Another Actual Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Brief Summary: Mara Dyer, whose name is not actually Mara Dyer, wakes up in a hospital to learn that she was in a building with her friends when it collapsed and they all died. She doesn't remember anything. She has hallucinations and her mother wants to have her committed, but she convinces her parents to move instead, claiming that if they move away from the place where she's constantly reminded of her friends, she'll do better. So they move to Miami, where Mara and her older brother are enrolled in a stuffy private school with people who do things like put signs on other people's backs. There she meets Noah Shaw, resident bad-boy who for some reason takes an interest in Mara even though she makes it a point to act as if she's not interested in him. He's got a reputation. But, alas, it turns out he's really one of the few people she can trust, and he's got some secrets of his own. Oh, and he has an English (not British) accent.

Review: The more I think about this book, the more obsessed I become with it. I love the idea of a narrator we don't know if we can trust. I mean, I liked that Mara didn't even trust herself most of the time. It's not very often you come across a first-person protagonist with psychological issues this involved. She walks into a classroom and sees the whole thing collapse; she stands in front of her mirror and can have conversations with her dead friends (not that she wants to); she sees earrings at the bottom of scalding hot bathtub water and gets second-degree burns to retrieve them, only to discover that they were in her ears the whole time. Yeah, girlfriend's a little off her rocker. It makes for extreme suspense and entertainment, especially as she slowly recovers her memory of the night that changed everything-- and learns exactly how dangerous she is.

And as if bad-girl Mara weren't enough, enter Noah Shaw. Finally, a bad-boy love interest who is ACTUALLY BAD. He only ever denies one rumor about himself, indicating that he did, in fact, earn his reputation. Hallelujah! I'm so sick of stories where the leather jacket-wearing, edgy and brooding boy is just misunderstood and actually does things like write poetry and practice celibacy. Noah Shaw fights, threatens, has one-night stands, defiles children's books, and smokes cigarettes. Because he can. Are any of these less-than-desirable qualities the reason why Mara won't let herself fall for him? No. She won't let herself fall for him because she thinks he will break her heart. And then because she thinks she's a danger to him. I'll take "characters on antipsychotics who actually have logical reasons for not falling in love" for 200, please. Who is Mara Dyer? That is correct! (Also a good question.)

This book has an irresistible balance between dark-and-twisty and throw-your-head-back-and-laugh-hysterically. Two words: animal crackers. I was cracking up for 3 pages. And then you've got your awesome supporting characters, like Daniel, aka Mr. Perfect, who's witty and the kind of older brother any girl would want; and Jamie, the dreadlocked foreboder who amusingly warns Mara against getting involved with Noah-- but remains her friend even when he thinks she's ignored his advice. Wait, she does something he disagrees with and he doesn't unfriend her?!? I know, right?! I loved him and his one-liners and his condescending terms of endearment.

Basically, this book is unlike anything you've probably ever read. And you should read it. And then you should buy animal crackers and start calling people "asscrowns."
Since I make the rules on my blog, I give this book 4.5/5 stars. NOW GIVE ME THE SECOND ONE.