A beautifully honest, emotional story about teen friendship. Perfect for fans of character-driven YA.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I would definitely give it a 4.5 star rating instead of 4 stars if I could. I have to say that my feelings for this book changed quite dramatically as this book progressed. The first few chapters didn't grab me in quite the way I wanted them too, mostly because this book had been recommended to me as a book a bout FRIENDSHIP and the first thing the narrator, Caddy, wants to talk about is boys. Not only that, but Caddy's jealousy of Suzanne and the immature way that she handled it really got to me to begin with. I got so frustrated with her petty actions but persevered because this book had come with such praise from Book Bloggers whom I trust a lot. I think that the book really took a turn for the better when Caddy and Suzanne began to grow closer. This quickly became one of the best books I've read on friendship in a LONG time. Barnard writes really well and I loved that her story is so deeply rooted in social media as this is now such a big thing (especially for young people) in today's society. Too few books include the technological world in their story-lines but Barnard made it work and as a result, the plot was a whole lot more relateable. Caddy's character developed a lot (as did Suzanne's and Rosie's) and I liked that while she could still be selfish at times, she had only good intentions. I realised that she represented a large portion of our society, wrapped up in their own problems and lacking the understanding to realise how to deal with someone who suffers with a severe mental health issue. Barnard handled that topic beautifully too and this is my favourite contemporary read of the year so far. The ending made me cry a little too, so be prepared to be very emotional as the book reaches it's climax!

4.5 Stars.

For a full review, see here: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/book-review-arc-beautiful-broken-things.html

This book does an excellent job of looking at how intense, and sometimes destructive, friendships between young girls can be. I was glad to see that serious topics, and the complexities of trauma, were a key focus point here, but there were definitely parts where the author was just blatantly spelling out lessons about how to talk about abuse/mental health. I would absolutely read more by this author, and more books like this, but after reading this twice I know I won't be reading it again.

A heart breaking story about teen friendships, I found it impossibly hard to put this book down. It is a lot different to all the other YA books even though it felt like nothing really significant was happening it was a lot more real and relatable. I also loved how the main focus was on the friendships of the three girls and barely any romance sub plot.

Beautiful Broken Things is an easy read, and I like that friendship was at the centre of the story. I think the impact of our friendships on our daily lives can sometimes be overlooked and so it was really refreshing to not have the typical romance narrative included in this book but instead, a focus on a relationship that can be just as complicated and full of heartbreak. read full review :)

Weak, pathetic female lead (Caddy). Ridiculous excursions even for the lamest village idiot to go along with (Caddy again) boring and totally predictable. For a 300 page easy to read novel, I should've finished this In barely two days but it was so dull I couldn't pick it up.

Beautiful Broken Things was hard to put down. There's a steady build-up and a sense of things snowballing for the main characters, but it was never clear exactly where it was heading. The friendships and some of the family relationships are complex but still easy to relate to, and Caddy's reaction to it all seems realistic. There is no romance, which I found refreshing, and the book completely focuses on themes of friendships (including trust and jealousy), mental health and growing up. Sara Barnard also handles tough topics, such as abuse and depression, seemingly with ease but also with sensitivity. What I found really interesting was the discussion about what it means to be kind to someone; and how sometimes kindness might not always be what that person really needs.

There are not many books around with strong and interesting female characters that have something interesting to say. This is not one of them.