Book Review — UNRAVEL by Calia Read

…everyone thinks I’m insane. But, I know he’s real, and I know he needs me. Do you believe me?

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Wow — my mind is spinning!!

Unravel hooked me right from the start, kept me guessing the whole way through, and both shocked and impressed me with the way all the intricately woven layers came together at the end. A great story!

I honestly feel like this is one of those books where the less you know about it, the more you’ll enjoy it. Also, literally anything I say about the storyline will either give something away or be misleading so I’m actually not going to talk about the plot at all in this review. The only thing I’ll share is the book’s blurb (which was all I knew going into the story too)….

Like I said, I was hooked from the first chapter and was instantly drawn into the story. By the end of the second chapter, I just got these chills and there was just no turning back.

From the beginning, the biggest questions I had were — Was this girl crazy or sane? How much of what I was reading was real? Were these memories real? Was the present day real? Was it all in her head or was it really happening? I loved that feeling of just not knowing what to think… where literally anything was a possibility.

“Every day is unknown for me. Every day I wake up feeling like I’m surrounded by a heavy fog and I know I’m missing a piece of myself, and I don’t know where it is.”

Here we have the story of a girl whose world was collapsing around her — she’d been involuntarily committed to a mental health institute, the guy she counted on left her, her memories of another guy haunted her, and no one believed her. This was her story. It was told in pieces — bits in the past, bits in the present…. some parts in her mind, some parts in reality… and it was up to you to try and figure out what was real.

“Each time I see him, I become convinced that it will be different, that he won’t disappear on me.”

I’m getting a lot of readers asking me if there is a romance and the answer is — yes!! The romance is an integral part of the story. It’s not the only part, but it’s definitely a strong, central element.

“My heart is stuck in my throat, as I look him over. I love him so much. I love him too much to be considered healthy. I know that.”

“Someday, you’re gonna get out of here.” He utters the last of his words slowly. “And everything’s going to be okay.”

“Tell me what you’re fighting and I’ll fight with you.”

My head was just spinning for the first half of the book. I didn’t know what to think. And, I’ll admit though that while I did enjoy the book the whole way through, there was a point where I was just like — where is this going??  Is there even a way it can come together?? But then it did. It totally did.

I think what makes or breaks this kind of story is whether or not the explanation at the end makes sense and genuinely answers all the questions and fills in all the blanks. And this one did make sense.

The build-up was quiet but powerful. I read this book in one sitting and the closer I got to the end, the faster I flipped the pages. I was desperate for answers. I had chills and was just holding my breath!!

In all honesty, when I finished the book, my first thought was just WOAH. Then my second thought was along the lines of —  “No way. No way that actually worked.” But then… I went back over the story scene by scene, moment by moment and if you look at it, it all works. It really all makes sense.

I will say though that even though the ending was fully resolved, I maybe would have wanted more details given to me. In this case, I was basically told the answer but left to go back and figure out how all the pieces fit together for myself. On the flip side, it was kind of fun to go back and look at each scene from a different light after knowing the twist. When I was finished the book, I literally just sat there re-reading scenes as I figured out what was really happening in each one. It was very complex and while a part of me did wish the book had kind of walked me through it a little more, the bottom line however is that the book does have a fully resolved ending. It’s crazy the way it all works out but it does.

By the way, this is not a ‘dark’ romance, nor is it disturbing. It’s the story of a girl and the mystery of unraveling the layers of her memories. Again, the love story is a strong element in the story and a huge part of her life. The whole plot is just very complex and makes you question everything you read.

I really love it when a book is able to genuinely take me by surprise and keep me guessing like this one did. The more I think about all the layers, the more impressed I am with the way it all came together. I loved that the book leaves you thinking. I’m still running sections of it over and over in my mind processing it from all the different angles. It’s really very well done!

If you’re looking for a really different read that’ll mess with your mind and take you on a crazy ride, try this one!! It was SO good!

“He holds me and I know I’m safe.”

Rating: 4.5 stars. This is a standalone.

• Buy UNRAVEL (Kindle)