Actual rating is 4.5 stars.
My Initial Reaction...
Who knew a novella could do so much?! Fracture Me really changed how I feel about Adam (though there's still some frustration) and it was so awesome to see Juliette through his eyes.
The Good...
Fracture Me packs a punch! It's just sixty pages, but Tahereh Mafi doesn't waste a word. I absolutely loved getting inside Adam's head and understanding a bit better why he does the things he does. For one, seeing Juliette through his eyes was kind of like a wake-up call for me. I mean, I knew she was still so lost, but I had no idea she was THAT broken. She's starring off into space, lost in her thoughts, repeating words without realizing it... I mean, you read all this stuff in the book but I think I felt like it was more trapped inside her than it really was. So wow, talk about using point of view to pack a wallop!
It was also really great to see his interaction with his little brother, James. I love that kid and I've always loved the way Adam takes care of him. But getting inside his head and seeing how much he loves his brother - like a parent, really - was great. And seeing some tender, private moments was a treat we missed from Juliette's point of view.
The action was also really incredible - even though we're rehashing events from Unravel Me for a good portion of Fracture Me it never got boring. You're seeing things for a whole different vantage point and realizing how much Juliette missed... not to mention how much Adam DIDN'T miss. Plus there's a whole bit where Adam and Juliette aren't together toward the end of both books that's has me even more excited to listen to the final book in the series.
The Bad...
I don't know that this is necessarily bad... but it's the part of me that hasn't changed teams in the Warner vs. Adam debate. I officially understand Adam way better and like him a lot more. But at the end of the day, I think both Adam and Warner see the same girl and respond so differently. Adam sees someone who's broken and he wants to protect - what can I say, he has a bit of a hero complex and it's boring. I like my women empowered. And so does Warren, I guess. Because he sees someone who's broken too (how can he not?), but he doesn't want to protect her, he wants to help her fix herself and become strong and powerful. To be fair, I think part of that is because he's a little more broken than Adam is and sees fixing her as a key to fixing himself a bit, but still, I like it better.
And there was also this one really maddening moment where Adam was torn between James and Juliette. I won't go into details but I was like "WTF? How is that even a question?" James is his BROTHER and he's the one who's raised him, making him like a son in a lot of ways. Sorry, don't care how much he cares for Juliette, James should have been an automatic first position for him.
Concluding Sentiments...
Fracture Me is a fantastic novella and really impacted my view of the entire series for the better. Too much happens for you to skip it, too. If you're reading this series, stop and pick this up after reading Unravel Me, you won't be sorry!