I really enjoyed this book, as it told a story of a complicated relationship between mother and daughter. The dual timeline gave insights to the mother’s past and what influenced her to become who she is. Reflective of real-life, this story is totally relatable, and had me cheering for the characters and what I hoped would become of them.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

PING! When Paige Meyer receives an update from the DNA testing company she submitted her sample to - they states she has a new parent-child leaf. Thinking it is a mistake, she contacts the Company to be told that there is no mistake, they have linked her with her father. The thing is, her dad has been deceased for 2 years, how could he have submitted his DNA? Once the wheels are set in motion, Paige goes on a journey, dealing with always feeling like the odd one out, her mom's attitude towards who, and who is this mystery man?

Little Pieces of Me is told with a back and forth dialogue, the back is Paige's mom's history and the current is Paige dealing with this development.

I really enjoyed this book and the final chapter got me right in the gut.

Paige Meyer’s life gets turned upside down when she receives an unexpected DNA match via email. The message offers the worst case scenario- claiming to have matched her with a biological father she wasn’t looking for.

Instantly dismissing the idea, Paige intends to not pursue the issue. After all, she had a great relationship with her dad who is now deceased. But the more she thinks about it, the more little things start to nag her. It could be coincidence, but the doubts convince Paige to dig deeper in an effort to find the truth.

Stories like these always fascinate me. With the popularity of DNA and ancestry based websites, I’m sure many times truth is often stranger than fiction. Recently I read the YA novel, You’ve Got a Match which also broached this subject matter, albeit in a less serious way. Little Pieces of Me had a refreshing approach in its delivery- alternating between past and present and between multiple viewpoints. It’s a story about newfound connections, that are not necessarily found in new places.

I read this one with @lovearctually and William Morrow’s Early Reads Program. You can grab a copy of your own when it releases on April 13th!

Little Pieces of Me is a thoughtful approach to something that is wholly possible nowadays - that when submitting your DNA you might be getting back more than just your ancestry results. In Paige's case, as she's still mourning the loss of the father that was everything to her, she finds out he wasn't her biological father. This leads the story into her contentious relationship with her mother and her mixed feelings about pursuing a relationship with her biological father. The path isn't easy, and I'm glad it isn't because it makes this scenario feel so much more like a real life situation. It also has a protagonist in Paige that is easy to like. She's in her early forties and planning on getting married. She has great friends. She's been laid off from her job. She actually seems like a normal person, which makes it even easier to imagine being in her shoes. The story is told in two timelines, so it also goes back and tells the story from her mother and her biological father's perspective in college in the 1970s. This helps the reader understand why what happened, happened, but I can't say that it really made me like Paige's mother more. This book is a great read for someone that doesn't necessarily want fluff, but isn't looking for something that's gut-wrenching either.

Forty-three year old Paige discovers through a DNA testing website that the man she thought was her dad, is not. Details about her real dad become available to Paige but the "dad" she grew up with died two years earlier. This leaves Paige with questions about what really happened and she has to look into her mother's past to figure it out. This leads to Paige to learn about herself and gain a better understanding of her mother of with whom she didn't have a very good relationship. The story is told in a "then" and "now" timing with three perspectives. Paige is "now" and her mother and real father perspectives are "then" in 1975.

The story was well written and the premise is good but there were too many things that bothered me while trying to enjoy it. There was too much time spent on Paige's emotions. I understand that at this point in your life you find out that it isn't what you thought can be very emotional but I think more time should have been spent following her life with the other characters that were included in the story. There wasn't enough depth to these relationships. I found so many questions left unanswered or information that was not quite believable or realistic.

Although I did enjoy the book enough to finish it, it took me longer then usual to do so. I find it difficult to give it more then 3 stars because of that. I do recommend that you read the book though, if the summary sounds interesting to you. So many other people have rated it higher.

Thank you to William Morrow Books and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

What makes us who we are? Alison Hammer explores this question through Paige, a woman who accidentally discovers (through a DNA family tree service) that her beloved, deceased father was not her biological dad. The discovery explains a lot of things, such as Paige’s artistic talent and lack of resemblance to the rest of her family. But, without a genetic bond to the father she loved so much, Paige finds herself thrust into an identity crisis.
Paige’s mother Betsy is not very forthcoming with any details, so we are fortunate as readers to be taken into the past to see exactly how Betsy came to find herself married to one man and giving birth to the daughter of another. The chapters that take place in the past definitely help humanize Betsy and allow the reader to empathize with a character that could (at times) be unlikeable.
Hammer is masterful at her exploration of relationships, and she delves into so many different types in this novel.
I enjoyed this story and shed a few tears while reading it. I did wish that the final chapter had been omitted, as I felt that it was unnecessary and detracted from the story that had been established, but other than that, this was a definite thumbs up for me.

This is a story that is unique to me, however it's getting more common in these times as DNA testing is becoming more common. With "23 and Me," as well as other companies you can literally spit in a tube and send it off in the mail to find out your extended "family tree." This story follows a situation exactly like that, except that the main character never expected it!

The main character, Paige, is an out of work bride-to-be in her early 40's, who never expects to receive an online notification from a company she did a DNA test for ages ago. All it was was an advertising job she had and a free test kit. She never expected anything from it, and when she sees the match is for a biological father she is confused. She has known one father her whole life. This has to be a mistake! But it's not. There is another man out there who contributed to her DNA makeup, and it's not the man she grew up with.

The book follows Paige while she gathers together all the pieces of herself, and learns how to process all the new information about her mother, and her mother's past that she was never aware of.

This is an interesting topic for a book, and it's an easy read.

Little Pieces of Me by Alison Hammer. This is the story of Paige Meyer who finds out thru Family Tree that her dad is not her biological dad. Alternating chapters between then and now. I liked the characters. The struggle Paige went through was real and believable. Sometimes author's have the characters asking themselves too many questions, but this had a good balance. Would recommend.

Our story is defined by all the little choices we make and those made by our immediate circle. What happens when that circle expands without our consent and the family we once knew is now changed? A terrific story of a woman’s struggle of putting all the parts of her story together and finding the pieces that makes her who she is. I enjoyed this book so much that I finished it in less than 12 hours. Definitely a read you won’t want to put down.

This book asks the question of who we are - our name? Our DNA? Or parents or who raised us? Told in dual time lines, you are able to relate to all of the characters. Paige finds out that the father she idolized isn't her biological father. In the past timeline, we find out what happened and how her parents became her parents. I loved that the characters in this book are Jewish!

5 stars!

Sometimes books come into your life at just the right time. Little Pieces of Me is one of those books for me. I loved the character and relationship development. I felt like I knew how the characters were going to respond before I read about it. That for me, is always a good sign. I have become part of the story. I loved this book and it will stay with me for a long time. There were so many great lines including this one which summed up the book for me:

“When you’re deeply surrounded by love, it’s like you’re bathing in it, breathing it in.” Elizabeth from Little Pieces of Me

The book centers around 3 people: Paige, her mother Elizabeth (Betsy) and Adam. We hear from each point of view throughout the book, in different years, but the author makes it very easy to track and stay engaged with the overall story.

As written in the synopsis, Paige has grown up as a Daddy’s girl, and feels lost when her father passes away. She stumbles upon information that her Dad may not be who she has always believed. Her DNA shows up as a strong match for parent relationship with another man. She is confused, angry and at the same time, devastated. She turns to her Mom for more information, but her mother clams up as is her norm. Elizabeth and Paige’s relationship is stilted and strained and has been ever since Paige can remember. Paige blames her birth and the circumstances surrounding it for the difficulties in their relationship, but through the discovery of her DNA Dad, is able to see pieces of her Mom that she previously couldn’t.

Paige is luckily surrounded by relationships that build her up and support her including her fiancé Jeff and her best friends Maks and Margaux. They are with her through every step of her journey to discover more about her past. She also has wonderful memories of the relationship with her Dad, which proved to be one of respect, encouragement, admiration and most of all, overwhelming love.

This book was about so much more than this including being true to your self, being able to open your heart to pain and finding that love is “love means different things at different times in your life.” The parts I mention in my review are simply the pieces that stuck with me the most.

I’m so excited for this book to hit the shelves in April, 2021. Many heartfelt thanks to BookClubGirl, NetGalley and William Morrow for letting me read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Put this on your TBR list now and thank me later.

Thank you for the opportunity to read an early version of this book. Paige gets some interesting news from a DNA site and has to make some difficult life decisions because of it. The alternating story lines were easy to follow and filled in what really happened. This was a great story, clean, no foul language, with believable characters that I really enjoyed reading. I will look for other work by this author.

Not my usual read but wow what a great story! It did take me a little while to get into the story but once I did I was hooked. Paige who is in her forties is unemployed, engaged to be married to Jeff, has recently lost her father Mark and to top off all that is going on in her life she receives an email that a new leaf has been added to her ancestry tree. Her father isn’t her biological father!
Through alternate chapters of ‘then’ and ‘now’ we learn the story of how Paige’s mother Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ falls pregnant and her relationship with Paige’s fathers - Mark and Andrew. Paige always felt her mother was distant but her father Mark loved her snd she loved him. We see Paige comes to terms with her own identity and see her resolve her relationship issues with her mother. There are lots of secrets, family relationships, loyalty and friendship themes. I particularly loved how Paige dealt with finding her new found father. A truly wonderful read.

A satisfying read! Told from multiple points of view, we hear the story unfold in chapters labeled either now or then. The main character, Paige, a forty something year old, happily engaged, although a bit lost professionally, receives a message one day that a new leaf had been added to her ancestry tree. A timely and realistic premise, Paige discovers that the father she is still grieving for, was not, in fact ,her biological father. We get to hear her mother's story and her biological father's story as Paige tries to uncover and come to terms with the truth. This unexpected journey forces Paige to grapple with her own self identity and her unsatisfying relationship with her mother as her wedding day approaches. I read this as an advance copy courtesy of #NetGalley

I received this book from Netgalley. O.MG! I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down. The characters made you laugh and cry! What a wonderful story. . You must read this book!!!
Thank you!!!

Engrossing story about the reactions and actions of Paige Meyer when she discovers the man she grew up believing was her father is not her biological father. A very interesting read. The main character is well developed but her mother, Elizabeth is a bit too one dimensional and I would have liked to read more about her father’s relationship to his younger twin daughters.

Paige Meyer’s world changes in one email! She receives the results from the DNA testing website and it states a completely different name as her father, not the father she knows. How can this be? Paige is Daddy’s girl, has he always known? What about her mother, why did she hid this secret? As readers we follow Paige along in finding answers. This story is told in dual timelines and in two POVs, present day with Paige and the ‘70s with Betsy Kaplan and Andy Abrams. Betsy is Paige’s mom and her story is an emotional one, we begin to understand the strained relationship between her and Paige. This is a beautiful story of love and forgiveness. The characters are well developed and like able, and with so many DNA tests available the topic is very relatable. Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and the author for a gifted copy.

Little Pieces of Me is a book that is very relevant, as the number of people interested in finding out what their DNA can tell them about their ancestors increases.

I was not prepared for this book to emotionally wreck me though. I felt all of the emotions that Paige felt. Alison Hammer wrote her characters so well, they came alive. I loved the realness in this story, the heartbreak that comes from finding out a secret. Watching Paige find herself and realize that certain things don't change who she is as a person was comforting. I feel like we could all use the type of support Paige had in her life. We also should approach everyone else with understanding as we don't know their stories until they share with us.

I recommend this book to help you think about what makes a family, how to move forward when something unexpected happens, and if you want to see old wounds healed.

A charming read about what makes a family - is it defined by DNA, or something more, and how your definition of family can define you (or does it?). Paige is stunned to find that her beloved father is not her biological father, and that discovery reverberates across most of her life. I enjoyed that Paige is 43, so not a young woman, and I felt that her reactions were true to how a 40-something would react to such news. Paige, her mother Elizabeth (Betsy), and both Mark and Andy are all fully formed characters, and you will find yourself both rooting for and being exasperated by each in turn. The novel is told in dual timelines - the present from Paige's POV, and the past, when Paige's parents are in college. Both timelines were lovely, and the resolution to the novel is heartwarming and brought about a few tears.

"When Paige Meyer gets an email from a DNA testing website announcing that her father is a man she never met, she is convinced there must be a mistake. But as she digs deeper into her mother’s past and her own feelings of being the odd child out growing up, Paige begins to question everything she thought she knew. Could this be why Paige never felt like she fit in her family, and why her mother always seemed to keep her at an arm’s length? And what does it mean for Paige’s memories of her father, a man she idolized and whose death she is still grieving? Back in 1975, Betsy Kaplan, Paige’s mom, is a straight-laced sophomore at the University of Kansas. When her sweet but boring boyfriend disappoints her, Betsy decides she wants more out of life, and is tired of playing it safe. Enter Andy Abrams, the golden boy on campus with a potentially devastating secret. After their night together has unexpected consequences, Betsy is determined to bury the truth and rebuild a stable life for her unborn child, whatever the cost.

When Paige can’t get answers from her mother, she goes looking for the only other person who was there that night. The more she learns about what happened, the more she sees her unflappable, distant mother as a real person faced with an impossible choice. But will it be enough to mend their broken relationship?"

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am exhausted this morning! EXHAUSTED! I picked up this book last night and thought I would read a few chapters and go to bed! HA! I didn't go to bed until I finished the entire book! Paige receives an email from a DNA testing site that tells her that her father whom she loves most in the world is NOT her father. Paige's dad died 2 years ago and she has taken his death very hard. Now to find out he wasn't her biological father? Paige reaches out to her mother to find out what is going on. Paige and her mom have never been close. As Paige is figuring things out, because of the dual time line, we find out what Paige's mom was like when she was in college. This is a beautiful story of a mother and daughter's relationship and all of the ups and downs that entails. I truly loved this book and its wonderful characters. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.