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tristophobia's review against another edition
3.5
⭐️⭐️⭐️this was fine, kinda slow in the beginning but it got better as it went on, however i HATED the way the author ended this
redvelvetpenguins's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly, this book was amazing. From the second it started it held my attention and I never saw that ending coming. And the psychology behind it was something I've never read in a book before. AMAZING
abbyl819's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, and in a way it reminded me a lot of Pretty Little Liars with the friends left behind reuniting and trying to solve their friend’s murder. I liked the story a lot, but what I didn’t like was the excerpts from Lovelorn, the book they were obsessed with in the story. The writing during these excerpts, mostly the ones in the sequel the girls were writing was pretty bad. I understand that they were meant to be thirteen years old when they were working on writing it in the story, but I still don’t think that excuses purposefully writing it poorly. I didn’t think that these excerpts from the Lovelorn book or the sequel they were writing added much at all to the book, and I started to just skip them every time that they came up. I was not able to guess the ending, and I thought that it was interesting that Lauren Oliver chose to end this book mid sentence, just as the author of Lovelorn did, although I do not think that it had the affect it was meant to considering that Summer, Brynn and Mia obsessed over the meaning of the ending of Lovelorn and theorized over what it meant for years.
thepetitepunk's review against another edition
5.0
ARC provided by a Goodreads giveaway
4.5 stars
I had a hard time putting Broken Things down. This is one of those books where after reading the first sentence, you just know it's going to be good.
Quite a few elements made me fall in love with Broken Things. First and foremost, the cover is amazing. When I first saw it, I didn't even care what the book was about—I just knew I wanted to read it. And then there was the first scene of the book, which is violent, mysterious, and unexpected, serving its purpose of pulling the reader in very well. Lauren Oliver has a flowery, simile-filled way of writing that may not sit well with everyone, but I actually enjoyed it; the imagery is vivid, which works well for a book about girls with a strong imagination. The other part I really liked about Broken Things is the characters.
I'll admit, not everyone will fall in love with them. The two main characters, Brynn and Mia, are accused of murdering their best friend Summer after their obsession with the novel The Way into Lovelorn gets out of hand. When the five year anniversary of the murder approaches, the two girls finally set out to discover the truth behind it. Even though Brynn and Mia did not commit the murder, they are not perfect. Summer was far from perfect too. Although Brynn, Mia, and Summer were young when tragedy struck, they were far from innocent, flawless kids. But that's what I loved so much about them. Just from personal experience, Lauren Oliver perfectly captures what it's like to be a part of a trio of lonely, middle school girls. There were quite a few moments where I had to stop reading because Broken Things hit way too close to home. I may not have experienced the murder of one of my closest friends, but based off of their personalities and interactions, I could have easily replaced Brynn, Mia, and Summer's names with my name and my two friends from middle school's names. I know that these characters will rub many people the wrong way. I know, because I was once a part of a group like theirs, and I know that they're on the sidelines for a reason. But still, I could empathize with them, even though they weren't the best people.
The only other thing I have to say is that the ending was a bit disappointing. I don't read a lot of mysteries so I didn't figure it out by myself, but I had such high hopes for the ending that I was let down. The ending was more of a 3 stars for me, but I loved every other part of the book so much that it didn't really matter to me (even though it's the ending that makes a mystery good). Overall, Broken Things is fantastic. Just be warned though, it is pretty graphic, and some of the images and topics might be a bit unsettling.
4.5 stars
I had a hard time putting Broken Things down. This is one of those books where after reading the first sentence, you just know it's going to be good.
Quite a few elements made me fall in love with Broken Things. First and foremost, the cover is amazing. When I first saw it, I didn't even care what the book was about—I just knew I wanted to read it. And then there was the first scene of the book, which is violent, mysterious, and unexpected, serving its purpose of pulling the reader in very well. Lauren Oliver has a flowery, simile-filled way of writing that may not sit well with everyone, but I actually enjoyed it; the imagery is vivid, which works well for a book about girls with a strong imagination. The other part I really liked about Broken Things is the characters.
I'll admit, not everyone will fall in love with them. The two main characters, Brynn and Mia, are accused of murdering their best friend Summer after their obsession with the novel The Way into Lovelorn gets out of hand. When the five year anniversary of the murder approaches, the two girls finally set out to discover the truth behind it. Even though Brynn and Mia did not commit the murder, they are not perfect. Summer was far from perfect too. Although Brynn, Mia, and Summer were young when tragedy struck, they were far from innocent, flawless kids. But that's what I loved so much about them. Just from personal experience, Lauren Oliver perfectly captures what it's like to be a part of a trio of lonely, middle school girls. There were quite a few moments where I had to stop reading because Broken Things hit way too close to home. I may not have experienced the murder of one of my closest friends, but based off of their personalities and interactions, I could have easily replaced Brynn, Mia, and Summer's names with my name and my two friends from middle school's names. I know that these characters will rub many people the wrong way. I know, because I was once a part of a group like theirs, and I know that they're on the sidelines for a reason. But still, I could empathize with them, even though they weren't the best people.
The only other thing I have to say is that the ending was a bit disappointing. I don't read a lot of mysteries so I didn't figure it out by myself, but I had such high hopes for the ending that I was let down. The ending was more of a 3 stars for me, but I loved every other part of the book so much that it didn't really matter to me (even though it's the ending that makes a mystery good). Overall, Broken Things is fantastic. Just be warned though, it is pretty graphic, and some of the images and topics might be a bit unsettling.
steffany9's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
theonlybaillie's review against another edition
I don't care about any of the characters, nor do I care about what happens at the end of the book.
brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
2.0
This wasn't bad, it's just that I never really cared. By the end of the book, I just wanted it to be over.