Fall to Pieces

Fall to Pieces
written by Vahini Naidoo

Wow, this book has a lot of negative reviews, and I'm not sure why.  I actually liked this book.  It took a while to get into, but was worth it for me.  The top  complaint seems to be the abundance of profanity, to which I say, have you ever been around teenagers?  It's accurate.  The other complaint I see is that it's 'melodramatic', which is just an insult to anyone who has lost a loved one.  Melodramatic?  Everyone deals with their grief in different ways, and the main character had just lost their best friend, to suicide, no less.  She and her friends do and say things that are harmful to both themselves and others, but they are in severe pain, and by the end of the book, they learn to resolve their problems and face their grief in a much healthier way.  For that development, I think this is a fantastic read and guide to managing unhealthy emotions in a turbulent time.  My only complaint would probably be the fact that therapy was brushed off so quickly and so often as an option.  Her best friend just died.  Of course she should be in therapy.  I'm always annoyed to see the already overwhelming stigma of mental health furthered in media, particularly a book addressing teen suicide.  You know that many of the readers of such a book will be individuals who identify with the subject, and therapy can be extremely helpful and even lifesaving when a good therapist is found.  Beyond that, the writing's not perfect, but the important ideas of pain and the freeing power of forgiveness are delivered wonderfully, and for that, I appreciate this book.

I got this book from...:Amazon Vine