The blood on her hands doesn’t match the memories in her head.
Jess Lewis has always lived with missing pieces—blank spaces in her days, flashes of fear she can’t explain, and the quiet presence of others within her mind. A diagnosis finally gives her language for the fractures she’s carried her whole life, but it can’t answer the question she dreads most: what happened on the night she can’t remember?
She wakes up covered in blood. No memory. No answers. When the police knock, Jess is thrust into Detective Jackson Sinclair’s investigation. Nothing adds up—not the evidence, not her fragmented memories—and someone is watching her with dangerous intent.
Jackson senses she’s telling the truth, even when she doubts it. Drawn to her strength as much as her vulnerability, he follows the case by the book. But when the investigation pushes him out of the department and into the role of private investigator, the rules disappear—and the danger closes in.
As the threat escalates, Jess must rely on the parts of herself she’s spent years trying to understand: the protectors, the fighters, the fragments of identity who emerge when the world becomes unsafe. Unlocking those memories could expose the real reason someone wants her silent—and the truth she’s been carrying all along.
Someone inside her remembers. And remembering might be the only way to survive.
Dark, atmospheric, and emotionally charged, Fragments of Affection is a psychological thriller perfect for readers of The Silent Patient, Sharp Objects, and Verity—a tense, haunting story of identity, trauma, and the dangerous power of memory.
Danielle Blum writes psychological thrillers that probe identity, trauma, and desire. Her breakout debut, Fragments of Affection, captivated readers with its raw portrayal of Dissociative Identity Disorder and the perilous blur between love and danger. She thrives on stories that challenge perceptions—and leave readers questioning everything.
This fast paced thriller/mystery kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time!
Jess wakes one morning covered in blood with no memory of what happened the night before. The police are knocking on her door looking for answers but she has to turn inward for them. Jess has DID, multiple personalities, and she must rely on them to figure out what is going on. With the help of Jackson, a detective turned private investigator, they unravel the truth one fractured memory at a time.
This was so well written and paced. I was hooked from the beginning and didn't want to put it down. I have been fascinated with DID since high school (I even wrote a paper on it for psych class) and I felt this was a great representation of the disorder. I was a little thrown in the beginning by how self-aware the fractures were because I've never read anything quite like that but it all blended into the story so well.
I can't believe this is a debut novel! I will keep my eye out for new works from Blum in the future.
This novel grabs you from the first scene: when Jess Lewis wakes up covered in blood and realizes she doesn’t remember how she got there. From that moment on the author keeps the tension taut—every memory gap, every fragment of truth uncovered, raises the stakes.
What works brilliantly here is how identity becomes both a weapon and a mystery. Jess’s dissociative identity disorder, combined with the detective’s investigation, creates this powerful dynamic of who did what, and what was done to me? The blurred line between victim and killer gives the story a dark, reflective edge.
The prose is clean but unsettling—in the best way. The author doesn’t lean on gore or cheap shock. Instead the horror is internal: the betrayal of one’s own mind, the fear of being both suspect and fractured. That psychological undercurrent is what elevates this beyond a typical thriller.
If you’re drawn to stories that mess with memory, self-perception, and the shapes of trauma, this one deserves a spot on your list. Five stars without hesitation.
Five stars for this powerful story. It starts strong and draws you in right away as the main character fights to face her past and make sense of what is happening around her. Every chapter builds more tension and you can feel her fear and hope with each step she takes.
The mystery grows in a steady way and the twists land at the perfect moments. The ending is bold and brings everything together in a way that feels right. This book delivers a deep emotional pull and a suspenseful journey that keeps you reading late into the night.
I thought I knew what kind of story I was walking into, but this book surprised me at every turn. It offers a powerful look into Dissociative Identity Disorder wrapped inside a twist-filled, high-intensity thriller. A phenomenal debut.
Blank spaces, broken memories, and a night she can’t explain. As danger circles and a determined investigator follows the trail, Jess must unlock the parts of herself she’s always kept hidden, before someone else does it for her.
What a book! Thank you to @danielleblum for offering me an ARC copy. The tension builds chapter by chapter until it all comes together in the end. A fascinating, dark psychological thriller with a story that kept me reading late into the night. I now have another author whose books I will look forward to! I can definitely recommend this book!
This was a very well written Psychological Thriller novel and I couldn’t put it down it was absolutely fascinating The plot was incredible and the characters were written so well i absolutely enjoyed this book. It will definitely keep you on the edge of wanting more
Wow! I don't even know what else to say about this book. As the blurb indicates, the main character has DID and no identity knows the whole story about anything. This kept me on the edge of my seat trying to keep up the entire book! Needless to say, I loved it!
I won "Fragments of Affection" from Goodreads. Thank you to both Goodreads and the author for the opportunity to read this book.