Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Unraveling

by Michelle Baldini, Lynn Biederman (Goodreads Author)

3.23 of 5 stars 3.23 · rating details · 216 ratings · 44 reviews

THE SMART THING Is to Prepare for the Unexpected.
So reads the fortune cookie fortune that Amanda receives at the beginning of her family’s vacation to Florida. Amanda knows all about preparing for the unexpected—her mother, whom she calls The Captain, is always hard on Amanda, and it’s just when Amanda lets her guard down that the very worst comes through. Looking for acce...more

Hardcover, 240 pages

Published July 8th 2008 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Young Adult Fiction With Sex

181st out of 348 books — 991 voters

All Of The YA Fiction Books I've Ever Read

56th out of 122 books — 47 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 683)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Nov 07, 2008 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Baldini, Michelle and Lynn Biederman. 2008. Unraveling. [Poems by Gabrielle Biederman:]

The first Chinese fortune I collected the summer I hooked up with Paul--the guy some might consider my first--read: The smart thing is to prepare for the unexpected. I should have taken it more seriously. Fortunes can be like little instructions for life; they may not fit yours at that particular moment, after that particular meal of kung pao chicken, but eventually they will. Trust me on this.

I loved Amanda H...more

like 2 likes · see review

Aug 10, 2008 Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow!! I'm half-way through this book and am finding it totally realistic. Teens who find themselves contemplating giving it up for the first time need to read this. For a first time author, I think Baldini and Biederman have created a story that captures the reality of teenage choices and struggles. I hope the end follows through...
Now that I've finished, it did not disappoint!

like 2 likes · see review

Dec 31, 2008 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008-mt-bookpile

Love.It. I really connected with Manda and her problems - TMI, but I was there (20 years earlier, at least). One of the best books about being a teen and living through all that nonsense I've read in a very, very long time.

like 2 likes · see review

May 16, 2008 Martha rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: girls and their mothers/ mothers and their daughters

Recommended to Martha by: recieved an advance copy

A terrific and heartbreaking read. Reminds you what was so great about being a teenager--- and what was so awful!

like 2 likes · see review

Oct 26, 2008 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Fifteen-year-old Amanda can’t seem to live up to her mother’s– a.k.a. The Captain– standards. It doesn’t matter what she does or what she doesn’t do, it always lands her in hot water. She fights with her mother so often she has to give them names to keep them all straight. She’ll never measure up to her perfect little sister Malady and she resents The Captain for it.

Since Amanda doesn’t get the support she needs at home she often feels unwanted by her own mother. In retaliation Amanda turns to s...more

like 1 like · see review

Dec 17, 2008 BW rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-kid-lit

I liked this story because of the perspective. I felt like I was in the head of Amanda--in the same way that Beverly Cleary could articulate Ramona's thought processes as a 4-8 yr old (the best Ramona years, IMHO). It was a bit harsh in places, watching the mom, and it wraps up pretty quickly, but the pressures & issues facing Amanda were very contemporary, and her pain felt very real.

like 1 like · see review

Sep 16, 2008 Adriana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-social-situations-family-relatio

I liked the main character in this teen novel. Amanda is not the typical popular beauty. She also has been having a lot of trouble with her mom lately, and basically she feels like she doesn't know who she is or how to please her demanding mom, who she calls "The Captain". Her character is very endearing because she is going through what most teenagers go through, awkwardness, the desire to fit in, to be wanted, to feel comfortable in your own skin. I thought the story and the plot flowed well....more

like 1 like · see review

Lynn Biederman Hi Adriana,

Thanks so much for taking the time to review UNRAVELING. As you point out, Amanda craves something fundamental, like many teenagers--"to be...more
Sep 18, 2008 06:11am

Adriana Thank you for your comment, you made my day!! This is one of the reasons why I love YA literature and why I love being a YA Librarian. Connecting with...more
Sep 18, 2008 12:30pm

Oct 26, 2008 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Just attended OELMA where she presented...and just finished reading it. It was really very good. Michelle Baldini talked about writing with someone else which I don't think I could do- but she and the other author pulled it off. Amanda Himmelfarb is a great character. I identified with her in many ways - a teen trying to fit in not only with her peers but in her family as well. I was heartbroken right along with Amanda as she makes right and wrong choices and as she weathers the stuff that is ul...more

like 1 like · see review

Dec 30, 2008 Nian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008

I have not seen such raw and heartbreaking emotion in a book for a really long time now. While the storyline might be ordinary mother-daughter problems, the voice is extraordinary and powerful. It’s rare to find debut novels so pleasantly written, so trust me when I tell you you NEED to read this book.

1. I didn’t get it at first, but the title and the cover art stay true to the novel. Well, the Homecoming dress, anyway. The girl? Not so much. Not to be superficial or anything, but the girl on t...more I have not seen such raw and heartbreaking emotion in a book for a really long time now. While the storyline might be ordinary mother-daughter problems, the voice is extraordinary and powerful. It’s rare to find debut novels so pleasantly written, so trust me when I tell you you NEED to read this book.

1. I didn’t get it at first, but the title and the cover art stay true to the novel. Well, the Homecoming dress, anyway. The girl? Not so much. Not to be superficial or anything, but the girl on the cover looks too mature (honestly, she’s like thirty and resembles Jennifer Anniston) to pose as a fifteen year old. Maybe it’s the make-up (or the Aslan-originated lion hair), but it freaked me out a little.

2. While I like the fortune cookie’s slips of advices, other than the first one (The Smart Thing is to Prepare for the Unexpected) the rest didn’t seem to connect to the story. They’re like the intellectual and thought-provoking bombs that get dropped from somewhere far away where they’re only-this-closely-related. To me, anyway.

3. Same goes for the poems. Now, I won’t even try to say that I understand poetry, because I honestly don’t. You won’t even need to read my poems to get that. (I do free verse, anyway.) The writing poems aspect makes up the character of Amanda and it connects to her feelings or is based off of accidents that happen, but I feel like they’re time dropped too. I see hints of emotion and depth, but mostly I see mediocre attempts to draw from true emotion. The writing and voice itself is powerful enough to withstand on its own—it’s heartbreaking and so true—so I don’t get why authors seem to think that they can better express their narration through prose WITH verse when it can easily be done with one. I mean, if you can do both, go ahead. Usually, it just takes my attention away so that I find faults with either one. (Think Kephart’s “lyrical” novel Undercover which I did not find amazing at all.)

4. I must have read the “signs” all wrong, but while I was reading the email exchanges between Susan and Marrion, I could have sworn they were in love with each other “that” way. In fact, I was rather disappointed when that they weren’t anything more than best friends. It would have added more drama to the family—not that the Himmelfarbs needed anymore of that.

5. Marrion’s death was not only extreme but completely random. I hate the idea of having to lose someone before you can find yourself. (I once had to do a critical lens essay on that, and of course, agreeing was the easiest—but I really do detest that.)

6. I hated that Amanda lost her virginity to someone like Rick, but I also loved that she did. It was just too real a moment to pass without making a comment on. The entire time she was struggling with an answer—yes or no?—reminded me of the clichéd movie plot where the girl is standing at the altar next to her soon-to-be-husband and just realizes that she’s about to marry the wrong guy. This is the point where the girl says tearfully, “I’m sorry. I can’t do this.” She has made her choice, the right one that enables her happily ever after. So while reading Unraveling I realized Amanda wasn’t going to get that moment of truth where she can overturn her mistakes. It was sad, but it made me a little happy that it went against the happily ever after mantra and that sometimes, your mistakes can’t be stopped in the right time. I mean, the movie weddings makes me smile, but it also makes me cringe. What can I say? I’m a contradictory girl.

7. Maybe I like drama or something, but I kept waiting for the big confrontation between the mother and daughter to happen. There’d be lots of screaming, hateful words, bursts of “You just don’t get it, do you!”, crying, and finally, hugging. Instead, things just slowly revert to the way life used to be and everything is just a-okay that way. I don’t think that’s realistic.

It’s such a long list that I find myself wondering whether I really liked the book or just thought I did. I didn’t start the review by planning to write everything here, but I did. Still, let me repeat that I have never read such a moving story about a mother and her daughter. My emotional state whilst reading this went from mediocre to surprise to outrage to WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU? screaming. So it’s not only angst from the fictional teen, but your angst as well. (less)

like 1 like · see review

May 27, 2012 If it ain't good I don't read it ! rated it 1 of 5 stars

I am disgusted with myself for even reading this book ( fuck covers ) I don't know what to say after reading 2 chapters I was like okey where was the author going with this then it hit me the main character is a hoe yup you heard me a hoe and let me tell you why just cause your mom ignores you doesn't mean you go fucking around with a dude who asked you to the prom but wait this is not only misses attention hoers it's also mister can't keep my dick in my pants. Anyways what made me want to puke...more

like · see review

May 29, 2009 Yan rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. First things first: this book is for the mature audience! There is sex!

Secondly, the actual review. Personally things reminded me a lot of Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky. I only say this because it was about the physical aspect of a relationship, it was about friendship, and it was about family.

Unlike Anatomy, Unraveling showed the darker side to sex. It could be used to hurt someone, to take advantage of someone, losing it and regretting it.

Amanda has the self-confidence that need...more First things first: this book is for the mature audience! There is sex!

Secondly, the actual review. Personally things reminded me a lot of Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky. I only say this because it was about the physical aspect of a relationship, it was about friendship, and it was about family.

Unlike Anatomy, Unraveling showed the darker side to sex. It could be used to hurt someone, to take advantage of someone, losing it and regretting it.

Amanda has the self-confidence that needs help and she believes that by doing it with someone they will love her. No she is not a slut nor is she tramp, because of the fact that she realizes what she truly lost and how she regrets that decision. This book is a modern take of the teenage life—sex is not part of love. We speak of love as a transparent being easily disposed of or shifted to what we please. “I love you, now do this for me. I want you so much.” The phrase “I love you” can be as causally spoken as the word “bitch” or “fuck”, so what is the issue with sex? You tell me as I am blatantly aware as to what my peers say--some of which I am disgusted at the talk. This is what Unraveling forces me to think. Does any one regret their decision as a mistake as Amanda did? Or is this just part of human nature—live and learn?

So what goes through Amanda’s mind that by doing it with that person, they will love her? Family troubles. People always say that they will never be like their parents, but how often nor not does that truly happen? It is embedded within us. That was the case with Amanda’s mother. So it was to be expected that the constant belittling, scolds and yells from her makes Amanda feel this way. Who wouldn’t? We are talking about family dynamics, family issues, and family pressure that make one crack underneath the surface. We turn to the false promises and half-spoken truth to cheer us up. In Amanda’s case, however, it was the turn to potential boyfriends turned “I love you. I want you” turned “what have I just done”.

Friendship can be another life raft. They are what float us from drowning in misery. They help us, advise us, and concern themselves for us. Unraveling shows us this as Amanda journeys through this entire process.

So this is the essence of Unraveling. Life, coming undone from life. Bit by bit we lose ourselves in life and we are finally left with something we can grow, to be proud of, to take matters into our own hands and roll the dices.

My major compliant would be the disjointedness in some scenes. The mother and daughter relationship starts out rocky, then goes through a jungle, and comes out as a butterfly. The transition was too fast, jumping abruptly from the jungle to the butterfly stage. And because this was a first person point of view the actual scenes can differ. Was the mother really that horrid? Was Amanda exaggerating? Also, Amanda read her mother’s personal emails to her close friend, some of which was about her. Amanda’s mother believes she is trying to help her, acting more kindly towards her than what Amanda says, so why did she not return those attempts back to the mother? It was a lot of blame passed around and not much action to prevent this.

Overall: A hefty read for such a small book. It was more of the thoughts it provoked that appealed to me. The actual book reminded me of something trying a bit too hard at times. (less)

like · see review

Aug 20, 2011 K.tram rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: drama, family, young-adult

At first, I hated this book. I picked the book up because of the cover and the summary looked kind of stupid. It was the only book I borrowed from the library, so I was like, "Okay, might as well read it." I read the beginning of the book and it was actually pretty bad. Anna was trying to lose her virginity just to gain popularity and The Boss (her mother) seemed to neglect her. I was thinking, "What the heck is she (The Boss) thinking?"

However, as I continued reading, I realized that despite t...more

like · see review

Dec 14, 2008 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dating, schools, sports, young-adult, family

I found the jacket copy description of this book to be rather misleading. The summary makes it out to be a story of losing ones virginity and the consequences of decisions about sex, but the story really is much more about Amanda and her mother trying to understand each other. Neither story line felt entirely compelling to me, as the book was a very fast read and didn't spend as much time as it could have on either problem.

Amanda is a witty and chatty narrator, so that made it fun to read, as we...more

like · see review

Sep 08, 2008 Gina rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: pre-teen girls, moms and daughters

Shelves: poetry, sex, teen, surprising-relationships, women

Like an updated version of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret because it tackles a girl's first period, her first sexual experiences and the awkwardness that goes along with adolescence. (Oh, and it was written by two librarians and the poetry interspersed throughout the book was written by a real teen!)

like 1 like · see review

Jul 27, 2008 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-fiction, finished-2008

Super angsty. Amanda's family is fighting hardcore, but the worst battles happen between Amanda and her mother. I feel so bad for poor Amanda and her hurt feelings. Amanda also must deal with being used by 2 different asshole jerk "boyfriends." On the plus side, she writes some pretty great poems.

like 1 like · see review

Apr 20, 2009 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Unraveling was really honest, definitely not something geared towards the younger kids. I mean, I went in expecting something honest and came out with something that’s not only honest but extremely real as well. Unraveling talks a lot about the problems that we teens face today – sex, overbearing moms, drugs, self-image, etc.

Amanda is just like any other ordinary girl. She wants to be accepted especially with guys and she wants to find love. So when she makes this deal with Rick, the gorgeous se...more

like · see review

May 27, 2010 Lesley rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Dec 24, 2009 Shalonda rated it 2 of 5 stars

Since reading a starred review of Unraveling in Publishers Weekly, I have been dying to get my hands on this book. While I found the book to be entertaining, it fell short of my expectations.

I was far from impressed by the character development. Very simply put, Amanda lacked depth. While I was hoping Amanda would eventually become a strong, independent young woman, she remained spineless throughout the novel. Being a static character, she never quite mustered up enough courage to stand up for h...more

like · see review

Mar 25, 2012 AJ LeBlanc rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: cbr-iv, young-adult

With two major flaws, this is great YA.

There are some spoilers ahead. I tried to be vague, but I might give too much away for some of you.

Amanda is 15 and a mess. Her parents seem headed for divorce, her mom is constantly disappointed in her, her younger sister is perfect, and her love life is a disaster.

That plot could be used for almost any other YA book on the shelf. but Baldini and Biederman do so much more with Amanda and it’s wonderful.

The book deals with two major themes: Amanda and her m...more

like · see review

Nov 04, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Amanda's life is unraveling.

She is excited for their family vacation to Myrtle Beach. She has been planning a rendezvous with Paul, a lifeguard that she met the previous summer. Paul is older and is expecting some excitement with Amanda this summer.

It's only after Amanda is alone with Paul that she realizes she's not ready to give him everything she wants. So after some experimentation, the two head back to their respective homes. But the two encounter Am...more

like · see review

Aug 24, 2008 SheWunders rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008-08, ya-childrens_lit

Unraveling is the story of Amanda, a very normal fifteen year old sophomore, who is struggling; struggling with her mother, her friends, her family, and her sexuality. At fifteen that’s status quo.

Amanda makes some poor choices and ends up losing her virginity to a guy (Rick) who doesn’t care about her and is only using her. Again, status quo. Well, maybe not status quo, but it happens more than it should.

Amanda is faced with moving on, repairing herself, and healing broken relationships.

I thou...more

like · see review

Sep 22, 2008 Christina rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: any girl who wants to understand her mom a little bit better

Shelves: realistic

Excellent story of a mother and daughter relationship that is rocky but real. Sophomore Amanda Himmelfarb has a lot of issues with "The Captain," as she secretly calls her stern no-nonsense mother, who has 500 Rules to follow and who long ago stopped hugging her oldest daughter or showing much affection. Amanda has issues with her perfect younger sister, "Malady", too, and this summer everything seems to go from bad to worse. All Amanda really wants is close personal time with a hot guy--and she...more

like · see review

Apr 17, 2012 Erin Stuhlsatz rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

I think I read this book on accident, and I think I was supposed to read another YA Unraveling that comes out in 2012.

Anyway, I have nothing to say about this book. It was very, very typical YA fiction.

The notable part was how the main character would name the altercations with her mother (Mess over the Dress, Screech at the Beach, etc). It was pretty clever.

like · see review

Sep 02, 2009 Roslyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

I couldn't put this book down. I needed to know how Amanda was going to turn out in the end, and unfortunatley it was just too pat of an ending. It wrapped up too nicely. But I loved the drama and intensity of the book. The anger, pain, and dysfuntion of the family was at times hard to take, but it also just pulled you in.

like · see review

May 25, 2009 Bethany rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: book

I didn't really like this book. It made me realize even more how much I love my mom because if I had her mom I would be dead, cause I would have killed myself. The girl in the book is really dumb too. I mean seriously? Lets just give a bj to every guy that says I look hot. I also feel a little bad for her too but not very...

like · see review

Mar 29, 2013 Laura Mcginley rated it 5 of 5 stars

A great Young Adult title.... One of my favorites, well, one of the authors was my roomate in college! She wrote a second book, Teenage Waisteland.

like · see review

Oct 21, 2012 Gielizza rated it 4 of 5 stars

I cried reading this book but I wish I didn't buy the hardcover version of it. Hahaha it was so expensive.

like · see review

Feb 12, 2013 Lee Anne added it

Shelves: to-not-read

Crude and unnecessarily cruder. Do not read. Ick!

like · see review

Feb 08, 2009 Vivi rated it 4 of 5 stars

bit funny and weerd.
its okk.

like · see review

Jun 07, 2009 Kristina rated it 2 of 5 stars

It was okay. Kind of funny, kinda sad.

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 22 23 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Unraveling	1	11	Jul 22, 2008 06:15pm

combine
Other Editions (6)

More editions...

Genres

Young Adult

17 users

Young Adult > Teen

5 users

Realistic Fiction

4 users

Young Adult > High School

3 users

Sexuality

3 users

Family

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Michelle Baldini

Michelle Baldini is Project Coordinator for the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University where her main goal is to facilitate successful collaboration between the school library media specialist and classroom teacher. She graduated with her masters in library science, specializing in children’s literature, from Long Island University.

More about Michelle Baldini...

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Unraveling

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Unraveling
avg rating	preview: Unraveling Goodreads rating: 3.23 (216 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2976213-unraveling?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320422365l/2976213.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2976213-unraveling?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Unraveling by Michelle Baldini[/url]

Unraveling

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (6)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Michelle Baldini

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Unraveling

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (6)