Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

I felt really bad having this book on my shelf for so long and not having read it.  I would see it every time I entered my room and it would sit there in all of it's wordy defiance against me.  I wondered, sometimes, if it was mocking me.  Goading me with it's interesting and unique cover.  I'd finish reading one book and there it sat on my shelf, unread and not yet loved by its owner.  It deserved better than what I had offered it, so I decided that before I read any other deserving book on my shelf, I needed to read this one next because it deserved it way more than the others.

The Synopsis:
Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she’s opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn’t possible, Janelle knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.
But her reincarnation, and Ben’s possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI-agent father’s files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what’s right in front of her: Everything that’s happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben’s sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she’s going to need to uncover Ben’s secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.
From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl’s fight to save herself, her world, and the one boy she never saw coming.

My Thoughts:
I didn't know what to really expect from this book.  I don't think I ever even read the synopsis of it, even after I purchased it.  The reason why I bought it was because many people were giving it very good reviews and the girl is brought back to life by this dark and mysterious Ben figure.  Oh, and I really liked the cover model's outfit.  Gotta love tank tops and a kickass jacket.
So, when things started getting all FBI/Sci-Fy, I was diggin' it.  It was weird.  Completely strange and only left me with one thought by the end of the book:

MIND BLOWN.
*nuclear explosion goes off in mind*

Also, this is the first book, after many--umm, thirty-seven to be exact--that made me release those wicked and evil tears of mine.  I've always been told I cry a lot during books and apparently there's really no reason for it, but after thirty-seven books, I'd say that's not that bad at all.  I certainly can't be that much of a mush ball when it comes to books.
Okay, okay, this is all beside the point I'm trying to make here.  What I'm trying to say is that this book make me feel things.  It was emotional and definitely a gripping story with many plot twists and turns.
Janelle was a very strong character, not as strong as Tris from Divergent, but strong nonetheless.  She was very smart and nerdy and was accompanied throughout the book by her best friend, Alex, who also happens to be a complete smarty pants.  She's determined and never lost sight what she was aiming for in the long run: To save the world--duh.  I didn't really mind her flaws most of the time.  She was stubborn and didn't always make the right choice and sometimes I wanted to strangle her for what she would do, but everybody makes mistakes and you forgive.  Her character was understandable, and she would do anything for her friends and family.
I'm not going to say much about the story, because no matter how I phrase it, I know I'm going to slip and give away something you shouldn't read.  All I will say is that it was awesome.  It had plenty of believable emotions, action, and more.  Usually the feds get in the way of what goes on and it only annoys everyone, but not in this book.
Sorry for being a bit cryptic with all I'm saying, but I really want to save the experience for when you read the book.  I gave Unraveling 4.5 out of 5 stars, and I know it rightfully deserves that rating.  I can now say that this book has been read and loved by me and I hope that others will, too.
Happy reading!

Sidenote: I love the "Stop the countdown.  Save the world." phrase under the title.  Honestly, it makes me giggle each time I read it because every time I can imagine Janelle saying it all nonchalantly with the shrug of her shoulders.  You know, save the world.  No problem.  I got it covered.
Gotta love the small things, right?

What's Next?

This is a weekly meme hosted by Hafsah over at IceyBooks, and this will be my first ever What's Next post!

Alrighty, so I've got two more library book to read and that's it for my library book haul, and I honestly have no idea what book to start next.  So, this is the point here all of you reading this help me choose what's next for me

First up:

Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she’s opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn’t possible, Janelle knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.
But her reincarnation, and Ben’s possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI-agent father’s files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what’s right in front of her: Everything that’s happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben’s sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she’s going to need to uncover Ben’s secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.
From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl’s fight to save herself, her world, and the one boy she never saw coming.

I've had Unraveling on my bookshelf for a while now, but I've kept on putting it on the back-burner.  I've heard many good things about this book, and I'm excited to read it, but as you will see, I have other good choises to choose from.

Second:

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.
Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.
Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn’t who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.

Just recently, as in Monday, I bought this book at the Fierce Reads Book Tour in New York at Books of Wonder (love that bookstore!).  I met all of the awesome and fierce authors there and bought Struck along with a bunch of other books.  And, as you could probably imagine, I am super pumped to read all four of the books I got there.  And isn't the idea pretty cool for this book?

And Lastly:

Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.
In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

And here is the last book on my What's Next? list.  This is yet again another super awesome-looking read.  The idea seems pretty cool, so I'm excited to read this one, too.  And same as Struck, I bought this book and had it signed at the Fierce Reads Book Tour.

So, people, what book should I read next