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Lost Hollow

The Pieces We Leave Behind

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"It gets easier…I know it hurts now, but one day, you'll wake up, and you'll just be okay. It'll happen sooner than you think."

Have you ever had something happen that changed the way you looked at everything? Like someone pulled a string and unraveled the delicate threads of the sweater that made up your reality?

For me, that moment was at a party I shouldn’t have been at on the day of my grandmother’s funeral.
I went home and got into a car I shouldn’t have gotten into.

It was only supposed to be for the summer. One summer in Lost Hollow. Just a few weeks to clear my head.

And then, I met him.

And everything else fell apart, too.

Someone once told me that we leave pieces of ourselves with every person we meet and in every place we go. She said it was a good thing—the best thing, even.

But what happens when they’re the pieces we can’t afford to lose? How do you get them back?

**The Pieces We Leave Behind is a DARK NEW ADULT ROMANCE intended for mature readers. Please check the content and trigger warnings inside the book.**

357 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 8, 2023

925 people are currently reading
4997 people want to read

About the author

Elle Mitchell

12 books548 followers
Known as the (mostly benevolent) Queen of Angst, Elle Mitchell writes new adult contemporary romance ranging from shades of grey to morally pitch black with a hint of taboo. A mix of plot and spice, her books follow flawed, relatable characters as they rage against the machine or struggle against the darker parts of humanity and themselves. They’re messy—like real life—and emotional.

She can’t promise that all her books will depict what a healthy relationship should look like at every turn. She rejects purity themes. The best she can do is promise an eventual HEA when it’s all said and done.

When she isn’t reading or writing, it’s unlikely you’ll find her anywhere. She’s probably at home with her family, minding her own business.

Find her on IG and TT: @ellemitchellbooks

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5 stars
1,241 (35%)
4 stars
1,260 (36%)
3 stars
705 (20%)
2 stars
208 (6%)
1 star
51 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 477 reviews
Profile Image for ♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus).
990 reviews4,865 followers
April 2, 2025
I actually really loved this one! Don’t let the 3 stars fool you. I just had a couple of issues... ❤️

First this cover is so gorgeous and that's what initally drew me to the book. And the story was really great too!

We follow our FMC, Madison who's living in California with her parents who also happy to be fairly wealthy. She's kinda just been going through the motions of life- During a memorial for her grandmother who recently passed - that her boyfriend of 3 years was supposed to attend with her, she goes looking for him and finds him cheating on her with another girl.

Fed up and about over it all she walks out the door and closes it behind her and doesn't even say a word. Madison grabs the opportunity to leave her house in the middle of the night with her aunt Emma and head back to her grandmother's house with her and just decompress for a while.

Lost Hollow. Ugh. I love this place. It really gives all the twilight vibes.

Listen - anywhere in the PNW is Forks to me mm kay. LOL. I loved the small town mountain/forest vibes.

The story is told in dual POV alternating between our FMC, Madison and our MMC, Ezra - it's probably closer to around 2/3 her POV but that's okay - I loved being able to get Ezra's take on what was going on.

The romance between these two was pretty good. I really am a sucker for a 'college/late HS' romance and even a bully romance I enjoy - this gave both. It wasn't overly bully the MMC came across more as a grump to me than a bully, although some of his comments like trying to embarrass her were a little cringe - like referencing her sucking his dick loudly at her work place. Okay cave man.

I did have a few issues with the writing - on occasion it would really feel like this was written by a dude lol?

A few scenes and phrases just didn't impress me or felt out of place.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Aunt Emma banging a rando on the park bench while her niece has a front row seat with all the town kids? Weird and didn't really fit the character?

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ One of the female characters describes and sums up the FMC as 'hot, blonde and with huge tits' really? I've never described a woman like that as a woman. Get this character a thesaurus.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ There's quite a bit of spice in this one which worked for the characters and the story - it made all the sense in the world for me for them to be getting it on as much as they did, but the first sexual encounter between the two was sudden and out of no where. One min they're on a boat and the next he's randomly fondling her breasts. Little jarring.

Overall I loved the story and was hooked from the beginning. I wish there was a little more to the end. Things seemed to be wrapped up very quickly and suddenly.

I do recommend if you love the PNW small town vibes (think Forks!) an angsty romance with a good dose of spice!

💜Small Town
❤️Found Family
💜Rich Tourists vs Locals
❤️Revenge Plot
💜Generational Trauma
❤️Bully to Lovers
💜Self-Discovery
❤️Spicy
💜Emotional x Secrets

⋆✴︎˚。⋆ Connect with me on Instagram ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹
Profile Image for ❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books.
2,622 reviews10.9k followers
April 18, 2024
thumbnail-IMG-0079-2-copy-2-4 MY REVIEW AND OTHERS can also be found on my blog:
╰┈➤KITTY KATS CRAZY ABOUT BOOKS

Did a re-read April 19, 2024

🆃🅷🅴 🅿🅸🅴🅲🅴🆂 🆆🅴 🅻🅴🅰🆅🅴 🅱🅴🅷🅸🅽🅳 Is a full length contemporary romance novel, by new to me author 'Elle Mitchell.' Spoken in 'dual POV's. In this you'll meet 'Ezra & Maddie.'

'𝑾𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒈𝒐.'

After seeing this popping up on my GR feed a time or two I couldn't resist jumping in, and I don't regret it for an instant.

Tropes:
Self discovery
Small town (Lost Hollow, Oregan)
Found family
Secrets

What a clusterf#ck of a day, after attending her Grandmother's funeral and then meeting up with friends at a party she catches her boyfriend in the act with another girl.

She hightails it out of there, goes home and hitches a ride with her Aunty leaving everything behind.

Straight away I was pulled in, the characters were easy to connect with, the storyline was easy to engage with, I probably would've even have rated this higher but the last chapter or so felt rushed and off, kind of ended abruptly before jumping into the epilogue which was a shame. Still not too much of a biggie though because up to that point I'd enjoyed the journey the author took me on.

From the girl who didn't feel anything
To the boy who loved to push her limits.

These two were polar opposites, opposite sides of the track so to speak, she came from money, ( a trust fund kid from Silicon Valley) he even though not poor wasn't as privileged as she was, but he had a fuller life with people who loved him. She never knew what she was missing out on..Until him..

She was straight laced
He was a rebel without a cause

Get these two together and they were dynamite.

He made her feel
She made him fall
 
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Profile Image for ♡Shelthebookaddict♡ Shelbie.
158 reviews32 followers
February 18, 2024
I was honored to read this book early, and I devoured it. Elle's books just get better and BETTER. Her characters make me laugh and smile. They are always so raw and relatable. I am just obsessed with this book. I already want to reread it. You read about this girl Madison who discovers who she wants to be and where she wants to be. A girl who has her future laid out for her on a silver platter, but she just needs to break free of that world. Then she meets Ezra and just swoon. This book has the perfect amount of spice. Ugh just so good!!!!

Highly recommend. Especially if you love Penelope Douglas.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
492 reviews15 followers
July 31, 2023
Thank you Elle for allowing me to read this ARC.
To be honest I had no idea what to expect in this story other than the tropes:
☆ self discovery
☆ small town
☆ spicy
☆ found family
☆ bully
☆ secrets
☆ emotional
.
I'm trying to avoid reading the synopsis in order to be more surprised with my reads which I'm glad I did with this one. 🙂

Maddie had a rough go at the beginning of this book. And let's be honest throughout much of the book, but definitely the beginning. Losing her grandma, finding out her bf was cheating on her, realizing her friends weren't really her friends.
She had to get out of there.
So she did.
And I'm so proud of her for that.
In a small town with her aunt she starts peeling back layers of numb feelings she didn't realize she had turned off.
Then in walks Ezra into her life. Although she wanted to avoid him. He seemed to have hated her. She was the "enemy".

These two, oh my gosh. Maddie didn't realize she was missing out on so much until Ezra showed her EXACTLY what she was missing. After that things weren't the same.

This story does include family loss. I cried. It was heartbreaking. But the ending was so so sweet. I loved it.
Love a good happy ending after an emotional read.

Highly recommend this.
Profile Image for swedishruler B.
332 reviews153 followers
August 9, 2023
I would say maybe a 2.5 rating
I cried for the aunt in this book but it’s suppose to be a romance and honestly it wasn’t romantic at all for me. The MMC was a jerk and never changed. He was always getting her to change her ways and be brave and speak up but he never did what he preached. I hate when the girl is the one to do all the romancing and she did. She told him she loved him first and she was the one to come back and be calling him. He was not a go getter.
Profile Image for Heather.
403 reviews47 followers
October 5, 2023
"It doesn't have to be serious to matter—for it to be what you need. Things don't mean less just because they're temporary. We leave little pieces of ourselves with every person we meet and in every place we go."
It felt better to stop fighting forces out of my control and just give in. Breathe deeper, move slower. Make art while I still can and leave tiny pieces of myself and my soul behind in it and with the people and places I've grown to love.


This was my introduction to this author and, man, does her writing pack an emotional punch! Definitely a solid 4 stars, especially since she included a good bit of elements in this story that I don't necessarily agree with much less "like" ordinarily in the books that I read, but she managed to make it work with her content.

~Story was told from multiple POV's, primarily the FMC and MMC, but there was one or two chapters from an important "supporting character"
~Enemies to Lovers
~Rich girl/poor boy, different side of the tracks
~Coming of age
~Death of a loved one
~Drug use
~Cheating/OW/OM(I'll elaborate on this later in my review; IT'S COMPLICATED so please read my explanation on this if it's a concern for you because this is generally a major point of content with me)
~Mention of off page sexual assault

FMC: Madison/Maddie, sexually experienced but has only slept with her ex-boyfriend since that's the only boyfriend she's ever had. She catches said ex-boyfriend cheating on her at a party on the same day as her grandmother's funeral...a funeral he couldn't attend because he was "sick". She's not really sad, but extremely upset because it's obvious everyone knew that he was cheating on her at every chance he could and no one said anything. She felt like she had been made a fool of and everything in her life was just fake. In a very rash decision, Madison leaves with her estranged aunt, who had come for the funeral, and returns with her to her mother's hometown for the summer.

I realize now that maybe there are other people I should be mad at—closer, mutual friends who smiled in my face while they knew what was going on behind my back. Fake. Fake. Fake.


MMC: Ezra, a bit of a manwhore because his wicked good looks and brazen personality can't help but attract the attention of the small town's female population and vacationers, but he never consistently dates any of them. He's used to having rich vacationers come and go and he resents the unfair treatment of those without money and influence versus those who have it. Definitely struggles with anger issues and alcohol use.

Not with her. Not with anyone else, either. Not on purpose, and I'd make sure it didn't happen by accident. It wasn't what I wanted before, anyway.


Ok, so I think I've adequately provided some crucial details needed when diving into this book. I'm going to struggle, as always, with deciding what information to disclose and what not to because I don't want to give too much of the story away. In trying to provide a vague synopsis, I will say that this story starts out with a young girl being confronted by the fact that her life isn't what it seems and she's been at the mercy of everyone in her life telling her what to do and how to feel. This revelation leaves her spiraling, desperately trying to reclaim control of her life and she does so by escaping to a place that doesn't allow for those negative influences to reach her. Lost Hollow is the town that her mother and aunt grew up in and a place, for reasons unknown to her, that her mother never wants to return to. It's there that she befriends two girls that work at her aunt's store and they in turn introduce her to a group of guys, one of which being Ezra. Ezra is this rough, tattooed troublemaker that has a huge chip on his shoulder for the wealthy and the privileged... which most certainly includes Maddie. You know how the story goes, though. Bad boy meets good girl, they clash in the best of ways and inevitably fall for each other.

I absolutely adored Maddie and Ezra's love story! It developed naturally and you could see how they became completely smitten with each other. He brought chaos and passion to her life and wasn't afraid to show her affection, something her parents had failed to give her because they were too consumed with their own lives and their desires to maintain a perfect image. She brought meaning to Ezra's life because she needed him and helped to provide him a purpose outside of being angry all the time.

"I like it now," I tell him. "Being held. You were right." "I know you do," he says. Then, we just watch the fireworks.



I loved how well the author expressed emotion in the characters and wasn't afraid to get into the nitty gritty of relationships and not just romantic ones either. Friendship and relationships with family were explored and it brought to life the struggles we all face with those, as well. There were, however, a few things I didn't care for, nor did I understand and it's ultimately what led me to not giving this 5 stars.

Firstly, there's the matter of Ezra's dad kissing Maddie one morning. Ezra's brother, Liam, even walks in on this and even though he's like what the hell is going on and later in the book makes a joke referencing how much their dad REALLY likes Maddie, it's just kind of blown over and never once is Ezra told about this. I was really taken aback about how this was handled. This seemed to be a much bigger problem to me than how the author treated it.

Also, there's the matter of cheating and or other women/men.

I told you I'd get back to it! So it's kind of complicated. Of course the story starts out with the cheating element, but you don't really care because douchebag is going to be the FMC's EX-boyfriend. But after our FMC is introduced to the MMC and they are attracted to each other, we get this scene where the MMC is banging this other chick in the parking lot, but thinking of the FMC. It's not WRONG, but it feels a little off, but honestly it did kind of work because it helped Ezra realize his attraction to Maddie. Then we get the whole relationship and something of course happens that splits them up. And, yes, they are separated by a little bit of time and some distance, but Maddie, our FMC, starts randomly sleeping with people and recreationally hitting some hard drugs. This did rub me the wrong way. For one, it's clearly expressed that Ezra and Maddie love and essentially STILL love each other, yet she's having all this reckless sex with random people. I can't help but interpret that as a betrayal especially when one encounter is so explicitly described to us readers. I mean, they're not really together anymore, so it's not technically cheating...but it just felt wrong...

Then the resolution of all this happens so suddenly, it kind of trivializes real substance abuse. The way her unhealthy coping mechanisms and extreme behavior was described in the text, it didn't seem like it was something Maddie could just decide all of a sudden she would stop and be able to do so without experiencing some complications. Yet she did. Just stopped.

In the end, I do think the author utilizes these elements to show just how badly it effected Maddie to be separated from Ezra and it's ultimately what leads her to a pivotal moment of making a big decision for her life. So I can't fault it too much.

In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a deeply emotional coming of age story, that's not afraid to cry, and can appreciate the trials and tribulations of young love growing into something concrete and meaningful.
"I think about how she said we leave pieces of ourselves with every person we meet and in every place we go, and that it can be a good thing—the best thing—and I think she's probably right. Sometimes, it's a small piece like a memory or a lie, or something we can afford to spare. Maybe it's even a piece we need to get rid of like whatever it was I left with Ethan.
...But sometimes, it's something else. Sometimes, they're pieces we can't afford to lose, like an arm or a heart, and then you have whole-looking people walking around with missing limbs and gaping holes in their chests, and no one is ever the wiser."

Profile Image for Meredith.
535 reviews32 followers
July 30, 2023
Emotional and beautiful story. The fmc really does through a rough journey from the beginning of the story throughout. This book shows and deals with strong and real trauma, that I think most readers can relate to.

Tropes:
self discovery
small town
found family
secrets
Profile Image for Ember Nicole.
Author 6 books200 followers
August 13, 2023
If you feel like being a million percent devastated, just to be painfully and slowly pieced back together…this one is the winner.

D*mn you, Elle.
I hate you.
And I love you.
That is all.
Profile Image for zoe.
288 reviews
June 24, 2024
sorry but why was this SO BAD!??!?!?!??!?

i thought omg this is gonna be a REALLY GOOD READ i mean i read SO many reviews that RAVEDD about this book but no.

i actually felt NO connection between the MC's, except when they felt sexually attracted to each other, and honestly it felt yes, natural, but no, not the right time. ever.

half of them are fucking maniacs - what is going on w ben he needs some therapy?

how the FUCK did elle and like 50% of readers just FORGET about the fact that THAT IS NOT FUCKING OKAY? EXCUSE ME? I WANT TO ACTUALLY

did yall just skip that entire bit?

what happeend to we hate rich ppl that pay ppl off - what do none of that gang find out that what just because maddies now ezra's girl she

why was that ending so rushed? one minute shes in wherever she is w her rich fake friends, the next, omg ezra yay happy ending. the end. what is with those gaps?

alot of people liked amelia, me? i just plain HATED her. she is a self centered little bitch who cares too much about herself of not her child who literally has been neglected. no she has no excuse just bc u were like dumped or had a bad relationship w the person u love. move on and think about the lives that you're ruining. stop ruining them and fix them because it is ALL YOUR FAULT that poor maddie had to suffer, along with your own sister

ezra is a plain dick that thinks also, with his dick. wowww what a surprise. so what do you even like about her? maddie, what do you even like about HIM?

so first, his POV's are so dry, and have no character development whatsoever. there was no inner thoughts, or feelings, or anything except a description of what was goign on and the corrosponding dialogue. it felt like it was dual pov bc it just HAD to be, even though it gave nothing to the story.

the only chapter of his that i liked somewhat was like the second last one of his, maybe the one where he was kinda wallowing since it gave a bit of sadness u know??

um so when

lastly i hope - so ezra admitted to what the actually heckity heckwit? same with Ty? wow we got literally, a SINGLE sentence for BOTH of them about that, and later i was waiting. oh i tell u i was waiting for maddie to find out and TALK IT THE FUCK OUT, but no. got nothing.

this needs MAJOR editing, and MAJOR MAJOR elongating because some things just made absolutely no fucking sense.

either useless, or so important.....but apparently not.

did i download the wrong fucking book or something??

0.7* no potential, wasted my time, wish i never read the last 80%
Profile Image for Lina.
6 reviews
August 4, 2023
The Pieces we leave Behind by Elle Mitchell

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Read if you like:
✨dual POV
✨bully romance
✨found family
✨small town
✨self discovery
✨enemies to lovers
✨emotional

Synopsis:

"𝙄𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙚𝙧...𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙪𝙥, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙡𝙡 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙮. 𝙄𝙩'𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠." 𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜? 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙣𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮? 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙮 𝙄 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡. 𝙄 𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙧 𝙄 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤. 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧. 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙇𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬. 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣, 𝙄 𝙢𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙢. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩, 𝙩𝙤𝙤. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 “𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙫𝙚����𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙜𝙤.” 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜-𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮'𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚? 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠?

When I’m less than 20 pages in a book and I’m hooked. That’s when I KNOW IM GOING TO LOVE A BOOK!! & The Pieces we leave Behind is one of them! I finished it in one sitting. This book was soooooooo good and very well written.

Ezra & Maddie… I loved these two together! & their chemistry 👩‍🍳 💋
Ezra was such a bad boy but he was exactly what Maddie needed in her life. & Emma OMG 🥰 loved loved her energy & way of thinking. This book was sooo heartbreaking, it gives u the right amount of spice and character growth. Which I loved. I highly recommend you pick this book up. It will be released August 8th. Please check TW before reading.
Profile Image for Caitlin .
325 reviews
February 26, 2024
• small town
• bully
• summer romance
• found family
• dark
• so much angst
• self discovery

I read this in one sitting. I'm pretty sure pieces of me are in Lost Hollow.

Let's be honest, if you don't cry, throw your book, go through every emotion possible then it's not a 5 star read is it? Well... this book was an incredible roller-coaster and I'd like another ticket to this emotional fuckery please.

Maddie is a girl who is lost under all the pressure of living in a world she doesn't fit in with. She is tired of pretending, tired of all the fake around her. She is drowning in high society.

So she gets in her aunts car after her grandmothers funeral and heads to Lost Hollow.

Just for the summer.
Just to clear her head.

Then she met him.
Ezra.

Hates her on sight.
He is angry, revenge driven and dominant. He is cocky, self assured and is unapologetically open about what he wants and how feels.
But...
He is also heartbreakingly good. And sweet. And I love him and all his attitudes.

Ezra pushed Maddie so far out of her comfort zone she begins to find herself. While helping Maddie find herself, Ezra finds himself too.

"There are consequences to waking up, to coming alive."

These are meant to be young adults who have just finished high school but they seemed so much older in my head. Maddie was sheltered yes, but they were giving 23-25 vibes. And I loved every minute of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for readingwithShelbyyy.
62 reviews2 followers
June 25, 2023
Where do I start with this review besides GOD DAMNNNNNNN. 😍🔥

The way this book sucks you in and holds you tight until the very end is mind blowing. You can really feel the emotions behind each character and the way Elle wrote each characters story really helped know each and every one of them.

I love Maddie, her growth from living in a rich world where everything is laid out for her and always wanted to make her parents proud - to this amazing young woman who’s finally had enough. Finding herself was my favorite part of the book besides Ezra 🤤 he comes off as this bad attitude tough guy but the way he melts into this caring guys for Maddie left me swooning.

If you haven’t read this book yet, read it now. I 10/10 recommend but please check for triggers!

Thank you @sunnybabepr & @ellemitchellbooks for giving me this opportunity to read the ARC of The Pieces We Leave Behind!
Profile Image for Eleni White.
5 reviews4 followers
June 25, 2023
'There are consequences to waking up, to coming alive.'

The amount of notes and highlights on my kindle from Mitchell's writing is unreal. I'm so grateful to receive the ARC on this. The release is set for August 8th.

'Play me a love song'

You feel the emotional romance level of Noah and Allie, with that resistance that overpowers in the end. Opposites do attract and the tone between Maddie and Ezra keeps you guessing on their true feelings up until the end of the book. The ending was perfect. I mean *chef's kiss. Chapter 26/Chapter 27 were my personal favorite. Really, there was several times in the book where it was a sudden turn of events and I found my jaw open and frantically started speed reading.

This book gives you permission to grieve what could have been with a nudge to keep the possibilities of tomorrow open.

Well done, Mitchell, well done.
Profile Image for Jennay Williams.
975 reviews16 followers
February 26, 2024
Beautiful book, well written and the it had all the feels!! It ripped my heart out raw in many ways but god damn, I have never connected to book quite like this one. I feel seen and raw.
I was hooked on this book from chapter one and instantly connected to the female main character. This book gave me the same feels and vibes as Credence and the Ravenhood Trilogy. I loved it so very much. Ezra is my new top book boyfriend. I can’t say enough good things about this book. I’ll post some quotes when the book has been officially released, but for now just trust a girl and give this book a go!
Profile Image for ~Jennifer~.
997 reviews8 followers
June 19, 2024
3.75.What is with these endings lately. This book started out strong and about the point where Ezra’s dad kissed Maddie,it started go down hill. And let me ask why did the author feel like that belonged in the book,IDK. Up until that point it was a 4.5, I was going to let it slide, but that ending quick and rushed. Which dropped it down to a 4.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Harlee Hendon.
76 reviews
June 22, 2023
This book had everything i absolutely needed in it. I was lucky enough to the ARC from it. The way that she dealt with her trauma was so real and authentic. How she came to realization that she needs to do her own shit is also real and authentic. I love how Maddie and Ezra’s relationship evolved and who they became as people. Her mom still to the end of the book can fuck off. I never liked her from the beginning and still don’t after finishing it.

Here’s a few of my favorite quotes

“It was only the one time.”
“Don't give up on us. I love you.”
“Are you really going to throw away three years over one stupid, drunk mistake?”
“Please don't tell your dad.”

"Oh, fuck. Enjoying the show?" Ava says from behind me.
"Um, no," I reply quickly.
"Should we…do something?"
"Like what? Join? I didn't realize you all were that kind of family, but…I'll try anything once."

I'm entirely inexperienced. Ethan and I probably had sex hundreds of times. I thought it was good. I usually came…at least half of the time.

"Did you forget we all made plans to go to the movies?" he asks. "Are you that much of a lightweight that you don't remember?"

Probably at the bottom of a bottle, if I'm being honest. Shit.

I look like a cat burglar. Damn it.

"You need to calm down," Ben says into my ear, quiet enough that the others shouldn't have been able to hear it over the music. "They can smell fear."

"Exactly. Because he's a fucking loser who plays video games all night and sleeps all day." "He eats pussy good, though," she says, shrugging. "And I'm going to need something to do when you guys go back to school in the fall."

He wraps an arm around my waist, pulls me onto his lap, and places my hands on the wheel while keeping his foot even on the gas pedal. "You're going to go straight down here for a while. I'll tell you where to turn."

"You need to be careful taking things in stride, or someday you'll wake up and realize you've made such a habit of giving in that you have no fucking clue who you are or how to fight for yourself."

"Jesus. You're really fucked up. And you call me dead inside. You're dead inside. All the way dead if you're not careful."

It's for whatever sense of self I had before that's gone now. For the emptiness inside of me that I didn't know how to fill. For this hollow shell of a person who didn't have a fucking clue who she was and who didn't want anything.

He narrows his eyes at me, and I stuff a couple more pieces of bacon in my mouth before I do what he says and get the hell out of his kitchen. I head up the stairs, down the hall to my room, and close the door behind me. I take the soiled pink thong out of my pocket and think of Maddie losing control and fucking my face and get hard—again. I wrap the small piece of silky fabric around my cock and cum on it—again.

"And what about bro code?" "Bro code? Based on what? That you almost caught her on fire once and almost drowned her another time? Give me a fucking break. Move."

Everyone knows all of those prep school idiots have nothing to do all day but jack each other off and play darts and shit."

be good for me, won't you, Maddie?" "Yes," I tell him. He leans in and whispers, "I bet you'll even get wet while you do it," then turns and walks back to the throw line.

"You shouldn't touch things that don't belong to you," Ezra says from behind me. "What are you talking about?" I ask, turning to face him. "I'm not talking to you; I'm talking to him." "Really?" Ben laughs. "That's not how people work. You can't call dibs. Isn't that what you said?" "What is he talking about?" "I came in it so it's mine," he says. "It?" I scoff. "That's really fucking nice."

"You better come fast then," he says into my ear. "I don't want to have to rip someone's eyes out of their head for seeing you like this."

"I love you," she says.
"I'm going to go get you something to wear," I tell her, then leave the bathroom.

"Will you hold me? Please?" I ask. Wordlessly, she sits up and wraps her arms around me.

"No, what I mean is…I don't want you to. I want you to stay here with me. I didn't go to college, and I don't have a lot of money, but I could take care of you. I could do a good job, I think."

"Do you want to tell me what the fuck is going on with you right now?" "Umm…my aunt just fucking died," I say.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Shelby | Spicy.booknook.
448 reviews71 followers
April 12, 2025
Contemporary MF
Small Town
Found Family
Self Discovery
Rich Girl/Bad Boy
Opposites Attract
Emotional/Angsty
🔥🔥🔥

This was a nice angsty and emotional read. A little bit bully romance, a lot of self discovery and some family drama to round out a story about a rich girl and bad boy falling in love.

Maddie is dead inside. She just can’t seem to feel anything, even after some traumatic events are thrown her way, so she decides to pack a bag and head off to her aunts home in a tourist town. Ezra is a local that knows better to get involved with the rich tourist girls that frequent the small town. They always leave. Events throw them together and their chemistry is just too good to ignore. These two.. Ezra was a lot of fun to read. His humor was just so deadpan 😅

These guys are young and do stupid things that young people tend to do, which is entertaining… but there is so much emotion here that it elevates the book to more than just a fun read. Some of this stuff hurt, but in a good way.
Profile Image for Cecilia Marie.
13 reviews
June 25, 2023
To all the lost souls. May you continue wandering until you find yourself content and continuously wrapped in love. And if you ever find that you aren't, I hope you look for more.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book and I’d like to personally thank Sunny PR for this chance.

What I loved about Maddie’s story was that while there was romance, that isn’t what made me stick around to finish the book. What did it for me was how Maddie learned how to understand her own feelings and how to find out and go for what she wanted. She was told her whole life what to do and when something in her “perfect” life went wrong (like walking in on her POS boyfriend cheating) she honestly felt nothing. She wasn’t hurt or surprised, she just left.

At first I thought that Weston was going to be the love interest and I’ve never been more happy to be wrong. Ezra came off pretty strong but I quickly fell in love with him after realizing that he was truly developing feelings for Maddie and not just having a good time. I just loved how honest he was. Ezra teaching Maddie how to accept love and Maddie teaching Ezra how to know what love looks like literally made my heart swell.

Freaking Emma had to go and break my heart. The only thing different about Emma that I would’ve like to see was a little more of her character. I think she had a lot of potential to helping Maddie work through her feelings, but on the other hand, I’m glad Maddie had to learn to deal with it on her own.

Mom and Dad, no thank you. Mom literally gaslit her daughter through the whole book. When she was wanting to sell Emma’s house she said “it would be easier for me” WELL MEL, it’s not all about you. And where was her dad?!?

Ty. You deserve better, I hope he never ends up with Mel.

At first, it gave me serious After vibes… I was worried that these new “friends” were just messing with her the whole time. Then I got some Credence vibes and finally I realized this book wasn’t like anything I’d read before. I literally couldn’t guess one thing that happened and that’s rare for me in a book.

I’m rating this a 5 stars because I was defiantly recommend and read it all over again. Can’t wait to get a physical copy for my bookshelf!

Quotes:

Death, from what I understand, can be a mercy.

I haven't cried because he didn't hurt me that day.

"Fuck you," I tell him.
"I already told you—that's a boundary for me. But you know what? Because I do feel bad for you and because you did kind of help me out that one time, I might be willing to do you a solid and go down on you."

"No, I do. I do have to say it; I mean it, Maddie. I love you. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you the other day. I should have. But I've never said that to anyone else before, and I didn't know."

"Are you just going to stand there and stare at me like an idiot all day, or are you going to give me my ball back?"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ki.
87 reviews20 followers
Read
November 3, 2025
RATING: ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️🌶️

Madison has it all, the perfect life, the perfect boyfriend, what more could she ask for? Madison’s grandmother passes away and she realizes things aren’t what they seem and she escapes her perfect reality to find herself in Oregon with her Aunt Emma. Little does she know her “perfect world” wasn’t so perfect.

What can I say about this book, besides it pulled me in a thousand different directions and left me wanting more. This book is about self discovery, bullies to lovers, love and loss and most importantly standing up for yourself with the right amount of spice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Alaska Reads.
107 reviews2 followers
February 27, 2024
I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!! I loved so much of this book. The way Emma held Maddie in more way than one. How Ezra was everything she needed and truly loved her. One of my favorite quotes “You are looking for that stupid fucking story. I bet he has a small dick, too, doesn't he? Actually, you don't need to answer that. It isn't a question."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Brianna .
198 reviews35 followers
January 15, 2024
This was such a fantastic story of Lost and found family, and losing and finding yourself. The grief was SO raw and relatable. I was surprised how much I really enjoyed and was captured by this book
Profile Image for Vanessa.
149 reviews13 followers
June 23, 2023
"Leaving behind pieces of yourself doesn't sound like a good thing;" I tell her.
"It can be a good thing. It can be the best thing.
It's how we stay with them, and they stay with us even after we've gone or moved on."

I devoured this book in a day!!Maddie is a rich, spoiled girl despite having a complex relationship with her mom she’s always had everything handed to her. One night she catches her boyfriend cheating on her and decides to leave California to go with her aunt Emma to her small hometown of Lost Hallow. There she makes unlikely friends, gets into some trouble and meets someone that shows her all that she’s been missing.
I loved Maddie’s journey to self discovery and the confidence she starts to get to stand up for herself.
I also loved Ezra’s character development from Grumpy (not completely to sunshine but sort of) and to see his and Maddie’s romance grow from nothing was just magic.
I loved the amount of spice this book had as well! It wasn’t an overwhelming amount that the plot got lost in all of the sex but it had enough to make need to turn my fan on! 🥵
I found myself tearing up on quite a few parts of this book also stopping to reflect on things myself. The amount of growth and heartache Maddie went through just weighed heavy on me (in the best way)
Thank you @sunnybabepr and @ellemitchellbooks for letting me read this Arc i enjoyed it so much! It comes out August 8th so be on the lookout for it! I personally plan on buying a copy of this just to have !
Profile Image for katie&thebooks.
90 reviews6 followers
July 25, 2023
5/⭐️
3/🌶️

“Things don’t mean less just because they’re temporary. We leave little pieces of ourselves with every person we meet and in every place that we go.”

Talk about a story that was crazy relatable, heartfelt, heart wrenching, sexy, exciting, and morally grey-area charming. This read was so good!!

Maddison finds herself on an impulsive self discovery journey, to out of state and away from a life she knew.. from a life that her mother wanted for her.. to a life that her mother had run away from. From a wealthy, easy life in the California Bay Area to a small Oregon town, Lost Hollow. To Ezra and his friends, Lost Hollow is their home and they don’t take too kindly to the rich tourists that invade their town every summer. This bully-to-lovers romance is risky, raw, and real. Ezra and Maddie help each other figure out what exactly it is that they want out of life and love.. it’s a bumpy road and time is short.

As a California Bay Area girl myself (not rich though 😅), who did in fact took off abruptly to the PNW at the age of 18, in an attempt to discover myself and life.. I found Maddie extremely relatable. In my own personal story, I ended up back in California for good 🤷🏻‍♀️ But back to the book. The struggle of figuring life out for herself, on her terms, and finding that the relationships she had had before weren’t what she thought they were, it pulled on all of my heart strings. The romance is a wild ride from the confusion of “what the fuck is his problem” to being seduced and chasing the thrills she didn’t realize she needed. Finding relief in fear and comfort she never knew existed. This story has so much emotion, relatability, thrills, joy, and the spice is superb!

A quick read, easy to devour. I truly enjoyed the dual POV and each character. The writing makes it easy to imagine the story like a movie in my mind. Absolutely loved it! 🩶

Releasing August 8th on Kindle Unlimited

Thank you to Sunny Babe PR and Elle Mitchell for having me and giving me the opportunity to be an ARC reader. You’re the best!
Profile Image for Alexandria Greene.
41 reviews
August 3, 2023
I READ THIS IN ONE SITTING!!! 4/5 ⭐️ 3/5 🌶️ 18+

Thankyou to sunnybabepr for providing this wonderful ARC I am so grateful to read this before it even came out!

The Pieces We Leave Behind by Elle Mitchell is out!!!

Small town
Emotional
Spicy
Self-Discovery

This book is about a young girl who is fed up with her life in the city, with her overbearing mother and terrible friend and shitty boyfriend and to top it all off, a relative passing away she decides to hop in her Aunts car and drive away to Oregon for the summer to escape her chaotic life. There she meets so me unlikely friends who might or might not get her into trouble and a handsome boy who seems mean and first but has a little bit of a soft side for her. Through this story, she finds what it means to truly be alive and what love really is. It was such an emotional roller coaster that I was holding on to the handles the entire time! There are some trigger warnings to this book, the author provides a list on her Instagram. And in the description of the book. But I can list a few big ones:

Bully romance
SH
Family member passing away
Sexual content
Profile Image for Elle.
15 reviews2 followers
June 25, 2023
Wow! The Pieces We Left Behind sucked me in from the beginning and left me speechless. Elle wrote beautiful characters with such emotional backstories to each and everyone of them and made it feel so relatable. This one really pulled me in because I felt like I was living in Lost Hollow. Maddie’s growth through the book was amazing and I love Ezra for pushing her to leave behind her old life and to start living for herself instead of others. TPWLB definitely broke me and put me back together in the best ways!
Profile Image for Emma Ivison.
100 reviews
July 13, 2023

✨I’m a little bias because I love her work but this book was amazing! Tore at my heart strings, and tears were shed.

✨I almost stopped reading this book because I was so mad at the main character for the choice they made. I almost threw my iPad, but I’m so glad I pushed through and didn’t throw my iPad. I love the writing style and the emotional roller coaster I was unknowingly and it was amazing 🥲

✨I loved every part of this book, highly recommend 5/5✨

✨Tropes: small town, found family, bully romance, spicy, emotional, trauma and growth.
✨⚠️A trigger warnings: explicit sexual content, profanity, mentions of rape (not between MCs), bullying, violence, a MMC with a dirty mouth, dubcon, drug and alcohol use/abuse, and death of a loved one.⚠️✨
Profile Image for Miriam.
248 reviews
June 25, 2023
✨ARC REVIEW✨

The Pieces We Leave Behind by Elle Mitchell
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Things don't mean less just because they're temporary. We leave little pieces of ourselves with every person we meet and in every place we go."

I really enjoyed this book. I loved seeing the personal growth of the FMC. Growing up and learning how to make your own decisions isn’t easy, and this book describes that struggle well.

Now, who doesn’t love a grumpy MMC? It was great watching the romance go from snarky and sarcastic to incredibly sweet and comforting.

I grew up going wherever the Army told my dad to go, so I can definitely relate to loving people and places and knowing that even if you leave, there will always be pieces of you left behind. It’s a hard and special thing.

I recommend this book if you want an emotional story about growing up and realizing life is really hard and sometimes uncontrollable, but also beautiful and special if you go for what you really want. 💙

Thank you so much, Sunny Babe PR and Elle Mitchell for giving me the chance to read this ARC for a review ✨
Profile Image for Nancy.
242 reviews42 followers
August 7, 2023
So good I finished it in less than 12 hours 🥹

ETA:
"What’s the crime?’ she asks.

‘Trespassing,’ I tell her. ‘Maybe squatting. Indecent exposure, if I’m lucky.’" 🤭

Author: Elle Mitchell

Thank you @ellemitchellbooks and @sunnybabepr for this ARC! ❤️

Ezra is such a well written character - serious and gloomy at the appropriate places but also someone you want to get to know as his relationships grow. When Maddie ended up in the small town, my immediate thoughts went to Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy, especially with the difference in “income brackets.” But as the story progressed, the author kept it her own story and threw in a very unexpected twist that literally ripped out my heart and was not emotionally ready for the repercussions - bawling my eyes out. More than once to be honest. I wanted things to continuously work out but I did like that it let the focus stay on Maddie’s character and her character development and growth as a person and her choices.

THIS BOOK RELEASES: Aug 8, 2023 and I cannot speak more highly of this book!!
Profile Image for Kayla M Coleman.
217 reviews45 followers
January 15, 2024
I can always appreciate a small town romance with a happy ending! The beginning instantly grabbed my attention and I could tell it was going to be fast paced- I enjoyed it! There wasn’t much of a plot twist and the entire story was quite predictable. I never connected with Ezra because I didn’t like how forceful he was with Madison, and this girl was constantly giving into his BS. I really enjoyed the dart scene though, and I laughed out loud twice while reading (when they thought Ezra couldn’t hear their conversation on the beach because he had headphones in- dead)!

Sadly, the last half became uninteresting. I thought they might have dove further into Maddi’s mom’s troubled past and explained why she was the way she was. Grandma all of a sudden said they wouldn’t need to worry about money anymore and then Mel was different. It made it seem as if Ty did something to Mel and grandma got hush money before Mel left. The kiss between Ty and Maddi was never turned into a big thing and Ezra just never found out about it? That entire situation was not okay. 😅Nothing ever happened with Jonathan’s case but I feel like it could’ve. There were a lot of unexplained things & potentials that could’ve made this book so much better.
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