So this was good! But then messy! But then GOOD! And then not so good! And then GOOD! And then meh! BUT GOOD.

Basically my thought process whilst reading this...was CRAZY. I mean that's normal, but reading this book? i was being attacked with 6789 thoughts and sorry, stop it. I need to think straight.

I will quickly get something out of the way. I didn't think Juliette was "annoying". She was really mentally unstable, she hadn't spoken to someone in ages, and you guys expect her to be some amazing superhero? Um No. I expect something realistic from a person who every time they touch someone, they basically kill/torture someone. That's freaking traumatising. And showing that Juliette is shaken and traumatised is freaking spot on. Of course, she's going to be whiny. Of course, you are going to want to pull your hair out when reading her decisions. Of course, she's not going to be perfect. No one is. 

I actually really enjoyed Juliette's narrative. People say Mafi went over the top with metaphors and writing but I think it portrayed Juliette's story well. Because it didn't say "Juliette was freaking out." It showed the readers "JULIETTE IS FREAKING OUT HELP" and that's what good writing is. Plus, i could easily engage and sympathise and DEVOUR the words, which is like, always a good thing.

But omggg this was scarily close to insta love. I mean it was kinda the case of childhood friends to lovers but ugh. At first, I thought Adam was okay and sure, it was shippable. But as the story went on, goshhh, he started to get on my nerves. The "I love you scenes" WERE FREAKING CRINGEY AS HELL GET ME OUT OF HERE. plus, they are about to die but they quickly have time to steal a kiss? LIKE BRUH SAVE yourselves, keep your mushy moments UNTIL LATER. And because the romance scenes were piled on so heavily, i didn't even treasure them? they just became boring.

And then...Warner came along. Oh pure, sweet, evil, horrible, menacing Warner. I love how somewhat sassy and rude he is. And I hated the way he treated people (like Juliette.) but I just loved how calm he was about situations. But he was WAY too obsessive over Juliette. like, mate, stop. Give Juliette a minute. BUT I THINK WARNER WILL CHANGE. I mean he better because I absolutely have fallen i love with his smol squishy few bits.HE DISAPPEARED AFTER A WHILE SO I NEED MORE OF HIM OBVIOUSLY.

And Kenji? Ew.I don't know why everyone likes him. I mean, he was super irrelevant and annoying and just quite frankly, a person who doesn't know when they've gone to far. Like he is flirting with juliette AND IT's MAKING HER UNCOMFORTABLE SO JUST SOP OKAY?!!? I feel like this was with every boy. They're literally pining for Juliette. like can you just be friends???

I mean it's quite a rollercoaster. I do think it was fast-paced and disjointed at places. I do think things were rushed and somewhat too easy and I never really felt scared. But i do want the next book! I want an answer to why Juliette can touch some people and about the other people who were like her. AN enjoyable read and fantastic buddy read with may, Jackie and Ju which kinda failed but who cares.

This is one of those rare books that I know will stay with me for a very long time. 
The author had such a way with words that truly took my breath away. There were many times I came across a sentence that was so deep I had to stop reading and just let it process. 
She is a word wizard. A word Ninja. You don't expect it, and out of nowhere, WHAM! There's some imagery that knocks the wind out of you. I'm at a loss for what else to say. Easily the best book I've read this year.
 I absolutely loved it!! If you liked Divergent, Hunger Games, or Maze Runner, you will love this book. It is about a girl who everyone thinks is insane. I loved the point of view. I thought it was amazing!!!

Intricate and unusual writing, a great hook and a steamy romance at the centre. Excellent YA.

Shatter Me was not the best dystopian I've ever read. Maybe this is just because I've grown out of the genre a little, but I thought the characters (at least in one case) had petty reasoning behind their actions, and although the worldbuilding was excellent, and I really enjoyed the writing, I would have liked to see more explanation behind the main character's powers, and a romance that wasn't completely love at first sight-esque.

There are a lot of people loving this book. So, I was really excited to dive into an exciting easy read: A page turner, dystopian, paranormal story, with a bit of steamy romance.  But, this book has too many flaws. 
To recap the synopsis quickly: Juliette has been locked up in prison by The Reestablishment for murder. Her touch is fatal. Outside, the World is being destroyed. Diseases are threatening the population, food is all manipulated, even the weather is not normal. The Reestablishment is set to fix things. They have their eye on Juliette as a part of their plan. 
Now, let's come to what's not working with this book:
1. This is not a dystopian book, it's hard core Romance as the most of the time we read about how Adam and Juliette were extremely attracted to one another, kissing even when they were running for their lives!
2. There really is no story so far. It was really annoying for me, because I could be OK with a book leaning towards Romance a lot with a story behind it. With no story, it just becomes really boring. 
3. Everyone is sooo beautiful, so perfect, so blue or green eyes. Come on!
4. Yes, I'm coming to the strikethroughs. What was the need for that??? At first, it looked original, interesting idea. But, when you keep reading, you really don't see any point in it, so it just becomes an idea for the sake of it.
5. The writing style does feel weird, as it it's not flowing through.
The opening was interesting, very sharp and it drew me in immediately. But, soon after, I was like "what am I reading?" It's disappointing because I really like Tahereh Mafi's Middle Grade novels. Furthermore was way more complex than this, with good story telling and substantial characters to follow. I just don't understand why her YA novel is so lacking these primary elements you look for in a book. 
The 5th book in the series is coming this March if you're interested. I will probably see if it gets better with second book.

I LOVED THIS BOOK.

Tahereh Mafi's writing is beautiful, capturing my attention from the very beginning. I rooted for Juliette from the start. I felt an overwhelming amount of sorrow for our main character because of the way that she has been treated. I loved the metaphors, I think they were a perfect fitting for the story.
I also loved the romance in the story, it did not gross me out (which some romances can) and my heart fluttered every time.

Cannot wait to dive into all the other books!

I've been wanting to read SHATTER ME for a few years and I found it fresh and full of potential. This story delivers on dystopia, military context with a young army, a dictator and a girl with unusual powers. It takes a moment or two to orientate yourself to the context and Juliette’s captive scribblings but once you do, it’s absorbing.

Now I'm finished, I'm only a little into the journey of Juliette, her life, her captivity, her dangerous 'gift' and her connection with Adam. The relationships are duplicitous and yet convincing of their value. There are side characters that are rich and potentially may come more into the fore, I think. I really wanted to get under the skin of Adam in particular, whilst enjoying some of the cloudy nature of Juliette. Her emotion and desperation completely shone though, especially with the journaling.

It was a sometimes complex premise for a story but considering this is a series, it provides the potential for so much future content, I’m happy to invest in this. I'm really looking forward to working my way through the novellas and the rest of the books.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.