#BlogTour: Pieces Of Me by Natalie Hart @NatalieGHart @Legend_Press #PiecesOfMe #5Stars

Book Synopsis:

Emma did not go to war looking for love, but Adam is unlike any other.

Under the secret shadow of trauma, Emma decides to leave Iraq and joins Adam to settle in Colorado. But isolation and fear find her, once again, when Adam is re-deployed. Torn between a deep fear for Adam’s safety and a desire to be back there herself, Emma copes by throwing herself into a new role mentoring an Iraqi refugee family.

But when Adam comes home, he brings the conflict back with him. Emma had considered the possibility that her husband might not come home from war. She had not considered that he might return a stranger.

Pieces Of Me is available now in ebook and paperback.  You can purchase your copy of both here.

My Review:

This is an absolutely stunning, emotional debut novel which I so enjoyed reading.  I thought I would like the book from the blurb but I didn’t think I’d love it as much as I did.

Pieces Of Me tells the story of Emma and Adam as Adam prepares for Deployment in Iraq.  Iraq holds lots of special memories for Emma as not only did she used to working there, it’s also the place she met and fell in love with Adam.  Told in the present day and through a series of flashbacks the reader finds out more about Emma and Adam’s relationship, their time in Iraq and what it’s like preparing for deployment.

The way this book is told feels very personal like I was experiencing everything alongside Emma or she was telling me about it as her best friend. This made me feel like I was very involved in the story and it was therefore quite an emotional read for me.  I loved the Author’s fantastic descriptions of Iraq which seemed so different from the ones shown on TV.  The descriptions of the light and colours there made it seem like a beautiful country.  These images have stayed with me long after I have finished the book.  I’d never heard of the international zone or about daily life for British workers over there which made for fascinated reading.  It must be very hard to live so close to a war zone, but separate from it for the most part.  The stories of the Iraqi people that Emma hears are very poignant to read about.  It definitely makes you think about how many people are affected by war.

The descriptions of Adam preparing for deployment and the build up to him going was quite fascinating to read about as we learn more about how the army ensures everyone, including families, are prepared.  I especially liked that they include the wives so much in the preparation and I hope that this is true to life.  Through Emma we learn more about the emotional turmoil someone must go through when a loved one is going to war.  The author does an excellent job of portraying all the thoughts and scenarios that must go through your head at such a time.

As mentioned above I really loved this book and found the subject matter utterly fascinating.  Its a very timely book as there are still soldiers being sent into war zones and families going through the problems Emma faces in the book.  The story is an easy one to get involved in and I found the book hard to put down as I was so enjoying it.  I think this is a book everyone should read as it would increase people’s awareness of what army personnel and wives go through, while also telling people more about the Iraq war. For these same reasons I think it would make a great book club book as there is lots to discuss!

This unbelievably is the author’s debut novel and I’m so excited to read more from her in the future.

Huge thanks to Lucy from Legend Press for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Natalie Hart is a writer, researcher and communications adviser, specialising in conflict and post-conflict environments. She has worked extensively across the Middle East and North Africa, including three years in Iraq where Pieces of Me is set. Natalie has a BA in Combined Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic and Spanish) from the University of Cambridge and an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University.