I really did enjoy this book although there was something about it that I can't quite put my finger on, some reason that I didn't quite connect with it. It was very easy to read and it was written well. I didn't particularly like Caddy, the MC, well actually it wasn't that I didn't like her, I just didn't find her that authentic. I really did like Rosie, she was fun and strong and a little bit sassy, and then there was Suzanne... who I really had a love/hate relationship with. I could tell from the beginning that there was more to her story and when all was revealed it was kind of like a heavy cement ball settling into my stomach, feeling the pain that she had. While I didn't like some of the risks that she was taking and the consequences they could/did potentially have on others, I understood exactly why she was living her life in that way.
I really liked the ending and felt it was all wrapped up nicely.

2.5 stars for me

As people have said, this book does focus on friendship, though more Suzanne and Caddys friendship rather than the trios.

Suzanne (one of the most important side characters) is a victim of domestic violence and since I have thankfully never been a victim of domestic violence, its not my place to say how realistic the portrayal is. What I can say is that all her emotional moments really hit hard and feel painfully real.

Rosie is said to be the sarcastic one while caddy the nice/ good one but I think this switches as the book progresses with Rosie only being the truly responsible one, telling caddy that she's enabling Suzanne and not covering for her when she goes to reading without telling her parents. Rosie is not perfect and there's alot of snide bickering between her and Suzanne at the end but it fits the characters and makes sense.

Caddy is our main character and I really came to dislike her. She thinks that she's dull and unremarkable and places this on the fact she hasn't had a 'significant life event' like her friends (which were both traumatic). She is initially jealous about Suzanne which is very understandable but then once she finds out that something might be off due facebook stalking Suzanne about trigger warnings, she brings this up right in front of Suzanne!?! Additionally she leaves Rosie at a party because she thought Rosie would be annoyed???? I know they are 16 but basic girl code is to never leave your drunk friends and this especially when she is being so protective over Suzanne. Considering she's our narrator she's so horrifically unlikeable it makes you want to stop reading

Good to start, difficult to finish.
I don't think I actually liked a single character throughout the whole book, and sometimes that's okay but in 'Beautiful Broken Things' it just made it hard to finish.
I found Suzanne manipulative, I hated the way she treated other people and how she always seemed to come first in her own little world. I understood she had mental health problems but they weren't openly discussed enough within the book for it to not be taboo, and some of the things she did and said seemed inexcusable - yet I hated the other characters more for not taking a stand and saying 'No!'
I hated Caddy for never standing up for herself and her own wellbeing. For being meek and mild and never saying what needed to be said. Furthermore as the book progressed I found her doing stupid things, and then finding it acceptable to blame someone else for her mistakes. Selfish and delusional and rude to her parents for no reason - her life was no where near as difficult as she seemed to think.
Lastly, Rosie. I didn't like her at the start, I liked her marginally more at the end. She seemed sarcastic and harsh, behaving unnecessarily to bring attention to herself and her friendship with Suzanne. As the read progressed she became the only one not blinded by Suzanne's 'brilliance' yet still - she didn't seem to do enough???
I enjoyed the book, it would have been a 4 star read if I hadn't had to wade through the last 100 pages to finish. As it got more and more ridiculous I found it harder and harder to finish.
And the character development of Caddy over the last 100 pages just made me so mad. I found it increasingly hard to believe, considering the time span of the book that someone who 6/7 months ago wouldn't say boo to a goose, is suddenly doing these crazy and outlandish things.
I don't normally write book reviews but the finishing of this one just made me angry!!

This was so incredibly dull. But the middle chunk did have me invested for a bit. But then everything started going to shit and none of it worked for me.

I'm glad I read this book. I think it'll teach a lot of younger teenagers some important lessons that I myself had to learn the hard way. I think it was very much focused on delivering a moral, which I like, but I suppose it wasn't necessarily for me. There were still moments of sweetness and amusing dialogue that I liked. I guess you could say that I simply wasn't that hyped about it, but I still think it has a lot of value. (i hope this review makes a lil sense)

I adored this for how it dealt with mental health and the beauty and simplicity of friendship.

3.5 or 4. Barnard does a great job conveying the power, passion and influence of female teenage friendships. I thought the characters were believable and well drawn. A bit of a downer but so many good books are.

This is the kind of book I am always looking for. Never mind the plot, (though it is fantastic) just give me characters I can believe in! Give me real people with real lives, people I start to care about and root for. Beautiful Broken Things is narrated by sixteen year old Caddy, a girl who has always been well behaved. Caddy and Rosie have been best friends for years, though they do not attend the same school. Everything is turned upside down with the arrival of Suzanne, a rather dark and troubled soul, who befriends Rosie at school. At first Caddy is jealous and insecure. Suzanne seems to like her, but she can't help feel intimated by this girl, who is wild, secretive and beautiful. Caddy is slightly bored of being a good girl and longs for a 'significant life event' to happen to her. Well, it happens in a big way when Suzanne slowly leads her off the rails, jeopardising her relationship with Rosie, the trust of her parents and even her own safety. Suzanne is a brilliant character, with many layers, secrets and faces. I enjoyed how this book explored the truth that lies between friendships, in that we all show a different face to different friends, depending on what we get from them. Suzanne is one way with Caddy and another way with Rosie. The communication and dialogue between the girls was incredibly well done, never once feeling forced or contrived. I felt they were all very real, individual people. I felt tremendously for Caddy, who just wants to be noticed, needed and interesting. She goes on quite a journey in the book, shedding the skin of the old, timid her to become something more. I also felt incredibly moved by Suzanne's story; she is a very fragile and broken character, and I felt the author did well in exploring how hurtful pasts continue to haunt people even after they have 'moved on.' The ending was satisfying and realistic, and everything about this book made me smile. YA at its best.