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Very in Pieces
Very Sales-Woodruff is done being a good girl. Done being the only responsible one in a family that’s unraveling. Done being the obliging girlfriend in a relationship that’s sinking. Done saying no to what she wants—like Dominic, her rebellious classmate.
With her mom’s drinking, her dad’s extended absences from home, and her younger sister, Ramona, running wild, the path Very has always seen for herself doesn’t seem to matter anymore. At the same time, Very’s grandmother, a poet known less for her work and more for her exploits with the likes of Andy Warhol and Arthur Miller, is slipping away.
If everything else can fall to pieces, why can’t she?
With her mom’s drinking, her dad’s extended absences from home, and her younger sister, Ramona, running wild, the path Very has always seen for herself doesn’t seem to matter anymore. At the same time, Very’s grandmother, a poet known less for her work and more for her exploits with the likes of Andy Warhol and Arthur Miller, is slipping away.
If everything else can fall to pieces, why can’t she?
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 29, 2015
About the author
Megan Frazer Blakemore
18 books173 followersMegan Frazer Blakemore is an author for children and young adults. She lives with her husband and children in Maine. She has worked in both school and public libraries, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in library science at Simmons SLIS.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
September 27, 2015
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
“Nonnie always says that if everyone in the family were an artist, we’d never eat or have clean clothes. “Everyone has their role to play, Very.””
I’m a little confused by this book; I’ve finished, but I’m still not 100% sure what it was about.
Very was a girl who everyone thought of as intelligent, conservation, and dependable, she was all those things really, whether she liked it or not. I liked the way she cared for her dying grandmother though, and she really did do her best to look after her family and friends, even when they didn’t want her input.
The storyline in this just seemed to be about Very’s life in general. There was the storyline of her famous poet grandmother dying, and later on we got a bit of a mystery surrounding a piece of artwork, and a bit of mystery surrounding her sister and what she was up to, but I just didn’t feel like the book held my attention well at all, and my mind just kept wandering, making it take a long time to get through this one.
There was some romance, and we got a bit of a love triangle too. I preferred the romance at the end of the book, but this didn’t really have a happily ever after sort of ending.
The ending to this didn’t feel like much of an ending to me, and I still have some unanswered questions, and some worries regarding Very’s sister.
6 out of 10
“Nonnie always says that if everyone in the family were an artist, we’d never eat or have clean clothes. “Everyone has their role to play, Very.””
I’m a little confused by this book; I’ve finished, but I’m still not 100% sure what it was about.
Very was a girl who everyone thought of as intelligent, conservation, and dependable, she was all those things really, whether she liked it or not. I liked the way she cared for her dying grandmother though, and she really did do her best to look after her family and friends, even when they didn’t want her input.
The storyline in this just seemed to be about Very’s life in general. There was the storyline of her famous poet grandmother dying, and later on we got a bit of a mystery surrounding a piece of artwork, and a bit of mystery surrounding her sister and what she was up to, but I just didn’t feel like the book held my attention well at all, and my mind just kept wandering, making it take a long time to get through this one.
There was some romance, and we got a bit of a love triangle too. I preferred the romance at the end of the book, but this didn’t really have a happily ever after sort of ending.
The ending to this didn’t feel like much of an ending to me, and I still have some unanswered questions, and some worries regarding Very’s sister.
6 out of 10
September 23, 2015
This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight
I liked Very in Pieces. I didn't completely love it, but I liked it. And I just decided that I really can't do this justice without a likes/dislikes list. So it shall be.
Very. Very reminded me a lot of myself, especially at the start of the book. Very was doing all the things that she assumed she was "supposed to" do, but not really having a damn clue what she wanted. She's basically the only responsible and level headed person in her family of artists. Her grandmother, who is a world-renowned poet, is dying of lung cancer. All her mom seems to want to do is drink and host parties, her sister Ramona is emotionally distant and physically absent a large percent of the time, and well, who knows what her dad is up to at any given point. She's been caring for her Nonnie, and is cracking under her impending death. Add to it that she needs to figure out where she wants to go to school, her non-feelings for her boyfriend, and her new friend Dominic, and well, things are hard. I enjoyed the journey Very takes to try to find herself, that was quite lovely.
The family dynamics. They weren't all good and they weren't all bad. So you know, like every other family ever. Which is refreshing. A lot of times, families seem painted into boxes: Good, supportive, cozy families, or bad, dysfunctional, harmful ones. The Sales-Woodruff family falls into neither box, like nearly everyone else's families. The family evolves in the story just as Very does, and Very has very different relationships with each person. The relationship that I enjoyed the most was Very's relationship with her grandma. It was beautiful, and sweet, and she just seemed like such a good person for Very. It was also rather heartbreaking for Very to struggle with the thought that she'd be gone soon.
Dominic's role. Is it bad that I liked him so much because I really wanted the dull boyfriend out of the picture? I don't know if Dominic would have sold me on his own, but compared to that other lump of dough, Dominic was amazing. Also, I do like the impact he had on Very. People tried to box Very into the "perfect student" role, and even told her that she shouldn't be seen with Dominic because of his "bad boy reputation", but Very wasn't going to just listen to a bunch of meritless stories. So you know, good for you, Very!
The Things I Did Not So Much:
It was just kind of slowwww. Find, not kind of. It was slow. Things happened, they just took a lot of time to get there. Like, the book is 384 pages, but I don't know that it needed to be. And it also felt like more than 384 at times.
Very's friends and boyfriend were really unremarkable. Christian, the boyfriend and aforementioned lump of dough (not even Play-Doh, that is at least fun and brightly colored) really adds nothing other than to remind Very of what happens when you stick to the safe choice. Which is true, maybe that IS the point of his whole character, and if so, mission accomplished.
And I barely even remember her friends, and I finished this book on Sunday. So... not memorable. I feel like there were two of them? Anyway. I could have done without all of them, they felt like filler characters or something.
Bottom Line: Family dynamics and character growth? Fabulous. Plot? Slow. Overall, decent.
I liked Very in Pieces. I didn't completely love it, but I liked it. And I just decided that I really can't do this justice without a likes/dislikes list. So it shall be.
Things I Enjoyed:
Very. Very reminded me a lot of myself, especially at the start of the book. Very was doing all the things that she assumed she was "supposed to" do, but not really having a damn clue what she wanted. She's basically the only responsible and level headed person in her family of artists. Her grandmother, who is a world-renowned poet, is dying of lung cancer. All her mom seems to want to do is drink and host parties, her sister Ramona is emotionally distant and physically absent a large percent of the time, and well, who knows what her dad is up to at any given point. She's been caring for her Nonnie, and is cracking under her impending death. Add to it that she needs to figure out where she wants to go to school, her non-feelings for her boyfriend, and her new friend Dominic, and well, things are hard. I enjoyed the journey Very takes to try to find herself, that was quite lovely.
The family dynamics. They weren't all good and they weren't all bad. So you know, like every other family ever. Which is refreshing. A lot of times, families seem painted into boxes: Good, supportive, cozy families, or bad, dysfunctional, harmful ones. The Sales-Woodruff family falls into neither box, like nearly everyone else's families. The family evolves in the story just as Very does, and Very has very different relationships with each person. The relationship that I enjoyed the most was Very's relationship with her grandma. It was beautiful, and sweet, and she just seemed like such a good person for Very. It was also rather heartbreaking for Very to struggle with the thought that she'd be gone soon.
Dominic's role. Is it bad that I liked him so much because I really wanted the dull boyfriend out of the picture? I don't know if Dominic would have sold me on his own, but compared to that other lump of dough, Dominic was amazing. Also, I do like the impact he had on Very. People tried to box Very into the "perfect student" role, and even told her that she shouldn't be seen with Dominic because of his "bad boy reputation", but Very wasn't going to just listen to a bunch of meritless stories. So you know, good for you, Very!
The Things I Did Not So Much:
It was just kind of slowwww. Find, not kind of. It was slow. Things happened, they just took a lot of time to get there. Like, the book is 384 pages, but I don't know that it needed to be. And it also felt like more than 384 at times.
Very's friends and boyfriend were really unremarkable. Christian, the boyfriend and aforementioned lump of dough (not even Play-Doh, that is at least fun and brightly colored) really adds nothing other than to remind Very of what happens when you stick to the safe choice. Which is true, maybe that IS the point of his whole character, and if so, mission accomplished.
And I barely even remember her friends, and I finished this book on Sunday. So... not memorable. I feel like there were two of them? Anyway. I could have done without all of them, they felt like filler characters or something.
Bottom Line: Family dynamics and character growth? Fabulous. Plot? Slow. Overall, decent.
June 24, 2017
"People say your choices define you. It's true, but not the way people think. Your choices don't shape you, they shape people's perception of you."
This was an odd story. It's about a family that ties a lot of hopes and dreams on Grandma. She's famous for writing some poetry and sleeping with a lot of holly wood's famous people. And she's with her family - her daughter and her grandkids and son-in-law. But the story is not told from mom or grandma POV but from the oldest granddaughter. Very.
This is a family in chaos. Nonnie, the famous grandmother, is dying and each family member is handling it in their own way. Ramona, the youngest grandchild, is flying off the rails. Very is reaching out to anyone who will love her. And their mom is sinking into drinking and depression. It makes for very dark, depressing read that is even more sad as you watch the inevitable descent they all make and the ultimate outcome. I can't say that I must enjoyed the ride of this story or the adventure for Very. I did not like her mom (but I think that was the point) and hated how everything panned out. There was no hope and no goal and no real outcome other than the one we expected.
This was an odd story. It's about a family that ties a lot of hopes and dreams on Grandma. She's famous for writing some poetry and sleeping with a lot of holly wood's famous people. And she's with her family - her daughter and her grandkids and son-in-law. But the story is not told from mom or grandma POV but from the oldest granddaughter. Very.
This is a family in chaos. Nonnie, the famous grandmother, is dying and each family member is handling it in their own way. Ramona, the youngest grandchild, is flying off the rails. Very is reaching out to anyone who will love her. And their mom is sinking into drinking and depression. It makes for very dark, depressing read that is even more sad as you watch the inevitable descent they all make and the ultimate outcome. I can't say that I must enjoyed the ride of this story or the adventure for Very. I did not like her mom (but I think that was the point) and hated how everything panned out. There was no hope and no goal and no real outcome other than the one we expected.
Read
June 17, 2015I've already expressed my interest in this book when I first read the summary and found out the blurb and the cover remind me of
which is one of my favorite books. So, I wasn't going to miss the chance to read it before the release date. Thank you, Harper Teen peeps, for auto-approving me. You don't even know how grateful I am. It's no surprise you're my favorite publisher. I'm reading your books all the time.
I found the plot very interesting but I couldn't connect with any of the character, not just the main one. I did like the part where everyone in Very's family is extraordinary but her. She's the one without a special skill. It made her seem more real but it still wasn't enough. It was one of those book which are telling you how the characters feel rather than showing it to you.
While browsing Edelweiss I realized I've read this book in May and forgot to mark it as read on Goodreads which I normally would never do. In a way, I didn't want to write the review down because I was disappointed. I also don't want to be the first one to give a bad rating so I'm going to leave the stars blank.
I'm sure others will fall in love with Very and her creative family. It just wasn't for me.
which is one of my favorite books. So, I wasn't going to miss the chance to read it before the release date. Thank you, Harper Teen peeps, for auto-approving me. You don't even know how grateful I am. It's no surprise you're my favorite publisher. I'm reading your books all the time. I found the plot very interesting but I couldn't connect with any of the character, not just the main one. I did like the part where everyone in Very's family is extraordinary but her. She's the one without a special skill. It made her seem more real but it still wasn't enough. It was one of those book which are telling you how the characters feel rather than showing it to you.
While browsing Edelweiss I realized I've read this book in May and forgot to mark it as read on Goodreads which I normally would never do. In a way, I didn't want to write the review down because I was disappointed. I also don't want to be the first one to give a bad rating so I'm going to leave the stars blank.
I'm sure others will fall in love with Very and her creative family. It just wasn't for me.
October 26, 2015
Check out this and other reviews on my blog, Here's to Happy Endings!
Very in Pieces is a book about…well…I honestly have no idea.
I think this book is supposed to be about a girl who feels like everything is falling apart in her life, and the problems in her family, and who can’t take any of these things anymore, and just wants to stop being this good girl who everyone has high hopes for.
It sounds pretty interesting, and while the synopsis kind of made it sound like a thousand other young adult books exactly like it, I was intrigued anyway. So I started reading, with high hopes, especially because this book was published by HarperTeen, and their books are always amazing.
Well…ten percent into it I couldn’t figure out what I was even reading. Very was just a normal girl, who does incredibly well in school, is a good daughter and sister, and who loves her grandmother. It was kind of boring and I honestly can’t say I was enjoying it, but I kept reading.
Twenty-five percent through this book I was falling asleep.
Almost halfway through the book, I realized that there was absolutely nothing interesting in this book, and I decided I’d had enough.
Seriously, this book is just boring. Nothing interesting happened in it, except for when some kids glued bottlecaps to the outside of Very’s grandmother’s house because it was symbolic to poem that she had written. And the bottlecaps made everyone mad, except Very’s grandmother, Nonnie. Nonnie was the only character in this book that had any type of personality.
I hate giving bad reviews, and I rarely ever DNF a book, but this was just…I don’t know, a big disappointment, I guess. I had really high hopes for this one. I feel like this could have been written differently and more interesting elements in it to have been a better story, but as it is, I just can’t see myself able to finish this one any time soon.
Note: I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Very in Pieces is a book about…well…I honestly have no idea.
I think this book is supposed to be about a girl who feels like everything is falling apart in her life, and the problems in her family, and who can’t take any of these things anymore, and just wants to stop being this good girl who everyone has high hopes for.
It sounds pretty interesting, and while the synopsis kind of made it sound like a thousand other young adult books exactly like it, I was intrigued anyway. So I started reading, with high hopes, especially because this book was published by HarperTeen, and their books are always amazing.
Well…ten percent into it I couldn’t figure out what I was even reading. Very was just a normal girl, who does incredibly well in school, is a good daughter and sister, and who loves her grandmother. It was kind of boring and I honestly can’t say I was enjoying it, but I kept reading.
Twenty-five percent through this book I was falling asleep.
Almost halfway through the book, I realized that there was absolutely nothing interesting in this book, and I decided I’d had enough.
Seriously, this book is just boring. Nothing interesting happened in it, except for when some kids glued bottlecaps to the outside of Very’s grandmother’s house because it was symbolic to poem that she had written. And the bottlecaps made everyone mad, except Very’s grandmother, Nonnie. Nonnie was the only character in this book that had any type of personality.
I hate giving bad reviews, and I rarely ever DNF a book, but this was just…I don’t know, a big disappointment, I guess. I had really high hopes for this one. I feel like this could have been written differently and more interesting elements in it to have been a better story, but as it is, I just can’t see myself able to finish this one any time soon.
Note: I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
December 16, 2015
UMM. HAHA. Hmmmm. How do I put this in a good way? Okay. *takes a deep breath* This book was.... OKAY. Like, MEH. Sigh, I really do not like writing these types of review. Okay, basically I was not impressed with this book. I'm not sure if I'm the only one, so if you feel the same way, hit me up okay? I like this book, but I was not impressed.
Reasons why I was not impressed? There was no substance in the book. I felt like there was no purpose, and each of the characters felt disconnected, especially Very. I really liked Very at the start. There was potential in here. The good girl finally breaks out of her comfort zone. But I felt that she didn't really do much. Very just kept stressing and worrying and I could not get what the author was trying to portray with her character. She felt quite awkward at times, and also, there was the part about her relationship, that I felt the author could have ended it in the start. It felt like she was holding on to something she didn't really like, but she still didn't want to let go.
This book was draggy too. My God, it was really draggy that it took me quite a while to read it. I lost interest somewhere at the start. I felt that some parts were quite unnecessary and repetitive, and some parts are just plain confusing.
The only part that kept me going was the sister. Ramona. Now, her story was what I wanted to read about. I wanted to know how she felt, how she thinks, and I find myself interested in her. She was the one character that connected to me. The way she got so cut off from the world to deal with her pain, the way she immersed herself in art.
This book got me really really disappointed. Honestly.
Reasons why I was not impressed? There was no substance in the book. I felt like there was no purpose, and each of the characters felt disconnected, especially Very. I really liked Very at the start. There was potential in here. The good girl finally breaks out of her comfort zone. But I felt that she didn't really do much. Very just kept stressing and worrying and I could not get what the author was trying to portray with her character. She felt quite awkward at times, and also, there was the part about her relationship, that I felt the author could have ended it in the start. It felt like she was holding on to something she didn't really like, but she still didn't want to let go.
This book was draggy too. My God, it was really draggy that it took me quite a while to read it. I lost interest somewhere at the start. I felt that some parts were quite unnecessary and repetitive, and some parts are just plain confusing.
The only part that kept me going was the sister. Ramona. Now, her story was what I wanted to read about. I wanted to know how she felt, how she thinks, and I find myself interested in her. She was the one character that connected to me. The way she got so cut off from the world to deal with her pain, the way she immersed herself in art.
This book got me really really disappointed. Honestly.
September 27, 2015
This review originally appeared on Such a Novel Idea.
I received a copy of this book via the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion. This did not affect my review in any way.
Very in Pieces was a book I wanted to read from the moment I read the synopsis. I very much understand being the level-headed responsible person in your family. Sure, my family wasn't full of famous people, but still, we shared a connection. From the very beginning of the book, I connected with Very. Even though I am a person who very much appreciates and (sometimes) understands art, I really loved getting into her head and seeing how disconnected from art she felt. But then, when she talked about math as being elegant, I got it. Very saw the world differently from her family, but she was a poet with numbers.
This book starts out with a family in flux -- a pair of parents who love each other, a young sibling who is trying to find herself, and a grandma who is sick and dying. We get the details very slowly throughout the book, but these people are constantly changing -- the mom who seems so together as an artist doesn't really know where to go with her work, the sister who is trying to put on a brave front is just scared of her grandma's illness. Very sees it all and through this decides that maybe she doesn't always have to be the rock that everyone clings to, maybe she can be more than the responsible, good girl. And the thing is, she doesn't become a bad girl, she just deviates from this path she had set in her mind she had to take.
This book isn't anything extraordinary in plot, it's about a family trying to survive life, a girl trying to become who she is, and figuring out what love is and what it isn't. I loved the quiet subtleties of the book, even when I could expect the turns they would make in the story. It is intricate
The book doesn't take much effort to make you dislike the relationship between Very and her boyfriend Christian. It's there, it works, but it is just blah. And Very is okay with that. Until she isn't. And then Dominic, who kind of comes out of nowhere at the beginning of the book is there to help Very see what people think of you doesn't always necessarily have to be true. The thing I loved most what just how much everyone wanted Very to stay where she was and how hard she struggled with wanting to please people and wanting to really step outside all of that preconceived notion of who and what Very is.
All in all, I really connected to Very in Pieces. It wasn't a book I was compelled to read because I had to know what was going to happen next. Rather, it was a quiet, unassuming book that just captured my attention and in the end left me really appreciating what the author had done.
I received a copy of this book via the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion. This did not affect my review in any way.
Very in Pieces was a book I wanted to read from the moment I read the synopsis. I very much understand being the level-headed responsible person in your family. Sure, my family wasn't full of famous people, but still, we shared a connection. From the very beginning of the book, I connected with Very. Even though I am a person who very much appreciates and (sometimes) understands art, I really loved getting into her head and seeing how disconnected from art she felt. But then, when she talked about math as being elegant, I got it. Very saw the world differently from her family, but she was a poet with numbers.
This book starts out with a family in flux -- a pair of parents who love each other, a young sibling who is trying to find herself, and a grandma who is sick and dying. We get the details very slowly throughout the book, but these people are constantly changing -- the mom who seems so together as an artist doesn't really know where to go with her work, the sister who is trying to put on a brave front is just scared of her grandma's illness. Very sees it all and through this decides that maybe she doesn't always have to be the rock that everyone clings to, maybe she can be more than the responsible, good girl. And the thing is, she doesn't become a bad girl, she just deviates from this path she had set in her mind she had to take.
This book isn't anything extraordinary in plot, it's about a family trying to survive life, a girl trying to become who she is, and figuring out what love is and what it isn't. I loved the quiet subtleties of the book, even when I could expect the turns they would make in the story. It is intricate
The book doesn't take much effort to make you dislike the relationship between Very and her boyfriend Christian. It's there, it works, but it is just blah. And Very is okay with that. Until she isn't. And then Dominic, who kind of comes out of nowhere at the beginning of the book is there to help Very see what people think of you doesn't always necessarily have to be true. The thing I loved most what just how much everyone wanted Very to stay where she was and how hard she struggled with wanting to please people and wanting to really step outside all of that preconceived notion of who and what Very is.
All in all, I really connected to Very in Pieces. It wasn't a book I was compelled to read because I had to know what was going to happen next. Rather, it was a quiet, unassuming book that just captured my attention and in the end left me really appreciating what the author had done.
August 7, 2015
*I received a free ARC of Very in Pieces from HarperTeen via Netgalley in exchange of an honest and unbiased review*
Not sure about the stars... need to sort my thoughts and write my review, so my rating may very well change.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
Not sure about the stars... need to sort my thoughts and write my review, so my rating may very well change.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
June 7, 2016
Very is a senior in high school just trying to figure out who she is whilst dealing with a slew of family issues, boy troubles, and her future plans. Solid YA! Very much enjoyed this one. Easy read, but kept me interested.
June 19, 2017
These four stars are given by my teen-aged self to a YA book that follows none of the prescriptive rules for YA fiction. That old self of mine appreciated the grief over the loss of a grandparent, and flung herself into passions that are never higher than during those years. Very, the central character, narrates the story of the many ways in which she has parented her sister and the adults in her household. Realistically, she undertakes what the grown ups have neglected; the care of home and those who dwell in it. All the while she is trying to grow up herself, she sacrifices dreams to be the caregiver. There are many in this world like her, and the now adult self wants to reach out this the all too human and exhausted girl and tell her, " You don't need to take care of your world. It is not your job." By the conclusion, I am still not certain that she heard my words. The gems in this tale include the authentic voice of Very, the precise nature of the setting, and the assumption by the author that her readers will, regardless of age, be pleased by language that has not been reduced to monosyllables. A well written and compelling story.
September 28, 2015
Review
This book. I liked it when I was reading it. The ending was kind of just ok for me. Still I liked it. Cut to a couple weeks after I read it and it has not stuck with me at all. Anyways, I figured I would go into my likes, dislikes and things I wasn't sure about.
Things I Liked
Very.Very was a character I liked a lot. She was really flawed and lost but I think she had good intentions and meant well. She was dealt a really shitty hand family wise and I am not sure realized that until we see her in the book. Very has pretty much been the only one acting like an adult in her family she was bound to start to have some moments. She wants to let loose a bit and not just do as she is expected. Some decisions are good, some are bad but they are what they are. She is still a kid and she is bound to make mistakes. Usually there would be an adult to help guide her but here not so much.
Art. There was a big focus on art in this book. Her dad deals with music. Her mother with the traditional arts like painting. Her sister seems eccentric and does painting and sculpture. Her grandmother is a poet. So we see all facets of art intertwined in the book. I enjoyed this and the description of the art and the poems that were laced throughout the story.
Things I Didn't Liked
Non-parents. Very's parents at first seemed all put together. Yeah, not so much. Her dad is totally not around and has no idea what is going on. Her mom is a lush who is all artistic free spirit, which would be fine except she takes it to extremes where it interferes with parenting. Pretty much it makes Very the most parental in the family. And it is sad and is affecting her and her sister.
Romance. It wasn't horrible or anything but I didn't feel super connected to it. I wasn't sure if I was rooting for it or if it was just a means to help Very find herself and her way. Dominic had times where I thought he was great than others I wasn't a fan. I don't think it is the main point of the book so it wasn't too big of a deal for me.
Things I Wasn't Sure About
Ending. I didn't hate it. It was more like - Oh, ok. That's it, huh.
I would say it is worth picking up if you have the time. I didn't super wow me but I did enjoy it.This review was originally posted on Rebel Mommy Book Blog
This book. I liked it when I was reading it. The ending was kind of just ok for me. Still I liked it. Cut to a couple weeks after I read it and it has not stuck with me at all. Anyways, I figured I would go into my likes, dislikes and things I wasn't sure about.
Things I Liked
Very.Very was a character I liked a lot. She was really flawed and lost but I think she had good intentions and meant well. She was dealt a really shitty hand family wise and I am not sure realized that until we see her in the book. Very has pretty much been the only one acting like an adult in her family she was bound to start to have some moments. She wants to let loose a bit and not just do as she is expected. Some decisions are good, some are bad but they are what they are. She is still a kid and she is bound to make mistakes. Usually there would be an adult to help guide her but here not so much.
Art. There was a big focus on art in this book. Her dad deals with music. Her mother with the traditional arts like painting. Her sister seems eccentric and does painting and sculpture. Her grandmother is a poet. So we see all facets of art intertwined in the book. I enjoyed this and the description of the art and the poems that were laced throughout the story.
Things I Didn't Liked
Non-parents. Very's parents at first seemed all put together. Yeah, not so much. Her dad is totally not around and has no idea what is going on. Her mom is a lush who is all artistic free spirit, which would be fine except she takes it to extremes where it interferes with parenting. Pretty much it makes Very the most parental in the family. And it is sad and is affecting her and her sister.
Romance. It wasn't horrible or anything but I didn't feel super connected to it. I wasn't sure if I was rooting for it or if it was just a means to help Very find herself and her way. Dominic had times where I thought he was great than others I wasn't a fan. I don't think it is the main point of the book so it wasn't too big of a deal for me.
Things I Wasn't Sure About
Ending. I didn't hate it. It was more like - Oh, ok. That's it, huh.
I would say it is worth picking up if you have the time. I didn't super wow me but I did enjoy it.This review was originally posted on Rebel Mommy Book Blog
September 29, 2015
This review was originally posted on One Curvy Blogger
I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.You know those books where the blurb turns out to be more exciting than the book itself? That’s how Very in Pieces turned out for me. I was thrilled to discover the book in my mailbox. It had all the making of a thrilling romance: teenage rebellion, a delicious bad boy, and an intriguing mystery. But once I opened the book I discovered it wasn’t nearly as exciting as I hoped it would be.
5 reasons Very in Pieces wasn’t for me
1. There was a distinct disconnect between the writing and the emotion Blakemore was trying to portray. Very’s beloved Nonnie is slowly dying of cancer. This book is supposed to be an emotional roller coaster. This is one of the few books I had Kleenex on standby that I didn’t actually need! What a letdown.
2. The secondary characters showed more character development than the main characters. I certainly learned more about the secondary characters than I did about Very or Dominic.
3. Very in Pieces moved at a snail’s pace. The ending was a bit more exciting than the rest of the plot, but it was no big deal. I gave serious thought to putting it down halfway in.
4. I didn’t get the romance at all. There was no sizzle at all, and it had a sex scene! It was such a bummer.
5. Despite the awesome blurb, Very in Pieces was a very unremarkable book. It’s such a sad thing to realize, but it just doesn’t stand out among hundreds of other young adult romances. What is truly disappointing, is it had the potential for so much more, but it just fell flat.
Sorry my review wound up being so short. I really just couldn’t find anything I wanted to say about Very in Pieces other than I wish it had gone differently. Have you read anything that left you utterly uninspired to talk about?
Want to Read
April 17, 2015
I feel like this is going to be a heartbreaking novel...
Summary from Goodreads:
Very Sales-Woodruff is done being a good girl. Done being the only responsible one in a family that’s unraveling. Done being the obliging girlfriend in a relationship that’s sinking. Done saying no to what she wants—like Dominic, her rebellious classmate.
With her mom’s drinking, her dad’s extended absences from home, and her younger sister, Ramona, running wild, the path Very has always seen for herself doesn’t seem to matter anymore. At the same time, Very’s grandmother, a poet known less for her work and more for her exploits with the likes of Andy Warhol and Arthur Miller, is slipping away.
If everything else can fall to pieces, why can’t she?
October 5, 2015
Very, short for Veronica, has trouble connecting to her artistic family. Her father, a music professor, has checked out; her mother, an artist, spends most of her time (and most of the book) laying on the couch drinking; her grandmother, a celebrated poetess, is dying; and her younger sister, who is starting her first year of high school, is a bit of a mystery.
Very is wrapped up in her grieving and can't let go of how she feels that the others in her family aren't saying goodbye properly--or at all. Very is perfectly perfect--good grades, a mathematics genius, great boyfriend--but she begins to question the role she has set for herself as she realizes, through her grandmother's death, just how fleeting life is, and yearns to reinvent herself.
Readers who are looking for an emotional, heart-crusher might be disappointed; but if you want a simple, quiet book about a teenage girl discovering her individuality, this is a good choice.
Very is wrapped up in her grieving and can't let go of how she feels that the others in her family aren't saying goodbye properly--or at all. Very is perfectly perfect--good grades, a mathematics genius, great boyfriend--but she begins to question the role she has set for herself as she realizes, through her grandmother's death, just how fleeting life is, and yearns to reinvent herself.
Readers who are looking for an emotional, heart-crusher might be disappointed; but if you want a simple, quiet book about a teenage girl discovering her individuality, this is a good choice.
June 15, 2015
Very is the all around good girl. She is smart, responsible, predictable and maybe a little dull. But someone has to be, right? For her family is creative and artistic. The artist, the writer, the musician... She is the glue that holds everything and everyone together. School is fine. Boyfriend is fine. Family is fine. One day, Very decides fine is not enough and the glue begins to loosen. Very finds herself at a loss. Does she pull it all back together and lose part of herself or does she let it unravel and find her true desires? A tough decision for a teenager. Well, a tough decision for anyone. Really good book about the intricacies of a family,the role everyone plays and choosing between oneself and what's better for the collective whole.
November 2, 2015
This book is very simple,nothing uncommon to the genre but it felt kind of special to me becuase it deals with things i've been through. I can realte a lot to what our main character deals with except for the romance (sorry my non-excistent romance life). I enjoyed it a lot, baisclly i eat this book. i couldn't stop reading it. i'm not satisficed with the ending, tho.
May 22, 2017
...it's a good realistic, but the main character could be less dramatic. She's all about her issues and how she's holding the family together, but in reality she doesn't know her family at all and it's still falling apart.
August 27, 2015
I'm somewhere between 3.5 and a 4. Not sure.
July 20, 2015
I like her middle grade books a lot, but this was slow. Almost abandoned halfway through. Wanted the sister to be more developed character.
July 18, 2021
This one is rather more “literary” than the typical YA novel, and it’s pretty good. Veronica (“Very”) Sayles-Woodruff is a high school senior living in a too-large, weirdly designed house in a small college town in Maine. Her mother is a painter who teaches art at the school, her father is a musicologist who also teaches there, her grandmother is a renowned poet (the college bookstore sells postcards about her), and her thirteen-year-old sister, Ramona, appears to also be immensely creative artistically.
Very herself hasn’t an artistic bone in her body, but she’s a talented mathematician who wants only to leave town and go to Stanford. At least, that was her plan. Now her grandmother, to whom she feels closer than anyone, is dying slowly of cancer and Very can’t leave her. Plus her mother has taken to drinking all day, her father stays in his campus office, and Ramona, a freshman, has skipped school more days than she has attended classes. And a mysterious bottle cap sculpture has begun to appear, and grow, on the stucco wall of their garage, no one knows who’s doing it. Is it a weird tribute to her grandmother?
And then there’s Dominic, the rebellious bad boy of her class, who also turns out to have artistic talents, and who wants to get to know the suspicious Very. She’s begun developing an interest in him, too. But what should she do about her good-guy highly supportive boyfriend, Christian?
The author is very good at developing highly original characters, and also at the sheer style of her writing. When Very finds herself flirting with Dominic,m “I giggle. Isn’t that what girls are supposed to do in these situations? Giggle? Sometimes it’s exhausting just trying to get it right.” That’s good stuff.
Very herself hasn’t an artistic bone in her body, but she’s a talented mathematician who wants only to leave town and go to Stanford. At least, that was her plan. Now her grandmother, to whom she feels closer than anyone, is dying slowly of cancer and Very can’t leave her. Plus her mother has taken to drinking all day, her father stays in his campus office, and Ramona, a freshman, has skipped school more days than she has attended classes. And a mysterious bottle cap sculpture has begun to appear, and grow, on the stucco wall of their garage, no one knows who’s doing it. Is it a weird tribute to her grandmother?
And then there’s Dominic, the rebellious bad boy of her class, who also turns out to have artistic talents, and who wants to get to know the suspicious Very. She’s begun developing an interest in him, too. But what should she do about her good-guy highly supportive boyfriend, Christian?
The author is very good at developing highly original characters, and also at the sheer style of her writing. When Very finds herself flirting with Dominic,m “I giggle. Isn’t that what girls are supposed to do in these situations? Giggle? Sometimes it’s exhausting just trying to get it right.” That’s good stuff.
January 4, 2024
A really deep story about a girl trying to find her place in life. Right before Nonnie dies and she is "writing her own story", falling into Dominic, etc. She starts using more artsy/descriptive language in her details. It's like she's trying to be mote artsy. But once she realizes that she's spiraling, which I believe when she thinks she's spiraling and starts cutting people off and trying to go back to her old life, that is when she truly starts spiraling. A beautiful story about grief, self acceptance, and finding your place in life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2024
This is a really sad book about a dysfunctional family falling apart as the main character's grandmother is dying. Its also about perception, how we perceive others, how we perceive ourselves and how we see the world around us. Unfortunately, these themes sometimes come at the expense of the plot. Its pretty slow and the ending, while an ending, isn't a resolution. Very few of the problems have been solved and I did feel a little cheated by building up all these difficulties and then not resolving them.
March 11, 2018
I enjoyed this book very much but was disappointed in the ending. While I feel the ending was extremely well done and I completely fell in love with Very and her sister going to the beach and becoming close again, I wish there was more explaining what happens with her and Dominic and her parents did they get a divorce? Also which college does Very choose to attend?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2017
boring boring boooooring
Honestly there's absolutely no point to this whatsoever, every single character was insufferable and it's way too fucking long to bear.
only giving it 2 stars because because the writing was kinda mesmerizing sometimes.
Honestly there's absolutely no point to this whatsoever, every single character was insufferable and it's way too fucking long to bear.
only giving it 2 stars because because the writing was kinda mesmerizing sometimes.
November 12, 2019
I won a hardback copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. So that others may also enjoy this book, I am paying it forward by donating it to my local library.
September 13, 2017
Heartfelt story of a girl who is unsure of what her future should be and is supposed to be while she watches her family unravel as though nothing is wrong.
February 1, 2018
Believable and likeable characters, but plot was a little boring.
November 9, 2021
VERY good.
January 12, 2022
bleh. not worth it to me, but hopefully someone else enjoys it :)
June 1, 2016
RATING: 4.2 STARS
Veronica “Very” Woodruff lives in a family of artistic people. Her grandmother is a famous poet, her father a college level music professor, her mother an artist, and her younger sister is almost a mixture of the three. But Very herself is not artistic. She is the opposite. She is very literal, very put together, very sure of her future. Very has the perfect boyfriend and the perfect best friends. And all it takes is one night at her mother’s art gallery and the resident bad boy Dominic to change that.
First off, I would like to say I’ve been sent this book by author: Megan Frazer Blakemore in exchange for an honest review.
I would first like to start this off by saying from the first sentence, I was entranced. I started reading it the day after I dropped off my sister at her freshman year of college. From that alone, I was emotionally traumatized, so to see the first sentence of the book being: go get your sister, I was immediately into it. Which leads me into my first point: the relationship between Very and her sister. The entire book, the relationship between Very and Romana is a very interesting relationship, and at several times I saw the relationship I shared with my sister. I really enjoyed reading about the two of them together, mainly because I found them having a very real bond. It wasn’t like some of those fictional relationships where they get along all the time, or the opposite end of the spectrum in which they fight all the time. It was a very believable relationship and I thought well done.
While thinking of her family, I have to admit: I did not like the father’s character. I feel like I did not get enough closure on his character, and at times, I feel like he didn’t make much sense. But still, I came to love the mother and absolutely adored Nonnie. Nonnie had some great character lines, and I really appreciated how humble she was as a person. Once again, that made her character all the more believable to me, and made her seem more like a grandmotherly figure. Not to mention, I really adored all the stories she would tell Very.
Basically, before I go into a full rundown of each character, I will just say how real all the characters felt. They felt like people I could walk into my own school and find. That is an instant selling point for me. There is nothing worse than reading a book where you cannot relate to any of the characters.
Not only this, and I hate being redundant by focusing exclusively on the characters, but I really, really enjoyed Dominic’s character. I felt like I learned so much about him. He underwent a serious development that I felt was very needed and I genuinely appreciated everything that went with it. Not only that, but I really appreciated his interactions with Very. He gave her a voice I don’t think she would have had without his encouragement.
I felt very deeply related to each of the characters. So what was the downfall?
There really wasn’t one. Nothing about the book screamed 5.0 star material. There was not the It factor within this book. I really enjoyed the characters. I really enjoyed the relationships. Not to spoil anything – and I won’t – but I really appreciate that Megan did not dance around the sex aspect of the book. Very is a high school teenager. If she isn’t having sex, someone she knows is. I love that she didn’t ignore the fact that it happens. I loved that she included it in her novel. Once again creating a very realistic feeling.
Honestly, this was just a really feel good book for me. I loved the characters. Everything about it felt very real to me, and there were a lot of quotes I liked and lessons that I learned. Whether it through Very’s interaction with her mother, grandmother, sister, or anyone else, I really did appreciate a majority of the interactions within this novel.
For me, there is one crucial thing for a YA novel to note. They have to know teenagers. You cannot simply make a guess as to how a teenager would handle a situation. You have to know the teenager response. Megan Frazer Blakemore is the epitome of knowing the teenager response.
That’s all for today, folks.
Megs.
Veronica “Very” Woodruff lives in a family of artistic people. Her grandmother is a famous poet, her father a college level music professor, her mother an artist, and her younger sister is almost a mixture of the three. But Very herself is not artistic. She is the opposite. She is very literal, very put together, very sure of her future. Very has the perfect boyfriend and the perfect best friends. And all it takes is one night at her mother’s art gallery and the resident bad boy Dominic to change that.
First off, I would like to say I’ve been sent this book by author: Megan Frazer Blakemore in exchange for an honest review.
I would first like to start this off by saying from the first sentence, I was entranced. I started reading it the day after I dropped off my sister at her freshman year of college. From that alone, I was emotionally traumatized, so to see the first sentence of the book being: go get your sister, I was immediately into it. Which leads me into my first point: the relationship between Very and her sister. The entire book, the relationship between Very and Romana is a very interesting relationship, and at several times I saw the relationship I shared with my sister. I really enjoyed reading about the two of them together, mainly because I found them having a very real bond. It wasn’t like some of those fictional relationships where they get along all the time, or the opposite end of the spectrum in which they fight all the time. It was a very believable relationship and I thought well done.
While thinking of her family, I have to admit: I did not like the father’s character. I feel like I did not get enough closure on his character, and at times, I feel like he didn’t make much sense. But still, I came to love the mother and absolutely adored Nonnie. Nonnie had some great character lines, and I really appreciated how humble she was as a person. Once again, that made her character all the more believable to me, and made her seem more like a grandmotherly figure. Not to mention, I really adored all the stories she would tell Very.
Basically, before I go into a full rundown of each character, I will just say how real all the characters felt. They felt like people I could walk into my own school and find. That is an instant selling point for me. There is nothing worse than reading a book where you cannot relate to any of the characters.
Not only this, and I hate being redundant by focusing exclusively on the characters, but I really, really enjoyed Dominic’s character. I felt like I learned so much about him. He underwent a serious development that I felt was very needed and I genuinely appreciated everything that went with it. Not only that, but I really appreciated his interactions with Very. He gave her a voice I don’t think she would have had without his encouragement.
I felt very deeply related to each of the characters. So what was the downfall?
There really wasn’t one. Nothing about the book screamed 5.0 star material. There was not the It factor within this book. I really enjoyed the characters. I really enjoyed the relationships. Not to spoil anything – and I won’t – but I really appreciate that Megan did not dance around the sex aspect of the book. Very is a high school teenager. If she isn’t having sex, someone she knows is. I love that she didn’t ignore the fact that it happens. I loved that she included it in her novel. Once again creating a very realistic feeling.
Honestly, this was just a really feel good book for me. I loved the characters. Everything about it felt very real to me, and there were a lot of quotes I liked and lessons that I learned. Whether it through Very’s interaction with her mother, grandmother, sister, or anyone else, I really did appreciate a majority of the interactions within this novel.
For me, there is one crucial thing for a YA novel to note. They have to know teenagers. You cannot simply make a guess as to how a teenager would handle a situation. You have to know the teenager response. Megan Frazer Blakemore is the epitome of knowing the teenager response.
That’s all for today, folks.
Megs.
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