When the Truth Unravels
I'm always grateful for those authors who reach out to educators in the hopes that they will pass their books on to students who will read them. This is how I got my hands on a copy of the amazing When the Truth Unravels by Ruthanne Snow.
This awesome book came out in January and I believe it is Snow's first book. (As a side note, I love reading books by authors from Utah and this one is even SET in Utah--it always makes the reading experience a little more special). And I have to say I am so grateful that I read it. I love getting book mail and I wish that I could just read them all as soon as I get them. This one sat on my shelf for a few weeks while I finished a few other books first. Finally, last night I picked it up and then I barely put it down until I turned the final page this afternoon.
The book is about a group of four friends and, besides some flashbacks, the entire novel takes place over the night of their senior prom. Elin is still recovering from her suicide attempt the previous month. Her friends still don't know why she did it and they are doing their best to help her return to normal while struggling with their own personal problems--absent parents, blackmailing exes, friend drama, getting ready for college. Just typical high school antics! Then halfway through prom, Elin goes missing and her friends must do everything they can to find her.
The official review describes this book as a mixture between Paper Towns (which I've never read) and Thirteen Reasons Why of which I've only seen the Netflix series. So the book comparisons didn't help me much there but the premise sounded interesting so I gave it a chance.
I ended up liking so many things about this book. The story unfolds in such a way that secrets are revealed so subtly and at the right moment that the reader is left reeling (in a good way). I could not stop flipping pages just so that I could find out what would happen next. In this sense, I feel like the title was perfect because as the prom night progresses, the truth simply unravels.
I was also a little nervous about suicide being a central theme of the book. But in the end, I realized the book is really about friends banding together to help each other. They realize how strong their friendship is--something that I hope high school students can relate to as they face a mountain of real-world problems.
This book is definitely YA. I probably wouldn't give it to just any of my 7th graders but maybe a select few if I felt like they could handle the book. But I think that more mature junior high as well as high school students would really enjoy this book. I'll probably be passing it on to some friends who teach higher grades than I do!
It does have some swearing, references to sexuality (nothing too explicit), and underage drinking but probably not anything that you can't learn in the hallway of a high school. I definitely recommend this book as well for any adults who love a good YA book with friendship, drama, and a little bit of romance! You can buy your own copy here.
The book is about a group of four friends and, besides some flashbacks, the entire novel takes place over the night of their senior prom. Elin is still recovering from her suicide attempt the previous month. Her friends still don't know why she did it and they are doing their best to help her return to normal while struggling with their own personal problems--absent parents, blackmailing exes, friend drama, getting ready for college. Just typical high school antics! Then halfway through prom, Elin goes missing and her friends must do everything they can to find her.
The official review describes this book as a mixture between Paper Towns (which I've never read) and Thirteen Reasons Why of which I've only seen the Netflix series. So the book comparisons didn't help me much there but the premise sounded interesting so I gave it a chance.
I ended up liking so many things about this book. The story unfolds in such a way that secrets are revealed so subtly and at the right moment that the reader is left reeling (in a good way). I could not stop flipping pages just so that I could find out what would happen next. In this sense, I feel like the title was perfect because as the prom night progresses, the truth simply unravels.
I was also a little nervous about suicide being a central theme of the book. But in the end, I realized the book is really about friends banding together to help each other. They realize how strong their friendship is--something that I hope high school students can relate to as they face a mountain of real-world problems.
This book is definitely YA. I probably wouldn't give it to just any of my 7th graders but maybe a select few if I felt like they could handle the book. But I think that more mature junior high as well as high school students would really enjoy this book. I'll probably be passing it on to some friends who teach higher grades than I do!
It does have some swearing, references to sexuality (nothing too explicit), and underage drinking but probably not anything that you can't learn in the hallway of a high school. I definitely recommend this book as well for any adults who love a good YA book with friendship, drama, and a little bit of romance! You can buy your own copy here.
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