Absolutely loved this book, but of course, that can be said about any of Kate McLaughlins books. Her way with words is unparalleled and I can’t wait for her new book that will be out later this year!

A unique YA book about Dissociative Identity Disorder. At the start of the story, Dylan wakes up in a stranger’s bed with zero recollection as to how she got there. After a series of misdiagnoses, Dylan finally receives a DID diagnosis and is comforted to understand the *why* behind the voices in her head and series of unaccounted periods of time.

This book takes a deep dive into Dylan and her “system.” The reader gets to know her various personalities, as well as the dark past they’re trying to protect her from.

Overall I found this be an engrossing read. I was completely immersed in Dylan’s character and world. The author did an excellent job crafting distinct personalities, who all served a purpose. This is definitely a book that comes with triggers, so caution is advised if selecting this for a young or sensitive reader.

Thank you to Wednesday books for my gifted copy

Kate McLaughlin writes about strong girls. Strong girls who go through a lot. Pieces of Me is about Dylan. Barely an adult, she's always had some issues. She forgets things. She blacks out. She thought it was because she was drinking. Instead, it happens when she doesn't. And it gets worse. Dylan loses 3 days. That's when she takes it more seriously. As she enters adulthood, the voices she has listened to since childhood start to seem like more than just her conscience. Then she is diagnosed with DID. The things she has faced before are going to have to come back to the surface. Plus, she has to learn to deal with how the world sees her disorder. She has to be strong. Once again McLaughlin shows a true empathy for her characters. I've added her to my watch list so I can buy every book she writes.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
"Pieces Of Me" by Kate McLaughlin was a well written & fascinating story of a young woman living with mental health diagnoses, finding out she has Dissociative Identity Disorder
& how she, her friends & family live with it.
The book is categorized as Teen & YA but I think anyone would enjoy reading it.
I would definitely read another book by Ms. McLaughlin.

18 yr old Dylan is missing days and has foggy memories of things she can’t really explain. This has actually been happening to her her whole life but recently it’s gotten worse. Pieces of Me is a story about a young woman with DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) which means that she has alternate identities within her as a mode of mental protection to help her continue living after a serious childhood trauma. I really enjoyed this book, I found the story and subject captivating and well written. As someone that didn’t know a lot about this kind of mental illness I thought the author did a really good job of explaining it within the story to Dylan that also helped the reader to learn more about DID as you continue through the story with Dylan. One of my main concerns while reading this book was whether or not this fictional representation of DID was going to be accurate or harmful to those in the community that may be living with it, however, the author really put my fears to rest when I read through the acknowledgement section and they talk about how much research went into this story and the commitment to making sure they used beta and sensitivity readers through the editing process. I thought this book was great, I couldn’t put it down, and I would recommend it to anyone. Also there are tw for SA, mental illness, hospitalization, and suicide so keep in mind before starting this novel. Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the arc of this book.

This was absolutely riveting. The way McLaughlin handles DID was very sensitive and gave it the gravity it deserves. It never went to a too much of a dark place. The writing flowed and Dylan was a character that will stay with me.

After reading What Unbreakable Looks Like, Kate McLaughlin instantly became an auto-read author for me. That fact coupled with this novel being about dissociative identity disorder (DID), I was beyond thrilled to pick this novel up.

Dylan suffers from DID and although she doesn't know it, it's obvious to the reader from the jump. Nearly half the book is Dylan trying to make sense of her blackouts and juggle a relatively normal workload but failing miserably. Her support system is unparalleled but still she can't make sense of her inner voices or rollercoaster emotions.

Dylan frustrated me and I'm not sure if it was her immaturity (this is a YA novel and you can feel it in the writing, emotions, and style), lack of self awareness, or some combination of both. I also felt like she had a fairly "easy" go of it once she learned of her diagnosis. The book certainly didn't tie everything up with a pretty pink bow, but for such a life altering diagnosis, it sort of felt like it did and I imagine for someone actually suffering from DID, this was frustrating and unrealistic. Especially given the very long and somewhat drawn out history to get to her diagnosis, the wrap up felt a little rushed and clean. Another pain point was Conor. He was just too good to be true and again, I get that it's a work of fiction, but I just had too hard a time buying into it.

I really appreciated the author's note about how much research went into this novel. Some of the premise felt far fetched, drawn out at times and rushed in others, and without any first hand knowledge or exposure to DID, some of it felt inauthentic, dramatised, or embellished. Of course, this is a work of fiction so dramatization is to be expected, but it just missed the mark slightly for me.

I've read several books about DID and while I always go in enthusiastically, I usually am a little let down. Perhaps because it's just not as theatrical as one would expect (who didn't love The United States of Tara back in the day?!) or because I just can't quite wrap my head around it but something always doesn't jibe for me and unfortunately, Pieces of Me was no exception.

Overall, I did end up enjoying this book quite a bit. At halfway, I wasn't sure if I should continue so I'm glad I stuck with it. I have a feeling most readers will enjoy this entire book so please don't let my review dissuade you if the premise sounds intriguing!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Okay let's get this out of the way: I have no idea whether this is accurate rep of Dissociative Identity Disorder. I just don't. The author's note clearly states that she did a ton of research, but I do not think this is #ownvoices. So. Do with that what you will, I am just going to comment on my thoughts on the story as a whole. Which I thought was quite well done.

We first encounter Dylan, who is legit missing huge chunks of time. Like- she wakes up and days have passed, and she is scared, because of course she is. And so begins her journey into figuring out if she has Dissociative Identity Disorder. Actually, I feel like a pretty decent chunk of time is spent for Dylan figuring out that she does have the disorder, and finding the appropriate treatment avenues. But I did really love how heavily this book leaned into how important it is to find the proper mental health treatments. Because that can be a journey in itself, and I was really glad that this book highlighted that.

There is also an element of Dylan's past, one that she can't totally remember, which is likely being blocked by her alternate... erm, fellow brain dwellers? I don't know the exact proper terminology, so work with me. Anyway, I had a feeling that I knew exactly what that element was (and I happened to be correct) but that is more Dylan's journey than the reader's regardless. I really loved how Dylan had some wonderful people in her life who she could lean on, people who loved her no matter her mental health status. This book did a fabulous job destigmatizing DID and mental illness in general, so I am putting that firmly in the win column.

Basically, the story boils down to Dylan learning to accept herself for who she is, all the parts of her, past and present. It's not easy, especially when she is not always in control of her mind and body, but she seeks the help she needs at every turn, with the support of her wonderful family and friends, and that is pretty great in itself.

Bottom Line: While I can't comment on the rep, this book did a phenomenal job of removing the stigma around mental illness while also encouraging readers to seek help to be their best selves. That is an absolute win in itself for me, bonus points for the great story.

When Dylan wakes up in an unknown apartment, she is freaked out. She has no idea where she is or how she got there. She is doubly freaked out when she calls home and realizes she has been missing for three days. Things go from bad to worse when Dylan attempts suicide and is hospitalized. She is soon diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder. As she begins to accept her diagnosis, she realizes there is a reason why her alters were created. With the help of Connor, the man whose apartment she woke up in, Dylan begins to unravel the secrets to why her alters were created. Will she uncover the truth, and if she does, will she be able to start to heal? Or will the truth destroy her?

Usually, I would have left the trigger warnings where they are at the beginning of the review. But, in this case, I am going to list them. Listing the triggers with how raw this book is will help you decide on reading it. The triggers are:

Attempted Suicide: One of Dylan’s alters, Scratch, a protector alter, decided that the only way to help Dylan was to kill herself. Dylan woke up (for lack of a better word) right after Scratch’s attempt.
Childhood Sexual Abuse: Dylan created her alters to protect herself from years of sexual abuse from someone she knew.
Sexual Assualt: See above
Alcohol Abuse: Dylan abused alcohol regularly in high school.
Mental Illness: Dylan suffers from many mental illnesses, including anxiety and borderline personality disorder. She is diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder after her suicide attempt.
If any of these trigger you, I recommend not reading this book.

As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, this is a raw book. I was unprepared for how raw it was and how it affected me. The emotions of Dylan, her family, and her friends came off the page and affected me to the point where I needed to put the book down. I couldn’t breathe because I was so upset with everything in the book.

Pieces of Me main storyline follows Dylan, her eventual diagnosis, her numerous alters, the treatment, her remembering of what happened, and what happens when she breaks her silence. I found the entire storyline heartbreaking. I was glad that the author chose to show Dylan’s memories of her childhood sexual abuse selectively. I don’t know if I could have dealt with reading what a grown man did to a 5-year-old. Some parts of the storyline felt unreal, like Dylan initially coming to her DiD diagnosis through a questionnaire her best friend found. But that aside, this storyline did keep me glued to the book.

I wasn’t too sure about how I felt about Dylan or her alters. I felt terrible because she was dealing with severe mental health issues. She came across as very immature during the book’s first half. But, I did see her character grow with her when she officially got her DiD diagnosis. The rules she set down for her alters were funny and sad at the same time. But I liked that her internal house (where her alters lived) also changed. The author spent time introducing the main alters and explaining their roles.

There were several secondary characters in Pieces of Me. I thought Dylan’s best friend was an alter until her brother started hooking up with her best friend. Speaking of her brother, I couldn’t stand him, but I got that he was so skeptical of Dylan’s diagnosis. Still, it didn’t excuse his behavior.

I wasn’t a fan of Dylan’s romance angle with Connor. I thought it was too fast, too soon. But he was good for her and did his homework when it came to being with someone with DiD.

Pieces of Me had a happyish ending. I say happyish because Dylan’s abuser was finally being brought to justice. But it caused a massive schism in her family. But the author did leave room for healing, and Dylan understood why a specific person in her life wanted to stand by her abuser. I liked how the alters was becoming accepting of integrating with Dylan. I almost wished there was an epilogue showing Dylan 5 years down the road and where she was in her journey.

I want to add that the author did post an author’s note at the end of the book. It explained the amount of research the author did on DiD.

I recommend Pieces of Me to anyone over 18. There is language, sexual situations (nongraphic), and violence. Also, see my trigger warning list above.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, NetGalley, and Kate McLaughlin for allowing me to read and review Pieces of Me. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Pieces of Me is an interesting YA story about a girl who is diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder. I found it well-written and thought the plot was really different than most YA books. I know nothing about DID so have no idea if it is realistic or not. Strong characters and a fascinating story made this one really work for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin;s Press. This was a good read. The book spoke about a mental illness (DID) and it was just a pleasure to read. It shared a lot to learn and was very inspiring read.

Dylan is losing time and she doesn’t know how. She will wake up and not know where she is or how she got there and it seems to be happening more and more. Her best friend and therapist suspect she may have disassociated identity disorder. Dylan doesn’t want to believe it, but she does hear voices and have many of the symptoms. But why did she develop DID and will it ruin lives if she discovers the trauma that lead her to this place?

I was fascinated by this book. The characters are so well developed and Dylan’s DID was totally believable. I am fascinated by this particular disorder and the author had certainly done her research when developing Dylan and her “posse.” I will definitely recommend this book to my YA readers!

Pieces of Me is a beautiful, heavy read that sometimes felt painfully real. Dylan is 18 and has missed days' worth of time from her memory. After seeking professional help, she learned she has Dissociative Identity Disorder(DID). This novel dives into the struggles of having DID and getting to the root of the trauma that caused these alters to emerge.

I do not have DID, so I can not say this is 100% accurate. Kate does her research on this one, though! The pre-diagnosis life, therapy sessions, and how this affects loved ones were beautifully portrayed and left nothing to the imagination of the readers.

The reason for the 3-star rating is that I figured out the root of Dylan's trauma very early on and how it would be resolved. Also, after the initial diagnosis, her family and friends immediately accepted it, and there were no setbacks or complications.

Pieces of Me, although heavy, gave great insight into someone struggling with DID and how the mind tries to protect you from trauma.

Thank you, Kate McLaughlin, for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review

This was not an easy read but it was a good one. Pieces of Me is aptly named as it deals with the subject of Dissociative Identity Disorder. Eighteen-year old Dylan struggles with losing time. When she wakes up one day and has lost three days, it is the catalyst that leads her to search for answers.

I don't have personal experience with this disorder so I can't know for sure, but it definitely felt as if the author really depicted it in a way that felt quite authentic. The information about each personality/character was well thought out and detailed. I liked that we were given information on what the different character's roles were in protecting Dylan's "system." You know from the minute she's diagnosed that there was a major trauma that led her to this. It's usually triggered as a protective mechanism. So, it's no surprise to discover she was abused - you just don't find out for sure who the attacker was until towards the end of the story. It's truly heartbreaking to imagine a young child being victimized the way she was and being so horrifically impacted that it splintered her emotionally.

It was nice that the author gave Dylan a supportive best friend and boyfriend. I wonder if people are fortunate enough to have this type of support in real life when dealing with this disorder. I'd like to think they are.

As emotionally draining as this story was, it was well-written and a solid read. I felt that the author had done her research and the storyline felt authentic and real to me.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Wow. This was a doozy of a book. There were some quirks to this one - Dylan was lucky to have the most supportive best friend, parents and boyfriend ever but it was honestly refreshing to see family unconditionally supporting one another. McLaughlin did her research and I am sure this isn't entirely accurate for someone with DID but I appreciate the effort and learned a lot about the how hard it is to get a diagnosis. I’ve stopped doing CW for a couple reasons but definitely check StoryGraph if certain ones affect you.

Title: Pieces of Me
Author: Kate McLaughlin
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

When eighteen-year-old Dylan wakes up, she’s in an apartment she doesn’t recognize. The other people there seem to know her, but she doesn't know them – not even the pretty, chiseled boy who tells her his name is Connor. A voice inside her head keeps saying that everything is okay, but Dylan can’t help but freak out. Especially when she borrows Connor’s phone to call home and realizes she’s been missing for three days.

Dylan has lost time before, but never like this.

Soon after, Dylan is diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder, and must grapple not only with the many people currently crammed inside her head, but that a secret from her past so terrible she’s blocked it out has put them there. Her only distraction is a budding new relationship with Connor. But as she gets closer to finding out the truth, Dylan wonders: will it heal her or fracture her further?

I can’t decide on this: on the one hand, I loved how supportive Dylan’s family and best friend were of her illness and how they tried to help her. On the other, that struck me as not realistic. There’s no way that every single person in Dylan’s life would have been super supportive and bend over backwards to do everything she thought she needed while going through her diagnosis. Connor especially wasn’t believable to me, being someone she’d just met and completely understanding of what’s going on—even when one of her alters hits on him and another is a guy?

Great writing here, and the author managed to draw me into even the alters’ personalities and POVs, which I would have thought was impossible. This was an engrossing read, I’m just not sure how believable it is.

Kate McLaughlin lives in Connecticut. Pieces of Me is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

18 year old Dylan wakes up in an unknown apartment with people she doesn’t know. She soon learns she’s been missing for 3 days and has no clue what has happened during all her missing time. You see Dylan suffers from Dissociated Identity and the many voices in her head. It’s hard to feel like she has any breathing room, except for Connor, the boy she wants nothing more but a normal relationship with. They’re still in the beginning of it and he’s a great distraction, but her disorder is becoming harder to hide.

This was a unique debut book about mental health and the love we all want to find. Dylan was complex yet relatable. She loves her twin and art and has what seems like an easy childhood except for these voices that are constantly in her head pressing on her. I don’t know what that’s like, other than I tend to talk to myself when doing tasks lol, but I really appreciate how the authors wrote this complex character.

This I a story about self discovery and working through the rough things some face.

There is beauty in embracing yourself. This book is a beautiful tragedy. You have Dylan who has lived most her life without realizing she has dissociative identity disorder being forced to face that not only does she have different people in her mind, but that something happened in her life forcing her to live with these others inside her body. I love that she finds people who help her along this journey of understanding, and they encourage her to embrace her community and look at them for support. I think this book is such a lovely way to face such a difficult disorder that is created by such tragedy. I truly enjoyed going on Dylan’s journey and I think this is a great way to look at this disorder and gain some understanding of what people dealing with it daily have to go through.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy.

This book was a lot.

Being someone with a healthcare background, though not in psychology, I did see the early signs that eventually led to Dylan’s diagnosis. It also meant I had a strong idea of the type of trauma Dylan must’ve experienced as a child. Though that did not make it any less sad to think about. I also immediately knew who the perpetrator was. One line, that’s all it took. Because there is a pattern of behavior established from that single detail.

I will say I do think the author did a good job of letting us know about the trauma without getting too graphic. A lot was hinted at and implied, and I was genuinely worried we’d have to see Dylan recall it all for herself in order for her to fully break down the walls between herself and her alters, and begin to heal, but thankfully that wasn’t the case. Most of it was kept off-screen.

I felt like Dylan reacted about as well as anyone in her situation could. There was a little denial and resistance at first, but once she resolved to figure out and understand what was truly going on with her she stayed true to that path.

I will say Dylan had an amazing support system, people who love her, support her and do their utmost to try to understand her and her condition. Something I believe others may point out as unrealistic. I can totally see why they’d say that. Because, sadly, there are far too many cases in which the abused are not believed. Far too many cases where people blame the victim rather than the perpetrator or where families protect the abuser for whatever reason, it’s so wrong but it happens too often if studies and statistics are to be believed.

So while maybe that may have made the representation a tad unrealistic for some, I’m glad for it. Because this is the type of resolution I hope all survivors of abuse get. They deserve to be able to live their lives to the fullest, to have people around to love and ground them, and to see justice wrought.

I just finished Pieces of me by Kate Mclaughlin and here are my musings.

Dylan has no idea whose apartment she's in or how she got here. The people seem to know her but she can’t place them. Connor is adamant nothing happened and that they had been hanging out. Mildly freaking out until she calls home and finds out she cannot remember the last three days.

This isn’t new but, this length of time is excessive and now Dylan knows that there is something wrong. Imagine being diagnosed at 18 with Dissociative identity disorder. A disorder brought on by severe childhood trauma but she cannot remember whatever it is that was supposed to have happened and as she navigates getting to know her the other people that live rent free in her head, they know a dangerous secret that they are hiding from Dylan, a secret so bad, it is worth dying for.

Have you ever read a book that was so intoxicating that the book hangover was pretty horrific? This book did that to me. I was hooked right from the start. Dylan was the most perfect unreliable narrator but she was so likable and I felt the need to protect her myself. I didn’t know much about DID but this book did an excellent job of dispelling some myths surrounding the disorder and really took the stigma out of it as well.

The human mind is incredible and this book really took entertainment to a whole other level. Yes the book was heavy but it was worth it.
The character development was very well done and the language was lucid and flowed beautifully. I had my doubts that a topic this complex could be written as a young adult book but I did enjoy being oh so wrong. You could tell the author took a lot of time researching and the talent in the writing shines through.

I couldn’t find anything I didn’t like about this book. Nothing, it was perfect and for me, the best read of the year so far!

I cannot wait to read more by the author!

5 stars! If you are a lover of YA like I am, this has to be on your list! Released today!! Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my review copy!