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Broken Things by Lauren Oliver is a book that is very mysterious as it blends fantasy and reality. The main characters are realistic, and the writing style is so suspenseful. This is the perfect read to curl up with this fall.
Title: Broken ThingsAuthor: Lauren Oliver
Also by this author: Vanishing Girls
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genres: Thriller, Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: October 2, 2018
Rating:
It’s been five years since Summer Marks was brutally murdered in the woods.
Everyone thinks Mia and Brynn killed their best friend. That driven by their obsession with a novel called The Way into Lovelorn the three girls had imagined themselves into the magical world where their fantasies became twisted, even deadly.
The only thing is: they didn’t do it.
On the anniversary of Summer’s death, a seemingly insignificant discovery resurrects the mystery and pulls Mia and Brynn back together once again. But as the lines begin to blur between past and present and fiction and reality, the girls must confront what really happened in the woods all those years ago—no matter how monstrous.
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
Review: Broken Things by Lauren Oliver
❀ Interesting Concept
This book has such an interesting concept that is unlike anything I’ve read before. It tells the story of a group of friends who become obsessed with a book and write their own version of it with themselves as the characters. When one of the girls’ bodies is found in the woods, attacked just like in their story, the blame is placed on the other two. However, they are innocent. I enjoyed how it is hard to tell what is real and what isn’t when it comes to the story and the fictional world. There are also some interesting twists that I never saw coming. If you are a fan of thrillers, I would definitely recommend this one.
❀ Entertaining Narrators
Both the narrators, Mia and Brynn, in Broken Things are entertaining. They each have their flaws, but it was easy to sympathize with them since the whole town bullies them for a crime they didn’t commit. I enjoyed how they are so determined to solve the murder and how resourceful they are when it comes to finding evidence. I must say, I was the most intrigued by Summer’s character, and I would have liked to read more about her and her past.
❀ Smooth Pacing
As is typical with Lauren Oliver’s books, the writing style draws the reader in. The way the story is told alternates between past and present, and this adds a lot of suspense. Sometimes this can be confusing, but I found the pacing to be very smooth. Shocking bits of information are revealed in the past when I least expected it, and I was on the edge of my seat wondering who to trust.
❀ The Writing is Very Eerie
Broken Things by Lauren Oliver is a thriller that plays with reality and fantasy. The two main characters are flawed, and the writing is very eerie. I can’t wait to see what’s next for Lauren Oliver!
About Lauren Oliver
Lauren Oliver is the cofounder of media and content development company Glasstown Entertainment, where she serves as the president of production. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of the YA novels Replica, Vanishing Girls, Panic, and the Delirium trilogy: Delirium, Pandemonium, and Requiem, which have been translated into more than thirty languages. The film rights to both Replica and Lauren's bestselling first novel, Before I Fall, were acquired by AwesomenessTV; Before I Fall is now a major motion picture and opened in theaters March of 2017. The sequel to Replica, titled Ringer, is her most recent novel and was released October 3rd, 2017.
About The Candid Cover
Olivia ❀ Canadian YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, & professional bibliophile.
I’ve never read a book by Lauren Oliver, though they’ve been on my radar. I am SO excited for this one though and I hope to read it this season sometime. It sounds great, and very suspenseful! Glad to hear you enjoyed this one.
-lauren
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Ooooh! I hope that you love it! I have always enjoyed her books. 🙂
Such a lovely review! I got lucky enough to read that one already as well and I’m also a huge Lauren Oliver fan, so I was anticipating this one a lot. I think it’s a great thriller and I loved the suspense, the writing and the alternative pov and between past and present, too; I wish we got more of Summer as well, though 😀
Lovely review!
I am glad that you enjoyed reading this one as well. 🙂
The only book I’ve ever read by Lauren Oliver was Delirium but I kinda lost track of her as an author after that. This book does sound really intriguing, though. It sounds like a really great thriller!
OMG! I know that you would enjoy her writing, Stephanie. I hope that you pick this one up. 😉
Lauren Oliver is hit or miss for me, I love some of her stuff but then couldnt get into others. But the synopsis for this one sounds so good and like it keeps you guessing. Great review!
It really is a great thriller! 🙂
This does sound really suspenseful and almost like it could be a real story! I’m always a little leery of stories where teens are solving crimes better than the real police, but I might give this one a chance!
Right?! I love that it is so realistic. 🙂
I haven’t read a book by the author yet, but the minute I saw this one I knew I wanted to read it. Even more so now, after your wonderful review. Thank you!
I hope that you enjoy it if you do give it a try. 🙂
I am definitely intrigued! I’ve had my eye on this for a while now, and finally I’ve come across a positive review to really get my need for it going! XD Of course, I love the concept, and I love thrillers. I can’t wait to find out what the mystery is here!
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Yay!! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this one. 🙂
This was also a great read for me. Like you, I enjoyed the blend of past and present, as well as excerpts from Lovelorn and the Lovelorn fanfic. I was glad Oliver went with the hopeful ending too.
I am glad that you found it enjoyable as well. 🙂
I’ve been wondering about this book! I sounds so good, but I was curious if it would actually be. You made it sound really good! It’s going on my TBR now.
I think that you will really enjoy it! 🙂
Great review! I haven’t read Lauren Oliver’s delirium Trilogy but I really want to give this a shot. It sounds thrilling! I’m glad you loved it! 🙂
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I’ve never read one of her books before & am curious about how she blends fantasy & reality.
Ahh I can’t wait to read this book, I’ve been a fan of Lauren Oliver’s since the very first book I read. I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Lovely review! <3
This book sounds interesting, I have been wanting to read it….on my large TBR list.