What do you think?
Rate this book
I Kept a Piece of You
When Gabe Meier lost his wife, Eleanor, it affected everyone – especially his sons, Alex and Eric. Several years after her death, Gabe struggles with a guilty conscience, and Alex is struggling with demons of his own – he still sees his mother everywhere.
Fifteen years later, Alex is living in a small town called Bridgford. Two women go missing within months of each other. No one suspects that Alex is involved. That is until he attracts the attention of Detective Howard Tamblin when an unrelated incident causes their paths to collide.
Pieces of Her, is a commercial fiction at 77,000-words. This novel might appeal to anyone who enjoyed Mike Flanagan’s rendition of Haunting of Hill House as it relates to family drama and the supernatural.
I Kept a Piece of You is Joanna Wolford's debut novel.
Fifteen years later, Alex is living in a small town called Bridgford. Two women go missing within months of each other. No one suspects that Alex is involved. That is until he attracts the attention of Detective Howard Tamblin when an unrelated incident causes their paths to collide.
Pieces of Her, is a commercial fiction at 77,000-words. This novel might appeal to anyone who enjoyed Mike Flanagan’s rendition of Haunting of Hill House as it relates to family drama and the supernatural.
I Kept a Piece of You is Joanna Wolford's debut novel.
- GenresFiction
272 pages, Paperback
First published March 16, 2022
42 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 15, 2022
How can one rate a rough little gem, uncut and unpolished, but with such great promise?
The first chapters telling the story of a dysfunctional family, crippled by a lack of money, are excellent. I was drawn in completely and thought that I had found that rare little gem rarely known with a debut of an unknown author. It even reminded my of Stephen King at moments. But then the story fast forwards 15 years further and the writing starts to unravel a bit, even with some grammar and spelling errors. There are actions that don't make a lot of sense and just too much coincidence to make some twists believable. And then the ending shows the same quality as the start: crisp and engaging writing.
The main characters are well crafted, each with their qualities and their flaws. The difficult relationships between parents and children are splendidly rendered. And the story is quiet unusual and original, I felt some kind of pity for the main character, a serial killer. So kudos for that!
Why only three stars then? Well, because the book needed a lot of editing and polishing, certainly in the middle part. And I mean a lot ! But this is certainly an author to watch, because she is a great storyteller and I think with a little more exercise (or a good editor), she will deliver great works ! Very well done !
A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The first chapters telling the story of a dysfunctional family, crippled by a lack of money, are excellent. I was drawn in completely and thought that I had found that rare little gem rarely known with a debut of an unknown author. It even reminded my of Stephen King at moments. But then the story fast forwards 15 years further and the writing starts to unravel a bit, even with some grammar and spelling errors. There are actions that don't make a lot of sense and just too much coincidence to make some twists believable. And then the ending shows the same quality as the start: crisp and engaging writing.
The main characters are well crafted, each with their qualities and their flaws. The difficult relationships between parents and children are splendidly rendered. And the story is quiet unusual and original, I felt some kind of pity for the main character, a serial killer. So kudos for that!
Why only three stars then? Well, because the book needed a lot of editing and polishing, certainly in the middle part. And I mean a lot ! But this is certainly an author to watch, because she is a great storyteller and I think with a little more exercise (or a good editor), she will deliver great works ! Very well done !
A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 30, 2022
This book took me a little longer to get into, but was well worth it in the end. I think the beginning was a little choppy and not really pulling me in so it was easy to set aside, but once you get through the first part it does start picking up momentum.
August 24, 2024
I know the author personally and loved how much her voice came through in her debut book. The story is Erie yet heart wrenching. If you like crime/scary book themes that keep you guessing, I recommend this book for you. I am so excited to see what comes next from her!
October 16, 2023
“I Kept a Piece of You,” by Joanna Wolford is the kind of psychological horror novel reminiscent of “Silence of the Lambs.” But this one has something extra, a supernatural aspect. We have a family tragedy that affects all the members. Goodbye can be the hardest word to say sometimes. Gabe lost Eleanor, his wife. Alex and Eric, his sons, are affected in different ways. Even after Eleanor dies, her husband wrestles with guilt. His son Alex has his own demons to grapple with; everywhere he looks, he sees his mom. Flash forward to fifteen years later, and Alex is now living in Bridgford, a small town where two women have disappeared in just a few short months. Alex is on no one’s radar for this, until Detective Howard Tamblin enters the picture.
Joanna Wolford skillfully blends family drama with crime drama, resulting in a potent work of psychological horror with a supernatural twist. Family dynamics are explored, the criminal mind is explored, and this is what holds readers through to the end of this suspenseful mystery. If you are triggered by graphic violence or sexual situations, this may not be the book for you, but it is relevant to the story.
The characters are intriguing, the plot is engaging, the dialogue is natural, and the twists and turns are completely unexpected. One thing I really like about these emotional characters is the ambiguity. They are multi-faceted, not just one-dimensional, so sometimes you like them, and sometimes you don’t. The unexpected events in the book will keep readers on their toes, adding to the uneasiness and mystery.
The author has captured the combination of horror and crime, and at times you feel that you could be watching a movie. It is a slow burn at first but doesn’t take long to get into the heart of the story. This novel will make you realize that true horror isn’t far away in real life. Lovers of horror and dark crime stories will become instant fans of Joanna Wolford and the truly scary “I Kept a Piece of You.”
Joanna Wolford skillfully blends family drama with crime drama, resulting in a potent work of psychological horror with a supernatural twist. Family dynamics are explored, the criminal mind is explored, and this is what holds readers through to the end of this suspenseful mystery. If you are triggered by graphic violence or sexual situations, this may not be the book for you, but it is relevant to the story.
The characters are intriguing, the plot is engaging, the dialogue is natural, and the twists and turns are completely unexpected. One thing I really like about these emotional characters is the ambiguity. They are multi-faceted, not just one-dimensional, so sometimes you like them, and sometimes you don’t. The unexpected events in the book will keep readers on their toes, adding to the uneasiness and mystery.
The author has captured the combination of horror and crime, and at times you feel that you could be watching a movie. It is a slow burn at first but doesn’t take long to get into the heart of the story. This novel will make you realize that true horror isn’t far away in real life. Lovers of horror and dark crime stories will become instant fans of Joanna Wolford and the truly scary “I Kept a Piece of You.”
May 10, 2023
This book was easy to dive into and was also a heavy read for me. It starts off with two brothers who experience a traumatic loss of their mother when they were young. Then it goes to the present time after they’re adults. Alex is living on his own in another town, working and going to college. Eric is also in another town, having married and is raising three children. They both grew estranged from their father Gabe years after their mother Eleanor’s death. At the heart of the story is a hunt for a serial killer who is lurking in the shadows. As the plot progresses, we get to view things from multiple characters’ perspectives. At first I thought this was going to be more of a novel with supernatural elements because of the scary visions Alex had as a small boy. But it turned out to be more of a psychological and crime thriller. Some of the details reminded me of an episode of Criminal Minds. Overall it was hard for me to put down and I flew through it within two days. I flipped between sympathy for Alex and feeling horrified for what he had done. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.
August 26, 2024
I am flummoxed as to how to go about reviewing this book. It wasn't an easy read. I am determined to keep my record of absolutely NO DNFs. It took me a while because I kept having to take a break and go back to make myself finish it. It was just that...blah.
I will start with the positive aspects. It has a good plot. The story is kind of like an extended version of an episode of the TV show "Criminal Minds". There's also a little dash of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent". The entirety of this book has been seen on various episodes of those shows. This is not a bad thing because I love those shows.
Now to carry out the delivery of the negativities. The author has a degree in English and (I think) creative writing. She also gives high praise and thanks to her editor in the acknowledgements. This irritates the mess out of me because this book is riddled with spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. The story is very unoriginal. Also, and this is a personal no-no that I impose on everything I read, the use of the blaspheme "gd". It was unnecessary, added nothing, and actually was out-of-place for the characters using it. Speaking of out-of-place, there is one sex scene. It, again, added nothing to the story. The scene is almost as if it was written by a kid in high school that was probably giggling the whole time. The entire scene was awkward and gratuitous. The final negative is that this book was presented as a horror book at the convention where I bought it directly from the author. It is NOT a horror book. It is a slightly graphic murder mystery. The only horror here is that there are actually human beings just like the main character.
I know this is the author's first attempt at a novel. I don't want this, or any other review, to discourage a budding writer. This is meant as constructive criticism. Ms. Wolford made a valiant attempt with this book and, on the whole, succeeded. Should she offer more novels, I would love to read them to see how much she will improve.
I will start with the positive aspects. It has a good plot. The story is kind of like an extended version of an episode of the TV show "Criminal Minds". There's also a little dash of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent". The entirety of this book has been seen on various episodes of those shows. This is not a bad thing because I love those shows.
Now to carry out the delivery of the negativities. The author has a degree in English and (I think) creative writing. She also gives high praise and thanks to her editor in the acknowledgements. This irritates the mess out of me because this book is riddled with spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. The story is very unoriginal. Also, and this is a personal no-no that I impose on everything I read, the use of the blaspheme "gd". It was unnecessary, added nothing, and actually was out-of-place for the characters using it. Speaking of out-of-place, there is one sex scene. It, again, added nothing to the story. The scene is almost as if it was written by a kid in high school that was probably giggling the whole time. The entire scene was awkward and gratuitous. The final negative is that this book was presented as a horror book at the convention where I bought it directly from the author. It is NOT a horror book. It is a slightly graphic murder mystery. The only horror here is that there are actually human beings just like the main character.
I know this is the author's first attempt at a novel. I don't want this, or any other review, to discourage a budding writer. This is meant as constructive criticism. Ms. Wolford made a valiant attempt with this book and, on the whole, succeeded. Should she offer more novels, I would love to read them to see how much she will improve.
July 1, 2023
This proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable crazy serial killer thriller with a central narrative that flows around the internal broken, and I mean broken, relationships found within the ruins of one extremely dysfunctional, and desperately sad, working class American family.
A five star rating for this well structured and highly imaginative tale just failed to materialise for me as the whole experience just felt a little 'too safe, predictable and rather mainstream' in the final analysis. Not enough descriptive detail in the action hotspots and the plot appeared to just meander on to its logical conclusion without providing any unforeseen thrilling surprises, reveals or
'wow, I didn't see that coming' magical moments to remember along the way.
However, all-in-all, still a gripping read that proved itself to be an enjoyable and entertaining adventure and I would recommend it to readers that love to live in the world of the psychological thriller.
A really good debut novel - I look forward to reading more from this highly talented new author.
Rating: 4.3 stars.
A five star rating for this well structured and highly imaginative tale just failed to materialise for me as the whole experience just felt a little 'too safe, predictable and rather mainstream' in the final analysis. Not enough descriptive detail in the action hotspots and the plot appeared to just meander on to its logical conclusion without providing any unforeseen thrilling surprises, reveals or
'wow, I didn't see that coming' magical moments to remember along the way.
However, all-in-all, still a gripping read that proved itself to be an enjoyable and entertaining adventure and I would recommend it to readers that love to live in the world of the psychological thriller.
A really good debut novel - I look forward to reading more from this highly talented new author.
Rating: 4.3 stars.
April 27, 2022
3.5 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to review!
Wow thee opening few chapters of this I loved! The scene in the classroom would look amazing as a scene for a show and I loved how things were going.
When the story even goes to the future present, and we get to see Alex older and what has become of him after what happened to his mom and also losing contact with his brother and dad.
I did notice some errors while reading, at first I thought I must have misread something but there are some errors that need touching up etc. the parts that were strong for me were the chapters with Alex and just seeing how a traumatic experience had a huge effect on him and his mentality.
Spoilers ahead
What I would have liked is more information or background on the bloated man, as we witness Alex is the only one who can see him which made me excited that, giving the premise, Alex would be the only one seeing his mother and has an ability to see those who are dead, but with what happened to his mom which seemed to have caused him to lose his grip on reality and traumatize him so much, I’m just confused because seeing his mother seemed to be due to this trauma, but then the bloated man would seem odd as this happens to him before that even happened. Maybe I missed something, but regardless I really liked the first few chapters of this and would have given it a even higher rating if the middle didn’t fall a little flat for me, giving how creepy it kicked off.
Excited to see more from Joanna Wolford!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to review!
Wow thee opening few chapters of this I loved! The scene in the classroom would look amazing as a scene for a show and I loved how things were going.
When the story even goes to the future present, and we get to see Alex older and what has become of him after what happened to his mom and also losing contact with his brother and dad.
I did notice some errors while reading, at first I thought I must have misread something but there are some errors that need touching up etc. the parts that were strong for me were the chapters with Alex and just seeing how a traumatic experience had a huge effect on him and his mentality.
Spoilers ahead
What I would have liked is more information or background on the bloated man, as we witness Alex is the only one who can see him which made me excited that, giving the premise, Alex would be the only one seeing his mother and has an ability to see those who are dead, but with what happened to his mom which seemed to have caused him to lose his grip on reality and traumatize him so much, I’m just confused because seeing his mother seemed to be due to this trauma, but then the bloated man would seem odd as this happens to him before that even happened. Maybe I missed something, but regardless I really liked the first few chapters of this and would have given it a even higher rating if the middle didn’t fall a little flat for me, giving how creepy it kicked off.
Excited to see more from Joanna Wolford!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2023
A close family friend who works with Joanna Wolford gave me a copy of this book. Once I finally started reading it, I could hardly put it down. Just the right mix of dysfunctional family and batshit crazy horror. Hard to believe it is a debut novel- I can't wait to see what she writes in the future.
June 22, 2023
Solid 4.5
I was very impressed with the writing and the character development was extremely well done. A hidden gem.
I was very impressed with the writing and the character development was extremely well done. A hidden gem.
April 14, 2022
This wasn't what I expected. I'm not actually sure what I expected but this story grabbed me right in and I loved every bit of it.
Alex & Eric are just children with parents constantly arguing and not getting on. Their mother does her best for them and their father is mostly at work and not very present. Sadly, they lose their mother in an accident with horrific scenes at her funeral.
Fast forward till they are grown men and Alex seems to be coping well. But young girls are going missing in his town. Is he involved? How badly did the past affect him? Eric has a family of his own and their father finally starts to make amends.
I won't spoil anything but it comes full circle and does so in which a great way. I wanted to give 5 stars but had a few remaining questions that needed answered.
Alex & Eric are just children with parents constantly arguing and not getting on. Their mother does her best for them and their father is mostly at work and not very present. Sadly, they lose their mother in an accident with horrific scenes at her funeral.
Fast forward till they are grown men and Alex seems to be coping well. But young girls are going missing in his town. Is he involved? How badly did the past affect him? Eric has a family of his own and their father finally starts to make amends.
I won't spoil anything but it comes full circle and does so in which a great way. I wanted to give 5 stars but had a few remaining questions that needed answered.
April 27, 2022
While some of the story was mildly predictable, the author's ability to write multiple distinct POVs was fantastic. I appreciated the plight of our MC and truly felt pity and sadness for him. This was a "cannot put down" for me and inread it in one sitting.
My only criticism may be slightly off course as I read this as an ARC/Galley , so I'm not sure if the book went through one more round of edits, but if not I think it needed one more.
My only criticism may be slightly off course as I read this as an ARC/Galley , so I'm not sure if the book went through one more round of edits, but if not I think it needed one more.
March 24, 2024
An excellent read.
A fantastic book, I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. Right from the beginning I was caught and I was only going to read a few pages to see if it was for me or not and I finished it. I have no negatives about the book I was riveted all the way to the end. Definitely recommend it.
A fantastic book, I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. Right from the beginning I was caught and I was only going to read a few pages to see if it was for me or not and I finished it. I have no negatives about the book I was riveted all the way to the end. Definitely recommend it.
September 21, 2022
When a debit author can create a good horror atmosphere with some added emotions it will hook you right in!
When I say my hair was raised and I got the chills, it gave me all the spooky vibes and spooky is my jam. I knew from the beginning I wouldn’t be able to put it down.
Each character came to life on this story and brought there own unique vibe the brought the book full circle and gave you everything you needed.
I cannot wait to read more from Joanna Wolford.
Special thanks to netgalley and booksgosocial for providing me with an ARC.
When I say my hair was raised and I got the chills, it gave me all the spooky vibes and spooky is my jam. I knew from the beginning I wouldn’t be able to put it down.
Each character came to life on this story and brought there own unique vibe the brought the book full circle and gave you everything you needed.
I cannot wait to read more from Joanna Wolford.
Special thanks to netgalley and booksgosocial for providing me with an ARC.
August 11, 2023
There’s a good, 4 star story in here but it needs a major editing overhaul to find it. Misspelled words, awkwardly worded sentences and continuous switching between past and present tense made it a very frustrating read.
March 17, 2024
Excellent book
Enjoyed this book very much. It will grab you and pull you through to the end very fast like. I couldn't stop reading. Don't let Alex find you especially if you look like his mother!
Enjoyed this book very much. It will grab you and pull you through to the end very fast like. I couldn't stop reading. Don't let Alex find you especially if you look like his mother!
March 19, 2025
Interesting book
About a family where th e. Mother leaves. End th e one son can't handle if . And he deals with its I'm an unusual way. Makes a good nook about a family that most it's love
About a family where th e. Mother leaves. End th e one son can't handle if . And he deals with its I'm an unusual way. Makes a good nook about a family that most it's love
January 2, 2023
This was a one day read for me. I could not put it down and could not wait to find out what happens next. The perfect creepy vibe!
January 24, 2023
When I started reading this book I didn't know what to expect. Once I began, I couldn't stop reading! A page turning novel with creepy vibes and family drama. It was a great read!
August 25, 2024
Awesome
This was an amazing book. I read it in one day. I just couldn't stop. Very good story telling and interesting characters.
This was an amazing book. I read it in one day. I just couldn't stop. Very good story telling and interesting characters.
July 7, 2022
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review*
A great little horror story that takes a little while to get into, but you'll be glad you stuck it out. Can't wait to read more of Joanna Wolford's work.
A great little horror story that takes a little while to get into, but you'll be glad you stuck it out. Can't wait to read more of Joanna Wolford's work.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews