Pieces of Olivia by @MB_West Review

Pieces of Olivia by Melissa West
(Charleston Haven, #1)
Release Date: July 15, 2014
Publisher: Intermix/Penguin; 210 pages
Rating:

Olivia Warren used to be a normal girl with a bright future.
But on one fated night, everything changed.

Hiding the scars of her past up her sleeves, Olivia transfers her enrollment from Columbia University to The College of Charleston, determined to pursue her own dreams for the first time in her life.

She intends to allow herself a bit of alone time to heal... that is, until she meets Preston.

Preston is best friends with her roommate, completely hot, and off-limits. But the chemistry between them is instantaneous—and as the pair begins to spend more time with one another, their feelings for each other build into something undeniable, something powerful enough to heal Olivia’s deepest scars.

Olivia tries to put her own past behind her and trust Preston, but she discovers that his past might be more present than she ever bargained for…

This book is rough, emotionally. Olivia has been to hell and back but she's still recovering from her trip. This isn't something that easy to get over and it's only been six months. I won't talk details about what happened to her because it's a bit of mystery throughout at least a quarter of the book. It has you guessing what might have happened. I originally thought one thing and then it changed to something closer to what really happened. You already feel for her before you even know what exactly it was she's been through but once you find out, well, all you want to do is hug her and let her know you're there, supporting her.

Besides the scars of her past, I really like Olivia. Her and her roommate, Kara, mesh really well and these are two friends I can get behind. I definitely am more like Olivia, personality wise, and Kara is the type of friend that definitely balances out Olivia. I really, really like this friendship.

With trying to be vague about Olivia's scars, let's talk about the romance, shall we? The attraction to Preston was pretty instant but it's not insta-love. There's definitely a build up of their relationship and it's very gradual but sexy. You can see the sexual tension growing each time they interact and it's only going to get to a point where they'll give in to each other, it's how it always works, right? Preston is Kara's best friend and I love all the times they are all together or the times that it's just Olivia and Preston.

Preston is delicious. He has a thing against relationships and just 'hang outs' with girls instead. There's a reason for his way of life when it comes to love and once you find out, you'll change your opinion of him. Cause, even though I liked him when I first met him, I was turned off by the fact that he just hooks up with girls and discards them. Not exactly swoon-worthy material right there. But he's such a great guy that you start to look past that. 

I freaking love Rose. If I ever get a therapist, she better be like Rose because I now have high expectations. She's got a sense of humor, she's a little weird and she talks to ghosts. However, she is brilliant. She quickly became a favorite supporting character in this book and I think she'd become one of your favorites, too. Her and Olivia definitely bonded, even if Olivia was paying her. I don't think that mattered.

This is definitely a New Adult book but not so much for the sex, as it was pretty basic (as in, not very descriptive) compared to most NA books I've read but I believe it's more for the content of the book. It's definitely one I'd recommend to anyone 18 and over and looking for some good contemporary books to read. I'm excited for the next book which will be Kara's book and it's going to be so much fun, I just know it. You'll know it, too, once you read the epilogue.

Thank you so much to Penguin/Intermix for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.