Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi | Rating: ★★★★☆

“All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.”

For months I’d been debating whether or not I wanted to really read this novel. Tahereh Mafi is basically perfection in author form. And the buzz I’d heard when it came to this book was massive. Goodreads, however, made me wonder whether or not the hype was all that. Mostly, opinions on this book have been mixed — they either love it or hate it.

I’m going to be upfront with you all when I say I loved it.

Aside from the beautiful cover and freaking awesome author (how cool is she?!), the novel itself is pretty damn good. And I mean that.

Our story stars in a dystopian world where our leading lady Juliette is living in a damaged world that only vaguely resembles what it once was and is left in a life of seclusion that mirrors a terrible fate as a prisoner of a world that considers you to be a monster. See, the lovely Juliette has a certain gift that many view as being a monster — her touch is lethal. Her family has abandoned her in incredibly heartbreaking ways.

Then, she feels betrayed by a newly made connection that leads her into another place of the unknown. A very dark place that she has no intention of giving up her potential freedom for.


And yet, despite the crappy cards life has handed her, Juliette still manages to be strong and kind towards a world that has rejected her so completely. Although she cannot show physical affection to most people, she still remains gentle and warm in many senses.

Plus, she’s really,  really bad ass.

Any girl who refuses to let anyone own or control her is my kind of girl. Can I get an amen?

Aside from Juliette, there are many characters you meet along the way that are mysterious. So very intriguing and so very fun to read. It’s a simple read and for its genre among young adult stories, it’s definitely worth a look. Despite any flaws you may find in the writing.

(Which there are many. Something that almost turned me off of continuing the novel is Juliette gasping too much. I gasp, is a very repetitive thing in our story. Girl, stop!)

Personally, I wanted more in terms of length from this novel and can’t wait to dig into the next installments in this delicious story. It’s very addictive, the characters are sexy, tough and so fascinating I just know you’ll fall in love with this world to.