Expected publication: July 17, 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
*I received this egalley from Bloomsbury USA through NetGalley*
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Summary from author's website: "Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she's Bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother.
After a suicide attempt, and now her parent's separation, Rinn and her mom move from California to the rural Ohio town where her mother grew up. Back on her medications (again!) and hoping to stay well, Rinn settles into her new home and school. She refuses to be daunted by the fact that the previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's bedroom, or that her classmates believe the school pool is haunted by Annaliese, a girl who drowned there. But when a reckless seance goes awry, and terrible things start happening to her new friends - yet not to her - Rinn is determined to find out why she can't be 'touched' by Annaliese...or if Annaliese even exits.
With the help of Nate Brenner, the hunky 'farm boy' she is rapidly falling for, Rinn devises a dangerous plan to uncover the truth. Soon reality and fantasy meld into one, till Rinn finds it nearly impossible to tell the difference. When a malevolent force threatens the lives of everyone she cares about - not mention her own - she can't help wondering: who should she really be afraid of?
Annaliese? Or herself?"
The Unquiet's premise really piqued my interest and I couldn't wait to just pick it up and read. I enjoy stories where there are some sort of mental illness and the fact there was some paranormal in it as well, it just made me super excited when I got this book. See, I have a degree in Psychology and I work in the mental health field, so I have some background information on Bipolar disorder. I see people coming in to the office on a daily basis but I have no idea what it really like for someone living with that illness that it not off a textbook.
I totally enjoyed getting to know Rinn's character. She is this sarcastic, stubborn girl with a lot of sass but who is also vulnerable and distant because she is Bipolar. She's aware that she needs to take her medications but she also misses the 'high' she used to experienced when not on them. However, she is trying to keep her promise in taking them as a promise for her parent. When we first meet Rinn, my first thought was "Oh no. Don't tell me she's a bratty teenager with an attitude and complaining about not getting her way and etc...." But after that initial meeting, I was curious because we were introduced to Rinn, Rinn's mom Monica, Millie and Nate. Rinn and Nate were so cute in the first meeting and exchanging some funny quips about Rinn being a California girl and Nate being a farm boy.
"'Get out. Do you play?'
'Duh.'
He hands it back with a smile. 'So play something, surfer girl.'
'Sorry, farmer boy. I don't play on command.'"
Rinn ends up befriending the popular crowds and she and Nate strike up a flirty friendship that morph into a relationship. It is the most normal that Rinn has experienced in a while. However, once Rinn's new friends, Meg, Lacy, and Tasha, decided to do a seance, that when everything started changing. I won't say much since I don't want to spoil anything, but I was freaked out at some points.
I love scary movies and books as well as thrillers so I didn't think much about the "scary" parts but I will say that I did get spooked during the creepy moments. There is this scene before everything goes down with Rinn and in her room that had me tiptoeing to MY room and making sure everything was in order.
There were certain parts throughout the book that had me confused. I wasn't sure whether or not what Rinn was seeing was reality or if she was experiencing hallucinations. Since the book is in Rinn's POV, I guess it is expected that we would be as confused as Rinn was, but I was definitely lost at some point throughout the book. Also, with the big climax where Rinn and Annaliese face off, when it was over, I felt more confused and I had no idea what to make of everything. I felt like Ms. Garsee didn't give the readers an explanation for what the hell had happened since Rinn didn't explain anything to her mother. I think other than the confusions, the story was very unique and I truly enjoyed it.
I'm in two minds about this book. On the one hand, it sounds like a decent thriller whilst on the other hand, I must admit that I'm uncomfortable about mental health being used for a novel such as this.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, it's down to a personal gut reaction rather than a desire not to read this book.