Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Book: Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Publisher: Balzer and Bray

I somehow ended up with two copies of this book. Not sure why, but there is now a much-battered paperback of it doing the rounds amongst the clan Kitty and I have a pristine hardcover on the shelf. Yay.

Dude: not holding back, this book is frigging awesome. As in, if we leave out Anna and Lola it's my favourite book that I've read so far in 2012. It's that good.

Story? Janelle is a fairly normal sixteen year old. If you ignore the fact that her dad is an FBI agent, her mum is bipolar and she basically acts as a whole parental unit to her younger brother. But all that's cake compared to what happens after Janelle gets killed by a speeding pickup truck and the local stoner Ben brings her back to life. Now there are all these things she can't explain-why is there a countdown timer photographed in her dads office? Why are there bodies turning up covered in radiation burns?  Why is she falling in love with a strange boy she barely even knows? How did he save her life? And, most importantly, what terrible event is the timer counting down to-and how can Janelle  stop it?

This. Book. Is. Amazing. It's was so hyped up that I was afraid I was going to be disappointed, but if anything it exceeded my expectations and that almost never happens. I loved Janelle and Ben, and Janelle's best friend Alex; they were all so readable and so likeable. The writing is fluent and tight, and the numbers counting down at the start of every chapter really heighten the pace. This book is seriously white knuckle and I stayed up all night to finish it. I couldn't put it down.

A word of warning though. There are lots of sad bits. And I bawled at the ending like a big sobbing baby. It was tragic and cliffhangery.  Which is why I am hoping and praying for a sequel. Please, Elizabeth Norris? Pretty please? Like maybe if I give you cake?

Rating? Eleven-yes, eleven-out of ten. I love this book.