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WORK TITLE: Our Broken Pieces
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://sarahlwhite.com/index.html
CITY:
STATE: CA
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
https://www.harpercollins.com/cr-125644/sarah-white
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in CA; married; children: two sons.
EDUCATION:University of California, Los Angeles, B.A.; California State University, Long Beach, M.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Marriage and family therapist.
AVOCATIONS:Reading.
AWARDS:Harlequin So You Think You Can Write Contest winner, 2013; Watty Award recipient, 2015 and 2016.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Sarah White is a writer and counselor. She was born and raised in California. White attended college at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she received a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and and California State University, Long Beach, where she earned a master’s degree in counseling. She works as a marriage and family therapist. White has won the Harlequin So You Think You Can Write Contest and Watty Awards in 2015 and 2016. She lives in California with her husband and two sons.
Our Broken Pieces, White’s debut novel, tells the story of Everly Morgan, a teenager in her senior year of high school. Everything seems to be going well for Everly: she has a best friend she cares for, Elle, and a boyfriend, Brady, that she loves. All she has to look forward to in her final year of high school is having fun with her two sidekicks. That all changes when she catches Elle and Brady making out. Worse yet, she discovers that most of her friends knew about the affair and no one told her. Everly had suffered from manageable panic attacks in the past, but now her attacks escalate. To deal with the panic attacks, and her anxiety and depression, Everly starts seeing a therapist once a week.
Everly’s therapist recommends tools to help Everly cope with the panic attacks. The goal is to reduce her negative thinking and eventually get her to a place where she feels stable enough to face her fears without spiraling into another panic attack. As Everly gets into the routine of her Tuesday therapy sessions, she begins to notice Gabe, a schoolmate she had not noticed before, who is also attending therapy. Gabe is seeing the therapist to help him cope with his sister’s recent suicide attempt and her ongoing bipolar disorder symptoms. The two find comfort and an attraction to one another. Although Everly swore off love, she and Gabe begin a romance. Gabe is a source of positivity in Everly’s life, both through humor and compassion.
Regarding the two teens, a contributor to Kirkus Reviews wrote: “The genuineness of their emotional connection makes their scorching intimate scenes even sexier.” The contributor described the book as, “a thoughtfully sexy meditation on healing, friendship, and romance.” A contributor to Publishers Weekly noted White “knows how to put together a steamy romantic
scene,” adding, “the novel attempts to tackle some serious issues.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 2017, review of Our Broken Pieces.
Publishers Weekly, June 5, 2017, review of Our Broken Pieces, p. 55.
Sarah White
Sarah White
Biography
Sarah White, author of Our Broken Pieces and Let Me List the Ways, was born and raised in California. A graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, and California State University, Long Beach, she has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counseling. Sarah spends her days as a marriage and family therapist and her nights and weekends reading and writing stories. She is a winner of the Harlequin So You Think You Can Write Contest and a Watty Award. She currently lives in California with her husband and two boys. You can visit her online at www.sarahlwhite.com.
Sarah White was born and raised in California. Graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles and California State University, Long Beach, she has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Counseling. Sarah spends her days as a therapist and her nights and weekends reading and writing love stories. Sarah is a winner of the 2013 Harlequin and Wattpad STYTCW Contest and won Wattpad's Watty awards two years in a row in 2015 and 2016. Her first book with HarperTeen is available now.
Our Broken Pieces
Publishers Weekly.
264.23 (June 5, 2017): p55.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Our Broken Pieces
Sarah White. HarperTeen, $9.99 trade paper
(288p) ISBN 978-0-06-247313-4
Everly Morgan thought that her senior year would be filled with fun times with her boyfriend, Brady, and
best friend, Elle. That changes when she finds the two of them in a compromising position and learns that
most of her friends were aware of the betrayal. To deal with her depression and anxiety, Everly starts seeing
a therapist every Tuesday, which is where she meets Gabe, a classmate she has never noticed before. Even
though Everly has sworn off love, her attraction to Gabe is undeniable. White, who has built up a following
on Wattpad for her Rookie in Love series and other stories, knows how to put together a steamy romantic
scene, though she often dips into cliched turns of phrase ("I feel my lips curl up into a smile"). The novel
attempts to tackle some serious issues, particularly regarding mental health, but it lacks much of an
emotional punch, especially when Everly's concerns turn to whether she'll have fun during spirit week or get
the "promposal" of her dreams. Ages 14-up. Agent: Christine Witthohn, Book Cents Literarj. (Aug.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Our Broken Pieces." Publishers Weekly, 5 June 2017, p. 55. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A495538403/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=29b09f19.
Accessed 24 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A495538403
3/24/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1521938724086 2/2
White, Sarah: OUR BROKEN PIECES
Kirkus Reviews.
(June 1, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
White, Sarah OUR BROKEN PIECES HarperTeen (Children's Fiction) $9.99 8, 8 ISBN: 978-0-06-247313-
4
A chance waiting-room meeting sparks romance.Everly, a successful, white high school senior, manages
occasional panic attacks with her therapist's help. When catching her boyfriend making out with her best
friend escalates the panic attacks, Everly's therapist suggests new coping tools. They help Everly reduce her
negative thoughts and incrementally face her worst fears. The therapy sessions also unexpectedly provide
opportunities for Everly to connect with handsome, white Gabe, another student from her school with
captivating multicolored eyes. He quickly becomes another positive in her life, playfully and gently teasing
Everly while also allowing her to share her lingering pain about the bad breakup. In return, Everly supports
Gabe as he tackles his fears following his sister's recent suicide attempt and her ongoing challenges with
managing her bipolar symptoms. Both Everly and Gabe develop positive relationships with their therapists
in a refreshing departure from the multitude of teen characters who reject all professional interventions.
Everly and Gabe's relationship also avoids cliches: neither character is "fixing" the other; instead, each
respects the other's emotional journey. This mutual admiration forms the foundation for the believable
support they offer each other during difficult moments. And the genuineness of their emotional connection
makes their scorching intimate scenes even sexier (as does the welcome inclusion of condoms). A
thoughtfully sexy meditation on healing, friendship, and romance. (Fiction. 14-18)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"White, Sarah: OUR BROKEN PIECES." Kirkus Reviews, 1 June 2017. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A493329163/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=7c29af69.
Accessed 24 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A493329163