#allthebookreviews: Fragments of the Lost by Megan Miranda @randomhousekids @meganlmiranda
Fragments of the Lostby Megan Miranda
Random House Kids
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Jessa Whitworth knew she didn't belong in her ex-boyfriend Caleb's room. But she couldn't deny that she was everywhere--in his photos, his neatly folded T-shirts, even the butterfly necklace in his jeans pocket . . . the one she gave him for safe keeping on that day.
His mother asked her to pack up his things--even though she blames Jessa for his accident. How could she say no? And maybe, just maybe, it will help her work through the guilt she feels about their final moments together.
But as Jessa begins to box up the pieces of Caleb's life, they trigger memories that make Jessa realize their past relationship may not be exactly as she remembered. And she starts to question whether she really knew Caleb at all. Each fragment of his life reveals a new clue that propels Jessa to search for the truth about Caleb's accident. What really happened on the storm-swept bridge?.
My Thoughts:
Could you imagine being in high school, your boyfriend dies, people blame you for the accident and his mother asks you to clean out his room? Then you feel guilty so you can't say no. Each piece you pick up, put away or trash brings a memory and you begin to question this person who claimed to love you. How well do we REALLY know the people in our lives? We all have secrets, don't we?
Those who veer away from anything YA... this really doesn't read like one. Sure the main characters are young, but the way Miranda brings them to life and how the story comes together doesn't focus on any instalove or mean girl issues like we tend to see in regular YA novels. This reads more like a contemporary mystery where we are trying to figure out exactly what happened to Jessa's boyfriend, Caleb.
5/5 Stars
Jessica's Thoughts:
I've never been disappointed with Megan Miranda's books - I loved THE PERFECT STRANGER and ALL THE MISSING GIRLS, so when I saw FRAGMENTS OF THE LOST was coming out, I knew I had to read it! Despite this being a YA book, it definitely didn't read like one. So those of you that tend to avoid YA novels should give this one a read.
Jessa's ex-boyfriend, Caleb, is killed in a horrific accident and everyone is blaming her. Jessa finds herself in his room helping pack away all of his things, and as she progresses she finds traces of herself everywhere. From photos, to shirts, and even a necklace she asked him to keep safe. Despite his mother blaming Jessa, she asked her to help with his things, and Jessa sees this as an opportunity to work through her guilt about their final moments together.
Boxing up Caleb's life is bringing back so many memories that give her a new perspective on how their relationship was - not how she remembers it. Do you ever truly know the people in our lives? What she's really trying to figure out is what actually happened that night on the stormy bridge.
This book is told through Jessa's perspective and we get to experience the grieving process from her point of view. We go along with her through her memories of Caleb and their relationship. I will say that the beginning of the book is slower moving, but I'm so glad I held on! Once the book was set up the ending became a crazy whirlwind! Jessa is a character that I can see readers loving - there's no real love-hate like some characters can be. As for being considered a YA novel, I'm not really seeing why. Yes, the characters are teenagers, but there isn't the romance element (since half of that relationship died at the beginning of the book). We don't go through the typical YA themes in this novel.
Overall, if you want a more contemporary mystery, then I'd highly recommend this one! The beginning has a slower build, but it's all worth it in the end. Megan Miranda did not disappoint with this one and I'll continue to insta-buy her books.
I give this one 5/5 stars!
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