Pieces of Me

by Darlene Ryan

Living on the streets, Maddie forms an unlikely family and finds that it takes more than good intentions to make things work.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Survival, Contemporary, Family

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Darlene Ryan also writes under the names Sofie Kelly and Sofie Ryan.

Reviews

[Laetitia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a roller coaster of emotions. It took me to places I never really have been before. I loved this book so much because it was a kind of book that you really don't know what will happen next. While reading I really had to be aware to expect the unexpected. I couldn't let go of this book as much as I tried. I even gave it five stars due to the fact that I read it more then once ( 3 times to be exact) I really recommend this book to young adults who don't really like to read or take time to read in their own time. This book is so truthful, real and so transforming that its sure to hit a special place in anyone's heart, because it sure has in mine.

[Sarah Sloom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm just going to straight-out say, this novel isn't bad. I generally like the main characters, and I can feel a bit of development happening with them by the end. Though it's not necessarily a great book, either.

Maddie is a teenage girl, who seems to be about 16-17 years old. She is homeless. She meets a boy who goes by the name Q, and at first she is suspicious of him but eventually welcomes him into her life. They then meet a couple with three kids, including a little baby, a toddler, and a young child. The oldest child, Dylan, is being babysat by the teens as his Father requested, since their other two children needed to go to the emergency room - only they never come back for him.

So, Maddie and Q leave the area they last saw his family and all live together like one big family. At first, Dylan asks where his parents are, but soon forgets of their existence. Life is good for them; they even rent their own tiny apartment together.

They need to pay for weekly rent though, so Q starts gambling and it's obvious he's getting addicted, especially with him winning money every night. This is where things get serious, and the story revolves around their struggle to make end's meet and Q getting more and more money hungry. They even welcome another kid into their home.

The narration of the story was.. meh. There was a ton of telling rather than showing, and I skimmed a bit when reading lame narrating of actions. There was also many useless bits of info being tossed around, such as of characters whose names are told to us, only to never see them again; or when we're being told what Fred, Dylan's teddy bear, is doing.

I also had problems with the ending. The supposedly main problem of the story never gets resolved, and the last of a character we see is rather anti-climatic. Also - the book was waaay too short. If it was longer, even to at least 275 pages or so, there could have been better resolves.

Overall, I feel this book was worth reading, giving you somewhat of a feel on living on the streets. It made me think about how much I spend on useless stuff, or just books and CDs and clothing and stuff I only want, while some people can't even think about those things. Though, there definitely could have been improvements.

(I don't know why but I felt so moved to write a big review for this book lol)

[Malerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The storyline for this book was decent but it was definitely rushed and lacked character development and relationship development between characters. It felt like everything moved very fast, especially the ending. The ending was unexpected and surprising which is always good, but it did not provide all of the closure I was hoping for. This book had great potential because of the story, but as for execution, it was not the best. I found myself wanting more from the characters and wanting to see more interactions between Q and Maddie (the two main characters), and less explaining what was going on in the book.
I found it to be very rushed, but it definitely had the potential to be a really good book.

[Jordan Kuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully written! Very good story line and very eye opening. This book has inspired me to hopefully begin planning some youth trips with my church out into the homeless community, now yes in this book it comes off as the homeless want nothing to do with God but Maddie does end up praying and the ending shows that God has your back, my wish for this book was to somehow change her view completely on God and find out what happens to Q but I hope that maybe Darlene would feel inspired to write a sequel!☺️ **this book is not faith-based, just in case you were going to avoid it due to the talk of God, it does speak of God but it’s not based around God**

[Morgan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very good. It took you on an emotional roller coaster with highs and lows.
Maddie is a homeless teen that meets a guy named Q, and they become good friends overtime. They tried to survive day by day with each. Both of them would sleep in Q's car, in a parking lot. One morning when they woke up they were asked by a couple to watch one of their kids while they were out running errands. They later find out that the parents aren't coming back and they started to freak out. Find out what happens next by reading Pieces of Me By Darlene.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sad honest look at teen runaways

This book made me sad. Maddie is our protagonist. She is intelligent and has a good heart. Running away from a home where her mother refuses to hear het, and would rather stand by her boyfriend than her daughter. Maddie meets the beauty and ugliness of the world and people around her. A fast read that teens will enjoy.

[Lizbeth Alvarado · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the fact that the author wrote it so someone can sympathize with the main character Maddie. Didn't really like that fact that Q just is written off the story like he just gets his stuff and leaves. Throughout the story I got the feeling they would end up together but Maddie does get her happy ending not what she was expecting but it turns out great for her, Dylan and even Leo.

[Justyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Grace Watters · Rating 1 out of 5]

no climax 😒

[Josie]

This was a DNF for me. I wasn't engaged by the writing style or the characters.

[Megan (The Book Babe) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other reviews like this at The Book Babe

Note: Due to copy an paste, formatting has been lost.

Honestly, I really thought that this book was going to be a lot different. I thought that the main character, Maddie, was going to bash Jesus for all he was worth, because of the way the story began. I put off reading it because of that first little bit, right in the beginning, that made me think that I was gonna have to be all, "That's my Jesus!" But, thankfully, I read a little past that first bit, and I was immediately hooked into the story.

I couldn't stop. This book was so entirely captivating, so real, that I just couldn't put it down. It was physically impossible for me to leave this book for very long, and I'm kind of happy about that, because it's just what I needed.

Maddie was a stand-offish, head strong, sarcastic homeless girl, that for what it's worth, came almost a full 180 throughout the book, until she was semi-sweet, and not as uneasy about trusting people. After all, she trusted Q almost instantly, which gives me an honest idea about how long it took to figure out how they were going to meet (Read: No time at all. Maddie trusts him so quickly that it scares me.)

I, for one, do not go off and sleep in cars with people I've never met. (Scary.) This just goes to show you how much are views have been skewed by popular culture. (No, boys who like you do not sneak into your room and watch you while you sleep. That's just creepy.)

Ok, now on to Q. (What kind of a name is Q?!?) Honestly, I loved Q from the very beginning though, so that goes to show you that my views are skewed too. Q seemed very easy-going in the first half, but when we get towards the middle, he starts to get a little edgy, and it kind of made me wonder what Q was running from. We never get any background story on Q, so I would really love to know. Is Q going to have his own book?

I don't know. All I know is that in spite of it's little problems (Read: My weird obsession with trusting weirdos.) I still loved every single sentence of it, because it captivated every little piece of my heart.

*ARC won on Librarything.
♠♠♠♠

[Readingee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually thoroughly enjoyed this book, despite this book facing a really confronting issue, that is what compelled me to continue reading!

I haven't read many books about homeless people, but I have to say this by far was my favourite, although I am not homeless, I felt I could really relate to some aspects of Maddie's life. It was interesting to see how she coped, and perhaps gave me a little insight as to why some homeless people struggle to find direction in life. People ask too many questions, people don't understand and I found the biggest complication was that so many people take their life for granted. Their possessions, money, food and even something as simple as a bed to sleep on each night. I don't know for sure, but to think that homeless people have to struggle like this is really startling.

Personally, I was really shocked that Dylan's parents never came back to get him, that for me was the saddest part. For the parents to have to guts to do that to their own kid was shocking, I really didn't know how Maddie and Q were going to survive - they were barely taking care of themselves.

Leo, I found was really fascinating - I just had a feeling that he would be really smart and of good use to Maddie and Q. I was disgusted when it was revealed that he was "won in a poker game", I don't understand who would do that to someone so young.

If you're not ready to be confronted with some hard hitting issues I don't recommend that you read this. It was a fascinating book and some things in this book will stick with me for a while...

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maddie is abused by her stepfather, and her mother sides with him, so she leaves home for a life of homelessness. She can make it on her own, until she meets Q, she realizes maybe she can't and dosen't want to make it on her own. When she meets a young boy named Dylan who's parents abandon him Maddie realizes what it's like to have someone relying on you, and she wants to take care of him the way her mother and step-father didn't take care of her.

This book is so heart-breaking, but completley captivating. I read this book in one-sitting, and didn't want it to end. I found myself getting completely immeresed in the pages and Darlene Ryan's writing style was brillant. I've never read a book about homeless teenagers, and I thought it was unique and powerful, and really made you thankful for the life and upbringing that you were fortunate enough to have.

I believe this is Darlene Ryan's debut novel and it was fantastic. I haven't heard much about this book in the book community and in fact, I'm the first one of my bookish friends to review this book, but take my word for it, this is not a book you want to miss. If your a fan of YA books, or books dealing with serious issues, then do yourself a favor and pick up a copy ASAP!!

[Traci Wood · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book is what got me interested in the first place. I have never read a book about the lives of someone that is homeless and the story of a child being homeless broke my heart and I wanted to read the book so that I could come to understand that life more so that I, as a person, would be more willing to help the next time I passed someone that was homeless. The book was overall a fantastic read! I, however, do not enjoy reading anything that has negative language i.e. swearing and this book did have that. I understand why the author felt she needed to include it since it was through the eyes of teenagers in a horrific situation and when you have no other words to say...sometimes those words slip out of the mouth of a teenager. That is why I didn't rank the book more stars.
Why I enjoyed the book was because it was a story of children in the most difficult situations doing what they know how to do to survive. They came together and formed a make-shift family to hold each other up when they couldn't do it alone. The struggles they go through as this family is hard to read about. The strength they gained was inspiring and the love they had for each other made you appreciate the love you have in your own life.

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every now and then I read a book that just tears my heart open. As a teacher I have had students who were abused or were homeless. It seems to be a problem that is growing daily. Darlene Ryan has crafted a story that we could watch on the news any night. Maddie comes from an abusive home. Her step-dad is the abuser and her mother sides with him. I really disliked the mother for this reason. Maddie decides it would be better if she ran away. Out on the street she meets a boy named Q. She agrees that they stand a better chance of surviving on the street if they work together. Things are hard but manageable at first. One day they agree to watch a homeless couple’s six year old boy. Unfortunately the parents never come back for him. I was so angry. I kept wondering how they could just desert him. Now Maddie has to try to make them all a family. She wants to make sure that Dylan doesn’t have the kind of parents she had. Q starts to have some issues that break the trust that Maddie placed in him. She finally realizes she can’t do this on her own. This is a hard story to read yet once started it is hard to put down. Your heart breaks for all of the kids out there like Maddie. This is definitely a book that I want on my shelves in my classroom.

[Merrilyn Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maddie, 17 or 18, lives on the street., having left home because her mother's boyfriend hit Maddie. One night, Maddie met Q, who was also living on the street. He convinced her that by joining forces, they could scrape together enough money to live, eat, and get on their feet again. During this time, Maddie met Dylan, a four year old boy who had been abandoned by his parents. Q and Maddie began to take care of Dylan, first sharing the car they lived in and then the room they rented. Maddie cared for the boy while Q worked for meager pay. Then Q began to play poker. He thought he could make it big, although he had more luck than skill. In one poker game, Q won a twelve year old boy, Leo, and brought him back to the room to live. When Q loses everything in a big game, Maddie leaves, taking Leo and Dylan with her. The grittiness of this novel, combined with the perseverance and empathy of these characters made this a sobering, yet gratifying read. It makes me realize the reality of children, homeless and hungry, and emotionally scarred.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Pieces of Me" remind me of a friend of mine. His mother used to take his new jeans, house items, she even took his PlayStation to sell for money to bet. It was really sad, they were always poor because she rarely won any games.
I love Maddie's character. She's strong and caring and a very kind person, kinda rare to find these days... She shared her food with other people, help the people even tho she herself was in needs.
Q... well, to be honest, I don't blame him for leaving. Sure, he was an asshole to leave Maddie like that. After he promised to get money to get out of there, he lost all the money, wrecked her trust, AND got beat up. That obviously was a sign of what a piece of garbage he was, I believe he was ashamed of his own mistakes.
I'm happy with the ending because I believe Maddie deserved more than just garbage food.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does love really matter? Maddie, a homeless runaway, has left her mom and step dad to avoid being beaten. Maddie's life on the streets is hard and she has a pushy advocate to deal with at the Pax shelter. Then Q offers her a place to stay, and Maddie's world changes dramatically. Maddie comes to rely on Q, and then they find themselves acting as "parents" to an abandoned six year old boy. Maddie thinks that her new family will be easy to take care of, but living on the streets means not knowing where or when you will eat your next meal or where you will sleep.
Thankfully, Maddie chooses love rather than diving into the depths of life on the streets. Through her actions, she is able to find herself and save others in her journey. I think my students will enjoy this read.

[Chara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grudgingly give this book exactly what it deserves: five stars, which is against my usual agenda. Typically, any book with a terrible ending that leaves me chomping at the bit to slap the author is immediately placed in the ones out of spite.
This is my single exception - so far.
This book had my heart wrenching. I was crying, and I was furious. A couple points were a bit awkward, but oh well.
I will always, always remember this book. No lie, it was just that traumatizing. Not really, well kind of, in a way.
The characters were excellent - with one exception. The plot was heart wrenching, as I've said. The writing was amazing.
Altogether, I both loved and hated this book, because this book, well, it deserves it.

[Emily♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last few books I read have been slightly disappointing. So, I went into this one with mixed feelings. Those feelings were quickly sorted into complete love for something so simple and brilliant. Pieces of Me is a dark book, that deals with actual problems. I've never dealt with homelessness, nor have I seen it up close and personal. This unconditional love that Maddie has for the boys, even Q, is so heart warming that I couldn't help myself from crying most of the time while I was reading. She gives up everything for the kids, even putting herself last just to make sure they were taken care of. Pieces of Me is a great book, and I'm so glad I got the chance to read it.

[John Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This reminded me of Don't Breathe A Word by Holly Cupala in terms of a girl having to escape an abusive home life (an uber-controlling boyfriend and clueless parents in Holly's book), but it stands by itself as an excellent read as the plot differs quite a bit. Q's faults are sadly very realistic as is the social structure of street survival Darlene Ryan portrays. It's a quick read with elements many readers will find themselves pondering once the cover is closed. It's one I will encourage my young adult library patrons to consider checking out now that it's part of the collection.

[Melissa Kidd · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was, as I saw someone say, a 'gentle' book about homelessness. I was expecting a very depressing read and while the story certainly isn't one that makes you smile, it had a charm to it. The book is more about love and family than the misery of being homeless, which set it in a different light. The characters are realistic; Maddie gets mad, Q makes mistakes, Dylan pouts and acts like a kid. The writing is clear and simple, the words straight forward. While there was nothing phenomenal about this book, I don't regret reading it. A great book probably for teens.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very happy I won an early copy of this book. I really didn't think I would like it, it seemed too depressing and it just was not what I was in the mood to read, but I was very pleased with this book. The characters really draw you in and make you care about them. I had to force myself to put the book down or I would've been up all night to find out what would happen to Maddie, Quinn, Dylan, & Leo.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. I did like the main character and her personality and decisions she makes. it seemed unrealistic, but I have never been homeless, so it was hard to relate. I was annoyed that she was overly cautious about Q and then slept with him all of a sudden, but I guess that can happen. Overall, it was an easy read, just not one I loved.

[Joanne Pinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat two-dimensional book, where the characters and the dialogue never quite seemed to come alive. I did not worry about the outcome when I set the book down between reads, but I still had to know what happened to the characters. I was not sorry I finished it.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

intriguing plot with twists, there didn't seem to be much development to these characters. topics of interest include: homelessness, abandonment, abuse, and gambling.

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pieces of Me was a fantastically emotional read, of what life on the streets could be like for kids. Warning please keep Kleenex close when reading.

[Yeniferescalantegomez]

Very realistic it got my attention really fast.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very touching story great for both teens and adults

[Tyles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book