Pieces of You by Ella Harper

The perfect marriage.
A devastating secret.
An impossible choice.

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 . . .

Pieces of You by Ella Harper was published by Avon Books in paperback on 25 September 2014.


Lucy and Luke; one of those couples that are so in love, and so happy that it could be sickening. Great jobs, a lovely home, friends and family who adore them, what more could they want?
A baby.  They want a baby desperately, they've suffered so much over the past six years or so, miscarriage after miscarriage, little boxes of sadness. Nobody knows why they can't have a baby and IVF treatment is tough, but they are determined that their love for each other will see them through.

Then comes the day when Lucy's world is torn apart.

As Luke lies in intensive care after being involved in a serious accident, Lucy and his close family try not to think about what the world may be like without him. When Stella arrives on the scene, life gets even harder for Lucy.

Pieces of You is a story that is told in the present, by Lucy, Luke's sister Nell and his mother Patricia, with flash-back chapters that let the reader get to know Lucy and Luke and watch their relationship unfold. Personally, I wasn't a fan of Nell, or her story, for me it didn't really add much to the plot, she just annoyed me if I'm honest.

However, both Lucy and Patricia are emotionally intricate characters, with great voices and whose personal thoughts and emotions are really well written. As their relationship strengthens, bonded as they are by horror of Luke's injuries, the story takes a new turn and becomes deeper and at times, very hard-hitting.

Ella Harper has dealt with some very sensitive issues within Pieces of You, she writes extremely well and her characterisation is excellent. The supporting characters, most especially Luke's prodigal brother Ade are very well created and add tons to the story.

Pieces of You is by no means an uplifting, or happy story. It is quite heart-wrenching at times and really does give the reader food for thought.

A fine debut novel from Ella Harper. I look forward to reading more from her.

My thanks, as ever to Olivia Wilson and the publisher Avon Books for my review copy.


Ella Harper was an avid reader as a child with ambitions of becoming an actress. She acquired a BA in French and Russian Studies, before working in banking as an Assistant Vice President for eight years. It was on the commute into work that Ella discovered her love of writing and left her city job to become a full-time novelist. Ella lives in Essex with her husband and two daughters. Ella has also written novels as Sasha Wagstaff.

For more information about Ella, find her on Twitter @EllaHarperBooks and on Facebook at EllaHarper Author