I have mixed feelings about this one. I appreciate the author's intent in trying to tell a story of a girl with DID. It felt a little naive/too optimistic, too fast healing, too good of a friend and boyfriend. Too good family, too fast resolution with the abuser. As a story, it was interesting but also didn't work for me. . I came into this knowing a lot more than the average person about it, as I have known three women with this.

Eighteen year old Dylan quit drinking when her blackouts started to scare her. So when she wakes up in a strange boy's apartment and discovers she can't remember the last three days, Dylan realizes that there might be something more serious going on. A few medical appointments later and Dylan is diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder. She can't remember any sort of trauma that would have caused her brain to create different identities, but each passing day leads to more information from more identities.

Pieces of Me is an in-depth look at DID. All of the characters are extremely well developed, including Dylan's other identities. The story is hopeful and uplifting, and DID seems to be well researched and well represented. Some readers might find the quickness of Dylan's medical appointments and diagnosis and the somewhat easy support and understanding of her family and friends to be unbelievable. The sexual content isn't super descriptive, but reads as more new adult that ya. Probably not a great fit for my high school library, but a super engaging and compelling read for the 17+ age group.

Pieces of Me is about a girl named Dylan who finds out she has dissociative identity disorder (DID). She finds out strength in coping with it.

This is my first Kate McLaughlin book and will definitely not be my last. I was hooked from the first page and didn't want to put this book down!

I didn't know much about DID before reading this book but you can tell the author went to great lengths to research it and she did a phenomenal job portraying it. I loved getting to know all the different personalities that made up Dylan's disorder.

***Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review***

3.5/5 stars! I found this story fascinating. It is clear the author did a great deal of research reading Dissociative Identity Disorder. However, in her attempts to minimize the stigma around mental health, she almost eliminated any conflict or ruptures in the MC's support system. I worry that this could minimize the experiences of people with DID whose support systems are not as accepting (which appears to often be the case). The story itself is compelling and I think provides really interesting insights into this diagnosis.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Dylan is likeable but hard to get a read on. Given her DID diagnose this makes sense though I wanted more sense with her alters/in her inner world. The information about DID is well integrated with her friend Izzy being the researcher of the two. Conner is a unrealistic sweetheart but I love him.. This is well researched from what I have read and have experienced with less severe dissociation.

An amazing look at what is must be like to live with multiple personalities. From the get go the reader is drawn in to the life of the main character. You can't help but feel for her and want answers! As the story progresses you learn so much, not just about the character, but about resources for mental illness and what it is like to question and try to find answers for mental health problems. An AMAZING read.

Very compelling and thought provoking novel exploring a teen with dissociative identity disorder. The story moves along briskly but takes time to explore the identities emerging. Both the main character and her family and friends show true compassion and understanding. A difficult disorder to really understand but the author does a great job of engaging the reader and providing clarity

A really fascinating story about a young woman struggling with Dissociative Identity Disorder, The novel sometimes is from the viewpoint of her alters, which was interesting. The story is mostly about her journey toward better mental health and dealing with her disorder, but also a slight mystery element as to what triggered the disorder.

Dylan keeps losing time, and not in a way that’s “normal” for teenagers. It’s not that she’s distracted, blacked out, or even simply irresponsible. So when she wakes up in someone else’s house, not remembering the last 3 days, Dylan knows that her problems are quite serious. As Dylan tries to figure out exactly what happened, she also wants to get to know the guy, Connor, that she lost time with.

Pieces of Me takes a deep dive into dissociative identity disorder unlike any other book I’ve read. Unfortunately, DID can be used to create some kind of uber villain in a lot of texts, which is of course problematic in many ways. I appreciated that Pieces of Me tries to educate about DID while still being an engaging novel. I’m not a medical professional, so I can’t vouch if this is a perfect representation of DID or not. However, it is abundantly clear that Kate McLaughlin is respectful and values mental health, so the attitude her book takes towards DID helps readers to learn and empathize with people that live with this diagnosis.

I’ve been enjoying McLaughlin’s work, and I like the at she goes for difficult topics. I’m excited to see what she does next!

4.5/5 (rounded down to 4)

CW: dissociative identity disorder (DID), self-harm, suicide attempt, stigma towards mental illness, recreational alcohol and drug use (recounted), abuse, divorce, postpartum depression (recounted off-page), emesis, dementia (recounted, off-page), death of a grandparent (recounted, off-page)

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Dylan has lost track of time, but she never expected to wake up in a stranger’s bed with no recollection of the past three days or having strangers coming up to her like they know her. After being misdiagnosed with mental disorder after mental disorder, Dylan finds herself not knowing what her own mind is doing. After being hospitalized, she ends up being diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder (DID) and she begins to explore living with DID.

This is a really powerful book about living with mental illness. I knew a little about DID prior to reading Pieces of Me and I feel like McLaughlin does a good job of accurately portraying DID. You can definitely notice the amount of research McLaughlin did when writing this book (she also includes those resources at the end of the book) and she has such a way of writing the complex intricacies for someone living with DID.

Even though the book is divided into three sections, the basis of the plot can be divided into two main parts: before Dylan is diagnosed with DID and after Dylan is diagnosed with DID. The first half of the plot was smooth and linear regarding Dylan getting diagnosed. However, the second half of the plot isn’t as defined, but it gets better when you head into the third part of the book.

While this book at times can be a heavy read, I think this book is a real gem that I can’t wait to see published next year.

I loved this story so much. This was a lovely and poignant story, crafted with wonderful characters and gorgeous writing. I found myself rooting for the main character

AS CAWPILE:
Characters: 8 | Atmosphere: 7 | Writing: 9 | Plot: 9 | Intrigue: 9 | Logic: 10 | Enjoyment: 9
Total: 8.71 / 4 stars

The obvious disclaimer here, I do not have DiD and my review is based on that standpoint. The author's acknowledgments at the end make me feel comfortable that she did adequate research for this book, however, as I am not someone with DiD, I do not have the experience to say whether or not it was perfect.

With that being said, I loved this book. The way it handled this felt well-researched, and the way that the characters had distinct voices while still trying back to the Host in a notable way was well done. The book was interesting, with a plot I was invested in. There were several times I was worried about something negative happening to the Host due to her mental illness, but she was never villainized, and always allowed her own bodily autonomy.

There were, even, moments in this book that I related to as someone with a wonderful support system who often also feels "smothered by it but desperate for it". This book made me tear up, and I sped through it faster than I've been able to read in weeks. Truly well done and a fantastic read.

I have really enjoyed the last two books I have read by this author. Sadly, this latest was a miss for me even though I was really hoping it would be another home run.

The book is told from multiple point-of-views but from one individual who is diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder. I do not know much about this disorder besides when it was discussed on YouTube when it came to Trisha Paytas, haha. Obviously, that is a whole other topic. The author did include in her acknowledgement that she did a lot of research for this book and so I can only take her word for it. Hopefully, it is accurate.

Dylan was an interesting character. Her story starts very quickly and doesn’t really have a lull point. There is always a switch or something from her past coming up. She is also trying to swim through therapy, find a game plan, and still try to have a “normal” life outside of it all. I do think that Conner (the love interest) is very kind and doesn’t mind everything that she is going through. The problem with that is he feels too perfect. I don’t think that it would play exactly as it did in the book.

Even though I felt for her situations, I didn’t connect with her on a deeper level. This could be due to my reading mood or that the writing just didn’t feel as engaging as her previous books. I do think that there are important topics discussed in the book and some of the content warnings would include self-harm and sexual abuse.

Overall, this was an okay read. It wasn’t one of her stronger books (for me at least), but I am still looking forward to what she writes next.

This novel may not be suitable for super fragile readers. The main character is a young woman struggling with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Please remind yourself that this young adult novel is written as fiction with little buds of education, a brief exploration of a rare disorder that no one has a complete understanding of before you go into any kind of tirade after reading.

I’m sure that providing entertainment along with a heightened awareness of what some people struggle with following childhood trauma was this author’s ultimate goal . . . and I think she accomplished just that.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of Pieces of Me for my unbiased evaluation.  4 stars

first of all, thank you to netgalley and to kate mclaughlin for allowing me to read this before its release in exchange for an honest review.
i really, really, really enjoyed this book. like, a lot. i was hooked from the very first page and read it straight through in one sitting (roughly 2-ish hours). the writing is fantastic and i thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters.
cannot wait until it is released so i can buy it!! easily a 5 star read.

I loved this book! It was so interesting how Katie formulated Dylan’s system. I loved reading the raw and intimate way Dylan struggled and preserved through figuring out how to live a “normal” life with Dissociate Identity Disorder. I honestly had no clue what really went on in someone’s head while they had this disorder until I read this book. Also, can we all have a Connor in our life? Because wow how can you not love him?

My first 5 star review in a while. I just loved this book!

It is the story of a girl who wakes up in an apartment she does not recognize with people she doesn't know. This was not her first "blackout". It turns out she has DID (multiple personalities)

I enjoyed the premise, the story and the writing. I loved how the book was told from the point of view of multiple alters - it was fascinating how they interacted with each other (or didn't). You can tell the author put some real research into this. And the transition from one personality to the other was seemless.

It also tells the story of the support she gets from family and friends as she discovers herself fully. I really loved these people and would hang out with them any time.

I closed this book and went "wow".

i want to thank the author #KateMcLaughlin the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review. I will be reading more books by this author for sure.

Books with people with dissociative identity disorder can usually be very hit or miss. A lot of people portray them in a negative light as well as sometimes a violent light but this book didn’t do that. I think it portrays mental health struggles really well, and that it’s useful for those who struggle with the same things but it’s also useful in helping some people learn about those things,

Pieces of Me is fiction that reads like a memoir about an 18 year old girl before, during, and after her Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) diagnosis. While each persons experience would be unique, this book is a fantastic primer on a variety of possibilities as well how to help. Dylan has multiple personalities that live inside her to help her survive traumatic events that happened when she was younger. We get to meet and understand the role that some of these characters play to help her. Dylan's friends and family are exceptionally supportive and the reader can only hope that this is realistic. The author includes lists for further research including books, movies, and YouTube channels. I enjoyed reading this eye-opening book about one aspect of mental illness.

I thought this was such an interesting read on the topic of Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Dylan randomly wakes up one morning in a stranger's bed and has no idea who she is with nor why she's being called by another name.

And, so, begins her journey in discovering that she has DID and what that ACTUALLY looks like (it's not like what you see in Split -- Dylan even references that movie at one point).

Good read for a fictional view into DID.