelines and how we got both past and current timelines. I loved how this book hinted at toyed with fantasy elements in some ways. It thought these characters were so well crafted and the world building was so strong. The mystery was hard to predict and I loved that. If you like mysteries like PLL or don't look back, you should def check out this book in october!!

I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did! I was hooked from the beginning, and couldn't put it down. In the middle it was a a bit slower, but the ending made up for it. It ended in a way I didn't expect, the whole story was really unexpected actually. I loved how ever chapter revealed more and more about what happened on that day five years ago. All in all, a great mystery and something I didn't expect from Lauren Oliver.

Might change it to 4.. I don't know. It's a 3.5 but I'm not a huge fan so I set my GR rating to 3 (those half stars are really needed sometimes). It is a nice story but a bit predictable. All these YA murder mysteries read the same. So if you are in a mood for a YA mystery pick it up. But if you are in the mood for a good mystery I'd pass I guess. P.S. look for the content warning if you can't stomach everything (especially animal abuse).

Review coming on Saturday!

I loved Oliver’s writing style so much. Ate this up. Wasn’t too surprised by the actual eventual killer but was the perfect book to start off fall season😛

3.5 stars. Really good, but totally disturbing, so idk. (Also the ending seemed to ignore one of the main characters for some reason? Like only one sentence about Brynn is a bit harsh. A bit more of a This is what Brynn and Abby are doing now would have been nice? Or are we just ignoring the queers?) Huge thank you to Hachette Australia for the ARC.

Received a copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. 4 Stars Lauren Oliver delivers us, readers, a new YA mystery. The Way Into Lovelorn is Mia, Brynn, and Summers favorite book. The three girls immerse themselves in their imagination and create their own Lovelorn. Soon Summer is dead and fingers point to Mia and Brynn even though they are innocent. Forced to come together on the anniversary of Summer’s death to discover what really happened to their best friend. Discovering what happened to Summer brings up past hurts and new discoveries and it will either force Mia and Brynn apart or bring them together. Broken Things seems to be a combination of the book Every Secret Thing and the real Slenderman stabbing. It was a story that I have heard a time or two but Lauren Oliver puts her own twist on things. With a common theme such as this murder mystery, I was nervous to read this book. I didn’t want the same typical ending one normally gets with a story like this. But I will say Lauren Oliver took it to a place, I didn’t see coming. I had a guess but I was still hesitant to lock down my answer because it could have been anyone. Going back and forth into the past and the present was easy to follow and made the story easier to grasp. Getting to know the girls when life was more innocent really allowed you to see their character growth. Mia and Brynn were simple followers whereas Summer was the typical leader who likes to keep secrets. The girls are obsessed with the book and I can relate to that. They dreamed up stories and wrote fan fiction. But Summer wanted to grow up and leave Lovelorn behind. And with the flashbacks, you discover why. Even if some of the girls annoyed me at moments, I still appreciated them. They each had their own personal issues but still came together to discover what really happened. The Way into Lovelorn, the book within the book is the aspect that stood out to me the most. It’s something I wish I had in my actual hands right now. Overall, I enjoyed this book, the mystery was interesting enough that I had a hard time putting the book down. If you like YA mystery books then go ahead and pick this book up.

Loved this book. It was beautifully written, emotionally deep, and the only thing I didn’t love was that it was a little too easy to guess who the murderer or murderers were. Otherwise, this was lovely!

Okay, so I really enjoyed this book, but am I the only one who got some SERIOUS Pretty Little Liars vibes?? 😅 Summer in Broken Things = Alison DiLaurentis from PLL, for SO many reasons (keep reading in the *spoilers* section if you've read the book AND are familiar with PLL) The story development was well done, and the fast pace definitely made it hard for me to put the book down. I was super invested in the alternating timelines and POVs. ALTHOUGH I was confused a few times on who's POV I was reading. Maybe the characters weren't complex and unique enough, even though they seemed like it at first glance? 🤔 I really enjoyed the fading in and out of their make-believe world, which also gave me some serious The Hazel Wood vibes, but I haven't pinned down why 😅 This book was definitely thrilling and creepy, but I do have issues with how young the girls were at the time Summer was murdered. The lifestyle they lead.. I don't know, I could imagine that for 15-16 year olds, but definitely not 13 year olds (except the whole imaginary fantasy world part). 3.5⭐ SPOILERS : (Summer vs Alison) • Everyone is so sad that the beautiful, lively blond girl loved by all is dead • The more you get into the story, the more you learn how she was hugely manipulative and mean • She kept so many secrets from those she considered her best friends, and in turn she made them keep secrets from each other • Both girls made their lesbian bff believe she was in love with them, only to turn on her and spread evil rumors.