Broken is Beautiful

Julia has a habit of tucking things she isn’t ready to think about or deal with into boxes and ignoring them.

This has led to her home literally being overflowed with boxes of things awaiting repairs.

Facing foreclosure of her home, Julia begins to attend a support group and going through the mountain of boxes. All while Covid becomes a thing.

In fits and starts Julia rediscovers her love of making something old new and special and begins to process a terrible loss years before.

While no characters are exactly lovable, they’re flawed in a realistic way. The piece when Julia reveals the doll with story she created got me right in the feels.

I don’t know what I was expecting from my first read from NetGalley, but ‘Broken is Beautiful’ was a wonderful book to start with. The book really pointed out to me how past experiences combined with a lockdown and global pandemic can really bring out the worst and best in us. At times I felt warmth towards the protagonist Julia and other times frustrated with her righteous views and outlook on the world.
The beginning of Broken is beautiful starts (where I imagine most of us would identify as) at the start of lockdown and I shocked myself with reading the book as I generally stir away from anything that brings up the subject of Covid and the pandemic, however I was pleasantly surprised with the read.
We get to know Julia more throughout the story and at times find her completely relatable and at others frustrating. The beauty of the book is that I can imagine different readers will have different views and opinions on characters due to their beliefs, which will give each of us a different opinion of the book itself. There is a sad momentum to the story, and it is also not your stereotypical love story. I had a fair few laughs at some of the characters and the relatable questions Julia finds herself asking in her head. I would highly recommend this book if you are liberated enough to take on different viewpoints and also if you are a feel good self discovery lover.

A beautiful story about overcoming obstacles and heartache. Forced to attend an obsessive compulsives group to keep her home Julia attends the group.
Julia's life story is a roller coaster of lows with few highs but she eventually makes friends.
I loved the story about making repairs or making something new out of broken things and giving them new purpose.

I thoroughly enjoyed Broken Is Beautiful by Jane Shearer. It was set during Covid in New Zealand and it was interesting to see characters go through the struggles during that time as well as the back and forth of information people were hearing.

Julia is a quirky character. Her flaws and emotional baggage make her relatable. I found myself rooting for her throughout the book. As her story unravels you discover her back story and what has formed her and it makes her more loveable.

All of the characters are endearing in their own way, especially when you learn more about their stories. This book deals with the topics of mental health and compulsions in a thoughtful and sincere way.

I will be posting this review on Instagram, Goodreads and Amazon.

I recently had the pleasure of reading 'Broken is Beautiful' on NetGalley, and I must say, it was an excellent choice. The author's words truly showcase how our past experiences, coupled with a lockdown and global pandemic, can bring out both the best and worst in us. As I delved deeper into the book, I found myself feeling a range of emotions towards the protagonist, Julia. At times, I felt a sense of warmth towards her, while at other times, I found her moralistic views and outlook on the world to be somewhat frustrating. Overall, I found 'Broken is Beautiful' to be a deeply thought-provoking and engaging read.the world.