A Thousand Broken Pieces (Boy Kisses, 2)

Oh my heart, y'all, wow. Just wow. I knew this one would ruin and wreck me and leave me a sniffling mess, but still, I was. Not. Ready. Not by a long shot. I’ve never quoted a Dedication before, but when it starts like this, you know you’re in for it: “For those who have lost a loved one, I walk with you. For those who have lost a piece of their heart, I hold your hand. For those who don’t know how to move on, I pray this book gives you solace.” The simple fact of life is, the longer we live, the more loved ones we lose, and I’ve lost my share. Still, I pulled up my big girl britches and dove in. I lived – unapologetically, wholeheartedly, and completely – in this story. I’m not at all an emotional reader, but this one forced its way through all my defenses, and I held on tight attempting to withstand the poignant battering. But then I gave in. I gave up. I just was. Utterly, entirely in the story. Unsurprisingly, this masterful, gifted storyteller gives us beautiful prose brimming with tender sentiment, profound insight, and sage wisdom. And the emotional impact is as stunning as it is unforgettable. This one will rip your heart to shreds, ruthlessly stomp on the pieces, and then carefully, patiently, perfectly mend it. Let's be real. There's no way to protect your heart from this one, and if you’re anything like me, you'll go heedlessly charging in. Please though, be kind to yourself. Give yourself grace. Set it aside if you need to but then let yourself wholly live in the vast constellation of emotions. If you’re blessed enough to never have lost someone vital, you’ll have greater understanding of that loss after traveling this road with Savannah and Cael. And if you have known devastating loss, hopefully you'll feel a little less alone and a little more healed after this experience. One thing's for certain. It's impossible to read this and come out on the other side unchanged. Maybe a little more broken yet carefully pieced back together, but all the more beautiful for it. Don’t miss this story of exquisite grace, stunning beauty, and profound wisdom

I read A Thousand Boy Kisses nearly 9 years ago now and still to this day, I recommend it if you want an emotional book that will make you cry. I haven't been able to go back and reread it, but I know the feelings it evoked in me then. That's why it took me a bit to be ready for the next book in the series. I knew Tillie Cole was going to bring the feelings and I had to prepare myself. A Thousand Broken Pieces is a story of grief and loss and how the person(s) left behind processes the death of a loved one. Sometimes to the extent that you feel as if you can never be happy again. This is Savannah's story, 4 years after the death of her older sister Poppy (the FMC of the first book). She hasn't handled her sister's death well in the years that have passed and her parents decide to send her on a trip with a therapy group that is for grieving people as sort of a last ditch effort. While there, she meets Cael, a young man who has recently lost his older brother and is in complete darkness. He's angry and has pretty much given up what his life used to look like. But these two broken souls find one another and help each other in each step of their grieving process. A loved one's death wasn't a one-time thing that you had to endure. It was an endless cycle. A cruel Groundhog Day that burned away at your heart and soul until there was nothing left but scorched flesh where they once had been. I knew going into this book that it was going to be an emotional ride. I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't expect for it to be so gut wrenching yet so very healing at once. If you're someone that has experienced grief, you will recognize aspects of yourself within this story, but you will also find peace and love within it too. Because as much as this story was a journey of grief, it was also about finding love and a soulmate. Someone who saw your broken pieces and wanted to help you feel whole. Savannah and Cael were two broken pieces, but I really liked seeing these two opposites find each other on their therapy trip and the way they connected not only to help one other, but to the other characters that were on the trip as well. The way Cole took us on a journey to all the different places across the world to see beauty and healing and how each culture dealt with death and grief was important to the characters overall arc. It was painful and beautiful all at the same time. "That that which is broken, once repaired, can be more beautiful than it was before." It is important to have read the first book in this series to understand what Savannah had already gone through when it came to losing Poppy and also herself. Rune and Poppy's story was heavy, but it was a huge piece of Savannah and how she comes full circle in her grief journey. To still include pieces of Poppy throughout Savannah's journey helped tie in both stories to one another, but I think reading both books is needed. And while this book is heavy and emotional and deals with some difficult topics within grief, we still are left with a sense of peace at the end of this journey. I loved seeing Cael and Savannah experience it together, no matter how hard the whole process was.

Llego en tiempo adecuado y el título correcto

Das Buch hat mich sehr berührt. Ich mochte schon den ersten Teil aber ich fand diesen noch besser.

Loved it, broke me and than stitched me back together

This book is an emotional rollercoaster but one of the best reads of the year for me. So well written and emotive.

Finished reading it almost 3 days.