Life Unaware

by Cole Gibsen

[Leah]

You guys, I have read some pretty freaking awesome books this year. And actually, most of the books that have completely blew my socks off have been YA or NA – Paradise City, City Love, The Truth About Jack, Simon Vs The Homo Hapiens Agenda, and now Life Unaware. I literally had no idea I was reading a book that would give me ALL THE FEELS. Starting it, I wasn’t even sure I was going to like Regan never mind adore the life out of her. BUT IT WAS JUST SO GOOD.

First up: It’s a book about bullying I love when authors tackle bullying, and when they flip the story so that the bully becomes the bullied. Part of the reason I wasn’t so sure I’d love Regan is that she’s a bully. She’ll quite happily dish the dirt on people at her school to get ahead. Until someone dishes the dirt on her and she ends up being bullied herself. It takes quite a writer to make me then feel sorry for Regan, but I did. Despite what she did, the journey she goes on shows that she’s not just another bully. She does feel remorse, she does apologise, she does realise that what she did was wrong. It really does help when your main character can feel remorse, and just because Regan may have bullied people doesn’t at all mean that what was done to her was right, because it wasn’t.

NEXT: NOLAN NOLAN NOLAN NOLAN. Nolan is set up as a bit of a wind-up, he’s always following Regan around with a camera, always in her face, and he’s one of the first to be all in her face after the incident. But, actually, I warmed to him quite quickly, because there was just something so freaking charming and lost about him. He seemed to have this air of sadness about him, unless he was with Regan. They brought out the snarky in each other, until it became something more. UNTIL I GOT ALL THE FEELS. Their chemistry is so hard to explain because it was just crackling from the beginning. From the moment in the bathroom when Regan’s freaking out and he puts his arms around her, to giving her his blazer, to walking her from her car to the school; he’s like the perfect boy, and I fell head over heels for him. Him and Regan were just so freaking cute, man!!!!

This book just made me feel everything. Whether it was simple things like Nolan just being everywhere – and being a bit of a knight in shining armour, to boot or Regan realising the error of her ways, and wanting to be a better person,t his book was just amazing. Even the project they come up with was just so cool, and that would be such an awesome thing if it was real.

Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses because the bullying in the novel is a real thing to many, many people and there were bits of the novel that made me feel like my heart had been ripped out (thanks Cole!!!!). But the moral of the story seemed to be that people can change, but it has to start with them. Just because you do bad things, doesn’t mean you can’t repent and be forgiven. And I liked that hopeful message.

I am itching for a sequel to this wonderful, perfect book. In fact, I sent a crazy CAPSLOCKED tweet to Cole just before I started writing my review, because I WANT A SEQUEL PLEASE. (Though Cole has now replied and it’s a standalone; excuse me while I go cry in the corner). Life Unaware is one of the best Young Adult books I’ve ever read. It resonated with me on so many levels and Regan and Nolan were just the most wonderful characters I would ever wish to meet. Sigh. I am so sad the book is all over, and I’ve finished it. I needed at least 500 more pages…