ARC Review: Eileen Cook - Unraveling Isobel

Eileen Cook - Unraveling Isobel

• Pub date: January 3, 2012
• Publisher: Simon Pulse
• Format: eGalley, 304 pages
• Age Range: Young Adult

Isobel’s life is falling apart. Her mom just married some guy she met on the internet only three months before, and is moving them to his sprawling, gothic mansion off the coast of nowhere. Goodbye, best friend. Goodbye, social life. Hello, icky new stepfather, crunchy granola town, and unbelievably good-looking, officially off-limits stepbrother.

But on her first night in her new home, Isobel starts to fear that it isn’t only her life that’s unraveling—her sanity might be giving way too. Because either Isobel is losing her mind, just like her artist father did before her, or she’s seeing ghosts. Either way, Isobel’s fast on her way to being the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons.

I received this through Galley Grab, and here is my honest review:

I read this one pretty quickly and found myself wanting to return to it after I'd put it down, but it wasn't downright spectacular. It definitely reads like a movie, and I enjoyed the relationship that Isobel and Nathaniel develop. Dick the step dad is a nightmare, and her mom is a joke, but the whole murder/mystery/accident/mental health issue thing going on really works in this story. And I wanted to strangle Nicole. Guh.

Something about this isn't fully complete though. I don't feel like everything finished developing. Some of the characters weren't around as often as they should be, and I knew something was up with Mandy. But that's all I will say. I enjoyed reading this spooky ghost story with a funny outlook!

What I liked:

• The emotion. I felt a lot of different things while reading this. I hated some characters. I really liked others. The ghost thing was spooky! It was a fun and frustrating ride.
• The plot. I haven't read many books like this one, and the plot read quite like a movie. I could see it playing out while I was reading it.

What I didn't like:

• The characters. You're supposed to not like them, but they were highly frustrating! Her step-dad, Nicole, and even her mother got on my nerves!
• Incomplete feeling. Like I said above, something just didn't feel finished about this book. Not everything felt like it was fleshed out. I still enjoyed the book though.

Bottom Line: This book reads like a novel, so it's a good ride. Enjoy the spooky!

Rating:

3.5 / 5 book sharks