Scan barcode
jasmine256's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Rape, Drug use, and Sexual content
lothlorienne's review
3.0
This book took longer to finish that I anticipated. The plot seemed simple - a high school girl is murdered, and all the evidence points to her uncle as the murderer. However, her ex-boyfriend, Neily, and her cousin, Audrey, try to prove differently, believing her death to be the result of information she uncovered about other students in their school - things those students wanted to keep buried.
I had believed the book would be mainly a mystery story, but was surprised to find that there was a lot of soul-searching for the characters, and a very humanistic exploration of emotion. I appreciated that aspect, however, the first half of the book depended almost exclusively on that, with very little action, and the real mystery/sleuthing began about halfway through the novel.
Not a bad story, but not something I would likely want to pick up and read again later.
I had believed the book would be mainly a mystery story, but was surprised to find that there was a lot of soul-searching for the characters, and a very humanistic exploration of emotion. I appreciated that aspect, however, the first half of the book depended almost exclusively on that, with very little action, and the real mystery/sleuthing began about halfway through the novel.
Not a bad story, but not something I would likely want to pick up and read again later.
jessalynn_librarian's review
3.0
A strong mystery - the kind that has you occasionally doubting the reliability of your narrators - and that pulls you into a distinct world. Here, it's high school. And if we learned anything from Veronica Mars, it's that high school can be a great setting for some serious crimes. Yes, I frequently wondered "what would Veronica do?" (WWVD) since even though this lacks the humor of Veronica Mars, there are some similarities in the stories told. The only thing holding me back was that I never quite connected with either of the narrators - something that isn't necessarily a flaw but that usually matters to me as a reader.
Recommended for mystery fans high school and up.
Source: my public library system
Recommended for mystery fans high school and up.
Source: my public library system
angelcarmie2's review
1.0
I really liked the description of this book. I think that if the book doesn't catch my eye or interest, I simply won't pick it up. This book sure fooled me. I was sad to see I didn't like it. Here are some others who agree with me:
"I'd like to give this more stars, but I can't " -Megan
"If I didn't hate this book already, the epilogue alone probably would've done it. But, unfortunately, I found much of this to be quite awful. And painful. And yet silly me kept listening because I read a lot of good reviews and I expected this to turn around at any moment." - Anna
I'm surprised this book has such a high rating. I get that the suspense or the whodunit aspect is appealing, but seriously, the story was all over the place" - Adriana Teen Librarian
And I agree with all of these opinions! When I just can't get into a book, giving 2-5 stars is just a lie! Can we say false hope? I wish i could have gotten into this book! Like Anna, I saw such a high rating and all these 3-5 star reviews and I started thinking "hey maybe it's just because I haven't read enough pages, let's keep reading!" shows how much good that did me!
"I'd like to give this more stars, but I can't " -Megan
"If I didn't hate this book already, the epilogue alone probably would've done it. But, unfortunately, I found much of this to be quite awful. And painful. And yet silly me kept listening because I read a lot of good reviews and I expected this to turn around at any moment." - Anna
I'm surprised this book has such a high rating. I get that the suspense or the whodunit aspect is appealing, but seriously, the story was all over the place" - Adriana Teen Librarian
And I agree with all of these opinions! When I just can't get into a book, giving 2-5 stars is just a lie! Can we say false hope? I wish i could have gotten into this book! Like Anna, I saw such a high rating and all these 3-5 star reviews and I started thinking "hey maybe it's just because I haven't read enough pages, let's keep reading!" shows how much good that did me!
quietjenn's review
4.0
3 1/2 probably, but let's be nice.
i was really worried that this was going to be a dorky-boy-finds-meaning-to-his-live-via-relationship-with-misunderstood-(dead)-alterna-girl. because it totally starts out like that and i have a distinct issue with those sort of books. fortunately, it turned out to be a lot stronger than that. it was really engrossing and mostly enjoyable, although so many shades of so many other things - brick, dooley takes the fall and tons of veronica mars (esp. first season). unfortunately, the teens here don't have quite the appeal or the bits of levity and sense of humor of the late, great v.m.
i was really worried that this was going to be a dorky-boy-finds-meaning-to-his-live-via-relationship-with-misunderstood-(dead)-alterna-girl. because it totally starts out like that and i have a distinct issue with those sort of books. fortunately, it turned out to be a lot stronger than that. it was really engrossing and mostly enjoyable, although so many shades of so many other things - brick, dooley takes the fall and tons of veronica mars (esp. first season). unfortunately, the teens here don't have quite the appeal or the bits of levity and sense of humor of the late, great v.m.
ifthebook's review
4.0
This was a lot better than I expected. It struck a good balance between the investigative story and the story about lost love and the story about relating to others. Very nice. Even believable, I would say.
scarls17's review
5.0
from my bn.com review:
Wow. I finished this book after being completely consumed by it for several days and when I finally set it down, all I could think was, "Wow." Anna Jarzab's publishing debut is one she should be immensely proud of as I have very few complaints. The story is told from two points of view: Neily and Audrey. They begin to investigate the murder of their friend, Carly, who had once dated Neily and was cousins with Audrey. Amid the protected and dangerous world of their private school, they begin to unravel what really happened leading up to the night of the murder while they both deal with the devastating loss of their friend. Neily, Audrey, and Carly (by way of flashbacks) are all incredibly deep characters and the way Jarzab writes about their pain was breathtaking at times. It is refreshing to read about characters who are flawed, but you understand why because the author has done such a good job in her writing.
I was also impressed that this teen novel had so much depth to it. It was not just about love and school, it was about fear, loss, failure, hopes, dreams, and many other things that teens themselves go through every day. All Unquiet things is like a Judy Blume book that has been updated for 2010. And that is the greatest compliment I can give!:womanvery-happy:
Wow. I finished this book after being completely consumed by it for several days and when I finally set it down, all I could think was, "Wow." Anna Jarzab's publishing debut is one she should be immensely proud of as I have very few complaints. The story is told from two points of view: Neily and Audrey. They begin to investigate the murder of their friend, Carly, who had once dated Neily and was cousins with Audrey. Amid the protected and dangerous world of their private school, they begin to unravel what really happened leading up to the night of the murder while they both deal with the devastating loss of their friend. Neily, Audrey, and Carly (by way of flashbacks) are all incredibly deep characters and the way Jarzab writes about their pain was breathtaking at times. It is refreshing to read about characters who are flawed, but you understand why because the author has done such a good job in her writing.
I was also impressed that this teen novel had so much depth to it. It was not just about love and school, it was about fear, loss, failure, hopes, dreams, and many other things that teens themselves go through every day. All Unquiet things is like a Judy Blume book that has been updated for 2010. And that is the greatest compliment I can give!:womanvery-happy:
bethanymiller415's review
4.0
Neily and Carly meet during the fall of their eighth grade year when Neily is admitted into the prestigious Brighton Day School’s exclusive independent study program. The two begin dating and seem to be the perfect couple until Carly’s cousin Audrey moves to town and brings Carly into a new circle of friends. Before long, Carly gets involved with Adam, Brighton’s most notorious bad boy and dumps Neily in favor of him. Carly’s behaviors become increasingly destructive, and then the summer before her junior year, Carly’s dead body is found in a local park. The police determine that she was murdered, and eventually her uncle is convicted of the crime. One year later Audrey returns to Brighton and enlists Neily’s help to try to find Carly’s actual killer and exonerate her father.
This is an extremely entertaining mystery that also convincingly portrays the ups and downs of high school relationships. The characters are well drawn and realistic; they are not easily classified as good or bad. There are two intertwining plot lines – one details the events leading up to Carly’s death and the other follows Neily and Audrey as they attempt to solve the mystery of her murder. The plot is nicely crafted with many twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing until the end. The book’s cover, which shows a girl lying in the grass, is an attention-grabber and invites the reader into the mystery. There are some instances of strong language and situations involving sex (not graphically depicted), drugs and alcohol, but all of it fits within the context of the story and is not gratuitous.
This is an extremely entertaining mystery that also convincingly portrays the ups and downs of high school relationships. The characters are well drawn and realistic; they are not easily classified as good or bad. There are two intertwining plot lines – one details the events leading up to Carly’s death and the other follows Neily and Audrey as they attempt to solve the mystery of her murder. The plot is nicely crafted with many twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing until the end. The book’s cover, which shows a girl lying in the grass, is an attention-grabber and invites the reader into the mystery. There are some instances of strong language and situations involving sex (not graphically depicted), drugs and alcohol, but all of it fits within the context of the story and is not gratuitous.
shelbynordstedt's review
4.0
You know, the usual. Your normal teenage mystery. Nothing really great about it.