Pieces Of You by Ella Harper

Lucy I don't even know how to start this letter.

Something happened.

Something terrible....

Lucy was always sure of one thing - her cuter with husband and soul mate Luke. But after eight long, heartbreaking years of trying to have a baby, that future is crumbling before her eyes.

When a terrible accident puts Luke into a coma, Lucy is forced to reassess everything she thought she wanted.

Then a stranger arrives, with a shocking secret that will force Lucy to make the hardest decision of her life

*Contains Spoilers*

I purchased Pieces Of You recently and will confess that the front cover intrigued me. I didn't read the blurb at the time of purchase, and truthfully, if I had I probably wouldn't have brought it... I'll explain as my review goes on.

The book is fundamentally about one main character, Lucy, and a fair chunk of the chapters are written as her in the first person.

Lucy is married to Luke, the love of her life. They are completely compatible and completely besotted with each other.

Only one thing is missing. A baby to complete their family. The chapters that Lucy tells are primarily in the present and titled with her name, whilst one or two refers back to how her and Luke met, the first time they discovered she was expecting, their wedding day etc. and are titles Lucy and Luke.

I instantly took a liking to Lucy's character and I have to hand it to Ella Harper as she wrote about a sensitive subject with care and thought yet keeping it real. Having suffered miscarriages and yearning that feeling of having a baby myself, I could totally relate to Lucy and her emotions - that didn't mean that this book, for me, was an easy read and I did have to put it down and take a breather occasional.

Lucy's world is suddenly turned upside down when Luke has an accident at work which leaves him fighting for life and in a coma. With her emotions all over the place the last thing she needed was a stranger dropping a bombshell - your have to read it to discover what as I'd like to leave some element of surprise, however Lucy starts to question everything she thought she had with Luke.

Along with the Lucy & Lucy and Luke chapters, there are two other characters that tell this story. Patricia, Luke's mother, and Nell, his sister, both of who depended largely on Luke during the last few years. I particularly liked the way the chapters focussing on these two characters are in the third person, it kept you on your toes whilst reading yet flowed really well.

One thing that is clear from the start of the book is that other than Lucy and Luke, there are a lot of broken relationships between the four main characters, and as the story unfolds we get to know each of the characters well and how they deal with problems as they arise - real family issues that are relatable and believable and what's lovely about Pieces Of You is that over the course of the book we get to see this broken family build their bridges.

I'm glad I didn't read the blurb for this book as it was, despite being hard going for me personally, a truely compelling, heart warming, and heart breaking, novel that had everything from laughs to tears.... If your a fan of JoJo Moyes' Me Before You or Giovanna Fletcher Billy & Me then this is a must for you!