Review: Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**Spoilers**

Summary: 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.

Characters: Again, the one thing I do love about these dystopians is the strong lead females.  GIRL POWER! Janelle is intelligent and caring. Ben's quite elusive. Even after the end, I still don't know him. However, I really liked the relationship between Janelle and Ben. Their back story was super cute, and I don't know if this is a spoiler but THE PROPOSAL! That in conjunction with the line that mirrors that were by far my favorite lines from the entire book.
Plot: I was so impressed by this plot!  The details were connected and intertwined, much like my favorite show ever LOST.  The only issue I had with it was the ending.  I don't think it should have ended that way:  Janelle and her brother should have joined Ben and went back to his world if her brother was the only reason for staying behind.  I don't want to say that the ending totally set up for a sequel just to make money because I am definitely going to read it, but I guess me being one for a happy ending would have changed the depressing end.
Writing: Elizabeth Norris definitely stayed true to the dialect of teenagers, making it realistic and relatable considering that the story is not likely to actually happen.  However, perhaps that is just the way she talks; when i met her, I did not realize how old she was because of her manner in speaking.
Additional: Unraveling was bought to possibly be made into film.  Any cast ideas?

FUN FACT: Elizabeth Norris attended the same high school I am currently attending.

Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes.  I'm super excited for Unbreakable.  I even requested for an ARC.

View all my reviews