I tried reading this book but sadly I didn't make it very far while reading this book. I think that the different point of views made it a bit difficult to understand . I usually love this author's books and I hoped that this one would work out for me.

This one was tough for me to get through, which is so sad because Megan Miranda is wonderful! I just felt like there was more coming of age than mystery/suspense in this one and that was disappointing. I don't enjoy reading flashbacks, and there were a lot in this book. The last bit was suspenseful and kept me reading, so I ended up being glad I pressed on... but overall it just wasn't the book for me.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

I have enjoyed Megan Miranda's books because she is an author that is very skilled at unfolding the story slowly and keeping it moving with little tidbits, while some mystery authors try to hold everything back and then have too big of a climax. This novel unfolds slowly and is definitely more sad than her previous novels, however, very well done. I also appreciate the full spectrum of a relationship where it is wonderful, romantic and sweet in the beginning and the ending of a relationship too where sometimes they just end. This was quite well done and enjoyable. Definitely some twists I was NOT expecting and did not see, that is a big nod to the author to be able to have those unfold without me figuring it out! Quite a good read.

This novel was interesting in that it dragged somewhat for me. And then all of a sudden it twisted to become a thrilling, suspenseful mystery with all these "fragments" coming together to solve the mystery. A few times the plot seemed to far-fetched and actions by a couple characters not believable, but overall, it was a fun read, once you understood that you needed to put all the pieces together to finally get to the heart of the climax of the novel.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

I was unable to read this title before the publication date. At this time, I'm no longer interested in reading it, but will consider it in the future. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this title.

Jessa's life has been turned upside down by her boyfriends recent death. As she struggles to put the past to rest she unearths secrets that should've stayed buried. It was fun going along on Jessa's hunt for answers!

**You can find the original review here: https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/
Jessa has spent the last 4oish days wallowing in grief, isolating herself from her friends and world, since her ex-boyfriend Caleb died while driving off a bridge during a flash flood- and Jessa was the last seen talking to him. Tasked by his mother Eve to clean and pack his room since the house is for sale, Jessa searches his room for clues as to what happened to him, what happened to them, trying to find herself along the way. ​

​This was very much so a character study of a book narrated by Jessa, but I feel like I don't know Jessa very well (she was more like the unbiased narrator, showing us facts with not too much judgement thrown in)- she seems like a nice, regular teen girl, feels a little lost in her family that focuses on her talented older brother​, was consumed by her boyfriend as well as her boyfriends death. We learn about Caleb, the fact Jessa knew nothing about him while he was alive, but now that he is dead she learns all his secrets. And boy, was Caleb a convoluted character. We also get to know Eve, Caleb's mother, who is kind of a terrible person, forcing Jessa's hand, full of mistrust and overstepping her boundaries. Yeah, there was some crazy relationship dynamics in this story that kept me completely hooked!

​To me this is the most emotional of Megan's books, and as a super fan, I have read almost all of them, be it her YA or adult mysteries. The entire duration of the story was filled with angst and depression, it was basically dripping though the pages, so almost tangible that I felt like I could reach out and feel it coming from Jessa. It was not only Jessa's depression of her first love being dead, but her grief over the unraveling of their relationship. I was just as curious as to what happened between Jessa and Caleb and Caleb's last hours as Jessa was and I was 100% engaged, but this was not a happy read, not even a little bit.

As per the norm for Megan, this was a great read, a completely new premise and delivery method (told through memories of found items and current events) that makes each layer to the story become important, a complete picture being revealed as the shell is slowly removed. Fragments of the Lost was a slow burn mystery, setting things up, getting emotional, before we start delving deeper. There were so many twists and turns, questions that had the wrong answers, lies that popped up- I will admit that I was shocked repeatedly. I had no idea what was coming next, or even what I hoped would be revealed.

This started painfully slow for me. The writing is excellent but the pacing was slow-moving as it focused on Jessa’s grief for her ex-boyfriend’s sudden death and how she deals with being surrounded by things that remind her of him. Narrated by Jessa, the story was told in the present with her packing Caleb’s stuff and with every item she held brings back memories of the times she spent with her ex-boyfriend. But that back and forth between past and present can be very confusing and dragging and would require some patience. Once you get past that slow start, things picked up and took on an unexpected turn that will surely give a newfound interest to the story. As the suspense build and mystery starts to unravel, it is impossible to put down. The characters are great and Jessa is a solid main character and so easy to identify with. Overall, it is a well-crafted YA mystery story, really impressive and worth sticking to.

Hard book to read, but the mystery draws you in and won't let you go.

While not my favorite of Megan Miranda's books, I enjoyed Fragments of the Lost.

The story begins with a high school break up gone bad. Jessa has just broken up with Caleb right before he drives off a bridge and disappears. Caleb’s mother tells Jessa that they are moving and asks her to help pack up Caleb’s room. Yes, this is weird but it makes sense once you get towards the end of the book. It is also strange that as Jessa packs up Caleb’s things she recalls detailed memories about the items. All I have to stay is stick with it! It is a bit drawn out but the ending is worth it.

I loved the premise of the novel. The way the story was laid out was also engaging. The way that the reader was drawn into the flashbacks kept the pace of the story strong and built suspends. However, I did feel that the ending felt a little weak.

(as posted on Goodreads) ** spoiler alert ** I really enjoy YA mysteries and thrillers, but I had the same problems with this one as I had with Dead Girls Don't Lie a few years ago: everything happened too conveniently. Jessa thinks she's hit a dead end? LOOK UP, THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE SIGNIFICANT. Jessa can't remember something? OH WAIT HERE'S AN OBJECT THAT TRIGGERS THAT MEMORY. The slow pacing, plus the "coincidence" of finding each of the clues didn't work for me. I thought it was obvious from the start that Caleb had faked his death, so that part didn't come as some great revelation. I guess I was just hoping for more from this book, but the convenient "fragments" (the title is great) made it all a little too made-for-TV-movie-esque for me.

Megan Miranda's psychological thrillers All The Missing Girls and The Perfect Stranger are on my list of all time favorites, so of course I added Fragments Of The Lost to my most-anticipated list as soon as I heard about it. And while I still prefer her thrillers, there is no doubt that Fragments Of The Lost is an excellent read. The first thing that stands out is the writing style, which is just as strong and beautiful as ever and makes it really easy to fully dive into this story. I really liked how the chapters and memories were related to the things the character finds during her quest. This is a perfect reference to the title and quite an original touch. Those memories also involve some suspense around what really happened and will help introducing plot twists to the story. There were a few I definitely didn't see coming! That said, I wasn't a fan of the love triangle included in the story and I was never able to fully warm up to the characters. Those are only minor compared to the other elements I did enjoy though, and YA contemporary fans will very likely devour Fragments Of The Lost.

At first I didn't like the slow, meandering feel of this book, the systematic deconstruction of a relationship. In the final chapters, though, I felt a bit betrayed when Miranda abandoned that construct in favor of regular ol' "people are awful". While I had initially found that flash back construction slow, it grew on me. I was, in time, very interested in that exploration of secrets and perceptions.

Megan Miranda's Fragments of the Lost was the third novel by the author that I read during 2017 campaign to reach 300 books. The others being All the Missing Girls and The Perfect Stranger. This story is one in which each individual chapter is a puzzle piece, or a fragment. Fragments that protagonist Jessamyn Whitworth will need to piece together in order to find out what really happened to her ex-boyfriend Caleb just days after the couple broke up.

Fragments of the Lost is a story that is told in various flashbacks and timelines. It starts the day that Caleb's mother Eve asks Jessa to pack up Caleb's room. Jessa is truly down on life itself, consumed by grief, and memories of the time they spent together. There's the Dragonfly Necklace that was last seen after Jessa gave it to Caleb to hold for her before her cross country track meet. Signs for the Bunker, pictures of Caleb and Jessa together. One could be asking themselves lots of questions at this point.

Why would Eve ask Jessa to pack up Caleb's room and most importantly, if you were being blamed by Eve for Caleb's disappearance, would you have the fortitude or strength to be in a place where so many good and bad memories remain behind? I always say to my fellow readers don't give up on a story before it really gets interesting. Well folks, the interesting parts and the most mysterious parts are the final chapters when things really come together for not only Jessa, but an awake reader as well.

If you sleep through key chapters, fragments of Caleb's life that he left behind, then you will miss out on important bread crumbs. If you miss out on the relationship between Jessa and Caleb's best friend Max, you will miss out on things that may have lead to discovering the truth about Caleb. Things can get rather unsettling if you are Jessa. You can be your own worst enemy at times when you allow your imagination to run wild without sitting down and asking yourself if you really knew the boy named Caleb or his family.

Miranda's books are a curiosity in the way she puts them together. The protagonist may or may not be someone you have issues with trusting since they may have done things that you wouldn't have done. But, don't shove Jessa off a cliff just yet. She isn't perfect, but she does have the capability of putting one and one together to find out the truth about things that were happening right in front of her eyes the entire time. One could say that Max is a character who took up way too much of Jessa's time, or one could say that he was the right person for Jessa when Caleb was becoming someone else entirely. Readers will get a story that is wrapped up in ways that make sense once you have all the pieces at your disposal. Do yourselves a favor. Have patience. Allow the author to lead you by the hand until you understand how utterly diabolical she can be.

Jessa and Caleb's relationship was over before he was swept away during a flash flood, but that doesn't make her grief any less significant. She feels his loss in everything she comes across, especially all of the little pieces of his life she's packing away in his room at his mother's request. Each memory comes flooding back as she reflects on their relationship, both the good and the bad. Just when she wants to run and hide, her guilt compels her to continue. Everyone, including his mom, blames her for his death, assuming he was driving to see her when he was caught in the flooding river. But as Jessa packs each piece of Caleb's life into boxes, she begins to uncover evidence that Caleb may have been keeping secrets, realizing that the boy she knew never truly shared himself with her. With the help of his best friend, Max, Jessa is determined to uncover whatever Caleb was hiding. They thought they knew who Caleb was, but did they ever really know him? Some secrets should be kept for a reason...

I dived into this without remember what is was about. I was given an ebook copy from Netgalley back in November and didn't get around to reading it until now. Needless to say, I was beyond surprised. This was definitely not what I thought it would be when I started reading it. Fragments of the Lost is really two stories in one: first, we are introduced to Jessa and her relationship with Caleb in tiny fragments (obviously), as she packs away his things to help assuage her guilt about the circumstances of his death. Each memory is a reminder of how we can be so entwined with another person yet never truly know them. As her reminiscing becomes more and more detailed, so does her search for what really happened to Caleb. A story of grief-turned-mystery is a quick read for any reluctant reader and great for YA drama fans.