[EW7]⋙ [PDF] Pieces of Olivia Charleston Haven #1 edition by Melissa West Literature Fiction eBooks

Pieces of Olivia Charleston Haven #1 edition by Melissa West Literature Fiction eBooks

Download As PDF : Pieces of Olivia Charleston Haven #1 edition by Melissa West Literature Fiction eBooks

Pieces of Olivia Charleston Haven #1 edition by Melissa West Literature Fiction eBooks

I love Melissa West's The Taking series so when I saw Pieces of Olivia and who the author was I knew I had to grab it. Yes this is a contemporary vs her other series which is Sci-Fi but I love her writing so I picked it up and I really enjoyed it.

Olivia is broken she has suffered something that I can't even imagine having to go through. I found myself connecting to her instantly, it was hard not to. West has a way of writing that makes you feel the characters pain right alongside with them. What made it even that much more better were the letters Olivia wrote to Trisha, every time I read one it just made my heart break but through those letters you really got to know Olivia's state of mind.

There were other characters I really loved which was Kara, Olivia's roommate and Preston, Kara's best friend. Kara was as good of a friend as they come but you know there is more to her then meets the eye and luckily she has her own book, the second in the series call Miles From Kara so we see what she is really about. Preston is a player of sorts but he is only like that because of something that happened in his past which isn't your typical heartbreak story but much more than that which causes him to be pretty non-committal until he meets Olivia. I personally would have loved to see a few chapters in Preston's point of view, I don't know about you guys but I love dual point of views in books that have two characters both with very interesting and broken pasts, it helps me connect better with them.

The book mostly dealt with healing especially for Olivia and that is where Rose came in. If I have to go to therapy for any reason I want Rose. I loved her. At first I thought she was some crazy lady but she was perfect for Olivia and even though Olivia didn't see it till later Rose had become more a friend to her then just a therapist.

Overall great read, I've already read the next book in the series and will be putting up a review for that one as well.


Tags : Pieces of Olivia: Charleston Haven #1 - Kindle edition by Melissa West. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Pieces of Olivia: Charleston Haven #1.,ebook,Melissa West,Pieces of Olivia: Charleston Haven #1,InterMix

Pieces of Olivia Charleston Haven #1 edition by Melissa West Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews

I could gush endlessly about my love for this book, and I probably will, so bear with me! The day before I read Pieces of Olivia, I read and reviewed Rae of Sunshine. Reading Pieces of Olivia, I quickly realized it had nearly the same exact plot as Rae of Sunshine. Yet when I reviewed Rae of Sunshine, I mentioned how it had the kind of storyline I really enjoyed, where a girl is struggling through something deep from her past, and in time she let's the love interest of the story in on her past, but with such a simple concept that has been done countless times, there really needs to be something special to make it captivating. Pieces of Olivia definitely has the special something, from amazing writing, to some of the most well developed characters I have read about in a long time. Maybe this book just lined up with me being in the right mood, but goodness, I absolutely loved it.

Olivia is beginning her first year at College of Charleston, going against her parents hopes for a Columbia education. But being there is exactly what she needs, if not for herself, then for her best friend, Trisha. Six months earlier, Olivia lost so many who she loved, and she lost herself right along with them. Now bearing the scars of that horrid night, she is struggling to work through the guilt and pain of being the one who gets to keep living. With the help of her unconventional therapist, Rose, and her upbeat and understanding roommate, Kara, Olivia starts to see pieces of her old self come back. But she feels her biggest changes when she is around her roommates best friend, Preston. When she's with him she is able to be more open, and feel things she never thought she'd allow herself to feel again.

Just a few pages into Pieces of Olivia, the author had me in tears. The letters Olivia periodically writes to her best friend, Trisha, were so powerful and beautifully written. Maybe it was partially due to me starting the story slightly sleep deprived at 3 am, but the first letter broke my heart and instantly let me know that Melissa West has some amazing writing skills. The power of her writing doesn't falter at any point in the story, with settings so vividly described that you can easily imagine yourself in them, and most importantly, characters given such depth that you feel as if they are real life. Olivia and the pain she goes through felt so honest and palpable. Often I find authors tackle heavy subject matter without doing the gravity of the situation justice, and I'm left feeling as if the heroine's recovery is too simple, or glossed over. Yet Olivia's progression was very realistic in both the emotion being conveyed and the timing. When she does reach a big turning point, it felt so right and as if she had really earned it, instantly putting a smile on my face. I felt proud of her, this fictional character. West really had me invested in Olivia's struggle and caring about what would happen to her.

While the plot is a bit predictable, it wasn't bothersome for me, as the story was vibrant enough without an element of surprise or suspense. The relationship between Olivia and Preston was one I really enjoyed, and maintained a great balance between being realistic yet still swoon worthy. I usually have issues with relationships in these stories developing so quickly, going from "No way can I be with you," to, "I can't live without you," in a matter of a few chapters. Even if it's cute in some stories, it always forces an eye roll out of me. Yet that wasn't the case with Olivia and Preston's relationship. I found that it went at a far more realistic pace than most, while still keeping my attention. The dialogue between the two was something I especially enjoyed. Cheesy, lovey dovey dialogue is yet another thing that gets my eyes rolling, but I didn't have to do that once throughout this story-woohoo! The conversations they had, as well as all the others (except maybe a few with her therapist), seemed exactly like what real life couples would be saying to each other. West manages to write their dialogue to be fun and captivating, without it being something you would never actually want to hear in everyday life. She got grins and a giddy feeling out of me without any cringing, which honestly is such a rarity for me.

All in all, Pieces of Olivia doesn't come without its flaws; the predictable plot may be an issue for some, and I did find it to be a bit soon for Olivia to be dating again after what she went through. I also was not a huge fan of how the last chapter shifted from being Olivia's story to clearly being more about setting up the interest for the next story, about Olivia's roommate, Kara. Even so, it's beautifully written and was able to make me cry from Olivia's struggles, then get giddy watching her moving on with Preston. I really didn't want it to end, which hasn't happened with many books lately. Any story that can illicit such a strong reaction is worth five stars in my eyes.
I love Melissa West's The Taking series so when I saw Pieces of Olivia and who the author was I knew I had to grab it. Yes this is a contemporary vs her other series which is Sci-Fi but I love her writing so I picked it up and I really enjoyed it.

Olivia is broken she has suffered something that I can't even imagine having to go through. I found myself connecting to her instantly, it was hard not to. West has a way of writing that makes you feel the characters pain right alongside with them. What made it even that much more better were the letters Olivia wrote to Trisha, every time I read one it just made my heart break but through those letters you really got to know Olivia's state of mind.

There were other characters I really loved which was Kara, Olivia's roommate and Preston, Kara's best friend. Kara was as good of a friend as they come but you know there is more to her then meets the eye and luckily she has her own book, the second in the series call Miles From Kara so we see what she is really about. Preston is a player of sorts but he is only like that because of something that happened in his past which isn't your typical heartbreak story but much more than that which causes him to be pretty non-committal until he meets Olivia. I personally would have loved to see a few chapters in Preston's point of view, I don't know about you guys but I love dual point of views in books that have two characters both with very interesting and broken pasts, it helps me connect better with them.

The book mostly dealt with healing especially for Olivia and that is where Rose came in. If I have to go to therapy for any reason I want Rose. I loved her. At first I thought she was some crazy lady but she was perfect for Olivia and even though Olivia didn't see it till later Rose had become more a friend to her then just a therapist.

Overall great read, I've already read the next book in the series and will be putting up a review for that one as well.