tomiyinn 's review for:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

1.0

dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I'd like the months I spent reading this book back thank you very much! 
I'm bitterly disappointed, because i had a great time reading the first few chapters. mysterious plot, witty main character and frequent off the chain hallucinations, what's not to love? the plot was nothing like I'd ever seen before, until it was. 

cue noah shaw. (first off, I hate that name. I hate everything he represents, and I don't understand why people are fawning over him.)
the aloof bad boy who somehow gets amazing grades despite causing drama in every class he attends, can get away with anything and treats women like they're disposable flesh lights, takes an interest in our FMC because she's ✨sooo different ✨ and ✨not like other girls ✨ (which basically just means he hasn't slept with her yet) 

i despise when actual published books remind me of wattpad stories. no hate to wattpad at all, but i feel like books that have taken the effort to get published the traditional way and not on an app should offer a bit more than clichéd high school tropes, but hey that's just me I guess. 

Back to Mara. Thanks for setting women back 100 years with your lack of common sense when hot messy haired British rich boy comes into the picture. 

I hate the disposable black friend trope. come the fuck on. befriend the new girl, warn her about the bad boy then be written out of the story because ding ding ding your time is up!??? what are we even doing right now. 

I hate the fact that the story drags on and on like the author is trying to meet a word count before hopping off to the second part in the series. there were so many unnecessary things that happened, like Noah’s ex (and/or other jealous girls) stirring up drama? 100% unnecessary. 
Us (readers) finding out why Jamie and Noah aren't friendly? Maybe if Mara had mulled over this information for longer than two seconds I would've appreciated it, but it is dropped as soon as it is brought up and I believe it could've been done away with totally. 

I also can't stand it when the main character decides to do things on their own for the greater good and everyone else's benefit, then fucks up massively, which wouldn't have happened if they had just accepted the help of the only other person who knew and understood their situation. 

Now I'm not completely a Debby downer. I did like some aspects of the book, like the dialogue and humour and Mara's unreliable narration. It's what gives the early chapters this creepy, gothic thriller feel. You don’t know what’s real, you keep reading because you want to find out, but by the end of the book, the “is it real or not?” question hasn’t been clarified at all. 
I guess this is fine since it's the first book of a trilogy, but in a 400+ page YA novel, readers usually want some answers or at least a clear sense of direction. Did I just waste my time? is Mara ever going to be able to control her delusions or not?

And why is someone we thought to be dead actually NOT?

I don't know if I'll keep reading, I'm curious, but also really put off by what I read and not willing to venture into any more heartbreak.