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Tiny Pieces

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And those who wrecked us.

For Aria Clarke, Cole Porter is all her tiny pieces.

When Cole shows up in Aria’s hometown a decade after being gone, her whole world changes. She thought she had moved on, but the past has a way of taking hold of her again and dragging her back into the depths of first love and first heartbreak.

After everything she believed to be true turns out to be a lie, she’ll have to decide if the hurt she endured in the past is too much of a risk to try again, or if just maybe first love deserves a second chance after all.

168 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2018

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37 people want to read

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Stephanie Henry

39 books13 followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
Profile Image for My Pink Fairytales.
687 reviews78 followers
May 10, 2019
Bad, bad, really bad move on my part picking this book right after finishing a hilarious rom-com.

One thing is for sure. The title is a perfect fit. This is kind of a short story (about 160 pages), but so full of emotions. Unfortunately, most of them are sadness, sorrow, unbelieveable heartbreak and so on.
Too sad of a story for such a short length.

Childhood best friends get a second chance at experiencing the true love you get once in a lifetime, but only after they shatter your heart and soul in billions of tiny pieces. This author’s writing is so good, that i actually felt every piece chipping away.

Something to remember:

“Don’t be with the first guy who like you, Aria.
Wait for the guy YOU like.”



“I was always holding on to the past. And until I heal the wounds of yesterday, I’ll never stop bleeding.”



”ARC provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.”

It would be an absolute honor to have you as my guest on my blog too. Stop by anytime you want :)
Profile Image for Izzie d.
4,305 reviews362 followers
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September 8, 2018
I wasn't too keen on this book.
It's a second chance story.
They broke up and 10 years later he's back in town, trying to reconnect, and she's not happy.
The reason for the break up is held back until towards the end of the book, if they'd just talked sooner.
The other friends all just seemed to forgive him for whatever it was, although she'd been broken by whatever he had done.
I did think it was brave of the author to have the heroine have a child during the years of separation with someone else.
There are no details of intimacy with anyone other than the Hero and heroine, though she has a child and it is alluded to that he had had other relationships.
HEA.
Epilogue.
82 reviews
October 10, 2018
This book is a second chance story. 10 years ago Aria and Cole were the love of each other's life, until Cole something that completely destroys her and she has to pick up the pieces and move on without him. Now he had returned and she finds that she still loves him as much, if not more.
In the book it takes a long time before the author gives you any idea of what happened between them 10 years before. She didn't really go in depth with the characters, for me. They were likable, but I was left feeling like I didn't really get the whole character.
The book also felt a bit rushed and it built well, then the ending was just suddenly there. This was an easy read, but I was left wanting more in the story.
Profile Image for Jeraca.
2,706 reviews32 followers
September 21, 2018
I received this eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Cole has always been a huge part of Aria's life, but when he destroys her 10 years ago, she has had to learn how to move on from him. The problem is that she is still broken by his betrayal, no matter how much time has past.

But Aria definitely wasn't prepared to see him back in their hometown, and then she was floored when he said that he was moving back home. Aria cannot stomache the idea of seeing him around randomly, and since he is best friends with her family, she keeps running into him over and over again.

Cole has had a lot of time to think about his life and the struggles that he has overcome, but the one thing he has always regretted was how things ended with Aria. Now that he is back in town, he is going to try to make amends. But some things are harder to smoother over than others, and Cole may find that Aria doesn't want to go through that heartbreak again by letting him back into her life.

I liked this book. I was just disappointed with how much DIDN'T happen in the novel. All the characters did was talk about the "incident" that happened to destroy Aria, but it wasn't revealed until later what it was. So nothing really happened, just a party, working, hanging out with family and friends, and not a lot else. I do have to say that there isn't a "bad event/person" who comes to try to destroy them, so that was a bit of a change, but I think many novels thrive when there is an atmosphere of suspense.

The other thing that really annoyed me was that Aria was so destroyed by what Cole did to her, but the second the truth is discovered, it's like she instantly forgives him... I mean, this broke her heart for 10 years, but now that she knows the truth, all of those years are forgot about how much she was hurt? Definitely not believable. And quite annoying as well. It makes it seem that it's normal that people are forgiven that fast for past mistakes, and that is definitely not the case.

Overall, it was a good novel. I'm not going to re-read this book in the future, but I would be interested in other novels by this author to see what else she has written. This was a cute, short novel that I can see other readers liking.
Profile Image for Sandra Lopez.
Author 3 books348 followers
November 19, 2018
Aria could not believe her eyes when she saw that Cole was back. Cole: the one person that ruined her for life. It's been 10 years of living without him, and yet seeing him again makes her go completely undone.

"Only love can murder you, yet still keep your heart beating enough to feel every bit of the pain." (17)

Aria spends a little too much time obsessing on Cole and the past. Initially, she wanted nothing to do with him, but then she jumps at the opportunity to meet Cole just to "talk." Of course, nothing could prepare her on the news that Cole was moving back...permanently.

This was a simple love story between two long-time childhood friends. Cole and Aria seemed okay together. I wondered if it was necessary to relive certain moments in their past; I mean, we certainly didn't need to go that deep. As stated, "The past is trying to collide with [the] present and [you] feel more off balance than ever." (41) That's how this story felt to me―off balance with the past and present. I would've liked more focus on the present. I suppose the author was trying to establish the strong connection between the two main characters, but that could've been done without the constant back-and-forth.
2 reviews1 follower
October 2, 2018
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This book was a second chance and slightly heartbreaking romance. I was actually really impressed with how the author wrote this book. Because of the situation (you’ll have to read it to find out 😉) Stephanie Henry wrote about Cole and Aria’s past so we could understand the present. How the characters behaved in the past would what adults would describe as immature I suppose, but they were both barely adults at the time, and insecurities, stubbornness, all those still raging teenage hormones were there. I adored how the characters developed, and how despite how heartbreaking the situation was, they each still managed to make a life for their selves, albeit empty and lonely. Years later they come back together and realise how much they loved each other. That is what true love is and I love it! Life throws you curveballs, you get it really wrong sometimes and have to suffer the consequences, no matter all your best intentions. I think Cole could have come back sooner but understand why he didn’t! I tried to hate him, and kinda did when he came up to Aria in the beginning, but I’m glad he’s stubborn and persevered with inserting himself in her life ha!

The few negatives I have to say about this, and they’re not really negatives, is I would have loved a two person perspective in the book. I like more love scenes in a book but I understand this is aimed at the YA age group, and I don’t think it took anything away from the story, just the chemistry was written really well and would have loved that to be explored. Would have liked the ending not to be as rushed, and also, loyalty between family and friends people! Without spoiling too much, I know it was a long time till Cole and Aria reconnected, but she was heartbroken when what happened happened! I understand why Stephanie didn’t make this so, but I felt Aria needed someone else to hate on Cole with her for a bit ha! Lovely second chance love story, would recommend ☺️
Profile Image for Amanda  Lee.
1,258 reviews43 followers
November 15, 2019
Second chance generally isn't my favourite, but when it's well done I love it. This one kind of falls in the middle. There's a lot of emotion, which I loved, but I was annoyed with the characters a lot of the time.

Aria and Cole were the loves of each others lives until they broke up. This is 10 years after their split but we don't even get the reason for the break up until near the end. They'd all talk about the incident that 'destroyed' Aria but we don't know anything about it. We don't get the character details I wanted to full understand the dynamics of them and their relationship. Aria was so destroyed by what happened for 10 years but forgave him way to easily in my opinion and forgot about 10 years of hurt - then again maybe she didn't need to hold on to it for 10 years.

Overall, it was pretty good. It wasn't bad and I think if you're a second chance fan you'll really enjoy it. For me, it just missed the mark and fell in the middle of the road.
Profile Image for Kara (Rotella Reads).
942 reviews50 followers
September 19, 2018
The book started out great, built anticipation, had emotion and then just seemed to rush to a quick, unrealistic ending.

The characters were likable, although never explained in much detail. The bones of the story were there but it was just missing something for me.

This love story, centered around not having seen the love of your life for 10 years and then they suddenly come back to town, had me expecting some type of major incident that led to the demise of the relationship, but when the truth was revealed I was left quite underwhelmed.

Yes the story ends with a HEA, but it wasn’t the fairytale love story you’d expect. This was an easy, quick read. The writing was great and I enjoyed the intent of the story but it fell short for me.
Profile Image for Deb.
7,544 reviews36 followers
October 15, 2018
A very emotional story filled with heartbreak, confusion, lust, forgiveness and love. I was immediately enthralled by the storyline based on the character of Aria. The author wrote her so convincingly that I felt like she was real. I felt her confusion at her friends' behavior when Cole reemerged. I felt her heartbreak when the author revealed some of the storyline behind his actions. After reading the reveals, very well done by snapshots of the past by the author, I could not put the book down wondering why Cole would leave her. Even as that was revealed, I still couldn't believe it. Even so, I loved this book and I loved the ending. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Profile Image for Misty Goan.
2,809 reviews13 followers
October 15, 2018
An amazing great story with relatable feelings and emotions. Strong great intersting characters. Aira and Cole were together 10 years before. While planning Scarlett and John's engagement party she is awarded with panic and quivering when Cole shows up. She was so heartbroken with the breakup that she was left with a version shell of what she and her friends knew. A good romance that I loved the ending with a sweet epilogue.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Shea.
106 reviews1 follower
September 27, 2018
I am not always a fan of this kind of flashback story telling but it actually worked for in this book. But I felt like something was missing here and it wasn't until the epilogue that I figured out it was Cole's POV. This had the potential to be a really good second chance romance but I needed more insight into Cole. This is a quick but heavy read although it has an HEA.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Holly.
2,885 reviews
October 2, 2018
But you know you really love someone when they can break your heart into a million tiny pieces and you still can’t manage to hate them for.
I was always holding on to the past. And until I heal the wounds of yesterday, I’ll never stop bleeding.
This is some lines from the book which left me heartbroken .
Keep Kleenex handy,you will need it

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Dainy.
68 reviews
October 3, 2018
Nice story! Caught my attention from the very beginning and could not put my Kindle down.
I have to admit though, that most of the time the heroine got on my nerves. She seemed very insecure and sometimes I hated that she hated the hero and would not forgive him. But that eventually clears all away and we get to see if they get their second chance at a happily ever after.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Rachel Benham.
580 reviews5 followers
October 10, 2018
Aria's heart was broken by Cole so many years ago. Yet she could not hate him. When he shows back up in her life, she takes a journey into the past to remember why she loved him in the first place. They both were hurt and lost with out each other but fate is a heck of a match maker and brought them back together when they both needed each other the most. Such a sweet story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Emma bramley.
2,570 reviews26 followers
October 11, 2018
This is a second chance romance story. This story will hook you from the first page, keeping you reading till the end. This is a very well written story which is heartbreaking. Amazing characters you will fall in love with as you read. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.



Highly recommended

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book

www.obsessedbookreviews.blogspot.com
671 reviews3 followers
October 16, 2018
A heart wrenching story of a young woman's struggle to over come and let go of the pain of the past, and a young man fighting to make up for hurting the only woman he ever loved. Full of heartache, anger, lies, secrets, healing, friendship, and a love that withstood pain and time. Readers will laugh and cry while reading Tiny Pieces.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
4,660 reviews9 followers
October 1, 2018
Then more I read the book, the more I was drawn in. What if everything you knew about your Ex was wrong? What if.... As I read the story and the MC has her flashbacks I start wondering why he did what he did. I would love to read more of the author's books. This is my first.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
16.7k reviews155 followers
October 4, 2018
Everyone has pieces of everything that happens to you. All her pieces are from him when he left her. Now he is back and things may not have been as she had thought. Can she reopen her heart to him? See if she can

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Michaela Zankl.
448 reviews3 followers
August 23, 2020
I absolutely love this book! Ari and Cole's story is beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. This is an awesome second chance romance. Cole fights so hard to capture Ari's heart again after messing up the first time around. But did he? Lots of misunderstandings, revelations and new beginnings will bring two broken hearts together and mend all the broken pieces.
725 reviews3 followers
October 3, 2018
The story is Ok even if I find the character of aria overly dramatic. It’s a little to one sided. Overhaul the story is quiet basic and didn’t have a waouh factor.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Alexis Sky.
386 reviews
September 7, 2018
Great buildup -too quick ending- it didn’t fit the story at all- had the ideas been hashed out an easy 4 star but alas..
Profile Image for Barbara.
19.2k reviews8 followers
October 3, 2018
A well-written second chance story that I enjoyed reading. A new Author to me that I will be reading more of. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
1,372 reviews8 followers
October 4, 2018
I really loved this book. I can speak from experience I know how aria felt and it is a beautifully written story.
Profile Image for Nate.
24.1k reviews19 followers
October 18, 2018
Enjoyed this emotional & heartbreaking story. it was...intriguing. I'm voluntarily leaving an honest review for a copy of the book via booksprout.
Profile Image for Aurora Batty.
206 reviews3 followers
October 8, 2018
Tiny Pieces is a sweet contemporary second chance romance. I had hoped for the type of feels that make me wanna ball my eyes out, scream and throw something, but it didn’t do that for me. It was a good story and it had some feels in it but it just didn’t deliver the emotional turmoil and angst I had hoped for and sometimes that’s what a girl needs.

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Aria was broken into tiny pieces. And the reason just walked in to the party. Cole was her everything and she thought that he was her forever, until he wasn’t. He hurt her so deeply and then disappeared for 10 years. After so long she thought she was doing fine until he asked to speak with her after the party. And all the tiny broken pieces of her heart shattered all over again.

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For Cole, Aria has been the only women he ever loved but felt he was never good enough for. Then after a surprise visit to his dorm, Aria left believing a lie that tore them apart for the last 10 years. He let her belief that lie, thought it was for the best. He had hoped that she had moved on and found happiness. He never dreamed he would come back for his best friends wedding 10 years later and find her still as fragile as ever.

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Sounds deliciously angsty right? It did have its moments I assure you, but it just fell short for me. If you’re looking for a quick, sweet read by all means this book is perfect for you. But for angsty emotional ball your eyes out , I’d look elsewhere.

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Though this wasn’t what I had hoped, it did inspire me too do a little art project, mostly off the title and synopsis.



So on a rating out of 5 stars I’d give it a 2.5

Read on my lovely bookish booklings!

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I was treated to a copy of Tiny Pieces from NetGally for a fair and honest review.
Profile Image for Valeen Robertson (Live Thru Books Blog).
5,881 reviews213 followers
October 2, 2018


Aria and Cole are soulmates. Best friends. And their future is all there for them to step into. Until Cole breaks Aria into a million tiny pieces. 10 years later, she's still not over what he did to her, so when he moves back to their small town, she's unhappy to say the least. And when he keeps coming around, her friends, who happen to be his friends, too, seem intent on forgiving him and welcoming him back. Aria's not having it, though. She's got years of pain to keep her angry, and knows that letting Cole back into her life is just not something she can, or will, do. Until Cole begs for them to be friends, at the very least, and finally explains why he did what he did all those years ago. Can Aria possibly let him back into her life, even though, as before, he has the power to break her again?

I wanted to love Tiny Pieces, I did. Unfortunately, I don't love it. I don't hate it or anything, and it's not horrible or badly written. It's just depressing and a tad slow-moving. Nothing much happens aside from the two of them moping around with him being sad and her being angry. There are no big dramatic events. There's nothing much really. And then there's just a rush to the ending. The epilogue is sweet, though. Aria and Cole aren't particularly interesting nor are they well-developed. I'm afraid there's nothing really that stands out in Tiny Pieces. I guess though, because I don't hate it, and it's not horrible, 3 stars is probably fair. I can see the potential in this author's writing so hopefully if I read something of hers in the future, it will be a little more engaging and interesting.

ARC via Booksprout for an honest review.

Full review posted on Live Through Books Blog.
Profile Image for Danielle .
2,565 reviews76 followers
October 3, 2018
I love second chance romance, I really do. And I had high hopes for this book. Here is the thing, it has all been done before. There was nothing new. But what I really didn't like, was that the ending was so rushed. It left me thinking "that is it??!!" I was happy there was an epilogue to see more of their story, because the ending was way too fast.
4,817 reviews16 followers
October 11, 2018
At one glance a thousand memories all Aria wanted to remember were the good ones surrounding Cole but bad memories seep in to. Aria felt like she had been punched in the stomach. Panic flooded Aria and her knees started to quiver. Aria asked “what is he doing here?” Aria doesn't want to see Cole or he to see her so she looks straight at the bartender. Scarlet says “John must have invited him.” Aria had planned this whole engagement party for Scarlet and John. John and Aria share a sister but aren’t related. Although Aria always thought of John as her brother. Not today though as he had invited Cole to the party. Knowing how damaging it would be to Aria. Aria had been six when she met Scarlet who was her best friend. It had been ten years since Aria had seen Cole and then he says her name and told her she looked stunning. Aria said she didn’t remember sending him an invitation and she had planned the whole thing and Cole replied the McGregors said it would mean a lot to them if he attended. Aria’s resentment came through and she didn’t care he had shattered her heart. Aria didn’t want to admit Cole was sexy as hell. Aria had died inside every single day after Cole was gone until the Aria everyone knew no longer existed. Only love could do that to you. As Aria turns to leave Cole takes her arm and says wait and Aria knew they both felt the electric spark that passed between them whenever they touched that hadn’t changed apparently. Cole asked if they could talk after the party . He was serious when he said he wanted to talk to her. Aria showed up at the hotel bar and wasn’t sure why she gave into Cole’s request. Aria wished she loathed Cole one hundred percent but she didn’t. Then Cole told her he was moving back and they had managed for him to stay at the hotel she managed until he found a place..Then he said his mom was sick with cirrhosis of the liver. Aria didn’t want him to stay at the hotel. Lucas was Aria’s son. Aria had married Joe -Lucas’s father-,on the rebound. Now it was becoming a thing -Joe having something important come up and he not take Lucas and for some reason Lucas adored his father. Aria was the one who had to disappoint Lucas when his dad didn’t come pick him up. Aria was suppose to go out with Scarlett but she was too sick and Cole brought her home and spent the night on her floor making sure she was okay. The next morning Aria let Cole know she wasn’t happy he had stayed and Cole left. Cole had been Aria’s first kiss when she was fifteen , her first love, and the first boy she had sex with. Then he shattered her heart.
I loved this story and felt it was more realistic than most romances as love isn’t all moonlight and roses. This is shown with Scarlet and John as well as Aria and Cole. It shows how hard it is to have mutual friends after a breakup also and so much more that to me is very realistic. My heart broke for Aria and all she went through but she came out great in the end. I loved how close Aria and Reese were for having been step sisters. I also loved how close Scarlett and Aria was but also Cole and John. I loved the plot and pace and read this in one setting. I just didn’t want to put it down and felt like I was there with everyone. Happily I found nothing to criticize in this book. I loved the characters and the ins and outs and I highly recommend this .
Profile Image for Kristin.
284 reviews6 followers
October 15, 2018
"Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review."

Loved this book very much. It had just enough sweet romance and the storyline was great! I highly recommend!
Profile Image for Ash Luna .
700 reviews10 followers
October 22, 2018
Heartbreak at its finest Stephanie Henry gave the ultimate heartbreaking story that took time to heal it self, but in the end it was worth every tear cried. A stunning book!
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