Review: And Then Everything Unraveled

And Then Everything Unraveled by Jennifer Sturman
Publisher: Point
Pub. Date: July 1st, 2009
Pages: 244
Age Level: 13+

Synopsis from GoodReads
Delia Truesdale has no idea her life's about to change forever. She's too busy enjoying the California summer. Her internet tycoon mother, T.K. Truesdale, is out of town, and that means Delia can spend all her time at the beach, surfing. That is, until everything unravels.

Her mother suddenly goes missing, and everyone thinks she's dead - except Delia, who knows T.K.'s way too organized to simply disappear. But Delia's still sent to New York to live with her two aunts - a downtown bohemian and an uptown ice queen.

And in case that's not bad enough, she also has to deal with a snooty new school and trying not to fall for the wrong guy. Oh, and finding her mother.

As she delves deeper into the tangle of conspiracies and lies surrounding T.K.'s disappearance, Delia begins to suspect that the wrong guy may be the right guy...and that some secrets - especially the dangerous ones - were never meant to be unraveled.

Review
Jennifer Sturman, author of mystery books for adults, branches out with her intriguing debut YA mystery, And Then Everything Unraveled.

Delia is a fairly strong and determined character, though not without faults. Sometimes I thought she was a bit naive in how she approached things and when it came to who she should trust but in a way this made her seem a bit more real because, after all, she is just 16. Another thing, it really annoyed me how she kept calling her mom T.K. instead of ever actually referring to her as mom. Other than that, I liked her pretty well. As for Quinn, well like Delia, I was often dazzled but also confused by him; I ended up really liking him in the end though. Then came Delia's aunts, Charley and Patience, who were polar opposites but together made for a humorous combination.

And Then Everything Unraveled was very fast paced and well plotted. It's been a while since I've read a mystery and this one, though occasionally predictable, really grabbed my attention and made me keep the pages turning. I also loved the originality of the mystery and how environmental aspects are subtly incorporated. There was also some humor and a touch of romance to spice things up. The writing wasn't anything spectacular but it was good enough and I didn't find anything particularly wrong with it though nothing really made it stand out either.

I will admit, the end surprised me a little bit because my opinion of someone turned out to be wrong. Which is odd cause ya'll know I'm never wrong. *jokes* It was definitely enough though to leave me looking forward to the next book.

In the end, And Then Everything Unraveled was a quick, fun, and suspenseful read that I think most young adults, and even some adults, would enjoy. I recommend it and I'm looking forward to starting And Then I Found Out the Truth.

Grade
Characters: B-
Writing: C
Plot: B
Ending: B
Enjoyment/Likability: B-
Recommendable: B

Overall: B-

Cover: C (Cover loses serious brownie points with me since the girl on the cover looks nothing like Delia who is half Indian and, I'm pretty sure, has black hair. The paperback is way more accurate)

Noteworthy Passages: Before I Fall

Before I Fall (ARC) by Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub. Date: March 1st, 2010
Pages: 470
Age Level: 14+

Disclaimer: Please note that this is an ARC and passages and quotes below are subject to change in the final copy.

Synopsis via GoodReads
What if you had only one day to live?
What would you do?
Who would you kiss?
And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

Noteworthy Passages

Sam & Lindsay; pg. 9
"Beep, beep," Lindsay calls out. A few weeks ago my mom yelled at her for blasting her horn at six fifty-five every morning, and this is Lindsay's solution.

Sam; pg. 56
When I was little I used to do this a lot: lock myself in the bathroom and take showers so hot the mirror would cloud completely over, then stand there, watching as my face took shape slowly behind the steam, rough outlines at first, then details appearing gradually. Each time I'd think that when my face came back I would see somebody beautiful, like during my shower I'd been transformed into something brighter and better. But I always looked the same.

Sam; pg. 81
But before you start pointing fingers, let me ask you: is what I did really so bad? So bad I deserved to die? So bad I deserved to die like that?
Is what I did really so much worse than what anybody else does?
Is it really so much worse than what you do?
Think about it.

Sam & Izzy; pg. 284
"I used to lie here like this all summer long," I tell her. "I'd come up here and just stare at the sky."
She rolls over on her back so she's staring up as well. "Bet the view hasn't changed much, has it?"
What she says is so simple I almost laugh. She's right of course. "No. This looks exactly the same."
I suppose that's the secret, if you're ever wishing for things to go back to the way they were. You just have to look up.

Sam; pg. 301
If I never go to sleep, maybe today will have to turn into tomorrow. I wonder idly how long I can go without sleep before I flip my shit and start running down the street in my underwear, hallucinating purple spiders.

Sam; pg. 425-426
As we pull out of the parking lot, it occurs to me that maybe it's not so complicated at all. Most of the time - 99 percent of the time - you just don't know how and why the threads are looped together, and that's okay. Do a good thing and something bad happens. Do a bad thing and something good happens. Do nothing and everything explodes.
And very, very rarely - by some miracle of chance and coincidence, butterflies beating their wings just so and all the threads hanging together for a minute - you get the chance to do the right thing.

~~~~~~~~~~

Well there you have it folks. I've got to say, when it comes to books having good passages, this has got to be one of the most noteworthy ones I've read. If these aren't enough to convince you or if you'd just like to know more, you can check out my Review.









PLEASE NOTE: This is a feature hosted here at my blog in which I present you with selected passages or quotes that I deem Noteworthy from a book I've just reviewed. My hopes are of course, that these passages will make you want to pick the book up and read it. This feature was started and created by me in January in hopes of making my blog more unique. That being said, I would like to kindly request that you do not use this feature as it was intended to be for my blog only and is not a meme. If you see some one else using it, please know it is without my permission. Thank you.

Review: Before I Fall

Before I Fall (ARC) by Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub. Date: March 1st, 2010
Pages: 470
Age Level: 14+

Synopsis via GoodReads
What if you had only one day to live?
What would you do?
Who would you kiss?
And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

Review
Before I Fall is one of those rare, exceptional books that will leave you viewing the world in a whole new way once your eyes have left the pages. Lauren Oliver shows us in her stunning debut novel that not only can people change but that sometimes changing the simplest things can mean a world of difference.

In Sam, Oliver has created such a complex and dynamic character. At first I didn't really like her but that wasn't really the point. As Sam continued to relive the day of her death, I got to watch her grow into a better person; her outlook on life and the people around her, even her best friends, started to become more clear. I could see why Sam was friends with Lindsay, Elody, and Ally; they had some great, lovable qualities about them. However, Lindsay also had a bitchy quality and Elody and Ally just kind of went along with it, as did Sam for a time. Both Lindsay and Juliet were great supporting characters and there was a lot more to them both than what first meets the eye, especially Juliet. Last, but certainly not least, is Kent whom I fell madly in love with; he was just so sweet and adorable and although he was sometimes awkward, there was also an underlying strength and wisdom about him.

I have to say, Before I Fall wasn't exactly a quick read. However, except for the beginning which seemed a bit slow going for me, it was very well paced. Once I got past the slight repetitive feeling that comes natural with a main character reliving the same day, everything fell into step and I found myself anxious to find out how Sam's day would turn out this time and then the next time and so on. The story itself was just so emotionally wrought, unique, and often heart-wrenching. There were even some twists thrown in that I wasn't expecting.

Oliver has such a beautiful, almost poetic, writing style; it was gripping, relevant, thought-provoking, and descriptive all in one. Her writing is also very noteworthy as I felt she said many things worth saying in Before I Fall and she not only said them but said them well, in a way that will make me remember long after I've finished this book. Another thing, I loved how Sam would occasionally break away from telling her story to speak directly to me, the reader. This technique was well used and really helped me form a better connection with Sam.

Thanks to a very inconsiderate meany on GoodReads, I already knew how this book was going to end as far as Sam was concerned. However, I was still amazed and surprised by the ending in many ways. I know some people weren't big fans of the ending but I loved it and thought it was admirably done.

So I will say this, Before I Fall is not the kind of book to just pick up on a sheer whim; because of it's emotional depth and slightly more serious subject matter, it is one of those books I feel you really need to be in the mood for if you are too fully appreciate it's greatness. I say this because the first time I picked it up to read, I got part way through but then started another book. I know, for shame. *blushes* In the end, though, Before I Fall is a work of genius that will stick with you long after you've read it and even has the potential to change readers lives. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

Grade
Characters: A-
Writing: A
Plot: B
Ending: A-
Enjoyment/Likability: B
Recommendable: A

Overall: A-

Cover: B-

A Giveaway for The Dark Divine (Not mine)

Enna Isilee over at Squeaky Books is having a contest giving away Bree Despain's The Dark Divine! Head on over to Ennalee's blog (Click Here) to find out how to win. In the meantime, check out this awesome trailer for the book!

Originally from: http://www.squeakybooks.com/2010/07/bree-despain-giveaway.html#ixzz0tcEOFedG