I cried, this book was heartbreaking, but also uplifting. I didn't want to believe that this was a true story that had to be endured, but it made me grateful and thankful for my blessing and was also super inspirational.

BROKEN GIRL by Bradley Taylor Greive and Caroline Laner Bruere
US Pub Date: May 6, 2025 from @andrewsmcmeel Publishing

I’m not typically an ARC reader but decided to start dipping my toes in recently and picked up this memoir that was available to read now on NetGalley, and man am I glad I did!

Broken Girl is a memoir of Caroline Laner Bruere, a twenty-something Brazilian woman who is building her life in Australia. She takes a trip to Europe with her boyfriend in the fall of 2019 and is hit by a police car in Barcelona, crushing her skull and resulting in a traumatic brain injury. The memoir follows her story to regain her strength and memory, relearning how to do everything and navigating medical care and rehabilitation during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This story is an absolutely wild ride, from how Caroline and her family must navigate visas and travel availability during a global pandemic, balancing legal processes with Caroline’s safety and traveling around the globe amidst brain surgeries and rehab. It navigates Caroline’s relationships with her boyfriend, family, and friends - who sticks around for her and supports her recovery, and who she realizes may not be a true friend.

This is a super interesting perspective of an unreliable narrator, which I don’t think as much about in nonfiction/memoirs. As Caroline has to rebuild her memories, we’re stuck as a reader navigating what she knows vs. what she hasn’t yet remembered.

The writing style of this memoir is also very interesting as it’s almost written in fragments, mirroring Caroline’s broken memories. Because of this, combined with her wild story, it’s a very quick read. There were plenty of moments where I wanted to dive in more deeply to the thoughts and feelings of her friends and family, but that would make this a different book… and while I’d gladly read that one too, I think this one still stands really well on its own.

I highly recommend checking this one out! It is already out in Australia and releases in the US on 5/6/25. A solid 4⭐️ from me!