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A Little Piece of Mind
From award-winning author Giles Paley-Phillips, this haunting verse novel follows Hobs, a young man struggling to navigate his own mind and the increasingly mysterious affairs he encounters in his supposedly idyllic suburban home town.
When Jenni, the girl of his dreams, suddenly disappears, Hobs finds himself on the trail of Mike Bilk, a charismatic businessman-turned-politician whose alleged role in a local tragedy points to greater questions of political greed and corruption.
As time begins to lose its shape, Hobs is left to piece together his fragmented memories while battling the disorienting anguish of adolescent love and infatuation. With reality crumbling around him, Hobs must confront the possibility that there’s no one left he can trust – least of all himself.
When Jenni, the girl of his dreams, suddenly disappears, Hobs finds himself on the trail of Mike Bilk, a charismatic businessman-turned-politician whose alleged role in a local tragedy points to greater questions of political greed and corruption.
As time begins to lose its shape, Hobs is left to piece together his fragmented memories while battling the disorienting anguish of adolescent love and infatuation. With reality crumbling around him, Hobs must confront the possibility that there’s no one left he can trust – least of all himself.
285 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 9, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 15, 2026
I read this in one sitting. I have to say that I didn't love it - it aimed for a kind of Twilight Zone sort of vibe, but never quite went far enough with it. It was a bit too straightforward. I continued to the end because I was curious, but unfortunately I wasn't all that surprised by the ending.
July 26, 2022
This was a 5 star read! Absolutely amazing. I cant say too much without giving the plot away, and i think this is a book which is best read knowing next to nothing about it.
Written in prose, we follow Hobs as he tries to work out what has happened to Jenni, whom he really likes.
Full of intrigue and twists, i was not expecting this book to end how it ended! I was shocked, in the best way possible.
There is nothing more i can say except spend a few hours and read this book. You wont regret it.
Written in prose, we follow Hobs as he tries to work out what has happened to Jenni, whom he really likes.
Full of intrigue and twists, i was not expecting this book to end how it ended! I was shocked, in the best way possible.
There is nothing more i can say except spend a few hours and read this book. You wont regret it.
July 30, 2022
Written in free verse, A Little Piece Of Mind is the story of the unraveling of Hobs, both physically and mentally, with truly shocking consequences. The language is simple and stark, with every line packing a punch, with simple descriptions and clear emotions.
The story reads as a thriller, when the girl of Hobs dreams, Jenni, goes missing in mysterious circumstances and he tries to find out what has happened to her. There are short chapters throughout (often just a page) which makes the pace fast and means that every word counts. Told in first person narrative, Hobs is an unreliable narrator as he doubts himself and his memories, and things are hazy from the start.
It's difficult to review this without giving away spoilers, so I will just say that I didn't see the ending coming, despite several hints when I've glanced back through the text - a real skill on the part of Giles Paley-Phillips.
I know a lot of people steer away from novels written in verse as they fear it will be flowery or overly intellectual (pretentious) but this couldn't be further from the truth for this book. The verse helps to keep the pace fast and only express what needs to be said to forward the plot and what is happening to Hobs, rather than the white noise of extra descriptions and conversations. All killer, no filler! I think this could be read and enjoyed by anyone who likes an easy to read but incredibly clever thriller.
The story reads as a thriller, when the girl of Hobs dreams, Jenni, goes missing in mysterious circumstances and he tries to find out what has happened to her. There are short chapters throughout (often just a page) which makes the pace fast and means that every word counts. Told in first person narrative, Hobs is an unreliable narrator as he doubts himself and his memories, and things are hazy from the start.
It's difficult to review this without giving away spoilers, so I will just say that I didn't see the ending coming, despite several hints when I've glanced back through the text - a real skill on the part of Giles Paley-Phillips.
I know a lot of people steer away from novels written in verse as they fear it will be flowery or overly intellectual (pretentious) but this couldn't be further from the truth for this book. The verse helps to keep the pace fast and only express what needs to be said to forward the plot and what is happening to Hobs, rather than the white noise of extra descriptions and conversations. All killer, no filler! I think this could be read and enjoyed by anyone who likes an easy to read but incredibly clever thriller.
July 28, 2022
Hobart, or Hobs to his friends, lives in a suburban town full of cookie-cutter houses ‘dressed with’ little picket fences. Life there is supposedly idyllic, however all isn’t as it seems and things take a sinister turn when Jenni, the girl of his dreams, goes missing. Local politician Mike Bilk is at the top of Hobs’ list of suspects, and so he decides to track him down to get some answers for himself. Will Hobs find Jenni or is it already too late?
In a word - WOW! This amazing novel is short but it really packs a punch! I absolutely love the verse style in which it is written, it makes it so easy to read and you can easily finish it one sitting. The prose is beautifully lyrical and I just couldn’t put it down. I had to know what had happened, I was gripped throughout and I was not expecting the twist at all. It’s a very unique book that I’d definitely recommend to anyone and everyone, I loved it!
In a word - WOW! This amazing novel is short but it really packs a punch! I absolutely love the verse style in which it is written, it makes it so easy to read and you can easily finish it one sitting. The prose is beautifully lyrical and I just couldn’t put it down. I had to know what had happened, I was gripped throughout and I was not expecting the twist at all. It’s a very unique book that I’d definitely recommend to anyone and everyone, I loved it!
March 7, 2025
written in a series of poems and yet they all interlink to make a story - the structure of this book was certainly unique ✨
this is one of the books I’ve barely seen on bookstagram, if at all, but I added it to my list a long while ago.
I went into this book thinking it would be a mass of confusion of a delirious boy who’s trying to figure out why a girl he loves is missing. and it was, in a way, but it didn’t have as much of that delirium as I expected.
it was well written, I felt immersed in the story from the start, and the characters felt like everyday people, but at times the story did feel predictable and I didn’t feel “wowed” by the plot twist.
overall a unique book that is worth a read, but probably not one I’d read again, so a 3⭐️ all round for me
this is one of the books I’ve barely seen on bookstagram, if at all, but I added it to my list a long while ago.
I went into this book thinking it would be a mass of confusion of a delirious boy who’s trying to figure out why a girl he loves is missing. and it was, in a way, but it didn’t have as much of that delirium as I expected.
it was well written, I felt immersed in the story from the start, and the characters felt like everyday people, but at times the story did feel predictable and I didn’t feel “wowed” by the plot twist.
overall a unique book that is worth a read, but probably not one I’d read again, so a 3⭐️ all round for me
July 18, 2022
I loved the way that this book is written I found much of it to be rather poetic in its short verse and this is the first book I have read that is in short ‘chapters’ that continues throughout to provide the entire story.
We follow the POV of Hobs, throughout and we jump from the current to the past as he is trying to piece together his memories.
The story was quick to read and although I thought it was an awesome way of writing I felt that it was just lacking a little more detail for me personally and it felt a little like a short story in the end.
Overall though it was a good read. That I would recommend to others.
We follow the POV of Hobs, throughout and we jump from the current to the past as he is trying to piece together his memories.
The story was quick to read and although I thought it was an awesome way of writing I felt that it was just lacking a little more detail for me personally and it felt a little like a short story in the end.
Overall though it was a good read. That I would recommend to others.
July 29, 2022
I don’t even know where to start with this masterpiece. I absolutely adored the verse set up of the pages. I adored the different titles of the chapters, the titles tell you what that page is about.
The author’s writing was so beautiful, it flowed like anything. The descriptions were superb and sometimes they caught you off guard to give you that full effect.
The storyline was a very big surprise especially as you read through the book, there are some spectacular surprises. The cover of the book really shows off the story, once you have read it, you will understand.
I read this in one sitting, because it was so easy, stunning and addictive.
I would highly recommend this book, there are some TW.
The author’s writing was so beautiful, it flowed like anything. The descriptions were superb and sometimes they caught you off guard to give you that full effect.
The storyline was a very big surprise especially as you read through the book, there are some spectacular surprises. The cover of the book really shows off the story, once you have read it, you will understand.
I read this in one sitting, because it was so easy, stunning and addictive.
I would highly recommend this book, there are some TW.
October 11, 2023
The author's writing in A Little Piece of Mind is beautiful from start to finish. Giles Paley-Phillips gives us a haunting novel that follows Hobs, a young man struggling to navigate his mind and the increasingly mysterious affairs he encounters in his supposedly idyllic suburban home town. As time begins to lose shape, Hobs is left to piece together his fragmented memories while battling the disorienting anguish of adolescent love and infatuation. With reality crumbling around him, Hobs must confront the possibility that there's no one left he can trust - least of all himself.
I can't say too much without giving the plot away; this book is best to read, knowing nothing about it. Much like Paley-Phillips' other novel, One Hundred and Fifty-Two Days, I love the short verse style it is written; it makes it so easy to read, and you can efficiently finish it in one sitting. But I didn't want it to finish in one sitting. Once I did, I found all of it to be a great read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews