ARC Review: Unraveling

Unraveling, Elizabeth Norris

Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Publication: 4/24/2012, Balzer + Bray

# of Pages: 445

Source: I received an advanced reader's copy (ARC) from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis from Goodreads:  Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

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.

My Review:  Unique and brilliant. Pure epicness! I cannot praise this book enough. Elizabeth Norris has created some of the most original and incredible characters. Wrap them up in an intense, thrill ride of a plot and you have Unraveling.

When I first saw blurbs for this book, I knew I had to have it. With a logline like Stop the Countdown, Save the World, how could it not be epic? (Heroes, anyone? Save the Cheerleader, Save the World. No? Just me? Okay, moving on.)

When Janelle is hit by a truck and dies, Ben comes to her aid, healing her injuries and bringing her back to life. At first I was reminded of Roswell and how Max saves Liz because he loves her, which is a good thing because I loved Roswell. But, in the end, Unraveling actually turned out to be unlike anything I've ever seen or read before. It was absolutely brilliant. I've used that word before, I know. But it truly describes this book.

Janelle is a kick-butt protagonist who is definitely going on the list of my favorites. She is strong, and spirited, and everything I want from my female leads. She's been through an ordeal but she doesn't fold in upon herself. She pushes forward, searching for answers. And Ben. Ben, I love you. You're made of pure awesome. I wish you were real and that I was younger. Much younger. Even the secondary characters like Alex are incredible. The boys in this book rock.

Unraveling is intense—mind-blowingly awesome and definitely one of my favorite reads of the year. The chapters are short and will have you breathlessly pulsing through the story. Even though it's a long book—445 pages, I read it in a single sitting. Trust me, you won't be able to tear through it fast enough.

I want to tell you so much more so you can understand how amazing Unraveling is, but I can't without being spoiler-y, so I'll just tell you that if you trust my opinion on books at all, you MUST. READ. THIS. BOOK.

Okay, my gushing is over now.

Goodreads / Amazon