WOW! I couldn't put this down. The story was very entertaining and tragic but also redemptive. This story provides a glimpse into a condition that is not often talked about Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). The author wrote this phenomenally and did a fantastic job crafting Dylan’s inner world.
"Pieces of Me" is an intense story about the power of the mind and an extreme method of coping with trauma. The main character, is Dylan who has been diagnosed with various mental illnesses in her young life.. Which do and do not fit her symptoms. This fictional story takes you on a journey as Dylan learns that she has DID, how to o cope with it, as well as eventually remembering the trauma that triggered the fracturing of her psyche into multiple "alters." It is evident that the author has done her research, as she presents Dylan and her various alternate "personalities" -- Lannie, Kaz, Alyss, etc. --. I loved this story and could not stop reading it. As this was my first book by Kate McLaughlin I loved her writing style and world building. I would love to see more from this author!










I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

This story provides a glimpse into a condition that is not often talked about - dissociative identity disorder (DID). While the topic is heavy, the author does an excellent job of showing the importance of a supportive network of family and friends. I highly recommend this book for anyone working in schools, with teens, or with anyone dealing with mental health issues.

This is a novel about the life of a girl and her mental health journey. Who wants to realize everything around her, to understand herself and what to do. The book begins with a search for answers to questions. This is not a typical reading genre for me but it always fascinates me! This story keeps you in constant interest what will happen next, what the main characters will do. So, it's very hard to put the book down and stop reading. It's one of those books that you can read during one day. This book can be called “a book with closed doors” because the author tries to avoid sharp corners so as not to trigger the reader. I think this is very important because the topic of mental health is quite intimate and very personal. The author herself is interested in this topic, which she shows in her social networks and this adds credibility to her story. In this book, I fell in love with every character with all their flaws and problems. This book is one of the best this year for me.
Pieces of Me about a girl who was diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and she tries to live with it and understand herself. This book can help people who feel lonely understand that they can find support in their family and friends. Dylan is supported by her family and her boyfriend. It is very important to know that there are people who can support you in any situation.

For people who like mental health books this book is perfect. You will fall in love with it. The author’s writing is so good with beautiful worldbuilding and vivid dialogues. I highly recommend it to you.

Dylan, an 18-year-old college freshman, wakes up in an apartment that she doesn't recognize. The people in the apartment seem to know her, even though she doesn't know them, and they're calling her by a nickname that she hasn't used since she was a child. She soon realizes that she's been missing for three days. Her family is freaking out. Dylan has lost time before but never for this long. Soon, she's at the doctor and a new therapist's office, attempting to figure out what is going on in her head and why she's missing so much time.

Dylan was a delight to uncover. At first, I thought this book might be going into a thrillerish direction, but instead, I found a lovely realistic fiction tale of a young woman suffering with a highly misunderstood mental disorder, attempting to figure out why she's suffering and what that means for her life right now. Dylan's family and friends are supportive, and a lot of the drama is internal, attempting to figure out her lost memories, the trauma, and how to heal.

This book feels at times like literary fiction, but the voice of the novel and the writing style has a very YA tone to it. This combination makes the story quite propulsive, and it was difficult to put down when I picked it up. Even though there are a lot of potential triggers in this novel, McLaughlin applies a light and respectful touch to the material, and as a reader, I never felt like I was being manipulated or that McLaughlin was being too descriptive. She even allows the most traumatic event to be closed-door, and I really appreciated that as a reader.

I found that story to be moving, and I found myself tearing up in a couple of places. I also really enjoyed McLauglni's sharing of how she became personally interested in this mental disorder, and that she shared some books and YouTube channels that helped her in her research. I will certainly be checking out at least the YouTube channels, and I felt much more educated on a mental disorder that I misunderstood before reading this novel.

Pieces of me is written for the YA audience, and it is written in a style appropriate for that audience. It’s the story of a young woman named Dylan, who is diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).

The author has definitely done a lot of research on this condition and should be commended for bringing this fictional account to the YA audience. That said, however, once Dylan is diagnosed the story gets ridiculous. No one with this condition could possibly accept the diagnosis with the equanimity that Dylan does, and no one with this horrible mental illness (often brought about my major, repressed, childhood trauma) could ever integrate her alternate personalities with the speed and ease that Dylan does. There are many other books written on this topic that come to mind that are much better than this one.

So I can’t rate it highly because it paints too rosy a picture, in this reviewer’s mind, of the torment that accompanies working with and through DID.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

this was so great! i came in not knowing much about the plot, or DID. i didn’t have any expectations which helped. and i’m happy to say this book didn’t disappoint! i don’t have too too much to say, but it was very informative and i learned lots about DID from this book. the characters were loveable, the plot was fast paced and addicting, and overall it was an emotional read with a satisfying ending. i’d 100% recommend!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Dylan wakes up in a strange bed and has no clue what happened. The people living their are nice but its a blur. Dylan is holding onto a secret from her past that she does not want to remember. Thus was an emotional read.

An absorbing and devastating story of multiple personalities/dissociative identity disorder. Dylan is losing time, and she's given up drinking, so she knows something is wrong. Could it be a brain aneurism or cancer? What's happening to her? She's confused, and her twin brother doesn't believe anything is wrong. Is she just seeking attention? Her mom, a famous actress, is definitely on her side. She's just met a guy she really likes and trusts, and now she's in a psych ward. Compelling, frightening, sad, and hopeful. As she puts the puzzle that is her psyche back together, the pieces speak to her of a past she does not remember. Still thinking about it. A psychological adventure.

This is a new author to me and I absolutely loved the style of writing. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

Pieces of Me is a fascinating look at Dissociative Identity Disorder and the confusion it brings with it. Dylan is an 18-year-old who has had blackouts after drinking too much but has stopped drinking. She wakes up and realizes she's lost three whole days. The story follows her search for what's wrong with her, her external relationships with friends and family, and finding and learning about her "posse," as a friend calls her internal system of identities who protect her. I couldn't put this down and was sorry when it ended.

Ok..wow this book really blew me out of the water from page 1. Once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down. A emotionally raw and educating experience all at once.

The story is about a girl name Dylan struggling with mental health to discover her many Misdiagnosis’s and coming to terms with DID (Dissociative identity disorder). As the book progresses we get to learn more about her personalities “posse” as she so loving puts it and how each one played a role in helping her to cope with a traumatic experience.

One of my favorite key points that all who read this book can take away is.. support system. Whether we are the ones struggling with mental health or if it’s a close friend family member or even just someone we only spoke to a few times struggling. Her mom if easily one of my favorite characters… such a strong human to not understand but to be there for her no matter how bad things got.

Some of my favorite quotes (without spoiling anything!)

“I hate when my worry for her turns to resentment”

“No offense but there’s a big difference between feeling different and being different”

“We’re all one, I realize. These girls are me-pieces if me-and I’m then. They live in this place.”

What a powerful, gripping novel about finding love for yourself when you are alone, and what to do when you don't want to be. Absolutely loved this one.

Dylan wakes up in a strange bed next to a boy she doesn't know. She must have blacked out again. She thought she had the drinking thing under control.
She soon learns the pretty boy whom she shared a bed with is named Connor. He seems nice enough, she's not exactly panicking. That is until she calls her mother and learns she's been missing for 3 days.
Dylan has blacked out on more than one occasion. She loses time all the time. But never like this. Never for this long.
And why did she tell Connor her name is Lannie?

Soon after, Dylan's life begins to spiral and lands her with a diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Now Dylan must not only have to learn to deal with multiple strangers that take up residence inside her head; but also with the painful secret that put them there in the first place.
Releasing just in time for Mental Health Awareness month; I would give this book a million stars if I could.

5/5 stars
I was so excited when I got the opportunity to read this book for review!
DID has been a special interest of mine for several years now. I just find it fascinating what the brain is capable of in order to protect ourselves.
This book was so well written with so many likable characters who have their flaws but you just can't help but love them regardless.
Kate McLaughlin put so much love and care into making this novel knowledgeable while not at all clinical. It is written with the grace and respect that often miss the mark on this particular subject.
This quickly became one of my all-time favorite books.
I hope it helps to reduce the stigma that often surrounds the DID community and that it reaches those that may feel like they are alone.

Read this in 2 days. Just could not put it down, loved yhe writing and characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I found the subject matter of this book, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), extremely interesting and absolutely terrifying. To have parts of your mind that you can’t control and that can take hold of your body- almost incomprehensible.

I thought the author did a good job taking us into Dylan’s mind and that of her alters, B the end, you can see that she is on a path to healing and self-understanding.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for the copy of Pieces of Me by Kate McLaughlin. I’m glad I didn’t give up on this book, because after the first 20% I really started to get into it. The quick timeline wasn’t very realistic, but it did move the story along. The support Dylan got from her family and friends was also not very realistic, but it was nice to see she got the support. However, this was an intense read and it moved me to tears a number of times because Dylan was such a great character.

As someone who has been watching DID influencers on YouTube for years, I was really interested in how this book was going to deal with the disorder. I don't have DID myself, but from what I've read and seen, it's super easy to get it wrong. I feel that with all the research Kate McLaughlin did, she addressed the stigma around DID with such care.

Some may say that the book was unrealistic because so much of her family was supportive and she had a boyfriend who easily understood. While this is likely unrealistic in most people's real life situations, it's also important to know what support looks like and understand that support is out there for people who need it and look for it.

I do feel like the process of Dylan being diagnosed, then remembering her trauma, then addressing her trauma and revealing her abuser, was SO quick. In reality, it likely takes years if not decades for people with DID to get that far (if they ever do). But I understand that it's a book and it needs to happen quickly, and it was done well for based on that fact.

From what I know (as an outsider to the DID community), this book was very well-written and I really appreciated seeing mental illness representation that wasn't thrown way out of proportion (like Split). I loved this book and I will be purchasing a physical copy for myself and my friends when it publishes in April 2023!

I really enjoyed this book and have posted a review of the book on our instagram as well as a reel/tiktok on both our Instagram and TikTok accounts below is the review as posted on Instagram.

"Thank you @stmartinspress for sending us an ARC of this book to review

4/5

A contemporary novel about the mental health journey of a young woman who discovers she’s not alone and what her diagnosis of DID means about her past and for her future.

This book starts with Dylan who has struggled with her mental health and is searching for answers as her health gets in the way of her day to day life. It follows her journey as she gets a diagnosis and faces the challenges of not being the only person sharing her body as well as learning to appreciate her system and all it’s done for her. It showcases how important healthy relationships and having people to trust is to healing from trauma.

I really loved the support Dylan gets from the side characters in this, with an emphasis on trusting Dylan and the system to be safe and keep eachother safe, while they learn what this revelation means. I loved Connor who always saw the best in Dylan and supported her and the rest of the “posse” to the best of his ability and the way it showed that despite her past trauma, she isn’t unlovable or damaged, but just as worthy of an adorable love story and new experiences.

I believe this book could have benefitted from a less linear storyline and been more impactful if it were set over a longer period of time as most mental health journeys rarely move so quickly and I wish we could have met more of the system and how they worked when Dylan wasn’t aware of them. However, it still managed to tell a good story.

I know that DID has had harmful representation in media in the past and although I myself am not an expert and have received most of my previous information about DID through the same youtubers the author acknowledged in her book, I feel that this was a positive depiction of the disorder and how the system functions to protect the body and each other. The author also had sensitivity readers with DID to read the book which is always very important.

#bookreview #ARC #arcreview #piecesofme #katemclaughlin"

I really enjoyed McLaughlin's previous novel, Daughter, and this book had a very different feel. Rather than being a thriller, it followed Dylan, who learns she is struggling with Dissociative Identity Disorder. I liked Dylan as a character, as well as her love interest. I also really liked how each of her personalities were their own characters. and Dylan was able to interact with them in their inner world just like she would interact with a friend or a family member in the outside world. The book ended on a hopeful note, which I really liked as it brings awareness to people who have DID and demonstrates that they can live a good life.

This book gives you an inside look on what it is like to live with a personality disorder. It’s very uncomfortable to think about what it would be like to lose time for days on end. From the moment I picked this book up, I could not put it down.