Beautiful Broken Girls by Kim Savage

Standalone. Farrar, Straus, & Giroux (Feb. 2017) NetGalley

Remember the places you touched me.

The parts of Mira Cillo that Ben touched are etched on his soul.

Palm. Hair. Chest. Cheek. Lips. Throat. Heart.

It was the last one that broke her. After her death, Mira sends Ben on a quest for notes she left in the seven places where they touched—notes that explain why she and her sister, Francesca, drowned themselves in the quarry. How Ben interprets those notes has everything to do with the way he was touched by a bad coach years before. But the truth behind the girls’ suicides is far more complicated, involving a dangerous infatuation, a deadly miracle, and a crushing lie.

Well, I'm done with whatever that was. This is the second time that Kim Savage leaves me baffled. I think she tries to make things so shocking that sometimes it translates to readers and other times it doesn't. I honestly thought the story was going to end differently. These girls are BROKEN to the max. I was in a very confused state of what? after reading this. I wanted to process it a little more before I wrote a review but I still feel lost. 

Ben is our main character and he is written extremely well. I feel like I got into his mind. Something I have to admit is that although Savage's book can get crazy - she knows how to write. I just don't know what to make of her books when I'm done with them. That's a sort of compliment. If you've read this or After the Woods you would know what I meant. Any who, back to Ben. Ben has a lot going on with him. There are things from his past that come up not including the person he loved writing notes about why she and her sister killed themselves. He also starts dealing with things that happened to him as a child. Ben was in love with Mira. Mira started retreating from everyone including him after the death of their cousin and no one knows why except the two sisters. Francesca also started retreating but her and her sister? VERY different people.

As Ben starts finding more and more messages he starts losing himself. While that is happening flashbacks of him with Mira as well as the sisters progression to their deaths are intertwined within the story. You can not guess right now what was going on with the sisters because it is so left field that I still don't understand it. If you constantly want to be in a state of what is going on? boy is this the book for you. It all circles around to Francesca. Francesca doesn't like Ben. Ben doesn't really care for her either but Mira does. She's concerned for her well being but no one in the family talked about what was going on so Ben's mind starts going around the possibilities.

There is no doubt in my mind that Savage can write an incredible story that will keep you guessing. For some reason the ratings on this book are low on Goodreads. I rated it three stars myself because it was even more confusing than the last book which is good and bad. I love this story to an extent. I don't want Savage's writing to change by all means because her endings remind me a little of Robert Cormier who is amazing. I just wish she could be a little more clear.... but also I don't! There's a balance that needs to be met. I just can't describe anything correctly with her books. I do know I will continually look for more of Savage's writings because she's amazing and messes with my head. Although, I've been very contradictory towards my review of this book I do recommend reading it especially if you are looking for something out of the ordinary. 

Beautiful Broken Girls will leave you guessing what's real and what's not.