KitsuneBae
Written on Mar 10, 2016
Reminiscent of Before I Fall, Elizabeth Norris's Unraveling blends realistic coming-of-age issues and heart-stopping romance with something just a little bit more. In this case, a gripping science fiction world.
Unraveling's heroine, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner, is used to having a lot of responsibility. She balances working as a lifeguard in San Diego with an intense academic schedule. Janelle's mother is bipolar, and her dad is a workaholic FBI agent, which means Janelle also has to look out for her younger brother.
And that was before she died...and is brought back to life by Ben Michaels, a mysterious, alluring loner from her high school. The more Janelle tries to figure him out, the more she starts to believe he's connected to a case her father is working on. The one where people are dying of radiation poisoning and the body count is rising. The one that involves a strange clock that seems to be counting down to the earth's destruction. If Janelle wants to stop the clock and save the world, she has twenty-four days to uncover Ben's secrets--and keep from falling in love with him.
From debut author Elizabeth Norris, comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming.
- ISBN10 0062103733
- ISBN13 9780062103734
- Publish Date 24 April 2012
- Publish Status Out of Stock
- Publish Country US
- Imprint HarperCollins Publishers
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 464
- Language English
Reviews
Chelsea
Written on Nov 8, 2014
1. A lot better than I expected. I really enjoyed the whole concept.
2. I loved the time limit on everything. I liked watching the clock count down.
3. The main character, Janelle, was a great character. She was a fantastic female lead.
4. Not a huge fan of Ben. He was a little too obsessed.
5. I loved all the relationships that took place. They were all different and very unique.
nitzan_schwarz
Written on Sep 12, 2013
Update: my review of Unraveling is up! check it out here to find out why I gave this wonderful book only 3.5 stars...
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3.5 stars
Because even though this book was a 5 star up until the three or so last chapters, those chapters just made me feel so freakin' meh about it. They damn near cancelled all the amazingly good feels I had for Unraveling. I don't know what to do. Maybe I'll feel more forgiving when I write the review, but right now I just... I can't even.
Ashley
Written on Jul 6, 2013
Nose Graze — Young Adult book reviews
4.5 Stars
Why did I not read Unraveling sooner??? A few months ago, this book was all anyone was talking about. I was intrigued, but didn't jump on it. Even when I got a copy of the book, I still didn't jump on it. But OMG I was totally missing out! This book rocked.
I think I never realized how much cool FBI stuff there would be in the book. A large part of it is Janelle trying to play teenage FBI agent. Her father works for the FBI so she's grown to be really interested in his work. She likes to sneak peeks at his case files and speculate. A lot of the book was her going through FBI speculation sessions with her best friend Alex. They'd go over the evidence together and talk about their theories, etc. That's something I see in movies a lot and I always think it's super interesting! But what made Unraveling so cool was combining the FBI element with science fiction!
And oh my gosh, Unraveling has SUCH a sweet romance! Ben is one of the nicest and most interesting guys ever. He has this bad boy, "up to no good" exterior, but when you get to know him you realize he's actually a sweet, morally grounded brainiac! YES! Bring on the hot science geek! But one of the great things about Unraveling is that this isn't a sci-fi book that turns into an all-encompassing romance. The sci-fi doesn't yield to the romance. The romance is more in the background and just supplements the plot; it doesn't overtake it.
But honestly, what I may have loved even more than the romance was the friendship. Alex is Janelle's best friend and I LOVE HIM!! Actually, I like him even more than Ben. Alex kept citing all these movies like The Mummy and Star Wars that I LOVE! Ben may be a science nerd, but Alex is an academic and a movie nerd. But on top of that, he's such an amazing and incredible friend. I seriously wish I had a friend like him. Alex and Janelle have this "finish each other's sentences" type friendship where they just know each other inside and out. It's one of the best friendships I've ever read about in YA, which is why I wanted to cry like a baby when he died! OH MY GOD! How could that happen!?!?!
There is a bit in the middle where Unraveling halts a bit action/plot-wise, but it picked up again at the end... triple time! Things get so intense, and everything starts happening at once! It made me not want to take a breath, for fear of missing something. It was awesome. O_O
As much as I enjoyed Unraveling, I have to say that there weren't many surprises. There are a TON of twists and turns, but the problem was that I guessed every single one before they happened. I didn't dislike the book as a result, though. I still enjoyed watching everything play out, even if I already knew it was going to happen. I guess it was still a bit of a bummer though because I LOVE twists, but mostly I love them when they catch me off guard. I felt like there were a lot of hints along the way that were easy to pick up on, and for everything else, there were simple formulas. Like there's the guy who you are led to think is the culprit, but really it's the guy right next to that one. That's a pretty common move in books and movies.
I love how there wasn't really a cliffhanger at the end of Unraveling. Yes, things were pretty intense and I can totally see where the second book could go, but everything got wrapped up pretty well too. It left me feeling very satisfied (although also devastated.. HOW COULD YOU KILL ALEX??? HOW??!?!! *sobs*). So if you're into science fiction, parallel universes, great romances that don't dominate a book, fabulous friend ships, family dynamics.. check this book out now!
jnikkir
Written on Mar 15, 2013
I only have one question after finishing this book (you know, other than "OMG WHAT HAPPENS NEXT???"). And that question is, Why the heck didn't I pick this book up sooner?! No seriously. I am legitimately disappointed in myself for not reading this when it came out. I loved it. LOVED IT.
Sorry for the caps, I just feel very strongly about this, having finished it literally 5 minutes ago.
One thing that surprised me is that it started out looking like it would be more of a murder-mystery thriller that's light on the sci-fi - and that made the pace in the beginning seem a little sluggish to me, especially after the book opened with a bang, with the main character getting hit by a truck and brought back to life. But once it was revealed how Ben got his abilities, and where he's from, there was no going back. I was meant to love this book.
I laughed, I cried, I was left short of breath - Unraveling has it all, and then some. Action, suspense, drama, a great romance, fantastic characters everywhere you turn, just... everything. If you think this book sounds even remotely like something you would be interested in, pick it up!!
...What are you waiting for?!
{This review, and others, can also be found on There were books involved...}
Artemis
Written on Oct 6, 2012
Angie
Written on Jul 17, 2012
I did love Janelle! She's smart, confident, knows what she wants, and isn't willing to just sit around while life passes her by. She might be a little full of herself at times, but she's not conceited or cocky. At home she's always taking care of everyone else, so I think she deserves to be a little selfish. I would trust this girl to handle the end of the world. She's not whiny, boy crazed, or incompetent. If she doesn't know something, she's willing to do anything in order to find out. Even impersonate an FBI agent and wave a (unloaded) gun!
I also liked seeing her relationship with her parents. All too often, the parents seem to missing from YA novels, but Janelle's are very much present. She loves her father fiercely, and he's a bit of a dork when he's not over working himself. As for her mother, well, she's bipolar and spends much of the book in her down state. Janelle loves her mother, too, but it's harder. She acts more like the parent, since her mother often can't even get out of bed. Jared, Janelle's younger brother, also plays a major role. It was nice to see a teen boy who obviously respects his sister.
There is one minor thing that nagged at me for most of the book. It's not a huge deal, or anything even important at all, but I have a tendency to latch onto inconsistencies that I notice. Each time Janelle mentions using her cell phone I wanted to scream, "How are you using it if you shattered it on page 151?!?!" It's true, she does, but as soon as page 163 she's already checking her texts again. Like I said, it's not even important, but it definitely stood out to me.
Anyway, I never figured out the big mystery that's taking place in San Diego. I had one theory but it was just a passing thought. It happened to be partially correct though, but not in the way I was thinking. This made for an engaging read. The pacing was a bit on the slow side, especially in the beginning, but things definitely pick up in the last third.
Unraveling is another winner of a debut, and a great start to what appears to be a promising series (although I was disappointed when I found out this wasn't a standalone). It's a little on the long side, but I think it's well worth a read.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
Raven
Written on Jun 21, 2012
This book caught me off gaurd. Ive gotten to the point where I dont trust the labels people on goodreads gives to a book, so the sci-fi aspect kind of snuck up on me. The alternate universes thing was what got me, but I didnt have a problem with it.
I really enjoyed the characters. There were times that things seemed a little out-landish, but it was a sci-fi novel so I just went with it. I enjoyed everyone really. I thought Nick was sort of a pointless character, but I suppose he was needed so there would be a reason for Janelle to have to walk in front of the truck that hit her. I really loved Ben. It makes me sad that he never was brave enough to make a move on her before.
The story was nice to follow and didnt go too fast or slow for me really. There was a lot of science talk in there that I didnt want to be friends with, but it wasnt enough to be really offputting. The romance between Janelle and Ben was frustrating, but it made it a little more heartbreaking at the end. Even then though, the end felt numb to me. Just, how things worked out, they were fine in the moment, but once I stopped to collect my thoughts I realized how anti-climatic and robotic it was.
Even with its flaws, I still enjoyed the whole thing and am anxious for the next novel.
Amber
Written on May 8, 2012
Yay for Spartacus references! *woohoo*
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This is one of those books that I get completely sucked into. I get sucked in so much that I start fangirling about it all over the place. Unravelling was FLAWLESS. Well, not completely flawless, but almost.
The plot was well paced and kept me hooked. I mentioned in one of my previous reviews that I didn't feel a sense of urgency even though the world was/could be coming to an end. In Unravelling I definitely felt that! The climax had me holding my breath for so long, there was a legitimate chance of me fainting.
I was wondering how this was going to lean towards science fiction rather than paranormal, and can I just say it was NOT what I was expecting! At all!
The big reveal/plot twist came about half way through, and it blew me away. Did anybody actually see that coming?!
There were a couple of things that I did find unbelievable (I know, in a sci-fi novel!), particularly the amount of times Janelle went through her father's FBI files without proper consequences. She seemed to get away with too much.
I also had a problem with the way Janelle - the main character - used the word 'literally'. Your heart didn't literally jump into your throat and choke you, mate.
I didn't think I cared for the relationship between Ben and Janelle, but the ending changed my mind. I also really like her with another guy, and if there was a love triangle then I'd definitely root for those two! That would be one love triangle that I would enjoy.
The ending made me cry. A lot. Elizabeth Norris makes some bold moves there, and I adore her for it. I always love it when an author makes a decision to kill/maim/torture/destroy important characters!
Unravelling is a great novel with amazing twists, writing and world building. I adored it, and I think there is going to be a sequel. The set up for a second book was fantastic!
Jordon
Written on May 5, 2012
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This was one of those books that I wasn't interested in reading until I saw a lot of rave reviews about it, so I went ahead and decided to give it a go.
The idea:
The idea of this book could be an interesting idea. If you've never heard of it before. Or seen Roswell.
The idea of this book does not feel new. It felt predictable. I've seen this before. I felt like I knew exactly what was going to happen in the direction of events.
In saying that, the idea wasn't a horrible one. It wasn't bad and it wasn't boring. It just feels like it's been done before. Probably because as soon as I started reading this book I kept thinking about Roswell, the T.V show that was a huge hit in the early 2000's (If you didn't know), I grew up watching shows just like that. So I was disappointed because I just couldn't shake the feeling of having seen this same plot line before.
Then there was the fact that I wasn't surprised or shocked by any of the events that happened. I felt like there wasn't really anything new. I liked the whole idea that's revealed half way through but at the same time I felt like we only got the beginning of that idea in this book. So I am actually very interested in seeing where the second book goes.
My love-hate relationship:
The way this book made me feel was interesting.
I wasn't interested in this book at first because the summary held no excitement for me. What it also doesn't hold is the way this book draws you in and keeps you interested.
I found myself powering through this book without realising how much I was reading or how long I had been reading. The first night I started this book I looked at the clock, it said 11:30pm. The next time I glanced up from the book I realised it was 3:30am. I had been reading non-stop without realising how much time was passing. And while I had been reading I found myself getting emotionally attached; to the events and to Janelle.
Yet I also found that while I couldn't stop reading I also couldn't like it as much as I wanted to. In fact I felt like I was powering through this book just so I would get to the end to see what finally happened, not because I was enjoying it a lot. I felt for Janelle, I felt like I was invested in her life, maybe not her so much, but I didn't like the feeling the book was giving me. The plot didn't wow me.
It was interesting. I couldn't stop reading it. Yet I also did not like it and could not wait to finish it. But I couldn't wait to finish it because I wanted-I needed to know what happened. By the end I wanted to know what happened next.
So I just don't know how I feel!
Overall, I'm really not sure what I feel for this book. The writing had me powering through, I had to know what was going to happen next, I felt for Janelle. Yet I knew what was going to happen, nothing surprised me and I didn't particularly like anything about this book. Besides the need to read more.
By the end of the book I felt like there was more of an interesting, or I guess the word is; new story that I could see coming from this. A story that we haven't seen before. A story that I am interested in reading about. So to me this book felt more like a large prequel to the real story.
Unraveling has you powering through it's pages just wishing you could read even faster so you can get to the end.