Beautiful Broken Things

by Sara Barnard

Paperback, 2016

Status

Available

Call number

823.92

Genres

Young Adult

All Topics

Fiction

Collection

Accelerated Reader

Publication

Macmillan Children's Books (2016), Edition: 01, 352 pages

Description

I was brave. She was reckless. We were trouble. Best friends Caddy and Rosie are inseparable. Their differences have brought them closer, but as she turns sixteen Caddy begins to wish she could be a bit more like Rosie - confident, funny and interesting. Then Suzanne comes into their lives: beautiful, damaged, exciting and mysterious, and things get a whole lot more complicated. As Suzanne's past is revealed and her present begins to unravel, Caddy begins to see how much fun a little trouble can be. But the course of both friendship and recovery is rougher than either girl realises, and Caddy is about to learn that downward spirals have a momentum of their own.

User reviews

LibraryThing member michelle_bcf

I want to talk about everything which happens in this book, but I also just want to shout ‘READ IT’ to everyone! The characters are so well written and developed.. I could relate to so many aspects of Caddy, even though I am now a long way from 16! She’s the quiet one, who wants something a

little more from her life.. in particular she wants to experience a Significant Life Event… something special she can talk to people about.

Into her life steps Suzanne.. beautiful, confident, but also complicated and damaged by her past. Their developing friendship changes them both; as their lives, and Suzanne’s past, intertwine.

Rosie is also an important part of the book, as she watches two of her friendships change before her. She brings a different viewpoint, and the way she sticks by Caddy is lovely.

It’s so wonderful to see a YA book focusing on the amazing relationship which friendship can bring, with it’s highs, and it’s lows. The subjects raised within the book are beautifully handled, and events towards the end made me cry – and only one other book has ever done that!

It’s hard to believe that this is a debut book – it grabbed me from the moment I started reading, and didn’t let up at any point. Caddy, Rosie and Suzanne are characters who have a special place in my heart, and the story will most definitely stay with me. Please, pre-order it, then as soon as you have it, READ IT! :-D

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LibraryThing member HeatherLINC

Oh my goodness, "Beautiful Broken Things" should have been a compelling read about friendship and mental illness, instead I found it deadly dull and agonisingly slow.

Caddy, the main protagonist, was annoying, selfish, immature, boring and generally unlikeable, and I did not like her narration. The

book would have been more interesting coming from Suzanne's point of view. At least she was complex and far more interesting, even though her actions started to frustrate me by the end.

"Beautiful Broken Things" is receiving great reviews from many readers, but having struggled to reach the last page, all I can say about this book is YAWN!

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