Pieces of Me

by Bri Kittrell

Samantha Miller has always felt like an alien in her own home, never looking or acting like the people around her. With a childhood plagued by loss and loneliness, Sam has always felt one misstep away from falling into a black abyss. For years, the darkness in her has been a stark contrast to her golden-boy neighbor, Ryan Hartley. His suave charm and his relationship with her parents have always grated her nerves and fed into her darkness.

Sam presents an impenetrable wall of ice to the world that Ryan has spent years trying to crack. For Sam, Ryan's existence is a constant reminder of everything she tries and fails to be. For Ryan, Sam's existence is a reminder that the world is so much more beautiful than the violent home he lives in.

When the unthinkable happens once again, Sam is left to pick up the pieces, but a shocking revelation sends her spiraling further. When Ryan sees just how close to the edge Sam truly is, he refuses to let her face the journey ahead alone. With the help of Ryan, Sam embarks on a mission to find out the truth about her past and discover who she really is.

Though answers await them, dangers far greater than they've ever faced do, too. In the presence of the reaper himself, Sam must choose whether to fight to live or to fall into the dark abyss that has called to her for so long.

Genres: Contemporary Romance

261 pages, Paperback

Published September 14, 2024

Reviews

[Kati Dutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ready this book in 3 hours! Let me tell you! I absolutely loved it! Yes, trigger warnings on self harm and abuse, but honestly the spice was top notch! Veryyy spicy, and the characters were amazing! I cried, laughed, and loved this book! Also, this book was such an amazing read! You get sucked into the story very easily, and won’t want to put it down!

[Brittany Harville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg I loved this! The spice was top notch and the connection between the FMC and MMC was so sweet. Definitely heavy topics like grief, abuse and self harm, but done in such a beautiful way. I cried, I laughed and I swooned! Loved the found family in here. Just such a great read!

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! I laughed, I cried, I held my breath, but most of all I related to the FMC (depression, darkness). Sam is SO very strong and it made my heart so happy she had Ryan to get through it with her. I will/have recommended this book to all the readers I can. Thank you for your beautiful words and I can’t wait to devour more!

[hazydaisyyy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ I guess I didn’t know what to expect but I did not expect it to be so traumatic & depressing. The topics were heavy but mixed in with smut felt wrong. Glad it was at least a happy ending.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been quite a while that I have been this excited about a book. So much so that I feel I will not be able to do it justice with my review but I am going to try.

This book… Pieces of Me by Bri Kitrell did so many things to me. It was such a roller coaster of emotions. I literally read it almost all in one sitting and I would have had I not had to call it a night. Even though the cover is beautiful, do not let it deceive you.
This book has everything you can imagine in it suspense, love, trauma, tragedy, but most importantly the resilience of the human heart.

Bri has such a way with words that her story evoked so many emotions in me and truly touched my spirit. If you haven read this book, I urge you to do so no matter what genre you read. It will be a book that stays with you and you surely won’t forget it.

And for Miss kittrell.. I beg of you please write more books. Your talent needs to be shared with the world.

This is hands down a 5 plus plus plus star book for me and I can’t imagine it being anything less for you.

[Jocelyn Saldana · Rating 4 out of 5]

first book of the year 😁 yay me! so who’s gonna be the ryan to my sam…

[Bethany Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great romance with the perfect amount of spice and plot. I love Sam and Ryan's story. This book sucks you right in and is hard to put down. The characters are relatable and face some of the same battles that so many struggle with. It's fast paced with the perfect amount of spice sprinkled throughout. This book brought me joy and brought me to tears. This debut author knocked it out of the park with this one.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I just lost my grandpa in January so a funeral made me cry. Grab your tissues! Overall I think it’s a great book

[Andrea Britton · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a debut!!

This story was phenomenal! The emotional rollercoaster this book puts you on…is insane! I couldn’t put this book down.

A story of grief, mental health and having someone who loves you for yourself. Finding your purpose and being loved by others.

Samantha hates the boy next door. But what she doesn’t realize is that Ryan will be her rock when she needs him.

Ryan has loved Samantha since the first day he saw her…but she hates his guts. But Ryan is such a sweet character, that he’s willing to put up with her no matter what. (He’s a dreamy book boyfriend)

This story is deep…it deals with some darker emotions and topics. You can feel Sam’s feelings through the words. You can also feel Ryan being her strength when she doesn’t feel like she has any.

I loved it. I couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed it and hope we get a second book about these two.

Highly recommended.

[Mallory Carrillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

-trauma
- golden retriever main male character
-next door neighbor
-reverse grumpy sunshine

This story owns a piece of my heart! This follows the life of Sam and her next door neighbor Ryan. Imagine having a feeling your entire life that something in your life is missing. The pieces of you don’t connect and you can’t figure what’s missing. What would you if one day your entire life flipped in the matter of months but also over night? Sam has some many inner battles about and on the other so does Ryan. The two are more like one another than you they could ever imagine. Read to follow the journey and if they find the missing pieces of your life in the end. This one pulled at my heart strings in all the way and it was worth the read !!!

[Yokasta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Pieces of Me was an absolutely beautifully written book! The storyline of the MFC, Sam, was executed flawlessly. The banter between the main characters was phenomenal, and I completely fell in love with Ryan, such a fiercely loyal MMC. He would do anything and everything for her! The slow-burn romance was so well done, and the twists and turns in this,story kept me on the edge of my seat, always wanting more.

This was a solid 6 star read for me and one of my favorite books of the year! It’s definitely one I’ll be rereading. Bri, you are an incredible author, and I can’t wait to read about Sam and Ryan’s journey!

PLEASE CHECK TRIGGER WARINGS!

[Lynn Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional rollarcoaster, in the best way. The main character does deal with depression and self harm. The author treated both concepts delicately as you really feel the emotions that both the main characters are feeling throughout the book. You feel for the FMC, Sam, as she searches of acceptance and thoughts of loneliness. But you also feel for her next door neighbor Ryan as he tries to find his own place to call home. As they both search through the concept of family love and dynamic, they also find that they have always been there for each other. This book ends of a good note after everything that the characters go through. Highly recommend!

[Hailey Gerdts - hopeless.wandrer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book rating: 2/5 ⭐️
Spice rating: 3.5/5🌶️

Kind of really didn’t like this book. So much violence, so much death, and it all just felt dramatic and unnecessary. Idk maybe that’s just me wanting to read to escape, not see the violence of the world reflected in the story. But my lands, mom dies, dad dies, she’s actually adopted, real mom is an addiction with drug dealers after her, then girl kills a drug dealer, then girls mom almost dies, then girl almost dies, and through all of this the guys dad is gone and his mom is drunk. But then at the end she spontaneously sobers up and starts caring? I don’t know. Confused and don’t want clarity.

[Summer Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me hooked from the start.

I fell in love with Sam almost immediately. I was rooting for her with every turn of the page, and could not put the book devouring every word of her story.

Ryan had my heart from the start. His protective instincts and sweet demeanor were just one of many reasons I adorn him.

Following along with them on their journey to find just some of Sam’s lifelong answers had me in a choke hold.

This will definitely be a reread and can’t wait to follow the rest of Sam and Ryan’s journey to come.

[Mary Lohorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book of the year! Such an emotional roller coaster! Filled with grief/loss, mental illness, addiction, childhood trauma, and so much love! It’s the perfect book and was written so well. Sam & Ryan are so good together. I cried sad and happy tears throughout this book! The spice is perfect and has a great plot! Cannot wait for book 2!

My two favorite lines are:
If loving you is my damnation, then sentence me to death!

Death can go fuck itself today!

Highly recommend this read! It’s so emotional but so worth it!

[whitneysbookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a sweet and spicy contemporary romance, then this one is for you. I have never felt more connected to a character in my life from where the story was written to how the character felt with true and raw emotion. Bri you knocked this one outta the park and I can't wait to see what you write next.

[Aivy’s One More Chapter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful!

From the very beginning of the book I was engaged to the story and from the very beginning I was teary eyed. I loved the growth from both MC, the forced proximity, the bit of thrill that had me on edge, the friends to lovers story and the extra spice. Definitely recommend this book and can’t wait to read more from Bri Kittrell!

[Reader of Mostly Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

an emotional ride from start to finish

I love titktok because it provides a place to find authors I’d never have found otherwise! This novel! What a beautiful unique story. A young love, he falls first, but that the icing on the cake, both characters have trauma filled pasts, the FMC has some tunnel vision to see the MMC. Beautiful story.

[Lea Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rate this a 4.5! This book is absolutely phenomenal. Sam and Ryan are such believable characters that you really want to root for. I was emotionally invested the entire time, and couldn't stop turning the pages. This is such a wonderful debut novel, and you owe it to yourself to give it a read!

[Brea Brennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars ✨:

What a cute little romance book about dealing with grief and mental illness. Ryan and Sam are great characters and I hope that we get a second book or something detailing their road trip to Washington.

[Jackiie Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible, every emotional string pulled, I kept telling myself just one more chapter, and found myself not wanting to put the book down. I love being able to see the perspective of how Sam and Ryan felt. I highly recommend it.

[Candace Ventimiglia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I really enjoyed this book! I was pretty hooked from the very beginning until the end. Sam was such a unique character and I loved watching her story unfold. I cannot wait to read more of Bri’s work!

[Wendymarielovesbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I absolutely loved this book! Sam and Ryan’s story was beautifully written, with a great plot that kept me hooked. I appreciated how the storyline was dynamic and engaging, making me eager to keep reading and find out what would happen next.”

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this knowing it would be an emotional read & boy was I right! Bri broke my heart & then put it back together multiple times throughout this book! It definitely focused on a lot of heavy topics but I love when a book feels real & messy. Very impressive for a debut novel!

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written! This held me on the edge of my seat the entire time. So much happens so quickly but somehow you manage to keep hanging in there to see what happens next. Hold on to your heart!

Be sure to check content warnings before diving in.

[Ashley Gipson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! Not quite the same storyline, but it reminded me a lot of Hopeless by Colleen Hoover, which I also loved! Curious about that ending though. Was it left a mystery on purpose or gearing up for an extra chapter/another book?

[Kim Finazzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

couldn’t put it down.

This book had me laughing and crying. What a wonderful love store with the boy next door. It was fast paced and I couldn’t put it down.

[Sophia Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cant wait for more books!! Keep up the good work

[Avery Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Kellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t realize it would be so heavy. The trauma just kept on coming.