LitPick Review
All in Pieces by Suzanne Young is about high school senior Savannah Sutton, whose life is anything but typical. Savanah spends most of her time taking care of her younger brother, Evan, who has a mental disability. After her mom leaving and her dad becoming an alcoholic, Evan and Savannah only have each other. When Savannah isn’t spending her time caring for Evan, she attends high school at Brooks Academy, a school for students in temporary detention. Savannah was relocated here after stabbing her ex-boyfriend, Patrick, in the hand- after he made fun of Evan. The only support Savannah has is her two best friends- Rita and Travis- but she learns that they can’t always be there to fight for her. Savannah knows she needs to keep her life in focus in order to graduate high school and prevent her Aunt Kathy from taking Evan away from her, but this proves to be hard when she meets Cameron. Cameron is extremely good-looking and wealthy, so it’s a mystery why he ends up at Brooks Academy. Cameron shows Savannah love, support and acceptance unlike anyone she has ever met. But Savannah knows being with Cameron won’t get rid of her past- and her vengeful boyfriend is a constant reminder of this.
Opinion:
All in Pieces was a fantastic novel. It kept my interest from beginning to end and once I began reading, I couldn’t stop. This story evokes a roller coaster of emotions- sympathy, love, anger and fear. Although Savannah’s situation isn’t typical for a high school student, Savannah is easy to relate to through family issues, friendships and falling in love. A love story that begins subtly and gradually builds, it’s impossible not to root for Cameron and Savannah. I enjoyed how Savannah was a strong female character and showed responsibility and maturity as a high school student. It dealt with many different topics relevant to society- alcoholism, addiction and treatment of those with disabilities. These subjects were depicted with honest, realistic situations and didn’t try to “sugar coat” anything. Overall, I really enjoyed reading All in Pieces and would highly recommend this novel.
