Huge Alison Hammer fan! Everything she writes is GOLD. Cannot wait for her Rom Com with Bradeigh Godfrey.

One of my favorite reads of 2021. Alison Hammer has nailed it again. Well researched, this book is unputdownable. It’s an amazing story that’s beautifully written and I highly recommend you read it.

I think I've had an inaccurate perception of books that are labeled "Chick Lit." Some books in this genre are very fluffy and surface-level, but there are many others that go much deeper, with well-developed characters and a riveting plot. This book is one of those, and I'm glad I did not write off this genre as a whole.

The premise of the story reminds me a lot of Inheritance by Dani Shapiro, where a DNA test reveals the truth about paternity that was not in question originally. Paige is still dealing with the death of her father, years later, and feels the void in her life acutely. When another man is identified as her father on a DNA website, she doesn't know what to believe. The story goes back and forth in time, revealing to the reader the truth of the circumstances that happened when Paige was conceived and why her mother kept it from her.

The characters were very likable and realistic, and the friendship Paige has with Margeaux and Maks is so genuine and heartfelt.

Paige is still mourning from the death of her father which happened 2 years earlier. She and her dad, Mark, shared a special relationship, but her relationship with her mother, Elizabeth, is not so special. Paige was born after her mother became pregnant while still in college..Paige feels her mother resents her for this. Paige is engaged to Jeff, and her best friends are Maks and Margaux. These 3 help her when she receives an email alert from Family Tree telling her they have found a parent/child match with Andrew Abrams. She can't believe it. Paige does some soul searching to understand how she can no longer be Mark's daughter.
While I can't understand the devastation Paige must have felt to learn this news, I thought both Paige and Elizabeth mishandled the entire issue. The deception in keeping this a secret for so long was terrible. I thought the book definitely captured the mindset of the '70s.
Thanks to The Book Club Girls/Harper Collins and NetGalley for a copy. All opinions are freely given.
#LittlePiecesofMe #NetGalley

Did not finish. I made it about 30% through the book, and I could not connect with any of the characters or their situation. The main character felt very aloof and young to be a forty-three year old woman. The ending is predictable and does not add much depth.

Little Pieces of Me was a quick read for me and a book that made for a great book discussion. I was really invested in the story and had to know how it would all play out.

My first thought on this book is Alison Hammer did her research and handled the DNA aspect of this book so well. It felt well researched and thought out. I’ve read a few others recently that didn’t feel so realistic and thorough.

Our protagonist Paige does one of those online DNA test kits and doesn’t think much of it…until she receives an email informing her of a new familial match, a paternal match that isn’t her recently deceased father. Paige is convinced the email is a mistake she has never heard of this man, how could he be her father? She was so close to the man that raised her, closer to him than her own mother so how could this DNA test be accurate.

Paige and her mother’s relationship is quite strained and the only person that can answer Paige’s questions is her mother. Of course she vehemently denies the accuracy of the DNA test and refuses to discuss it. Paige realizes the only person that might tell her the truth is her DNA matched father. She has to seek him out to find the truth.

Hammer offers us flashbacks of Paige’s mother Betsy while she is a sophomore in college to provide the backstory and secrets that were buried all those years ago.

I really loved this book. It was well-written, heartwarming, and moving. I’m not going to lie….I teared up a few times reading this one. I appreciated that Hammer provided Paige with an amazing group of friends and a loving fiancé as a support system during such a hard time in her life. I truly loved all of the characters except maybe Betsy…😂

Thank you William Morrow Books, Alison Hammer, and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy of the book to review.

Terrific read told from multiple points of view with wonderful character development. I enjoyed this fast read and couldn't get enough. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

I really enjoyed Alison Hammer’s writing style, and the dual timeline/dual POV storyline. Seeing Paige’s - and Paige’s mom’s - characters develop and evolve was interesting, and there were so many great talking points on the topic of what makes us who we are, and what really makes someone family - blood or presence?

This book was good, fast-ish paced and fun read. The characters were relatable but not totally. There was just something about it.

Would you take a DNA test to find out about your origins and maybe uncover a long lost relative or two? Paige does exactly that and has her entire world turned upside down when she finds out that the man who raised her is not her biological father.
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The premise of the book is really interesting and Hammer does a good job of presenting the problem and its accompanying emotional turmoil for Paige. It raises the question of whether identity is tied to our biology or self-concept. I don’t think that there are straightforward answers to such a complex question and the book doesn’t unpack it more than necessary for the furthering of the plot. I did find that I wasn’t as connected to the characters as I thought I would be. Some of them were just too perfect (looking at you, Jeff)! Still, this was a nice read that I enjoyed!

Diversity meter:
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I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. This was a very powerful and moving story about truth and forgiveness. The characters were relatable. This book was equally happy and sad throughout the story. I specifically loved the flashbacks to the past that explained what happened. I love this book and will be recommending it!

I enjoyed reading this one. This was my first book by Alison Hammer and certainly not the last.
I had heard so much about this one from friends and on Instagram that I had to read this. Loved every bit of this book. It is brilliantly written.

Alison Hammer comes to play. Little Pieces of Me is no less beautiful than You and Me and Us. Her latest work weaves two rich stories, tying a family together against the odds. She made me laugh and cry, pulling every emotive thread in-between. I can't wait to read her next one!

This thought-provoking read really had me contemplating ancestry tests and the sheer number of family members they may have brought together. While this topic may be difficult for some, I absolutely adored this novel.

What I loved about this book:

1. Ms. Hammer's writing was captivating and engaging throughout this novel and it was impossible to put this one down. I had to know how Paige's story (as well as her parent's story) was going to play out and I needed to know what had happened in the past.

2. I loved the flashback format the author used to tell Paige's story. As she processes her results you also get flashbacks to her parents in college so get to learn more about her parents as well. I also enjoyed that the story was told with the points of view of Paige, her Mom, and Adam.

3. I loved the characters in this book. I felt Paige was so well written and Ms. Hammer did a great job getting readers to feel her emotions. With an amazing character like Paige it was easy to get invested in her HEA. The secondary characters were also wonderful and her friend's witty conversations provided a little humor in this otherwise serious topic.

This is my second novel by this author and I loved both so much I'll be reading whatever she writes next.

Little Pieces of Me is fantastic. Holy cow is it good. Lizzie's Blurb is Paige takes a DNA test & finds out that her dad isn't her dad. Betsy, her mom, refuses to discuss anything about it. Paige, with a push from her friends, decides to investigate to see if she can find her actual father.
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The book is told in 2 points of view that take place in 2 times frames. Betsy has her storyline when she gets pregnant with Paige. Paige's takes place in present day. I love Paige & her friends are the absolute best. I will be real honest here. I did not like Betsy. I had such a hard time even wanting to hear her side. The way she treated Paige, yeah that a no for me. I really did love this book, I have just never instantly disliked a character and her decision like Betsy. Go read it and let me know what you think of Betsy. But please go read it. It is really a great story.

3.5 stars rounding up to 4. I liked this second book by Alison Hammer - the story was engaging and timely and the characters were all likable. But I felt like all of the characters should have been 10 years younger - Paige and her friends seemed more like they were in their early 30s instead of their 40s and the twins acted more like college students than grown women. This will be a great book club selection with lots of topics for discussion. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

This is a story of family secrets, finding your identity and facing your past. Alison Hammer is able to simultaneously tell two stories through multiple narratives, while transitioning between decades. I typically tend to gravitate toward Thrillers but I stepped out of my comfort zone and I am so glad I did! I was not disappointed with Little Pieces of Me!!!!

This book screams forgiveness, love, family and the importance of finding yourself. Who doesn't love a good ole happy ending!

I was easily able to fall in love with the characters and they were generally relatable. At times the story line was fairly predictable but all in all it was an easy and smooth read. I would recommend Little Pieces of Me to anyone who is looking for a book packed with a hug!

Little Pieces of Me was a powerful, moving, unputdownable story of family and identity. Imagine finding out through a DNA site that the dad you grew up adoring wasn’t actually your dad (following his death a couple of years earlier). Throw in a difficult mother/daughter relationship and this is what our main character Paige has to grapple and come to terms with over the course of this emotional story.

I loved the perspectives the story alternated between between a then and now timeline. Reading Paige’s here and now and Paige’s mother and birth dad’s perspectives then created such a rich and full picture of the characters lives and their motives/intentions. This is very much what I would consider a character driven novel and I so appreciated how the author explored the very real emotions and struggles these characters came to face, in such a realistic way. I didn’t always find the two timelines equally enjoyable but I did find them equally compelling. There were times all of our main characters flat out frustrated me, but again they were so complex and well written that I believe that was part of the author’s intention. This story really was a journey coming alongside these characters. That said, I couldn’t get enough of Paige’s best friends Margaux and Maks! I wanted to jump into the story myself just to be friends with them. Everybody needs a Margaux and Maks in their life.

This is a book that will leave you in tears one moment and smiling the next. I couldn’t recommend this one more for a book club because of the wonderful discussions I imagine it would prompt. It definitely left me pondering throughout if I were to find myself in this situation and simply examining relationships in my own life. Definitely add this one to your TBR! It would make for a great summertime read, too!

Thank you so much NetGalley and William Morrow for the gifted e-copy.

Little Pieces of Me follows Paige as she navigates what it means to have a father you never knew and manage her complicated relationship with her mother. I enjoyed the dual timeline as we follow her mother’s story before Paige was born mixed with Paige’s journey in present day.

Loved this book. Great read for a very long plane ride. A book about relationships and how actions can be misinterpreted. Family secrets inevitably come out and people are hurt but ultimately the action of the secret holder finally allows an understanding and forgiveness.