title: We Fell Apart
author: E. Lockhart
publisher: Delacorte Press
publication date: November 4, 2025
pages: 320
peppers: 1 (on this scale)
warnings: death, drugs being used against people's wills, drinking alcohol, vomiting, parental abandonment
summary: Shortly after her mother has followed her most recent boyfriend to Mexico, Matilda gets an email from the famous artist claiming to be her father. He invites her across the country to his private island castle and offers to give her a painting (that would be worth millions). The only problem is that when Matilda arrives, the three boys and one grown woman who live there seem not to want her around, and her father has flown off to Italy. Most of the story happens while she waits for him to return.
tropes:
- found family
- enemies to lovers
- the artistic temperament
what I liked:
- the main character's self-sufficiency
- the kids she meets on the island
- the weaving in of art and video game and literature
what I didn’t like: none of it
overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)