Member Reviews
When Sophie receives a parcel from her best friend, Freya, she expects it to contain the reasons why Freya left town so suddenly, without explanation or even a goodbye. Instead, she finds a letter addressed to Win, a girl Freya barely knew – or so Sophie thought. As more letters are unveiled and addressed to more people on the periphery of Freya’s life, Sophie and Win start to piece together who Freya truly was and why she left. Sometimes it’s not about who’s gone but about who they leave behind.
Every Little Piece of My Heart is an incredible and beautifully written book by Non Pratt. This book has a lot of diversity and includes a whole host of main characters, rather than a few side characters. It is clear to see in the foreword and afterword as well as whilst reading the book that Non Pratt has put a lot of thought and care into each of the characters. They have done a large amount of research to ensure that all the characters are realistic and well thought-out. They ensure that all the character’s resonate with the reader, especially those who are experiencing the same things as the characters in this book.
If you love the found family trope then this is certainly a book for you. Each and every character on this book is well written and felt incredibly authentic. I absolutely adored Sophie and the honest portrayal of her chronic illness. I have never seen Lupus represented in YA but Non has done her research on this chronic illness and shows its debilitating effects realistically and with a lot of thought.
Also, I adored Ryan and Lucas and their complicated dynamic. Personally, my favourite characters were Win and Sunny. They are both amazing and the sisterly bond between them was so wonderful to read. The love they show for one another is incredible and their sassy banter made me laugh out loud.
Every Little Piece of My Heart is an effortless read, beautifully written by Non Pratt. It explores a wide range of topics, issues and diversity without being reductive or overly didactic.
Overall, Every Little Piece of My Heart is an incredibly written YA novel with a compelling cast of characters. It has enough mystery to keep you turning the pages. All whilst the storyline unfurls to reveal honest truths about pressures of being happy and self-identity, you can’t help but keep reading. I highly recommend this book to all YA contemporary fans!
Non Pratt proves, yet again, that she is leading the pack for YA. Every Little Piece... is just spot on. There is a mystery to solve, teen angst, anger, loneliness and desire. New friends are brought together as others are wrenched apart. Reading this transformed me into a teenager again, not something I fully enjoyed being, but here I resonated with the characters so much that I believed in them as people. Cringing at their mistakes and cheering on their tentative steps towards discovering the better part of themselves - with a great big push from their absent and communal friend. Sophie's Lupus condition was dealt with a light touch, enough to give you empathy for her character and understanding the overprotectiveness of her mum, but not so much that you felt that this was just another 'teen with a medical condition' story. It didn’t overtake the narrative as each of the main characters get to give their thoughts through the multi-narrative structure used. This is not a book that will take you long to read; you will be so desperate to find out the next piece of the puzzle that you will miss your lunch and your breakfast and probably fall asleep with it still in your hand at 5am. It is so good, you will want to devour it in one sitting!
Although it took me a little while to get into this, once I did I was gripped. Non Pratt really excels at writing multiple narrators, and here we're following four PoV characters (five, including Freya), each one written distinctly. I especially liked that Every Little Piece of My Heart touched on how class and wealth (or lack of it) impact on teenagers, something very rarely done in UK YA (and when it is done, it's often done badly by middle class authors).
Sophie doesn’t understand why her best friend Freya left town without saying goodbye. When, months later, she receives a package from Freya, she hopes it will contain an explanation, instead it leads her to others involved in Freya’s life. Together they try to make sense of who Freya was and why she left.
Though YA Contemporary is far from my favourite genre, I have read a few of Non Pratt’s books before and really enjoyed them.
I think Non Pratt’s strength as a writer are the characters that she creates. Each character is unique, complex and well-written. In this novel there are multiple perspectives and you really get to know and understand the four main characters. I enjoy that Non Pratt tries to portray a diverse range of character; although she explains at the beginning of the novel that this is not an replacement for ownvoices representation. I can’t speak to the representation of chronic illness as I have never suffered with such- however it is clear from the authors note that Non carried out a lot of research to ensure that the portrayal was as accurate as possible.
I thought Every Little Piece of My Heart was a delightful, well-written story about friendship and finding your people that manages to be funny and moving. My only problem was that I found the ending a little disappointing and would have liked a little more closure. However, that did not decrease my enjoyment of the novel overall and it actually fit with the overarching message of the novel. I would definitely recommend this for fans of Contemporary YA.
This was such a corker of a read! I've always loved Non Pratt's books, but this was next level! Here they have seemingly effortlessly balanced the voices of five very different people - inclusive of medical needs, family dynamics and LGBTQ+ - to make such an impeccable read that is immensely hard to put down once starting. We get to hear from each of the teens, we get to hear directly from them and, as a result, it's impossible not to reflect on the nature of impressions and presumptions; how we think people are feeling or why people do things can be very, very different from the reality. That's a lesson I'll take away from it long after reading, especially as the ending is note perfect. I loved every single one of this ensemble cast, they felt like fully-rounded young people that I could so easily have taught/do teach. A true pleasure of a read that feels achingly poignant and immensely relatable. It will mean so much to so many, I can't wait to point my students in it's direction.
What a beautifully written book. It had so much diversity, and that includes the main characters, rather than just the odd side character or two. It is very clear from the foreword, afterword and just generally reading, that Non put a lot of care into each of these characters, and carried out a good amount of research to ensure that they resonated with the people who are actually living these experiences.
Each of the four main characters felt true and as though they could be living next door to you right now. That made the book super easy to read, and I feel like everyone will find a little bit of themselves in at least one of these characters. Win was the most immediately likeable, mostly because she was the calm, geeky one, and I adored her sister Sunny, who completley embodied her name. Ryan perhaps the most interesting as what motivated him and why he behaved the way he did, wasn't immediately clear.
I don't have a chronic illness, but it really seems as though this would resonate with those who do, and Non has taken the time to speak with people about their experiences to try and ensure Sophie had a sense of realism. Any inconsistencies are also addressed right at the end, with the afterword.
Plot wise, there isn't anything overly dramatic that happens set across the span of just two days, but the story is unafraid to pack a punch, addressing a lot of the issues that teens face. The flashbacks added a bit of depth to the story, and gave Freya her own voice, even though she isn't actually there whilst the story is taking place.
A truly easy to read book, that was captivating. I wanted to know what happened and how these characters learnt and progressed, and I could easily have devoured it in one sitting. Highly recommend to any YA contemporary fans!
I love Non Pratt’s writing and really loved the different characters’ voices and the different ways they’d been affected by Freya.
I really enjoyed this book - it had just enough teen drama about a multitude of issues to feel real, without venturing into the over-dramatic, sensational or unbelievable. There were echoes of similar titles where a similar stylistic device of a parcel/letters/tape chain among a group of (dis)connected teens brought them together a the behest of another outside influence, but it was handled in such a sensitive and deft manner that I didn't even twig to the similarities (and differences) until after I had finished.
I particularly liked the characterisation of Sophie, Win, Lucas and Ryan - the four main characters whose thoughts, feelings and past we are privy to. The fifth main character, Freya, was also characterised really well and I felt I knew a lot about her, even though we never hear any of her thoughts or feelings except through letters or another's reporting. Sophie, in my opinion, was the most realistically characterised although I acknowledge that the author took liberties with her diagnosis timescale, because her anger and sorrow came through so strongly and something in me identified with how she felt about her friend abandoning her.
I enjoyed the flashbacks as they came from each different character's perspective, giving us yet another insight into Freya and why she possibly left her life behind. I also liked the way that the book introduced each new character to us in an echo of the unwrapping of the parcel - the stages of unveiling and unravelling played out in the narrative device.
The first book I read by Non Pratt was Trouble and I absolutely loved it so when this book became available on NetGalley I didn’t hesitate to request to read and review it.
She did not disappoint. Non Pratt has this ability to make every character pop from the narrative. Each character is well-written and unique. I loved that we got multiple perspectives of the four main characters, so we got to really get to know them.
Sophie, the first character we meet has Lupus; I don’t know much about the disease and I can’t begin to imagine what Sophie is going through. Non Pratt explains at the beginning of the novel that she doesn’t have experience with Lupus, but she undertook careful research to ensure that it was accurately represented.
This is an incredibly well-written YA and a story that unfurls honest truths about self-identity and the pressures of fitting in.
I unfortunately cannot access this file so cannot leave a review, but the blurb makes it sound incredibly exciting. I look forward to reading the full and finished copy as I've loved all of Non's work so far.
One thing that I love about contemporary UKYA is that writers aren't afraid to take a simple idea and run with it. Every Little Piece of My Heart is essentially an exploration of friendship, and how complex, confusing and all-consuming it can be.
The story takes place over two days (with the help of a few flashbacks), but somehow it never feels rushed. There's not all that much plot, but there is a lot of character development, with each of the cast of characters going on their own emotional journey.
It's an effortless read, a YA that explores a whole range of issues and diversity without being reductive or overly didactic. Every Little Piece of My Heart is real and relatable, smart and understated - with just enough of a mystery to keep you turning those pages.
The chronic illness representation in this book is so relatable! I don't have Lupus but I do have Fibromyalgia and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome so I have plenty of experience with chronic pain and fatigue. It was well-written and very accurate. I love the redemption arc for Ryan, I think he deserved better, but he was also pretty mean so I understand why no one liked him. Sophie is such a great character, she went through a lot and I really felt for her. Win was probably my favourite character, she came across as a very strong, kind, understanding person and I think everyone needs a friend like her. The ending was a little frustrating, I don't know whether I like that the ending was left open. On the one hand, I'm desperate to know what happens next, but on the other hand it's nice to imagine my own ending for the characters. I hope Win and Sophie are having a wonderful time together. I hope Sunny and Lucas are going on cute dates. And I really hope Ryan is having a better time, maybe spending time with his new friends and becoming a better person. Jules, despite being a minor character, was one of my favourites and I hope they are uni with fellow queer folks, living their best nonbinary life!
A brilliant read about friendship and finding those people who are good fit for you even if they don’t initially seem to be. I loved the characters and following their story. Funny and poignant. Really fab contemporary YA and exactly the sort of book I can’t get enough of.
An often funny, sometimes mysterious read from Non Pratt, whose well crafted novel engages the reader wholly compelling to keep turning the pages to find out along with the main protagonist Sophie discovers just what Freya left and why,
Absolutely beautifully written and one to add to your to read list.
Couldn’t download this book but I’m sure it’s awesome. Sad but will look our for it when it comes out!