34 Pieces of You (Reprint)

by Carmen Rodrigues

When I purchased 34 Pieces of You I was in a huge YA Mystery phase. Like all my books, this one was on my shelves, collecting dust for ± 7 years, before I finally decided to pick it up. Maybe if I had read it then, I would have enjoyed it more, but 34 Pieces of You isn't what I expected. It reads more like a contemporary than a mystery.

34 Pieces of You is told through three PoVs - Sarah, Jessie and Jake - who were all a part of Ellie's life. The PoVs are pretty similar and while the characters are messy, toxic and have gone through messed up situations, they aren't compelling. Ellie is probably the most complex character. She's dark, broken, destructive and manipulative and while there are scenes that show her good and bad sides, I didn't care for her.

My main issue is that 34 Pieces of You is shallow. There are a lot of serious issues and potential triggers that are touched on, but aren't explored in depth. (On that note: please check trigger warnings before reading this book.) It also feels like these issues are included to make the story seem more edgy.

I also don't get the point of this book or what it was trying to achieve (which could be a 'me-issue'). The story is told through alternating timelines, but there isn't a substantial plot and I didn't care enough about the characters to just go with it. I also don't understand why the 34 notes are included. Maybe it's to give more insight about Ellie, but it doesn't have much to do with the story and feels gimmicky.

34 Pieces of You is a quick read, but because I didn't care for the characters and felt like there wasn't a solid plot, it's also a forgettable read.