This was a very intriguing mystery that got a bit lost in the flashbacks and drama for me.

I did like the mystery. I found Marly's drive to want to know what happened compelling and I did find myself drawn in, at first, to know more. But as the flashbacks went back and then back more, I started getting pulled out. The jealousy and drama from Marly was understandable but didn't always feel authentic or like a real teen. The ending felt a bit rushed but I still did like the conclusion.

Compelling and interesting, I liked this one.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I had considered dnf-ing Marly in Pieces twice, mostly because I hated the toxic friendship of the main character with her dead best friend, but I was still intrigued to know how the mystery would unravel.

When Marly found her best friend, Rae, no longer alive in a cabin with her wrists slashed, Marly’s life spiralled out of control as she questioned what had actually happened to Rae. The chapters alternated between the present and past, providing insights on how Marly and Rae’s friendship cracked over the years.

From the start, it was clear how toxic Rae was. The way she dictated a lot of things when she was with Marly irked me a lot, especially when Duffy came into the picture. When both girls end up falling for the same guy, it was inevitable that they would have fights, but Rae’s way of talking to Marly even after Duffy confessed to liking Marly was so toxic and demeaning. I did like Duffy and I think Marly and him were sweet together, but I hated the secrets that Duffy and Rae shared, cutting out Marly and causing her to be paranoid over her own best friend and boyfriend.

I stayed for the mystery whether Rae did end up comitting suicide or was murdered, but the ending was so abrupt. There was barely any explanations on what truly happened to Rae, and who was fully at fault. It is a story with messy characters and messy plot. I feel like it could have been better if the ending was not so vague, because I did like some parts of the story.

I enjoyed this book!!

I loved the mystery element of the plot. This novel had a great premise and a lot of potential that it lived up to. The inclusion of flashbacks was in interesting structural feature that helped propel the plot. I thoroughly enjoyed how almost all the characters were unreliable and could have been guilty.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Teen drama perfection.
I loved every second of the book, it was quite the rollercoaster, and it held my attention throughout.
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The storyline was so compelling, and the narration of present and past was written well.
Marley was a great narrator. Although she had been kept in the dark on many instances, the way she tried to collect all details together to draw a conclusion was captivating.
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I absolutely loved the characters, the author wrote multi layered ones, which made it super interesting because you didn't know what was going to happen.
Marley and Rae became two of my favorite fictional characters. They were written so well that you could envision how each part played out.
Writing a character who is a pathological lier and a narcissist is no small feat. The author excelled with Rae. She wrote her character so well, some scenes actually were hard to read because of how oppressive Rae's manipulating tendencies were.
On the other hand, Marley's gullible nature was also well written, it showed the stark difference between her character and Rae's.
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The book could've been an A+ level book if it weren't for the ending. It was anticlimactic and so rushed. We didn't get a closure.
But, overall, definitely one of the best books this year.
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*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

I thought the premise of this story was really interesting but unfortunately the execution didn’t live up to my hopes. Overall an enjoyable read but very predictable.

This book really surprised me. It started off pretty emotional (in a good way) and tragic. Then I was on the edge of my seat for a lot of it. I didn’t predict the end at all, there were so many red herrings, it kept me guessing the whole time. However the very very end felt a little thrown together. The end result wasn’t bad but for some reason it just felt like the writing fell apart in the last few pages, it was weird. Anyway, I still loved it and would definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really wanted to love Marly in Pieces by Cathrina Constantine but I am torn about it. Overall, I liked the premise of the storyline, think it is pretty well written, and is engaging but it was confusing at times and the ending was not the best and left me with several questions which was somewhat disappointing. #MarlyinPieces #NetGalley

I was not a fan of this book. I almost DNFed it as it wasn’t as great. I could appreciate what the author did, but I could not get into the story. Definitely wasn’t for me.

Marly is on a quest for the truth. Her best friend allegedly committed suicide but she doesn’t believe it. The narrative expands over three years as Marly delves deeper into her investigation. I thought the story was decent and the chapters were fairly short which made it seem as TH reading was progressing quickly. There were a few spots where the plot dragged a bit, but the author wrapped everything up at the end.

Marly in pieces by Cathrina Constantine is a fantastic story. I found it gripping, engaging, and fascinating throughout.

I can't do half-stars on these reviews, but if I could, I'd give this a 3.5/5 stars. Marly in Pieces is gripping and moves along quickly. I didn't want to put it down because I wanted to know what happened next, and I was desperate to find out the answers. That being said, I predicted the killer, which isn't always a bad thing, but the ending just felt weird and rushed with the reveal. Some of the characters were hard to believe, but I guess that's also the complexity of human existence? Marly's constant insecurity and jealousy are annoying at times and wind up taking over parts of the novel that it shouldn't, but I do think that that was very accurate to the mindset of a teenage girl her age. Also, I couldn't blame her for it because Rae really put it on and did everything she could to mess with Marly's head.

And that leads me to my thoughts on Rae. On one hand, I'm tired of the overused trope of damaged, abused, beautiful teenage girl is manipulative and awful but so captivating that people take her back no matter how terrible she is. On the other hand, I can't help feeling bad for her because literally everyone in her life lets her down. She's certainly a victim of her circumstances, and she's young and reacting the only way she knows how in order to survive. Does that make her likable? Not really. But I did feel sorry for her in a way that I usually don't whenever I read that the dead best friend is the above mentioned trope.

Overall, I enjoyed Marly in Pieces. Quick-paced, gripping, and interesting, this novel is worth a read and isn't just your run of the mill YA thriller. Cathrina Constantine is a competent writer, and I look forward to reading more of her stuff!

Marly and Rae are the best of friends. Lately it’s been a bit contentious but they know they’ll likely always be friends.
Unfortunately things go very wrong and Marly finds Rae dead. She believes it’s a suicide because of how she found Rae but the police are painting a very different picture.
Marly suspects her boyfriend but as she finds out secrets Rae had been keeping there are other people who are becoming likely suspects.
While I found this book well written I want to almost say there were too many suspects. We are meant to be kept guessing to the very end and in that the book does it’s job as even now I sit here pondering certain aspects.

This book was a little meh for me. When Marley's best friend is found dead, Marley refuses to believe that she committed suicide. As the mystery unfolds I found the character development lacking and the overall story was predictable. While it was a quick read it was not a book I will contemplate or think about, it is pretty forgettable.

I badly wanted to like this book. The description really got me hooked to the story in the beginning but I slowly pulled away from it. 

Marly in Pieces is a story of friendship and trust. It tackles the mystery behind Marly's bestfriend Rae's death. It's a crime mystery so you would expect your trust to be tested a lot. I suspected everyone close to them but I figured out who's responsible for the biggest mystery early into the book. Although it did threw me off a little in the end, I still ended up being right. 

I really think I would've liked this if everything was executed in a much better way. There's no specific thing I hated. I actually think the book has a lot of good ideas but those ideas were combined and it wasn't a good combination.

The book left us with a lot of unanswered questions. Which is the main reason why I didn't end up liking this book as much as I wanted to.

Not sure what I was expecting. Very well written, but major questions never get answered. The end is a tad abrupt. Who is really abusing Rae? Who's the father of her baby? What exactly was her endgame of her blackmail scheme?? I was disappointed as it was a very intriguing premise.

Marly in Pieces
by Cathrina Constantine
CHBB Publishing
Mystery & Thrillers | Teens & YA
Pub Date 07 Jul 2020



I am reviewing a copy of Marly in Pieces through CHBB Publishing and Netgalley:



Marly can’t believe her her friend, Rae, committed suicide, despite the fact her wrists were slit.



Marly and Rae drifted apart, but despite that they had made a vow, a vow Marly intends to honor.


Marly becomes determined to find her best friend Rae’s killer. There is a long list of potential suspects all who have secrets and lies they are trying to cover up that includes the boy she loves. Can Marly uncover the murderer’s identity before she becomes the next victim?


I give you Marly in Pieces five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I have mixed feelings for this book. It did have an interesting mystery with a lot of red herrings and moving pieces. In between investigating whether Rae was murdered, there are Marly's struggles with her and Rae's friendship and her relationship with her boyfriend Duffy. I thought so many of Marly's doubts and problems could have been solved if she had an honest conversation with people instead of taking things out of context and running away.

The back and forth timeline wasn't as clear as I wanted and a few times I was confused whether things were happening now or then. I also got mad at Duffy and didn't think he was a good boyfriend. It's one thing to be Rae's friend, but him letting her sleep in his bed and not clarifying what was going on was a jerk move. I thought Marly deserved a better boyfriend and friend, plus her parents weren't great either. Poor girl.

I thought the ending was kind of sloppy and I still don't completely understand. I needed clarification as to who was responsible for what in the mystery. The story did move pretty quickly and you really feel for all that Marly goes through. This was an okay read for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. Thank you to CHBB Publishing for the copy.

I read the first chapter before setting this aside. The writing and the characters were both things I did not like. I just finished a book recently that had the same writing style as this and it took me so long to trek through and actually finish it. Marly and Rae were the typical best friends with one being introverted and the other being manipulative and selfish. The writing was all over the place and had so much telling just within the first chapter. I wouldn't have been able to read the whole book with so much telling along with despising the characters. Thank you for giving me the chance to read this.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher, #CHBBpublishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fun novel full of twists and turns. Cathrina Constantine does an excellent job of keeping the reading engaged and guessing until the last page.