Broken Girl

by Bradley Trevor Greive, Caroline Laner Breure

'Harrowing, yet ultimately hopeful' GERALDINE BROOKSSometimes the whole truth is the death of everything.Caroline Laner Breure was on holiday in Spain with her boyfriend when her skull was crushed.A year later, following starless months in a coma and painful rehabilitation, Caroline returned to her beachside apartment in Sydney, only to find that her home was not her home, her lover was not her lover and her friends were not her friends. Everyone and everything she'd loved had vanished.Physically broken and no longer able to trust her own mind, she painstakingly searched for clues to explain the cruel disparity between her past and present.This is the true story of how Caroline solved her own mystery and reclaimed her life.A jagged and luminous survivor's account and a defiant celebration of imperfection, Broken Girl is a powerful and poetic work of staggering loss and betrayal, fierce beauty, dark humour, love and rage.'A beautiful, dark gem told with devastating honesty. I couldn't put it down' HEATHER ROSE'I was captivated from start to finish' LANG LEAV

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography Memoir

368 pages, Hardcover

Published May 6, 2025

About the author

Bradley Trevor Greive (BTG) is one of Australia's most prolific and successful authors. He has written 20 books which have been translated into 27 different languages, and have been sold in 115 different countries. Several of which have appeared in the New York Times bestseller list. Greive's work has won multiple awards worldwide and has sold more than 20 million copies. He lives mostly in Tasmania, Australia.

Greive rose to prominence as an author in 2000 with the release of his hugely successful Blue Day Book, a collection of amusing animal photos and inspirational text designed to "lift the spirits of anyone who has got the blues." Since then he has published in excess of 20 books and has won numerous awards for his work, including the ABA Book of the Year Award (2000), the APA Best Designed Children’s Non-fiction Book Award (2003) and numerous #1 placings in bestseller lists across the world. Greive's work has been published on 6 continents and has sold in excess of 20 million copies to date.

Reviews

[Craig and Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A skull crushing accident in a foreign land is as traumatic as it can get as your body, soul and emotions have a huge recovery journey.
Throw in a world wide pandemic that locked borders and stripped policy of compassion and you have just the beginning of Caroline’s story.
Moving from Brazil to our golden shores in Australia marked an exciting new chapter for Caroline.
New friends, opportunities and close proximity to the world famous Bondi Beach created a dream that was enviable.
A new boyfriend sealed the deal.
A tragic car accident in Spain saw her cling to life with a support system from around the globe radiating love, support and encouragement.
A tumultuous journey through the near impossible world barriers created by COVID culminated back in her beloved Sydney.
A place where love, compassion and kindness should be.
Caroline soon discovered a broken body and her limitations eroded social networks and her relationship.
Cruelty now the battlefield in her journey for recovery and life.
The fragility of friendship, fickleness of true love and gritty determination compete for dominance in this captivating read.
I wish Caroline well in the future and hope those who betrayed her suffer pangs of guilt.

[Brit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am finding it really hard to review this book as I honestly don't know how I feel. The writing in this book is gorgeous, truly a love letter to life and all its beauty, if you are open enough to see it.

This story leaves me feeling very conflicted. I feel inspired but I don't believe that is what Caroline wants to portray, at least not through her recovery story. I am outraged and so mad at her so called friends. Heartbroken at all the losses, but hopeful that in time Caroline will find exactly what she is looking for and more importantly deserves.

This book has given a much greater insight into an area of brain damage and trauma that I have never experienced, I like to think with this new insight I would not leave a friend feeling alone in such a difficult time.

[Georgia H · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is hard for me to write reviews on memoirs / true stories, especially when they are so devastating. But I read this within 24 hours and the whole time I was in a trance.
Just as Carolines life was coming together - the career, the man, a home at Bondi Beach, she was struck by a police car overseas. Not only was Caroline on deaths bed, her and her family were also juggling romantic relationships, visa expiry, the effects of Covid-19 and the true meaning of friendship.
If you are interested in reading true survival stories, especially if it is based in Australia, then I suggest you pick this up. The little drawings also added the perfect touch. It was released this week and I'm very grateful for my copy from @hachetteaus.

[Ceeceereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going into this book I wasn’t sure about the format: poetic bursts, rather than full paragraphs and complete pages. I almost decided it wasn’t for me but checked Goodreads reviews and saw the book had been well received. I decided to persevere and past the 10% mark is when I began to settle in and appreciation the style of storytelling.

This is a very unique, heartfelt and important story written by a young woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury. She lays her soul bare and doesn’t spare herself any detail. I found the author’s storytelling to be courageous and honest. Not only was her story completely shocking but the aftermath was nuanced, difficult and fraught with heartbreak and pain.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this arc.

[Melissa Burling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was heartbreaking to read, but a testament to the strength of Caroline and her beautiful mother.

It took me a while to read, as I have a disabled daughter, and her so called "friends" have treated her like "s**t". Ok at school when due to her mobility issues, my husband and I were everyone's taxi. Now school is over, they will be in the same bar/venue and not even have the manners to say hello.

I work supporting people with spinal cord injuries, and a simple blink of an eye, can change your whole life.

Caroline, keep being brave and to your mum, I send her a big hug.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A story not about what was lost but what was found.”
“There is beauty to be found in the way fate reshapes us.”
- Heartbreaking, Tragic, Resilient, Hopeful & Humbling! So beautifully written. A well deserved 5 stars!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This read just like a drama, but it was shocking and heartbreaking it was a true story. A very interesting and impactful read about TBIs. I recall a quote about the worst symptom of a brain injury being loneliness and that really got to me. As someone with a neurological disability, I too was treated similarly and left behind growing up so I really connected with this. So inspiring.

[AnarchyReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most moving and humbling books I've ever read.. with great trauma comes great lessons... I won't be forgetting this book.

[Giovanna Walker]

Such a personal story, I don't feel comfortable to rate it, this is about the writing, not the woman and her story.
Why oh why is it another 'Girl' book, she was a young woman when it happened, would it be 'Broken Boy'?
As an older reader I didn't feel that the book had much depth, it could have looked into why/how people distance themselves from you when you've had a traumatic injury, how connection is so important when something goes wrong, looked more in depth into brain injury.
It changed the trajectory of her life. It's scary, sad, confusing - especially if you haven't navigated the hospital system (in any country) and if you don't have an advocate (her mother, gosh, what a woman).
'Friends' have difficulty dealing with her, or undermine her. Having experience of many hospital visits when I was in my 20's, your peers just don't understand, or know how to 'deal' with you. That's life, you find out who your real friends are. It does feel like a lost opportunity and this could have been explored more - by Greive.
I wish her all the best in her new life, and that she finds her people.

[Nicole Kelsall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite writing telling the tragic story of a beautiful young woman whose life was turned on its head in a single moment. Her strength, and the strength of the few who stood by her, shines through in this book. Traumatic brain injuries are tragic. Caroline suffered physical loss but the emotional loss she experienced from those who were supposedly her friends is devastating to read. However Caroline has shown an amazing resilience that keeps her going and I hope she continues to build her life and find people who will lift her up instead of turning on her. Wishing you much happiness Caroline. Huge credit to BTG for the incredible way he told this story. Poignant, poetic and powerful.

[Alicia Conley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uuhh, vegans...
Still a good read, given how it's written in short paragraphs it only takes a day, so might as well.
Strong woman, brave woman. Has the best mother I've read about ever.

[Bec · Rating 5 out of 5]

You need to read this book! Caroline went through hell and still manages to keep going. Brutally honest at times (you’ll need tissues!) such an amazing book.

[Georgina Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking, haunting, beautiful, tragic, painful, hopeful.

[Joann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in two nights and wow what a read it was I couldn’t put it down,a must read you won’t be disappointed.

[Jade bigalla · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible beautiful story of strength and resilience, of heart break and betrayal, of finding yourself and starting again from scratch!

I am so glad I got to read this and I feel incredibly motivated by life right now about read Caroline’s story!

I highly recommend giving her story a read! She will give you a new prospective and outlook on life!

The things she’s had to see and endure and persevere through, wow. No one should have to go through any of that in one life time let alone all of it.

Feeling inspired and motivated to just get a up and do!

A massive thank you to Hachette for sending me a copy of this beautiful book

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d be interested to hear the other perspectives - so engaging, but strikes me as unreliable.

[Venessa Johnstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Powerful and Thoughtful Memoir .. I felt like a had a front seat to her thoughts .. Go With Strength and Healing thoughts <3

READ : May 12th : 2024
FINISHED : May 25th : 2024

[Cynthia Rodrigues · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Full & Detailed Review: https://cynthology.blogspot.com/2025/...

This is a very touching book co-written by Caroline Laner Breure and Bradley Trevor Greive, based on Caroline’s own tragic yet ultimately uplifting story. Caroline woke up from a coma induced by Traumatic Brain Injury, with large parts of her memory missing. Broken Girl is the story of her joyful life before her tragic accident, how it seemed to unravel in the aftermath, and how she got back her memories and put her broken life together after betrayal and grave illness.
Born in Campo Grande, in Brazil, Caroline moved to Porto Alegre for her higher education. A graduate of civil engineering and business management, she moved to Sydney in Australia, in the hope of a better life. Along the way, she started her own business, making and selling cruelty-free shoes—Brand No Saints.
In Sydney, she met Byron, an immigrant to Australia from South Africa. A romance blossomed between the two, with Caroline eventually moving in with Byron. Her new life with Byron was a heady one, with Caroline not only being befriended by Byron’s friends, but also getting swept along on a new lifestyle, travelling to foreign countries, and holidaying abroad.
On one such trip to Portugal and Span, Byron and Caroline met her mother Jucelia and stepfather Qelbes in Lisbon, where Byron admitted to wanting to marry her and start a family together. But then in Spain, tragedy struck. Caroline was hit by a police car driving at top speed, and suffered traumatic brain injury, lapsing into a coma.
Through the painful hospital stay and the process of rehabilitation, with the added challenge of being stuck in a foreign country with minimal support from the authorities, the challenges imposed by Covid, and betrayal by the man she loved the most, Caroline’s mother stands by her side.

As readers, we are swept along on the budding romance. The first hint of trouble comes at the 18 percent mark when we have brought into the young love story.

The cover, depicting a woman’s profile displayed in multiple shards of broken glass, gives us a hint of a life shattered, but also a life painstakingly being put together again.

(I received a free copy of this book for the purpose of writing a review. Thanks to the authors and the publisher.)

[Book My Imagination · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caroline was on holiday in Spain with her boyfriend, when the unthinkable happens. An accident that crushes her skull.
After 12 months of heartache, pain, rehabilitation, and now covid has settled everywhere, she returns to her home in Sydney to be with her love.
But whilst she was in a hospital bed, knowing she would return to her life and friends, her life, love, and friends had moved on.

In what is a devastating account of how a beautiful life can change in an instant, you are reminded of all that we are.
Caroline is a smart, beautiful, and strong young woman. Her determination to return to her life was undermined by the somewhat careless attitude of the people she trusted and loved most.

Caroline's strength comes from her mum, who tirelessly sat with her every day of her rehab and helped her back in Sydney before returning to her home.
And whilst her lover may not have been this any longer, he too showed such care for her.

Her story is heartfelt and sad, uplifting and honest, hopeful and resilient.
I read this with tears in my eyes and heart and knowledge that the world can be both horrid and beautiful.

[Brigid O'Meara · Rating 2 out of 5]

All credit to Caroline and the courage it took to put this story on paper.
But.
The author (not Caroline), has not done the reader justice. As a reader I learned nothing. Caroline has a TBI and we only touch the surface of how this may integrate in society. The author had an opportunity to captivate then educate the reader about how to recognise and help future TBI survivors. The writing also presents Caroline as someone who lacks self reflection - and that could be a genuine result of TBI - but author, that’s your job. This book didn’t add anything into the world in a space it really had potential to.

[Mary Polzella · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unforgettable story about a young woman who lost everything after a terrible, debilitating accident. Caroline was holidaying in Europe with her boyfriend when she was hit by a speeding police car and suffered life-changing traumatic injuries. It took years of recovery for her to learn to walk and talk again and in the meantime she was betrayed by and lost her friends, her career and the man she loved. A tragic yet uplifting story about loss and working hard to find yourself again.

This book was a thoughtful, easy read which I finished quickly and which I recommend highly.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing raw, confronting and inspirational read about Caroline and the accident that changed her life forever. Beautifully written this true story is a page turner. Seeing the best and worst of people. Being challenged about our attitudes towards disability. What is the true meaning of love and of friendship? How can blessings still flow out of tragedy? What is perfection and what is the point of life. This book will make you question, and look in the mirror where maybe you won’t like what you see. Thank you to Caroline for sharing her story.

[Melissa Ruhl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book in a cute little bookstore I had happened upon while visiting a nearby coastal town. The cover completely entranced me, and I picked it up. I read the back and was drawn in. Opening the book, I was shocked to see the style, like a book-length contemporary poem that starts with Chapter 20, because it is essentially a countdown, a ticking timebomb to the key midpoint of the book. I had to buy it. I am so glad I did. What a wrenching, gorgeous, nakedly honest story of bravery through unimaginable struggle. Highly recommend Broken Girl: A True Story.

[Ainsley Bost · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a book that will absolutely blow your mind of how this woman is still going this is the read for you! Her will power and determination is truly inspiring as all get out! I will say though the ending leaves me wanting more and it is quite a painful read that leads me hurting for all she has gone through. Overall, it is an easy and fast read and is a story that will give you perspective on what it means to fight for your life💪

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wild ride this story was!!

Emotionally riveting.

I was inspired. Uplifted. Angered.

My eyes were opened wide to the reality of the aftermath of accidents that result in TBI.

I wanted to hug Caroline. To congratulate her.
To talk to her in depth about disability advocacy, rights, and pride.

Her story had so many twists and turns, ups and downs and all arounds, and yet it read like flawless poetry.

[Coco Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir drew me in and hooked me so quickly - I tore through it in one night and was in tears by the end. Caroline tells her love story with her partner, her devastating traumatic brain injury and the challenging recovery that followed as she learned to be independent again. This was structured in a way that illustrated the challenges of life with a TBI, and I absolutely loved the writing style and humour that came through.

[Kelly Ferrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broken Girl. by Bradley Trevor Greive.
This is the true story of Caroline Laner Breure … the story of how she got through the worst time of her life … a trip to Spain with the man she was madly in love and did not think she could or would be happy with anyone else as much!
A horrendous accident … a will to live and the magic of doctors to survive.
A interesting read.

[Farrells Bookshop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and confronting this is a story of losing hope and finding it again. Caroline faces severe trauma and still manages to hold onto her values and who she truly is. We see the ripple effect of trauma not only on the victim but also on the family and loved ones, and how dark times can bring people close or really break them apart.

Read by Sage

[Stephanie Grosse · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely heartbreaking true story of courage and survival.
I was in an absolute trance reading this. Caroline has had to overcome so many challenges in order to survive and thrive. Just when she thought she had it all, she lost everything; including lots of her support network. This is such a tragedy, but I am happy that Caroline is now going well. Definitely give this a read.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book mainly because of the beautiful cover and I'm so glad that I did, I could not put it down. What a tragic, honest and interesting memoir. The writing and layout was very thoughtful and I was completely engrossed by Caroline's story.