This book hit home for me on many levels, ones I am unable to speak about. I never highlight anything in my e-books, but I found myself highlighting tons of things that spoke to me. This story will hit home for any person finding themselves in the same shoes as the main character Paige Meyers. Being an NPE is a difficult journey, each one different for everyone. I'm glad this story had a happy ending, but that isn't always the case for NPEs. The characters were likeable, and the story flowed nicely. I read this book in six hours, I couldn't put it down.

Thank you NetGalley, Alison Hammer and William Morrow Books for allowing me to read this story.

This is a great story. I love the tension between mother & daughter & how they find their way to each other in the end. I found it a tad predictable but still immensely enjoyable at the same time.

Shortly after her 43rd birthday, Paige Meyer receives an e-mail from a DNA testing website, alerting her about the existence of Andrew Abrams, accomplished artist living in Naples, Fl., and more importantly, her father. The problem is, Paige's father, Mark Meyer, died nearly two years ago, so who could this mysterious stranger really be? She slowly begins to look into her mother's past in hopes of learning the truth about what really happened two decades ago. The story is told via three points-of-view: Paige in the present day and alternating points-of-view from Andrew and Paige's mother, Betsy, in 1975.

While I liked this novel - I cried at one point! - there are so many things that you have to look past in order to enjoy it. First, there was never any inkling on the part of Paige's father that Paige wasn't his own? Even when she arrived healthy two months early? Second, Betsy never felt guilty about the lies and the deceit? She admitted as much but it was slightly appalling to hear that she had no remorse for her actions. Third, Paige's relationship with her younger sisters. At one point, there is a subplot about her and one of the girls getting to know each other better but it doesn't really go anywhere. There's no explanation about why one of the twins would want to keep it from the other one either. I also expected Ross' character to go somewhere given how Paige spoke about him with such distaste but there was no drama there.

I'm also not sure about Paige's character. She seemed like the type of person to just let things happen to her. She is fired at the beginning of the novel and about halfway through, it is clear she gives up the job search. What does she plan to do for money? She also delegated all of the wedding planning to her mother, who picks the date and the wedding venue. The date is a month away! Her fiance, Jeff, goes along with it. She doesn't even invite Andrew to the wedding because she wants him there. I felt like she largely invited him to spite her mother.

The friendships in the novel were rather sweet and it was evident how much her friends cared about her but even Paige made reference to the fact about how often she complained about her friend, Maks, but I never understood why. I did think it was rude she would mention how English wasn't his first language so he wouldn't always say the right thing. I didn't understand the need for it. I'm sure there was more too.

What particularly grated me about the end of the novel was a conversation that took place between Elizabeth and Andrew off the page from the viewer and ended with, "no hard feelings." Andrew had no hard feelings about a daughter being kept from him for 43 years?

Even though I enjoyed and finished this novel, the issues I had with the novel were enough for me to give it a 3-star rating. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the opportunity to read this e-arc, scheduled for release April 2021.

How many of us felt out of place? Like we were the odd one in our family, like we didn't match. Imagine waking up and receiving an email validating those feelings? That's what happened to Paige. After receiving an email saying she was a definite match from a DNA testing site, she goes on an emotional journey to find the truth. Paige confronts her mother. Is it true? Is she the biological daughter of another man? What other secrets is her mother hiding? I like that it is told in dual timelines. We follow Paige's journey of self discovery and experience Betsy"s (Paige's mother) life and what led her to make life changing decisions. I loved this book. Very well written.

was blown away by Alison Hammer's debut novel You and Me and Us so I jumped at the chance to read an advance copy of her upcoming book Little Pieces of Me, and I was not disappointed.

Paige Meyer's life it turned upside down as a result of a single email from a DNA testing site alerting her that a paternal match has been made with another user. Initially, Paige feels that there must have been a mistake since her father passed away two years earlier. She eventually becomes determined to uncover the truth; however, her mother - the one person who can provide the answers she's looking for - is unwilling to address the matter.

Told with story lines alternating between present day and her parent's college years, Little Pieces of Me explores the emotional journey Paige takes to determine who she really is as well as the complex relationships within families.

This is a fantastic family drama with complex, relatable characters that I would definitely recommend.

This is a timely story given the current popularity of DNA testing. Test results help us to confirm who we are and where we come from by connecting our ancestors through DNA matches. But what if what you have known your entire life to be true reveals that a man you’ve grown up knowing and loving as your Dad is not your biological father? This is an emotional story that explores the undeniably accurate results of a DNA test that will upend lives and change family history.

Thank you so much #Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.
I'm not surprised, given how popular DNA testing has become, that there are so many books taking on the topic. Although most of the ones I have read, handled the DNA as more of a mystery/thriller storyline, this was the first one that really focused on the emotional aspect of how a DNA test can change your life as you know it.

Paige and her father were extremely close, much closer than her and her mother. But a simple DNA test made everything she knew about her life to be a lie. Her father, the man who raised her, loved her and cherished her, was not her biological father. Its a touching story told in a then and now fashion. I was really surprised at how much I loved the story. Paige has to come to turns with everything and figure out how to accept. This story is just as much Paige's mother as it is hers.

Keep a box of tissues by you!

The advent of DNA testing has created an entirely new set of plots for writers. Some have used them well, others have not. Alison Hammer has used it extremely well. Paige receives a new leaf which upends her entire identity. Could a total stranger be her DNA dad?

Paige begins to question her relationships, especially with her emotionally aloof mother. All this is happening when Paige is planning her wedding. The author moves gracefully between THEN and NOW. The reader is brought into the series of events that came to a final denouement 43 years later.

I am really enjoyed this, loved the main character and the way the story unfolded. Of course, my own hesitation in taking a DNA test has been confirmed. So, no hidden siblings or mysterious cousins are likely to appear.

Thank you Netgalley for for this very engaging novel. I think that book groups will mine this novel for many rich discussions.

Well told story about family connections and relationships. I loved meeting the “leading” male characters. They were strong, loving, good men who cherished their families and showed respect to others. I appreciated the main female characters who struggled with identity, choices made, questions and childhood emotions, but learned to be honest and appreciate what the future could hold for them together. Very good read!
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

Paige is missing her dad on her 43rd birthday. It was his birthday also. Paige and her dad were extremely close. Paige always thought that her mother was was cold and distant. This story follows the family in duel timeline. Chapters are labeled Now, Then. Then is the timeline in the 70's when Mom and Dad were in college. I very much reading this story and I did have a few times when I cried. Thank you Netgalley and Haper Collins for the ebook arc.

I loved every second of this book! It was such a beautiful story about a girl named Paige who one day receives an email from a DNA test stating they found a match for her biological father (who she had no idea was different from the one who raised her). One of my favorite parts was how the author would go back and forth between the past (Paige's mothers story) and her own. It was fantastic and I cannot wait to read more by Alison. Be prepared to laugh, cry and everything in between!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Little Pieces of Me. All opinions are my own.

I am rating this book 4 stars. The story is set in the”then” and the “now,” both settings revolving around a mother, Betsy in her college years, and her and her daughter, Paige’s relationship in the present. Betsy enjoys one evening of spontaneity in college which leads to a shocking email that Paige receives 40 some years later from familytree.com. Themes of love and family run deep in this novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Alison Hammer for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel. It was a fast read for me, couldn't put it down! Paige is cruising through life into her 40's, missing her dad who passed a couple of years before as she doesn't have much of a relationship with her mom, even though she has tried. She gets an email from a DNA test which rocked what she had always thought was a very secure world. The story goes back and forth between now and when Paige's parents were young and in college. I enjoyed every minute of the twists and turns of all the characters; both past and present. In the hours it took to read, I laughed, cried, yelled, stomped my foot and sighed, and in the end, it just left me feeling good! I will read more from Alison Hammer in the future, and will definitely recommend this book when released next spring.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced reader copy of Little Pieces of Me by Alison Hammer. I neither hated nor liked this book. I felt the story dragged on and on and the main character was a whiner. The story flipped back and forth between past and present. Neither was interesting. I am sorry to say, I would recommend taking a pass on this book.

#little pieces offer #alisonhammer #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleybooks #arc your forty something. Have a iffy relationship with your mom and twin sisters. You’ve lost your dad. Your best friend. Your hero. You take a dna type test. You receive an email and #bam your life is turned upside down. Take a journey and see what happens when your life isn’t quite what you think it is. #dnatest #bookstagram #booknerd #bookaddict #bookcommunity #booksbooksbooks📚 #chicklit #quickreads #fourstars

May contain spoilers: Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC in return for a honest review. I really liked this book! When Paige gets a notification from a DNA testing website that she has a match and finds out it is from a parent her world as she knows it totally changes. To her knowledge her father was her father, they were very close, and he died 2 years prior. She has always felt out of place in her family though and looked nothing like her parents and younger twin sisters. The book goes back and forth from current day with Paige exploring her parentage and the early 70's when her mother and father were in college together and dating. The DNA testing site matched her with Andy Abrams who was a student that Paige and her sorority sister SIssy both knew from their college parties. Andy is harboring a secret that he is gay, which was not something to be open about at that time, especially as he was an athlete and in a fraternity. When Paige feels frustrated by her boring boyfriend she she has a night of fun with Andy that results in a pregnancy. He then tells her he is gay. The reason I give this book only 4 stars is I really did not like Betsy's character. She got back together with her boyfriend, faking that the child was his, and living a lie. She never told Andy he was a father and until 43 years later when Paige finds this all out she always held her daughter at arms length. At the end it sounds like Andy did know as he saw Betsy with her new husband and daughter when she was a baby. So didn't say much about him either that he just let the lie go on. I guess we do things differently in college then we would years later. But that all being said I did really like the book. Quick read.

The life of a woman is upended and in turmoil when, through a DNA test, she discovers that her father is not really her father. The journey she emotionally takes is well written and an examination of her dilemma and that of her mother.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to William Morrow and Net Galley for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed this book about a young woman who, like a lot of daughters, is a Daddy's Girl. She and her mom had always had a strained relationship. On a fluke, she ended up doing a DNA test that showed she had a different biological dad. Her mom continued to insist that this wasn't the case. As the story unfolds, the narrative goes between current day and her parent's college years. A highly recommended book that makes you think about what makes a family, how to heal old wounds, and how to move forward when everything turns upside down.

I’m no stranger to books with dual narratives in which the present follows an adult child and the past follows his/her parents, with both storylines serving to unravel a present conundrum. In Little Pieces of Me, the author uses this narrative device with a deft hand, and the result is an engaging story that kept me turning pages in search of understanding and resolution for the characters. And the characters. Ultimately, they were what made this story special. Each was well-drawn and fully human. Most dear to me were Andy Abrams and Mark Meyer, the latter of whom is the only one whose circumstances made me melancholy. We learn in the opening pages that Mark, Paige’s father, is deceased, and all we experience of him is through the perceptions of other characters. Perhaps he found great happiness in his life, but I felt he deserved more. Even so, that I cared so much for him is a tribute to Hammer’s writing. Bottom line, this is a well-told tale about the meaning of family and the ways we seek to define ourselves in this world, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I received an advance copy of, Little Pieces of Me, by Alison Hammer. I really wanted to like this book, but I could not. It was boring. It could of been so much better.