Review: Broken Things by Lauren Oliver

Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date of publication: October 2018

It’s been five years since Summer Marks was brutally murdered in the woods. 

Everyone thinks Mia and Brynn killed their best friend. That driven by their obsession with a novel called The Way into Lovelorn the three girls had imagined themselves into the magical world where their fantasies became twisted, even deadly.

The only thing is: they didn’t do it. 

On the anniversary of Summer’s death, a seemingly insignificant discovery resurrects the mystery and pulls Mia and Brynn back together once again. But as the lines begin to blur between past and present and fiction and reality, the girls must confront what really happened in the woods all those years ago—no matter how monstrous.

I had high hopes for Broken Things. I loved Delirium and Panic so I was hoping to love this one.  The story follows Mia and Brynn who, five years earlier when they where twelve, were accused of murdering their best friend Summer.  The police were unable to prove it and the girls were never convicted.  They insist that they didn't do it.  Now years later, a memorial for the anniversary has brought it all up and prompted Mia and Brynn to try to figure out what happened.

I wish I could say I loved this one, but I just didn't  It was slow and disjointed.  The story waffles between both girls' point of view in the then and now.  It also has passages from their fan fiction story of The Way into Lovelorn.  I didn't like the format, because I found myself lost at times.  The pacing was really slow and plodding. I have read other reviews that said the reader knew the solution very early on.  I'm not sure how because the solution kind of came out of nowhere for me.  

None of the characters were particularly likable.  Even Summer was kind of a bitch when she was alive.  The constant references to ballet and comparing Mia's movements to ballet steps was tiring.  I didn't buy Brynn constantly being able to move from rehab to rehab.  That just didn't seem reasonable.  And can we please stop putting in characters that are "YouTube" famous into our YA books.  This is the third book this year that I have read with  a character like that Abby.  It's trendy and kind of annoying.  

I'm not sure I would really recommend this one.  It is a quick read, so it has that going for it.  I haven't given up on this author yet, though.  We will have to see what she comes out with next.