Life in Pieces

I’ve enjoyed Dawns fiction writing since reading Goose and Paper Aeroplanes so I was really interested to see what this non fiction piece from her would be like. I was not disappointed. I loved the diary style entries, the brutal honesty, the shock to the system that the pandemic and lockdown was for us all.
This book was in equal parts hilarious and really really sad. The parts where Dawn talks about losing her dear friend Caroline and dealing with her grief following that are heartbreaking and you can tell from her words what an amazing, beautiful person Caroline was, described in only a way a true friend could.
Dawn has a wonderful way of making this book relatable, I may be in sunny Yorkshire rather than LA but I’ve also had to deal with eating every packet of Crisps ever made during lockdown and I’ve cleaned up enough cat and toddler pee to sympathise!
I simply loved this book!

This book is utterly brilliant. It’s raw, honest, heartbreaking and laugh out loud funny, pick an emotion- it’s got it!
Dawn O’Porter manages to capture the true reality of many people’s behind closed doors lockdown and bring it to life on paper. I massively identify with huge chunks of this book, the Godzilla in the knickers, animals pissing and shitting everywhere, awful sleep and vivid dreams and the very real fear for the survival of buffets! I too have found solace in cupboards and I don’t even have the little people as an excuse - just the ever-present husband. Have you even done lockdown properly if you’ve not had a massive cry and hid in a locked room for five minutes peace?
I cannot recommend this book enough and I’ve never wanted a margarita more.

I rate Dawn and her writing and am a long term reader and Instagram follower. I was aware of her blogs about lockdown life and was excited to be in a position to read this. I think it's really well written. It seems extremely honest and raw but without being too morose, which is a hard thing to pull off. I enjoy her writing about parenting her sons. I felt a great deal of empathy with her struggles to be a perfect mother as I was a very imperfect one to my three, small children and like Dawn I found playing something that did not come naturally to me. These sections really lifted the bleakness of some of the stuff that Dawn was going through during lockdown. I was particularly impressed with her writing about Caroline Flack. It was heartfelt and brave to write about grief like that. It also managed to remain respectful of her friend's memory and I thought it was really wonderfully done.

THis book is for anyone who has experienced lockdown (!) , parents of children, parents of boys, anyone experiencing the loss of a loved one and anyone that needs a bit of light relief for this exhausting 2020!!
I love Dawn's books already. This book is a diary of her lockdown experience I really enjoyed reading this and could sympathize with a lot of it - homeschooling, suddenly being a stay at home mum , missing friends , Whats App groups - yes yes ! Even though Dawn is in La and not Leamington Spa I could still relate to a lot of what she said - although it was margaritas as her pandemic drink of choice at 4pm - mine is a G&T! It is lovely when a book relates to what you are going through. As well as lockdown to contend with Dawn was also grieving for her lovely friend Caroline who tragically died a few months before and there are some lovely posts about how she has to cope with grief . This book had me laughing out loud . I will be recommending all of my friends to read this !

I have read and enjoyed both The Cows and So Lucky - also by this author so I got a bit excited when I saw she had a new one out soon. Then I got a bit disappointed as it's not a fiction book. Then I realised that, even though it's not fiction, well most of it, it's bound to be as entertaining and fulfilling as her fiction. Same voice...
So I dove in and, yes, brilliant. Funny and poignant and all things in between.
2020 has been a blooming strange year, and looks like it's well not over yet... Lockdown has been good to some people and, well, others, notsomuch...
This book is Dawn's experience. Homeschooling, grief (she had just lost someone very close), isolation, and a myriad of other obstacles to get over. Funny events, both natural and contrived had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. Be prepared to run the gamut of emotions. Highs and lows. But still come out the other side intact... It's raw and honest, at times brutal but, and it's hard to put into words exactly why, so so worth reading.
I'm leaving you and myself with this final thought - wouldn't it be interesting to re-read this book in 10 years time when, hopefully, Covid and Lockdown are things of the past...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is my longest review ever, because this book, deserves it all. A book that everyone needs to read in 2020. This book caused a shift in my thinking, my self believe and my motivation to dig myself out of my lockdown slumber. Dawn O Porter Thank you!

I sat on my bed after a late night watching the women's us open semi finals by 4.30am Serena is out and its 4.30am. Woke to an email from Harper Collins to invite me to read Dawn O Porter new book Life in Pieces, I went straight to Amazon to have a mooch. Ooo this could be interesting.

I started reading, I thought I will read the introduction. OMG a tear run down my face first from laughing about weed gummies and kaftans. Then Caroline Flack I got goose bumps and I didnt put down my kindle I kept reading.

Hello Mr Pandemic, Dawn writes like she is talking directly to you. The lockdown of 2020 it's harsh reality for a working mum and parenting. I laughed so hard as I can only imagine having young children through this year of covid.

The most in depth totally on point review of Twitter and its, wrath I have ever read. Hi five Dawn.

Dawn analysis of parenting is insightful....
Lego is hard... I laughed so much.


A must read for everyone, we were all in this together in 2020 and to share experiences like this is the best thing to come away with. We can't kick covid ass but we can laugh with Dawn O Porter.

I didn't know Caroline Flack personally, but her death floored me purely because she was such a bright light on my TV, I miss her too. Respect for a truly lovely discussion of some memories and a true awareness of how her death affected those closest to her so deeply

#NetGalley #DawnOPorter #HarperCollins #LifeinPieces #livesincovid2020 #bookreview

An intense viseral, self-deprecating glance into life in LA during the first 6 months of lockdown. Peering through this celebrity's lens, for me, was both amusing and harrrowing in equal parts. The book deals with many themes but grief, in all its guises, is an overarching thread and one that O'Porter addresses with often brutal honesty. The grief following the death of her friend but also of her mother. The striving to be a perfect mother when confined by the same clostrophobic four walls of both her home and the broader expectations that life in the fast lane brings.

After being a long term fan of Dawn’s I was intrigued to read her first non fiction book.
When I received my email from Harper Collins to say I had been offered a NetGalley copy I was very excited!
I loved Dawn’s style of writing and it was so interesting to read her experiences as a working mother and wife during a global pandemic - amazing how much of her resonated with me, also a working mother and wife (on this side of the Atlantic though!)
The book’s pieces and diary enter IEPs are grouped collectively and cover all sorts including periods, grief, cooking and missing life in 2020.
I would highly recommend and say this is a must read.
Thank you so much to Rach at Harper Collins and NetGalley - oh and Dawn of course for writing the truth!

I’ve read Dawn O’Porters other work and always enjoyed it however I wasn’t sure I wanted to read about life in the pandemic as I think I’ve had almost enough of living through it myself now.
How wrong could I be? I loved this book.
Funny as always, honest and I just want to be Dawn’s friend and hang out as I think it would be so much fun.
Dawn has struggled (as expected) with the death of one of her best friends this year s the honesty about how she felt was heartwarming.
She is also honest and funny about her family life and life with her kids.
Easy to read, easy to relate to and fun.
Great book.
Everyone should read it

I love Dawn O’P and her hilarious writing, she is just completely wonderful and I adore her. This lockdown memoir is genuinely touching, heartfelt, relatable and bloody funny. This entire year is total insanity and this book will forever be a karaoke love song to that crazy time we stayed still.

What a fantastic funny heartwarming read, loved dawns views on lockdown and I'm sure there is many mums out there that can totally relate, absolutely loved it

So happy that I received an email from the publisher with a link to this book - I forgot how much I enjoyed Dawn O’Porters writing !
Devoured in one day this book encapsulates everything we have all been living in lockdown perfectly - the highs the lows - spending precious time with our loved ones which we are normally too busy for - Dawn shares all her secrets and takes the reader into her days of lockdown - cooking marvellous meals for her brood and even sharing recipes- this book will make you laugh and cry when opening up about her grief for the loss of her friend Caroline Flack - it was great to see even if you’re a famous author married to a Hollywood movie star lock down was the same for us all - highly recommended!!

Loved every moment of this book as it was so genuine and easy to relate to both for being a parent through lockdown and having lost people to suicide. Dawn O'Porter is a phenomenal writer and I love that she isn't afraid to speak so candidly about her life!

Straight away Dawn echoes my own feelings when she mentions how she bought herself a diary at the start of this year....only to see the majority of it empty feeling sad. I look at mine, see and feel the same. I hear you sister!

Short, but packed with a punch diary updates charter her time during Lockdown. Hilariously, laugh out loud honest - playdough poo, too many crisps, washed down with a hella lot of booze....standard!

'i ate crisps for lunch. With a side of cheese. I did not exercise' - sounds utter bliss right?

Snippets like 'Jesus, did I just write a paragraph about putting sunscreen on my kids? RIVETING STUFF' had me smiling. Her honesty around parenting is hilarious, she will have you in stitches.

She reflects on grief and specifically that of her friend Caroline Flack (of whom I am -not was - a huge fan of). Don't think this is about gossip, it is not. It's about a beautiful friendship and I suppose if your going to talk about 2020 as a whole then losing a friend is up there in the emotional rollercoaster ride.

Her writing style flows effortlessly that it feels like talking to a friend with a glass of wine in hand and having one of those candid off the record chats.

At one point she utters 'do I tell you too much?' absolutely Dawn. Absolutely. Please continue.

I find myself reflecting back to those dates also (bit of a blur really) and thinking yeah me too or no way!
This book has got me through 2020 (September to be precise) one page at a time!

I love Dawn and adore her witty and very real instagram posts. I jumped at the chance to read her latest offering which is not fiction, this book is about this horrendous year 2020, the global pandemic. However for Dawn she experienced the loss of her funniest friend just before C19 landed. This isn't a book about Caroline and I totally respect Dawn's stand on this. This is her very raw account on how she has coped with life during 2020 delivered in her usual witty way.

After finishing this book this is what I want to do:
1 - Give Dawn a massive hug
2 - Meet Potato
3 - Share weed gummies with her

Great read that really was from the (somewhat at times a broken) heart during 2020.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

I adore this woman! She is witty talented & sooo relatable. I follow her blogs avd social media so was delighted to read this book. It is a great read, and her time in lockdown was so similar to mine. A great read from a fantastic lady

Absolutely brilliant writing, as I expected from Dawn O'Porter. I knew this book would be different to her usual fiction style of writing, what I didn't expect was I would finish it in a day! Hilarious, sad, heartwarming, relatable, heartbreaking.... all of the emotions and more.

This book is honest, funny, a must read. Lockdown and Covid affected everyone in some way in the first half of 2020, and nothing will make you feel better about it than Dawns own story. The real-life drama of two young kids, pets, work and a husband at home, balancing homeschool, cooking and all the stresses and strains lockdown brought about, is put into words beautifully and rather hilariously at times by Dawn. She doesn't shy away from the intense grief she is dealing with after the loss of her beautiful friend, which makes the book so emotional and heartbreaking (in between many laugh out loud moments I had to explain to my husband while reading quite a few times!).

She also touches on the riots and racism issues, making you realize just how much craziness is going on in the world and how she is living and learning all the time. Like Dawn, I am from the UK and live in the USA, so found her point of view and analysis of all things politics, Americans vs British, and general differences very relatable and spot on.

I highly recommend this book; as soon as I finished it I sent a message to all my friends to tell them they must go out and buy it on October 1st :)

If you want a lighthearted look at some serious issues, be made to feel better about overeating and overindulging in alcohol, gummies (you have to read the book, I'm sure we are not all turning to certain types of dummies, but hearing about Dawns experiences with them will either teach you a lot or make you laugh out loud or both) and parenting fails then this is definitely a book you want to pick up, you won't regret it!

I am a huge Dawn O'Porter fan and this book did not disappoint. Made up of diary entries from her Patreon posts and short essays tying together topics from lockdown parenting, food, friends to grief and loss. Honest, hilarious and heartbreaking this had me laughing and crying in equals parts.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC.

Wasn’t sure I’d enjoy a book about the pandemic whilst still dealing with said pandemic but it was a tonic.

I love the way she writes and the book is clever, funny and relatable as with all her books.

I love Dawn and her hilarious writing. The stories she shares are incredibly relatable even though I'm not a celebrity living in LA, married to an actor and wrangling two kids and a menagerie of crazy animals!

Life in Pieces is Dawn's diary of lockdown in 2020 - she is coping with all the pandemic madness in the US, coupled with homeschooling her two children, missing the UK and her friends and family there, and trying to keep up with her own writing and workload. Alongside the world's very public grief and unravelling, Dawn is dealing with her own very private grief and dismantling of a world she knew. Just before the pandemic hit, she lost a close friend to suicide and she finds the forced isolation of lockdown conjures up many past griefs too, particularly the loss of her mother to breast cancer when she was very young.

That said, it's also pant-wettingly funny in places, in trademark Dawn style! She is refreshingly honest about her dependence on alcohol (I found myself craving a margarita once or twice while reading this!) and recreational drugs to get her through the days, and about the antics of her two young sons and pets, and about the pressures of living life in the public eye.

It's an intense read and I probably shouldn't have read it before bed (!) - it's very visceral in places and at times I felt like I'd had a few weed gummies myself!

But ultimately, this book is a tribute to human resilience and how we can carry on in the face of confusion, fear and heartbreak. When life as we know it ends, we can persevere, we can find things to bring joy to every day, we can still be kind and curious.

Thank you Dawn for sharing what life has been like for you during an intense, unpredictable year that isn't even over yet (gulp) and one I'm sure none of us will forget any time soon.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

I loved Dawn O'Porter's So Lucky, so jumped at the chance to read her take on the Lockdown of 2020, and was not disappointed, whatsoever.
There were many moments I was nodding my head, agreeing with her thoughts, times I was giggling at her antics, and then, especially as she discussed the loss of her good friend, Caroline Flack, there were moments of deep sadness.
Dawn's experience, regardless of whether she is a celebrity or not, mirrors the emotions of many families, stuck at home, home schooling, dealing with being in a home with the same people for months on end.
A great read!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book really got me thinking, i could relate to lots of things happening in the book, it was really funny in places, and really thoughtful in others. I couldnt put the book down, thought it was honest about things that happen in general life.

I do love Dawn O’Porter. I’ve read all her books, I’ve listened to her So Lucky podcast and I’m an avid Instagram follower so of course I jumped at the chance to read her latest, non-fiction book that takes a look at life through lockdown.

I’d promised myself I wouldn’t read any lockdown books. I didn’t want to be reminded of anything to do with it. Whilst I cherished the unprecedented level of family time, it’s also had a massive impact on our lives in many ways and reading about it and living through it all again just didn’t appeal. However, I knew that Dawn would have a great spin on lockdown littered with humour, profound sentiment and down right shocking tales and I wasn’t wrong!

I loved how raw and honest the book was. If it happened, Dawn wrote about it no matter how awful, embarrassing, terrible, emotional or ridiculous it might have been. There were many relatable moments for me (as a parent) that we’re amusing but also a candid look at life in LA, a unique glimpse into their unique celebrity status that was equally entertaining. Dawn spoke about the loss of her friend Caroline Flack and how she dealt with grief during lockdown as well as snippets from her childhood.

Parts of the book were quite shocking and if you’re offended by alcohol and drugs (legal in LA) then it’s probably not the book for you. I loved it, it entertained me and whilst it made me laugh, parts were profound and meaningful. Dawn has a wonderful way of seeing people and trying to understand them without judgement and I really liked this. Overall it’s a quick, entertaining read that I enjoyed thoroughly.

Genre: non-fiction
Rating:5/5

Wow what a wonderful look at the world this year and how it has changed people
It is written in a diary form and starts with the death of Caroline Flack someone who Dawn was great friends with but even that caused issues as the world was about to change so Dawn went alone in case USA closed its borders it didn’t and Dawn was home ready to spend quality time with her husband and her kids
I laughed so hard at the potty training saga why they just want to stand and pee anywhere but in the loo, how suddenly she had to cook meals every day for her family.
How they have a dog called potato! And a cat called lilu. How alcohol consumption increased as what else was there to do?
She made me cry talking about her grief for Caroline and her mum love that she has two trees that she feels represent them and talks to them, brilliant idea and something I intend to do as I lost my best friend and still like Dawn feel its rawness
I loved all the talk of nits, bed bugs mosquito bites in unmentionable places and the sheer amount of shit you have to pick up or wipe off the body of a small child it is relentless
Delighted to have been able to read another persons view of 2020

I do love Dawn O’Porters writing and this is no exception to that rule. Witty and yet with tender moments, this is a written like a diary taking us through lockdown and the loss is Caroline Flack also. I read this really quickly, as the writing just flows so well. Like talking to an old friend.

Life in Pieces
Dawn Of Porter
Publisher: HarperCollins Uk
Publication Date 1/10/20

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An honest and heartwarming book, written in a engaging diary style, which really brightened my days this past week. Written from the start of lockdown, Dawn reflects on her life, dealing with themes of parenting, marriage, and the grief of losing a much-loved friend during these strange and uncertain times. I laughed, a lot, at times felt sad, but ultimately this was incredibly uplifting and life-affirming. A real tonic!

I’d like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I would read anything Dawn writes, shopping lists included. Life in Pieces is Dawn’s lockdown diary and as always her writing is unapologetically honest, hilarious and real. Parenting during a pandemic was a challenge for us all – despite what Instagram looks like – and hearing about how Dawn struggled at times, and ate and drank her way through, just like me, was a big help. Best enjoyed with a margarita and some crisps.
Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this gem in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of Dawn O'Porter's writing having read all of her novels, and I was intrigued to read this, even if I was a little concerned if it might be too soon for reflections on such a recent difficult period in all our lives, and one which we are not yet through - did I really need to revisit it so soon?. Well I needn't have worried - I should have known that O'Porter would provide me with a good "laugh out loud" read and she certainly did.

There is so much we can all relate to - the highs and lows of lockdown and the struggles to get through family life one day at a time - and it is all told with O'Porter's candid sense of humour. And yet at the same time there is an emotional element to the book as we live through O'Porter coming to terms with the loss of her friend Caroline Flack and dealing with her grief whilst living in this strange new world.

A quick entertaining read that I wholeheartedly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. for their invitation to receive an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Life in Pieces’ by Dawn O’Porter in exchange for an honest review.

“Dear 2020 – can we just start over?
Dawn O'Porter has been thinking about life. In lockdown. Mostly from a cupboard.”

In the spring of 2020 Dawn O’Porter started a lockdown diary recording her day-to-day life. This is the result, looking at life from mid-March to early July mainly at the situation in the USA where she now lives.

I loved Dawn O’Porter‘s ‘So Lucky’ and a few years back had been inspired by her ‘This Old Thing: Fall in Love with Vintage Clothes’.

Here I felt that she had invited me into her daily life. Yet while funny and down-to-earth, especially the bits about parenting, pets, disrupted beauty routines, and her relationship with food (I also feel the Kettle chips love) and alcohol, Dawn O’Porter also chronicles her raw experience of grief with the sudden death of her close friend earlier this year.

This kind of authenticity is what I look for in a memoir. I want to feel a connection and recognise those aspects of life that we share. What makes this memoir stand out even more is its focus on the 2020 new normal.

I read ‘Life in Pieces’ in a single day and at the end I decided to sign up to her Patreon so that I could continue reading more of her words on a regular basis. ‘Life in Pieces’ also helped me to examine my own responses to the challenges posed by 2020.

Desperately honest and raw, reading someone else portrayal of their lockdown put my mind at ease that we are struggled together, we all cared together. Warm and honest, exactly what I needed to read right now.

This was such a real and raw book to read. Who knew you could write so much about a time when we could do nothing. Great humour and bought back familiar memories of having small children. I completely related to the indulgence of alcohol and was inspired to be more creative cooking! Absolutely fantastic read.

"Talking of days, what day is it? I literally have no idea. Not that it matters"

This is the third of Dawn O'Porter's books that I've read, and I absolutely loved every 'WHAT IS HAPPENING' moment of it.

From reading just the introduction, I already got the feeling that there was a successful capture of the 'vibe' of 2020, articulated flawlessly, and with at times a dry sarcasm and wit that feels familiar and comforting. She'll also make you want a kaftan.

I'm sure many people will be able to relate to this book in many many different ways, but I think it stands as a perfect testament to the importance of not being afraid to share and express what you are feeling. Reading it feels like you are just chatting to a new friend really, the pieces are intimate and at times very raw with so many hilarious moments! But you will laugh out loud in one piece and be deeply moved to tears at others. This may be an insight in to Dawn's life but she will have you nodding along at one thought or other.

Moving, funny and real it doesn't try too hard, it doesn't try and plaster everything with a happy brush and I loved that about it. Unafraid to comment on life and the world exactly as it is. One of Dawn's final thoughts in the epilogue expresses such a beautiful sentiment of gratitude for her life that you can't help but feel she is reminding everyone that there is always light even amidst the seemingly darkest of days.

"When the world goes mad, you either go mad with it, or focus on the things that are OK".

You go Dawn thank you for writing this and feel SMUG AS HELL, cos you've done it again :)

Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the ARC.

This book gave me acceptance that yes 2020 has been the worst year and that I am not alone in finding it hard. I found it a mixture of laugh out loud funny, entertaining and at times sad.I loved the fact that Dawn talks to the pandemic as if it is going to read her account- if only then this nightmare might be over!!! It is good to share our different experiences and pull together during hard times. So easy to relate to. I wish I had been in Lockdown with her.