Review - Pieces of You by N.R. Walker

Dallas and Justin have been together for five years. Justin also works for Dallas as a mechanic in his shop, but they’ve worked out how to separate their work and personal lives. Both are more than happy with their lives and looking to stay in the relationship for the long haul. Their happy world comes crashing down when Justin’s van is hit by a truck. Justin is lucky to survive, but his severe injuries include some brain damage, which has left him with no memory of the last five years. He doesn’t know Dallas or any of their other friends. Can Justin find his way back to Dallas?

“Pieces of You” is not your typical romance. The biggest departure is that the standard Big Dramatic Event takes place right at the very start of the book. Justin’s accident happens in the second chapter. After that, it’s all about how the two deal with the aftermath. It’s quite a different approach, and results in quite a page-turner as you want to find out what Justin remembers.

Luckily, I have no direct knowledge of traumatic brain injuries, but I found the description of what Justin was going through quite compelling. That’s a big part of what made me want to keep reading the story, to find out how he progresses day by day. Justin seems like a very likable fellow, which also makes us want to see him get well.

Almost all of the book is related from Dallas’ point of view, as he shows up at the hospital day after day to check on Justin’s condition. You have to admire the guy for showing up every day even after it’s clear that his boyfriend of five years has no memory of him. It makes him almost too good to be true, but he’s clearly very strong-willed, to have built up his own business - which it should be noted he’s very lucky to have employees who can take care of the shop while he spends every day at the hospital for several weeks. I suppose it should be said that despite the severity of Justin’s injuries, his recovery probably represents a best-case scenario.

The only other significant characters are the other two mechanics that work for Dallas, Davo and Sparra. They’re more than just background extras, although we don’t get to know them all that well. All four men come off as stereotypical footie-obsessed Aussie gear-heads, but that’s not really a negative. It’s a type you’re probably familiar with, so it makes it that much easier to form a picture of them in your mind.

“Pieces of You” is available from Amazon.