“That’s how hearts get broken, you know. When you believe in promises.”
Kathleen Glasgow’s Girl in Pieces is a raw and heart-wrenching novel that delves into the complexities of trauma, mental health and healing. Through the story of Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Davis, readers are pulled through these themes in a way that is brimming with empathy and compassion, demonstrating how depression exists in real life. Haunting, harrowing, beautifully told and necessary in its message, we here at What We Reading thought we would compile some of our favourite books like Girl in Pieces that capture the same feel of Kathleen Glasgow’s global bestseller. Whether it’s stories that tackle the aftermath of trauma, explore complex mental health struggles or highlight characters fighting for their sense of self-worth, these reads all offer gripping and real looks at battling the inner demons in us all and finding strength even in the darkest of times.
Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson
First up on our list of books like Girl in Pieces is Laurie Halse Anderson’s famous young adult bestseller, Speak. After busting an end-of-summer party by calling the police, Melinda knows that she is going to have to endure her freshman year at Merryweather High friendless and as an outcast. As time progresses, she becomes increasingly isolated, barely speaking to anyone at all.
Her only outlet for expressing herself is her art class, where she is able to convey what really happened on that terrible night through her latest project. But, just as her healing process starts to get going, another violent encounter threatens to derail her entirely. Only, this time, Melinda fights back, refuses to be silenced again and is finally able to find her voice again.
As Many Nows As I Can Get – Shana Youngdahl
In one impulsive moment during the summer, before they’re set to leave for college, serial overachievers Scarlett and David are plunged into a new world of particle physics, romance and questionable decisions.
Told through non-linear and vivid first-person narration, Shana Youngdahl’s As Many Nows As I Can Get is a searing love story featuring a grounded girl who is pulled into a whirlwind romance with an electric-charged boy and the enormity of the aftermath. Bold, unconventional and accessible, Youngdahl’s debut is the best follow-up to Girl in Pieces for any readers looking for another story about grief, guilt and reconciling with who you think you need to be with the person you’ve been all along.
All The Bright Places – Jennifer Niven
A Goodreads Choice Award winner for Best Young Adult Fiction, Jennifer Niven introduces readers to Theodore Finch and Violet Markey in her book, All the Bright Places. Theodore is fascinated with death, constantly thinking about the ways in which he might kill himself. But, each time, something good stops him. Violet is counting down the days until graduation when she can escape her small Indiana town and the aching grief from losing her sister.
When the pair meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. When they buddy up for a project on discovering the ‘natural wonders’ of their state, they quickly learn that being with each other is the only time they can be themselves. Hailed as ‘The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park’, All the Bright Places is similar to Girl in Pieces as another YA tale that tackles grief, its aftermath and the growth that can arise in its wake.
Check Out These Heartfelt Books With Sad Endings
The Cutting Edge Of Friendship – Khristina Chess
Sadie and Elana are holding dangerous secrets. Best friends since elementary school, they know all there is to know about one another. But, on the night of the fireworks, something happened to Sadie that she hadn’t told anyone. She can’t even begin to find the word for it herself and is struggling to deal with the pain left behind.
Elana has a secret of her own. She’s been texting Hunter and making plans for a clandestine meeting with him. She doesn’t know what he has done, or why he really wants to keep their relationship a secret. To end this dangerous game and protect her best friend, Sadie must reclaim both her courage and voice. One of the best books like Girl in Pieces, Khristina Chess’ The Cutting Edge of Friendship is an empowering tale about the complicated nature of friendship, trauma and healing.
The Beauty That Remains – Ashley Woodfolk
Autumn always knew exactly who she was – a talented artist and a fiercely loyal friend. Shay was defined by two things: her bond with her twin sister, Sasha, and her love for music. Logan always turned to writing love songs when his own love life was a little less than perfect.
But, when tragedy strikes each of them, somehow the music no longer feels like enough. Shay becomes a music blogger struggling to hold things together. Logan can’t stop watching vlogs of his dead ex-boyfriend. And Autumn sends messages that she knows will never be answered. Yet, despite the odds, one band’s music will find a way of reuniting them and prove that after grief, beauty is able to blossom in the people left behind.
Teach Me To Forget – Erica M. Chapman
Unable to move on from the loss of her sister, or face the rest of her broken family, Ellery has decided she no longer wants to live anymore. So, she’s made a plan – bought the gub, arranged for her funeral and picked out the day. Everything has fallen perfectly into place. Then, on the day she has pencilled as the one where she will take her own life, she meets Colter, a boy who sees her desperation and becomes determined to stop her.
Ellery won’t be swayed easily but, as she struggles with her hopelessness, it becomes clear that Colter has his own deeply personal reasons for his vigilance. And, whether she likes it or not, he can’t let go. Erica Chapman’s Teach Me To Forget is another story similar to Girl in Pieces for readers looking for a heartwrenching journey of loss and finding hope in its aftermath.
Thirteen Reasons Why – Jay Asher
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious package with his name on it waiting for him on his porch. Inside, he discovers several cassette tapes made by his classmate and crush, Hannah Baker. Only Hannah committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons that led to her taking her own life. Clay is one of them. And, if he listens to them all, he’ll find out exactly why.
In Jay Asher’s global bestseller, Thirteen Reasons Why, Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah serving as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah’s pain and, as he follows the words she has left behind, soon discovers things that change his life forever.
Every Last Word – Tamara Ireland Stone
Samantha McAllister looks just like every other popular girl in her junior class. Yet, hidden beneath the straightened hair and impeccably applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never be able to understand. Sam has purely obsessive OCD and is consumed by dark thoughts and anxieties she is unable to hide from.
Second-guessing every move, thought and word makes her daily life a struggle. It doesn’t help either that her friends will all turn toxic at the first whiff of the wrong outfit, wrong lunch or wrong crush. But, when Sam meets Caroline and is introduced to Poet’s Corner, a hidden room and tight-knit community of misfits ignored by the other students at the school, she starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more ‘normal’ than she ever had done as part of the popular crowd.
My Heart And Other Black Holes – Jasmine Warga
Sixteen-year-old physics buff Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. Her mother can barely look at her without wincing, her classmates all whisper behind her back and her father’s violent crime upended her small town. Aysel is prepared to turn her potential energy into nothingness. The only problem is that she isn’t sure if she can bear to face doing it by herself.
But, once she discovers a website that pairs people together, she’s convinced that she has found her solution in the form of a teenage boy named FrozenRobot (aka. Roman), who is haunted by a family tragedy. Whilst Aysel and Roman initially have nothing in common, they gradually begin to fill in the holes in each other’s lives. But, as their pact becomes more concrete, Ayself starts to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman of the potential of their energy together. Similar to Girl in Pieces, Jasmine Warga’s My Heart and Other Black Holes is an intense portrayal of mental health and a homage to the process of healing through the relationships we make.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
