Millions of readers who were riveted by the account or even inspired by the author's triumph felt duped, manipulated, and angry to learn that Frey may not have been entirely honest and sincere.

A Million Little Pieces sold at least 3.5 million copies, spent time at the top of several bestseller lists, and was the second-best selling book in the United States in 2005. Though the book sold well before his initial appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, sales skyrocketed after Winfrey embraced Frey and his book. In vivid detail, he describes undergoing the detox process, coming to terms with his addiction and anger, and developing a plan for long-term sobriety. Written in first person, the narrative focuses on Frey's time in a rehab clinic for treatment for addiction to alcohol and drugs when he was twenty-three years old. One reason for the controversy over the book's veracity was the subject and nature of A Million Little Pieces.

The book was also re-classified as fiction by a number of libraries. An apology and notes from both the author and the publisher about the controversy were added to subsequent editions of A Million Little Pieces. After the truth about his 'memoir' came to light, Winfrey insisted Frey return to her show where she confronted him about the deception. In 2005, Frey's book was selected for Oprah Winfrey's high-profile book club on her syndicated talk show, and Frey appeared on her show in conjunction with the selection. At least sixteen lawsuits were filed against Frey and his publisher in the wake of the revelations. More liberties with the truth came to light as others began to investigate the book and its author. Originally published as a memoir in 2003, it was revealed on the website The Smoking Gun in January 2006 that some of the events of the book had been fictionalized, while others had been exaggerated or were altogether fabricated. James Frey's book A Million Little Pieces caused a scandal in 2006.

A million little pieces frey