Pieces Of You By Ella Harper

[amazon_link id=”0007581106″ target=”_blank” ][/amazon_link]’Pieces of You’ is Ella Harper’s debut novel.

Lucy was always sure of one thing – her future with husband and soulmate Luke. But after eight long, heartbreaking years 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 Stella arrives. A woman Lucy’s never met, but with a secret that will change her world forever . . .

This book is an emotional rollercoaster that will tug at your heartstrings as you accompany Lucy on this hard journey, where her once certain future has suddenly taken a questionable turn. Secure in the knowledge that she has found the perfect partner in the shape of Luke, Lucy looks forward to a new life of adventures and dirty nappies but fate has dealt her a harsh card and she finds herself unable to carry a baby full term. Distraught at very miscarriage, Lucy and Luke’s once perfect marriage is being pulled apart from the strain. Then, one night Luke is involved in a horrible accident leaving him in a coma and Lucy is in pieces, terrified at the thought of losing him, she tries to stay strong but then a woman called Stella comes forward saying that she is carrying Luke’s baby.

The story is primarily seen from Lucy’s perspective as she deals with the aftermath of Luke’s accident and Stella’s appearance but alternate chapters features the sides of both Luke’s mother and sister, Patricia and Nell. The two women relied heavily on Luke when his father died and Luke naturally stepped into the role of man of the house, especially when their older brother Ade, could not handle the grief and stress of it all and left. As the book is seen through various eyes, this breaks the story up, as everyone deals with the big problem that is Luke, but they all have other problems that in the past Luke was there to sort but now they are on their own and have to face life knowing there is a chance that he will not make it.

This story is complex one, one that struggles with morals and conscience, as three women suddenly discover that the perfect man that they all knew and loved could make such a horrendous mistake. They experience a flurry of emotions, especially Lucy when she discovers that the last few months of her life were a lie. Distraught at the thought of a life without Luke, she struggles with her feelings between anger and betrayal craving answers to questions that only Luke can answer. My heart went out to Lucy, the one thing that she so desperately wanted she was unable to create and to find out that Luke had an affair with another woman and conceived a baby, is heartbreaking to read at times, especially with scenes with Stella, ‘the other woman’ who shows genuine remorse and regret at what happened. I thought all the characters were wonderfully written and so genuine in their thoughts and actions. I did think at the start that Luke was too good to be true and then when the betrayal was revealed, I felt heartbreak for Lucy when her world shattered around her.

Although this is Ella’s first book, she has written four other books under her real name Sasha Wagstaff, an author that I have never read before and hope to look into at some point.

Dealing with sensitive subjects such as infidelity, infertility and mental health, the book is a beautifully written and compelling story, that will hook the reader in from page one, with an unexpected twists, turns and with plenty of heartache, ‘Pieces Of You’ is a poignant story that will have you reaching for the tissues.

You can buy [amazon_link id=”0007581106″ target=”_blank” ]Pieces from Amazon[/amazon_link]