Jessa and Caleb's relationship was over before he was swept away during a flash flood, but that doesn't make her grief any less significant. She feels his loss in everything she comes across, especially all of the little pieces of his life she's packing away in his room at his mother's request. Each memory comes flooding back as she reflects on their relationship, both the good and the bad. Just when she wants to run and hide, her guilt compels her to continue. Everyone, including his mom, blames her for his death, assuming he was driving to see her when he was caught in the flooding river. But as Jessa packs each piece of Caleb's life into boxes, she begins to uncover evidence that Caleb may have been keeping secrets, realizing that the boy she knew never truly shared himself with her. With the help of his best friend, Max, Jessa is determined to uncover whatever Caleb was hiding. They thought they knew who Caleb was, but did they ever really know him? Some secrets should be kept for a reason...

I dived into this without remember what is was about. I was given an ebook copy from Netgalley back in November and didn't get around to reading it until now. Needless to say, I was beyond surprised. This was definitely not what I thought it would be when I started reading it. Fragments of the Lost is really two stories in one: first, we are introduced to Jessa and her relationship with Caleb in tiny fragments (obviously), as she packs away his things to help assuage her guilt about the circumstances of his death. Each memory is a reminder of how we can be so entwined with another person yet never truly know them. As her reminiscing becomes more and more detailed, so does her search for what really happened to Caleb. A story of grief-turned-mystery is a quick read for any reluctant reader and great for YA drama fans.

Caleb was last seen at a cross country meet. His ex girlfriend Jessa said something to him and that was the last anyone saw of him. Parts of his car have washed up leaving little to the imagination of what happened to him.

Boxing up your deceased ex boyfriends room is not something that you should have to do. Jessa does it as penance because everyone blames her for Calebs death and his mom asks her. Everyone wants to know What did she say to him? Where was he going? Going through his room gives Jessa glimpses of someone she didn't know and makes her question what really happened. She starts to uncover secrets that shouldn't have been uncovered and make her wonder what happened to Caleb?

This book had a lot of great twists and surprise ending!

This book wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I ended up liking it. It was the right mix of mystery and how much we don’t ever really know the ones we love.

Jessa was a very interesting character. I felt so sorry for her, being made to pack up her dead ex-boyfriend’s room. I didn’t get that at first. Being a mom of a young man, I’m not sure I would want his girlfriend cleaning out his room for me. Maybe if I had liked the girlfriend and had a good relationship with them, but that was not the case with Eve and Jessa. As the story unfolds and Eve’s motivation behind it becomes clearer, it bothered me less.

I am not a huge fan of flashbacks, but they were necessary for this book to work, and the author did them well. Jessa and Caleb had an interesting relationship, and while I don’t doubt that they loved each other, it was not a lasting love and was doomed almost from the start. Mostly because Caleb never fully trusted Jessa with his secrets and with his true feelings. I really liked that the memories were triggered by an object she found in his room, and because of that they were not in chronological order. This made it harder to decide and figure out what had really happened to Caleb. I was on the fence throughout most of the book as to whether or not he had faked his death or if he was really dead. And if he had faked it, why?

Like most books of this genre, the final pieces of the mystery don’t fall into place until the last 50 or so pages of the book. Although there are lots of clues along the way about what was really going on, it wasn’t until Jessa put the final pieces in place for us that the whole picture was seen. I really enjoy mysteries that keep me guessing until the end about what is really going on. The end of the book becomes a bit of a roller coaster ride of emotions as Jessa finds out the truth about Caleb and his family.

A very well crafted mystery thriller that will leave you breathless and staying up late to finish it.

A teen finds herself boxing up her ex-boyfriend’s belongings after he dies in a tragic accident. As she goes through his things, she also finds herself also sorting through the memories of their relationship and how it ended. The longer she spends in his room, though, the more the teen gets the feeling that her ex-boyfriend’s death has some greater significance. Author Megan Miranda returns to YA fiction with a story that struggles to gain traction in her latest novel Fragments of the Lost.

Jessa Whitworth can’t quite believe the news, despite the weeks that have passed since the accident. Her ex-boyfriend, Caleb Evers, got caught in a flash flood and drove over the guard rail into a river in their New Jersey town. Since finding out about Caleb, Jessa quit the track team, more or less, and she doesn’t answer any texts or calls from her best friend, Hailey. Her parents try to support her through her grief, but their attention gets diverted on numerous occasions by Jessa’s older brother and baseball superstar, Julian.

So Jessa does what she can to cope on her own, until the day Caleb’s mother, Eve, approaches her. Eve blames Jessa for Caleb’s death. She’s never said so in those exact words, but Jessa knows that’s how Eve feels. After all, on the day he died Caleb came to one of her races, and just before the race started she spoke to him. Witnesses later said Caleb left the race before it ended and looked upset.

It makes sense to Jessa, then, that Eve would want to punish her. Eve practically demands that Jessa come over and clean out Caleb’s room, and Jessa complies. She doesn’t want to, but then again she does. The details of Caleb’s death eat at her, and Jessa hopes that spending time in his room will provide her with some answers. Despite their breakup, Jessa still cares deeply for him.

Everywhere she looks she sees evidence of their relationship, and every photo and object triggers a memory. Along with the memories, though, Jessa finds other items that don’t make sense. When Max, Caleb’s best friend, tries to join Jessa in cleaning Caleb’s room, Jessa rebuffs him. Max keeps insisting, however, and Jessa starts to give in. The more she investigates—because suddenly that’s what it feels like instead of just packing—the more she realizes Caleb’s death isn’t just a tragedy. It’s a mystery and maybe more.

Author Megan Miranda begins her book with a sluggish pace after offering a somewhat clumsy inciting incident: Eve’s forceful request that Jessa clean out Caleb’s room. Apparently Eve wants nothing to do with the task, creating a peculiar vibe for the book. Adding to that Jessa’s insistence on reliving, in first-person narrative, every detail of her time with Caleb as she packs up his room, and the book’s pace proceeds so slowly it’s almost going backwards.

More problematic is the fact that Jessa offers a reason for the breakup, but it doesn’t come across as compelling enough to create a rift in what she deems true love. The way Eve lurks around corners borders on creepiness; her behavior, and not Jessa’s, fits the role of ex-girlfriend. Also, Jessa may not question Eve’s initial demands, but even the most casual reader probably will. In fact, readers will figure out long before Jessa does that something bigger is happening in the story.

Miranda does offer some saving graces in the story. Jessa’s parents don’t neglect her the way many parents neglect their teens in YA novels. It’s true that their preoccupation with big brother Julian may approach the realm of the stereotypical, but the genre requires that much and Miranda fulfills the requirement without overdoing it. Also, once Jessa finally finishes cleaning out Caleb’s room, the story really does get moving and turn into an interesting read. It’s just a shame that readers will have to sit on their hands for about three-fourths of the book to get to the turning point. Until then it’s mostly Jessa reminiscing over Caleb and wishing, as all teens would, for a second chance.

For a vacation book, this one fits the bill but readers shouldn’t get their hopes up unless they’ve committed to slogging through the first couple of sections. I rate Fragments of the Lost as Bordering on Borrowing it.

Miranda continues to excel at this genre to the point I can't wait to see what her brain comes up with next.

Mysteries within mysteries

Jessa is a high school cross country runner. She and her boyfriend, Caleb, have been seeing each other a long time (in high school time). They break up, the river floods, and Caleb's car goes off a bridge and his body is never found. Now everyone seems to blame Jessa but that doesn't stop Caleb's mother from asking Jessa to clean out Caleb's room since his mother and little sister are leaving town.

Okay - doesn't anyone else think that it's frigging weird that the mother asks Jessa to do this? I do...and guess what? Most of this book goes off on tangents on items Jessa finds in the room or things she recalls while packing it up.

Seriously, pages of prose based on items found in a dead teen boy's room.

There were some excellent parts (the parts away from the room) and the last 20% of the book I liked a lot. Thus this gets a three star rating rather than a two. The ending did bring all the pieces of the story together but, to me, it just took too long to get to that point.

I received this book from Random House through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read and then review this book.

I’ve read two other books by this author, and I enjoyed both of them. The author has a way of leading you to believe one thing, and then as her books unfold, you can see that while those facts were totally accurate, there was a bigger truth involved. This book was no exception.

It seemed odd to me that Caleb’s mother blamed Jessa for his accident because she wasn’t with him when it happened, and yet she insists that Jessa should pack up his bedroom because a mother shouldn’t have to do that. Jessa took on the job, and doesn’t want anyone else to help. From the beginning there was that hook that grabbed my attention, questions that were not answered, and so the book was hard to put down. This is a book of Jessa’s memories unfolding of a first love and the little details of their relationship—not all of them good; there were little cracks in the idea of a perfect relationship start to appear here and there as you read. The book is neatly wrapped up in the end with a conclusion that fills in the blanks.

While this book is listed as a Crown book for Young Readers, and in another place under children’s, this is more suited to ages 16 and up.

Reading Fragments of the Lost is like getting introduced to seeing the world in a subtly different but completely new way. Following Jessa as she cleans out her ex-boyfriends room after his death she goes through his things and with each thing comes a memory that adds to create the story of who he was to her and how she starts to see that he wasn’t the person she thought he was.

What I loved about Fragments of the Lost was how even though the style of the chapters was continuously similar the way each fragment led to some sort of action that propelled the story forward made every moment fascinating. There was betrayal, love, loss, suspense, and tragedy done in ways that felt so new because of how everything was slowly pulled back and revealed. The tension built and built steadily throughout and ended in such a well written climax that both shocked and awed me.

It is incredible how much the random items that Caleb owned connected to him and told his story or at least the story that linked him and Jessa. It felt like a really good thriller/detective story that pieces together a person allowing you to see all sides of them in a way that you rarely get in a novel.

Fragments of the Lost is a gem. It will keep you guessing and wondering about where this is all leading you until you too are lost. Fragments is a wondrous thrill ride that I will never forget.

Four stars: Another page turner thriller from Megan Miranda!

Jessa is still not sure what she is doing packing up her ex-boyfriend’s room after his death a few months ago. They had broken up just days before he disappeared, presumed drowned. When Caleb’s mother asks her to clean out his room, she can’t refuse. While packing, Jessa is consumed by memories as so many of the items in Caleb’s room are pieces of their past. Yet, the more she remembers, she realizes that perhaps things weren’t quite as she remembered. The more she digs, the more unsettling things become. Until Jessa is reevaluating everything. How well did she really know Caleb?
What I Liked:
*If you haven’t read one of Megan Miranda’s thrillers, why not? This is another excellent read that explores the topic of how well can you really know someone? There are lots of secrets, twists and a shocking finale. If you want an excellent thriller, this is one to try.
*What I love about Ms. Miranda’s books is that they are always unconventional and surprising. I like that she delivers the story in unique ways. This time around, the tale unfolds via objects in Caleb’s room. Each item, has a memory that must be unboxed. Once, Jessa starts remembering, things begin to fall into place.
*The story moves around in time, which I thought added to the suspense.
*Jessa is a sympathetic character. She is still reeling, drowning in grief. It doesn’t help that the town is whispering about her and looking at her with an accusatory eye. Yet despite the circumstances, she is tough and she is a fighter. I liked her tenacity, and her unwillingness to quit.
*I liked seeing the friendship between Jessa and Max strengthen throughout the book. It was a nice distraction from the main mystery.
*The suspense builds and builds to a stunning climax and a thrilling finale. I liked that I was constantly guessing, and that the ending delivered. It was a riveting read, with plenty of twists and turns.
*The book ends neatly without any loose ends. All is done up neatly.
And The Not So Much:
*After everything is revealed, I found myself wanting a better understanding of Caleb and his relationship with his parents and stepdad. I especially wanted to know more about Sean, the stepdad.
*What was going on with the money situation in Caleb’s home? There were several times this was mentioned, but I never got a firm answer as to why they were having money troubles.
*Even though I liked the format of the story, I have to admit, listening to the story, sometimes things got a little confusing because the story moved around in time, this might have been better for me if I had read it versus listening.

Fragments of the Lost is another exciting thriller from Megan Miranda. I loved her unique method of telling the story through objects and the memories associated with them. This one delivers a tale with plenty of suspense, lots of twists and turns and a stunning finale. If you want an excellent YA thriller, this is one to try.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

Jessa is forced to pack up her dead ex-boyfriend's room, before his family moves. While Jessa is working her way through her grief, she notices that her boyfriend's family is acting weird. It seems that Caleb's mother blames her for his death, but something more still doesn't feel right. Jessa slowly uncovers her past and the mystery surrounding this unlikely death, through the objects she uncovers when packing up.

I thought it was an interesting portrayal of this story. Readers who have loved Miranda in the past will not be disappointed.

I’m a big fan of Megan Miranda’s thrillers. I especially enjoyed All the Missing Girls, which is an adult thriller written in reverse.

Fragments of the Lost also tries out a more unconventional narrative technique, one I didn’t think worked as well. The story opens (and the majority of it takes place) as main character Jessa packs up her boyfriend Caleb’s room after his memorial service.

First, the packing-up thing felt a little weirdly forced. Jessa is certain that Caleb’s mom is making Jessa do this to punish her, and Jessa is happy to accept the guilt. Then each chapter is centered around an item that Jessa finds in Caleb’s room and then her thinking about/remembering the significance of that item. This meant a LOT of flashbacks/memories, which aren’t my favorite narrative technique. Yes, that helped me gain more insight into Jessa and Caleb’s relationship, but I thought too much time was spent looking backwards. (Note: Thirteen Reasons Why is used as a comp title for this, and I think that’s because it has a similar structure, with each chapter focused on one of Hannah’s tapes.)

Eventually, Jessa begins to get the idea that Caleb’s death was no accident and the story really gets going, but that wasn’t until the last quarter or so of the book. The ending was suspenseful and clever but I couldn’t help wanting fewer pages spent on Jessa standing around in an empty bedroom. (Yes, she does leave the bedroom – the packing takes place in multiple sessions – but still….)

Fragments of the Lost was a solid book and if you’re a Megan Miranda fan, I think you’ll enjoy it.

I have only read one other Megan Miranda book (Hysteria) and I didn't love it, but this storyline sounded too good to pass up and I'm glad I didn't, and this one definitely makes me want to try some of her other books.

Jessa is cleaning out her ex-boyfriend's room after his death, at his mother's request. She sees it as her penance. Each item she comes across leads her to reminisce about their relationship, and as the story goes on, she unearths some clues that Caleb's death may not have been as straightforward as it seemed.

I do love a mystery, and this was definitely a good one! Ms. Miranda's writing was fast-paced and kept me wanting to know more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Books for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crown Books for Young Readers for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.


Jessa has been asked by her ex-boyfriend's mother to pack his room. She isn't looking forward to it, but she hopes that she will be able to figure out what happened to him. Jessa can't believe his gone, and everyone blames her since the last place he was seen was at her track meet.


As she begins to pack up his things and relives memories, soon she finds that he is hiding even more than she thought he was. Nothing is adding up. Even stranger she finds out that Max has gone through his stuff looking for money. He claims that Caleb stole over six hundred dollars from him.


As she continues to show up and pack up Caleb's room, she faces the dislike of his mother, and she wonders why she blames her. But as Jessa follows each clue she finds she gets drawn deeper and deeper into something dangerous.


I could not stop reading this, and I want to say so much but spoilers. Needless to say this wasn't quite what I expected but it was in a good way. I literally read as fast as I could and begin to wonder if it would all unfold before the end.


I felt so bad for Jessa, and I have to say that I didn't like Caleb's mom right from the start. I could not figure out why she acted the way she did, but I also didn't see anything coming until it was revealed! My kind of mystery for sure.

Megan Miranda has done it again! She will keep you hooked from the first page to the very last. What starts as a YA contemporary following Jessa as she copes with her grief becomes a suspenseful mystery as pieces of his life reveal more about who he was making it possible for Jessa to learn what really happened to Caleb that day. It's beautifully written with excellent twists throughout. If you're looking for a gripping YA read, look no further. Be sure to check out Fragments of the Lost today!

I kind of have a love/ hate relationship with Megan Miranda's book, and that why I'm always curious to read one of her books.

I do not know why, but this book was a real surprise to me. I was expecting a book about mourning and finally, I had some kind of a thriller. Jessa's mission is to box the affairs of her ex who has just died. But as she do it, she discovers things that are not in their place, informations on his whereabout that seem strange, so she will go up the track little by little.

The relationship between Jessa and Caleb had all the fairy tale, but, we discover their story through flashbacks and the beginning is promising, then there is a change, an attitude that settles, a distance. I must say that I liked to go back on their story. I thought I was going to see Jessa's mourning take place, but she tries to understand why he came to see her running while they were separated. What was he doing that day? Why ? Why ? Why ? And after all, everyone keeps a secret, some part of their life, and when you think you know the person, it hurts to discover this secret part. The book is not the most joyful reading, but there is something captivating in this story and the mystery of Caleb's life.

And when we have the answer, I assure you that the surprise is here. The author managed to play with our nerves brilliantly, I was surprised by the final revelation and I did not imagine it at all. Jessa explores several tracks before getting the good one, the suspense is present and as I told you this book is more on the thriller / mystery side. Personally, I liked this book, but if you started it do not expect a classic contemporary YA.

Jessa is going through Caleb's room remembering the whirlwind year of their relationship. She's also looking for something, anything that can tell her why Caleb was out driving around during the flood that ultimately killed him. His room is full of pretty much what she expected-- pictures and things that bring back memories of when they were an "us"-- but as she gets deeper into it, she starts finding things that get her mind turning. Each piece isn't enough to go in a particular direction, but as she follows her instincts, she starts down a shocking path to the truth.

I read this book in a day because I COULD NOT STOP. It might low-key slide into the discussion of what my favorite book of the year was. And that's because of how this book blossomed as it went on.

At first I was like-- hmmm, is this book going to be about going through her dead boyfriend's room and reminiscing about their relationship?? Because, yeah, that doesn't sound like a super interesting book. But HOLY SHIT!!! This book was NOT about that!!!

This book was about finding out what happened to Caleb. Finding out why his mom is acting like an aggressive hyena. Finding out about friendship and loyalty. Finding out secrets.

The progression this book took from the sad "my boyfriend died and I miss our relationship" book to intense "we have to figure out what the heck happened because !!!!!" was so well-done and surprising. I didn't even realize it was happening until I was in the thick of it.

My fave character: Max!! Max is the Sam of this book. He's the Kent, the Josh, the Wes. He's what took this book from an intense mystery that I wanted to figure out, to an all-out feeling fest in my heart.

For the record, Jessa was a strong main character. She was an average, everyday girl that I think a lot of people will relate to. At first I didn't get why she would let Caleb's mom treat her like crap-- and I started thinking she was kind of a wet-blanket. I was worried that I wouldn't warm up to her, but I was completely wrong. It becomes obvious why she was willing to take the foul moods of Eve, and it has nothing to do with a personality flaw. Once I really figured out who Jessa was, I respected the hell out of her ability to be logical in a time where my emotions would have ruled the day.

OVERALL: A++ book from one of my favorite authors!! This book started as a coming to terms with feelings book and morphed into a thrilling mystery in a completely effortless way. I 100% recommend this to mystery/thriller lovers who are looking for a book with lots of substance.

It seemed straightforward, a girl cleaning out her ex-boyfriend's room after he died in a flash flood, until things started to not add up......

This book was quite interesting, I liked the characters and how the story moved seamlessly back and forth throughout time to tell the story. I felt it was lacking in the urgency that a psychological thriller should have and the main story took too long to pick up. Once the questions really started I began to become more invested in the story, but I feel like that should have happened sooner. This was a good book, but it just needed a bit more oomph.

A well-crafted and well-executed YA mystery, which is something of a rare bird in the genre. Also probably the best of Megan Miranda's YA offerings.

This book is definitely a slow burn. It's actually kind of irritating in the beginning. Poor sad girl cleaning out her dead ex-boyfriend's bedroom, reminiscing about seemingly trivial things while his angry and slightly creepy mother hovers in the background. But all of this early minutiae is important to the plot, and the pacing picks up steam around the halfway point, delivering the reader to a satisfying ending.

The book could have done with a bit more action prior to the closing chapters, and there were some missed opportunities to make the slow build more delightfully creepy. I'm also not sure first person was the best POV for this...it gets a little wallow-y and melodramatic.

Overall, a satisfying mystery with a much more intricate and well-designed plot than most YA in the genre.

I loved this book! Simple as that. It was such a gripping, dark thriller. Absolutely perfect for Autumn and Halloween. This was my first book by Megan Miranda, but I will definitely pay much more attention to her books from now.

So what made this book perfect for stormy nights? Let’s see!

1 - Heart-rending break up followed by guilt. Caleb is declared dead, his car was washed down the river in pieces. He was last seen at Jessa’s meet and everyone seems to be blaming her for his death. Was it something she said to him that made him so angry and in hurry to leave in the horrible downpour? Everyone saw them talking, but no-one knows what the last words were. And now Jessa cannot shake the feeling of guilt.

2 - Mysteries and unanswered questions. When Caleb’s mother asks Jessa to help her pack his room, how could she have said no. And now Jessa is all alone between his belonging, finding more and more clues to why he was so distant before his death, why their relationship wasn’t in a good place and what he has been up to during the months before the tragic accident.

3 - Thrilling and scary events. As Jessa comes closer to unraveling the truth behind Caleb’s death, she notices that she is not the only one interested in finding out what really happened. She has been followed. Someone is checking her moves, checking what she knows and how much of a threat she has become.

Full review coming up on my blog on 15th of November!