This review contains minor spoilers from Girl in Pieces. It also contains mentions of self harm. Reader discretion is advised. 

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow is a dark, painfully real story about a girl named Charlie Davis. It’s a difficult read, so I would advise reader caution if you’re in a sensitive place mentally, as there are many dark and triggering sections. The readers follow Charlie, a strange girl simply trying to stay alive.

Though at times heavy, this book also has a simplicity. It’s not a plot heavy book, the readers follow Charlie through her journey. That being said, it’s definitely not boring. Girl in Pieces is graphic, going in detail about the trauma Charlie has experienced and the harm she does to herself.

She is going through the world having nobody by her side, which is the worst feeling in the world. Charlie feels like everything’s her fault, taking out all that anger on herself.

She is thrown into all the wrong relationships, horrible obstacles, and lonely feelings. When she finds the first guy who’s kind to her, with sweet eyes and attention to give, she finally feels like she’s not total garbage. She instantly falls for him, only to find out he’s not what she needed. Charlie puts all of herself into this one person, only to be thrown back into loneliness.

I love this book because while reading it, I realized how rough some have it. It gives you perspective and a new outlook on life, teaching you the importance of gratitude. Sadly, so many more people out there have experiences like Charlie’s. And this book only describes half of what it’s like to not have anyone — to feel completely alone.

That is what I absolutely love about this book: the wanting it all, being in arms reach but never actually getting what you want. Though I’ve never experienced such extreme problems like the main characters do in Girl in Pieces, I still related to it in a way. It inspired me to do better in my own life, which is why I enjoyed it so much, despite the darkness of the story.