Review: 34 Pieces of You by Carmen Rodrigues

Title: 34 Pieces of You
Author: Carmen Rodrigues
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Age Group: Young Adult
Category: Contemporary
Release date: September 4th, 2012
Pages: 336 (ebook)
Rating: 3 out of 5
Source: Pulse It
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There was something about Ellie... Something dangerous. Charismatic. Broken. Jake looked out for her. Sarah followed her lead. And Jess kept her distance, and kept watch.

Now Ellie’s dead, and Jake, Sarah, and Jess are left to pick up the pieces. All they have are 34 clues she left behind. 34 strips of paper hidden in a box beneath her bed. 34 secrets of a brief and painful life. 

Jake, Sarah, and Jess all feel responsible for what happened to Ellie, and all three have secrets of their own. As they begin to confront the darkest truths about themselves, they will also find out what Ellie herself had been hiding all along...

Having Ellie in your life meant that things were bound to get a little crazy at one point or another.  She was daring, unusual and desperately in need of someone to care for her.  No one could have guessed that she'd been so unhappy and destructive enough to end her life.  34 Pieces of You unleashes her deepest secrets and you realize that the possibility of her overdose being accidental is slim.

From the moment I heard of this book, I was looking forward to reading about the life and death of this troubled girl.  Emotional stories are some of my favorites, and since this one had been compared to Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, I was even more excited to read it.  Unfortunately, though it's still very raw and heartbreaking, it didn't live up to my expectations.  While I love bouncing around from the point of view of different characters, I found it a little difficult to relate to the main three that told their sides of the story.

I did find it interesting that all of the characters were connected in more ways than meets the eye and that Ellie was always in the middle.  They could all relate to her in different ways, but for one reason or another, they all thought that her death was their faults.  While I enjoyed the fast-paced writing and interesting premise, I was still left feeling a little empty after finishing this book.  It didn't leave as much of an impact as I thought it would.

Overall, 34 Pieces of You is intense, but not to the point where it's overwhelming.  The mystery behind this girl's decision will keep you reading, and though it ends on a good note, I can't say that this book will be on my mind for long.  I still feel that many teens will be able to relate to the feeling of solitude in this book, and for that, I think it's worth a read.