Entangled

Sep 19, 2011 Saniya(Will Herondale is mine) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Okay. I admit. I was freaking confused after I read this book. Really, REALLY confused. (If you are confused too, I have some answers written below)

Why I read this book:
(1) Because of the cover..... Blah! You know me! xD
(2) I found this plot, somehow, interesting, months ago.
(3) My friend gave this book for me to read. THANK-YOU! (:

Lets be honest now, shall we? I didn't love this book... *awkward silence* Yes, I didn't, I just didn't.
After reading so many teen-books-about-real-problems, I wasn'...more

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Jan 31, 2012 Miss rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: contemporary, heartbreaking-story, mystery, real-problem, realistic-fiction, teen, young-adult, favorites, disturbing, heavy-stuff, love-triangle, made-me-cry, suicide

Sad. Confusing. Heartbreaking. Shocking. Emotional. Perfect.

It has lot of swearing, drinking, self-harming and sex (including teen pregnancy and abortion).

The story is told from a first person point of view from Grace. She is in self destruct mode. She has so many emotions that she just doesn't know how to deal with and this shows in the way she acts. In many ways she comes across as a normal teen - she seems friendly and outgoing and is doing well at school, but this is just a front that she p...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Tanja (Tanychy) St. Delphi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Tanja (Tanychy) by: Miss

Shelves: favorites

OH FINALLY!!

I can't even explain how satisfied I'm right now! In last couple of weeks I've read mostly average book but this one is everything but average!
Right now all feelings are mixed inside of me, this books simply left me speechless!

From the beginning I had some feeling that one thing will happen (view spoiler) but hell how much I wanted to be wrong! Why? Just why? How could you? I was so close to throwing my phone out of the...more

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Sep 17, 2011 is mee... kissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

shit that was a good book. some people have shelved it under paranormal, but i don't think it is. i think that part is just all in her head (view spoiler). so that is one of the best realistic fiction books i've ever read. oh, and the cover is awesome too.

Right at the start, I knew this book wasn't going to be slow. Grace wakes up in a white room. an asylum-white room. an i'm-going-to-go-insane-because-everything-in-h...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Muphyn rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Infinitive Playlist

Shelves: ya-fiction

I don't normally like these kinds of YA books but this one grabbed me and completely sucked me in. It's really quite well told and moves along nicely.

Grace isn't really my kind of girl... she gets drunk pretty much every night of the week, throws up, constant hangovers, lots of boys and sleeping around, swearing, drama left, right and centre, etc. etc. But underneath there's this incredible pain and hurt that's just so tangible and almost leaps off the page that my heart literally hurt for her....more

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Jan 23, 2013 Beatrix rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, realistic-fiction, beautiful-covers

I really like this book, more than I thought I would. I liked the beginning because it was mysterious and that kept me reading it. I just couldn’t stop, because I was so interested who's Ethan, how did she got there, and her telling about her past. I liked it was all so linked together.
I didn't really liked Grace at first, as a character she didn't seem all that depressed/suicidal, and then her jokes, she avoids problems.. But then I started to like her, because I've got to know her better; tha...more

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Mar 09, 2011 Lamia rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: stand-alone, 2011, realistic-fiction

This book. Ugh. Where do I start?

First off, I very strongly dislike Grace, the narrator. I didn't really like her at the beginning (she whined too much for my taste), and it got worse as the story went on. I just don't understand how anyone could think she's a likeable character. I know teenagers can be mean and fickle, and I can forgive some selfishness and defensiveness, but this goes way beyond that. She's condescending, rash and tries to balance her insecurities by making other people feel...more This book. Ugh. Where do I start?

First off, I very strongly dislike Grace, the narrator. I didn't really like her at the beginning (she whined too much for my taste), and it got worse as the story went on. I just don't understand how anyone could think she's a likeable character. I know teenagers can be mean and fickle, and I can forgive some selfishness and defensiveness, but this goes way beyond that. She's condescending, rash and tries to balance her insecurities by making other people feel uncomfortable. It got to the point where Grace was going on about her unworthiness and how she didn't deserve such a perfect boyfriend, and all the while I kept thinking "no. No, you don't." Her voice has a certain bite to it that I could have liked if she was less petulant and if the angst wasn't so overdone. But sadly, I pretty much hated her guts half-way through, and no amount of wit would have topped that.

Secondly, this book deals with sensitive matters and I don't feel like the author handled them well at all. Grace's suicidal thoughts are recounted right from the start, without giving us any context. That, added to her whining, makes her look weak since the empathy factor is absent from the reader's perspective. Instead of being heart-broken for her, I was left scratching my head and being frustrated at the lack of information I was given. Furthermore, the cutting matter wasn't broached carefully enough. I just found something lacking in her writing, especially on the emotional front. And the fact that we still didn't know the reason for her depression didn't help either.

Speaking of her writing: the constant switches between flashbacks and present, while enjoyable in the beginning, got extremely aggravating after a while. She wrote a scene, set up a big revelation and then bam! Back to the present. I know it's nothing new, but there are better ways to keep the readers on their toes without resorting to using annoying pseudo cliff-hangers. Her prose is also very clumsy. It doesn't flow naturally at all, in that every detail that's given seems deliberate. The obviousness of it all keeps you thinking, and possibly hoping, that the author is being deliberately misleading. Unfortunately, you're wrong. I figured out the mystery after exactly 16 pages. Yup. So while the reader is supposed to want to turn the pages faster to get a clue of what's going on, I was left feeling irritated at the simplicity of the plot and just wanting to skip to the end to see if I was right.

The only bright spots in this story were Grace's interactions with Sal and Nat. But again, Sal's "mysterious" behaviour is as subtle as a sledgehammer.

Finally, I'd like to address the ending. While predictable, the twist was still gut wrenching and, for maybe the first time, I felt truly sorry for Grace. And while this could have been a good thing, considering the writer chose to put it at the end of the book, it just feels like a huge unresolved issue and made me feel frustrated, angry and depressed after closing the book. And NOT in a good way. I honestly just want to forget I ever read it.

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Jan 22, 2011 Rebecca rated it 2 of 5 stars

Wonderful book. Really thought-provoking and deals with so many issues; cutting, pregnancy, relationships, suicide. Sounds depressing, right? Wrong. Grace's voice is truly fascinating... She is funny and honest and at times I wanted to strangle her for being so naive. But she was realistically contradictory.. she had low self esteem sometimes, and at other times she was selfish and sexy, she just seemed so real.

Okay, so this wasn't a perfect book, but which book is? The whole 'kidnapped' thing s...more

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Jan 04, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, books-i-own-print, signed, for-review-read, favorites, british-author

When Grace wakes up locked in a plain white room she has no idea how she got there. Held captive by the mysterious Ethan the only distraction she has is some pens and paper so she starts writing her story. As she writes about her friendship with Sal and falling in love with her boyfriend Nat we begin to unravel the mystery of how she ended up in the white room.

Entangled is a captivating and powerful debut and one that will take the reader on a roller coaster of emotions from laughter to tears an...more When Grace wakes up locked in a plain white room she has no idea how she got there. Held captive by the mysterious Ethan the only distraction she has is some pens and paper so she starts writing her story. As she writes about her friendship with Sal and falling in love with her boyfriend Nat we begin to unravel the mystery of how she ended up in the white room.

Entangled is a captivating and powerful debut and one that will take the reader on a roller coaster of emotions from laughter to tears and everything in between. When I sat down to read I was only intending to read a couple of chapters but I became so caught up in Grace's tale that I finished the entire book in one sitting. This is a dark and uncomfortable read at times but that just makes it even more compelling and it does manage to leave you feeling hopeful by the end. I really admire the fact that Cat Clarke made me laugh out loud despite the difficult topics covered.

I've seen several reviewers say that they didn't find Grace very likable in the beginning but I have to say I didn't have the same problem with her. I didn't like some of the things she was doing or her attitude at times but her character really spoke to me on a personal level and in some ways she reminded me a lot of myself as a teenager. Grace is in self destruct mode, she has so many emotions that she just doesn't know how to deal with and this shows in the way she acts. In many ways she comes across as a normal teen - she seems friendly and outgoing and is doing well at school but this is just a front that she puts on. Underneath it all she is messed up - she uses alcohol to escape from reality, sleeps with boys she has just met and resorts to cutting as a way to feel in control of her life.

Her reasons might be different to mine and her behaviours differ to some degree but at her age I was in a very similar destructive pattern. Grace's voice was so real real to me and made for painful reading as I watched her make similar mistakes to me & I just wanted to reach into the book and be the voice of experience to tell her that things can and will get better. This particular quote has stayed with me for days since reading the story and for me it captures the essence of Grace perfectly:

"It's when I'm alone that the doubt sets in. It's been that way for years. As long as there are people around, I can pretend everything's OK. But I need that audience to pretend for, otherwise it doesn't work. Alone, I'm not that easy to fool." Page 214

It is hard to go into too much detail about the rest of the story without giving spoilers, I really do think that this is one of those books that the less you know about before going in the better the reading experience will be. I will say that although I thought I'd figured out the twist at the end (well I had several theories anyway and was sure one of them would be correct) Cat Clarke still managed to surprise me. Entangled is a gripping and powerful read and one that I would thoroughly recommend, I know this is a story that will stay with me and one that I'm looking forward to reading again now I know how it ends.(less)

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Aug 24, 2012 Marie marked it as to-read

From the discription, this reminds me of 'INSANITY' BY LAUREN HAMMOND.Of course that book is one of my favorites so i am anxious to read this.

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Dec 23, 2011 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-release, amazing-loved-it, book-with-gorgeous-boy, i-own, made-me-cry-my-eyes-out

All night I've been thinking: 3stars? 4stars? 5Stars? How do I feel about this?

I originally gave this book 5 stars but after finding out the answers to all my questions i felt dissappointed..........i must say.....everything was predictable and well, i'm just really sad.......

I thought Nat was a great person but after reading the last few scenes....I felt sick and angry.....I'd fallen for him so bad and to find out that he wasn't the boy I thought he was......i don't want to talk any more about...more

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Apr 30, 2013 Rosie rated it 3 of 5 stars

INTRODUCTION

This book was interesting, to say the least. I picked it up, with high hopes and I can't really say whether I loved it or absolutely hated it.

Entangled is a story of twists, turns and downright confusing natures.

CHARACTERS

Grace: The main character. I didn't like her very much. She seemed a little selfish at times and wasn't the best character to relate to. However, I liked how we found everything out just as she did.

Ethan: The strange boy who brought her food. He seemed very quiet a...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Tessa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dès le début du livre on peut ressentir que l’histoire sera triste et touchante, et on est de suite happé dans les explications de Grace pour comprendre comment elle en est venue à perdre le goût de la vie.

Au commencement on ne comprend pas, c’est une ado pleine de vie et d’entrain, qui croque la vie à pleine dans même si elle part malheureusement dans des excès, mais plus elle nous raconte ce qui s’est passé plus on commence à voir jusqu’où elle veut en venir et on ne peut que comprendre que sa...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Shelby Moxon rated it 5 of 5 stars

The only reason I picked up this book was because it had the character name of Ethan in it. And I had only just lost my soulmate to cancer who was also called Ethan. Which of course started a whirlwind of me reading books that had his name in. Of course I didn't know this book also had self harm in, something I was doing to myself again to cope with the issue of dealing with his death as I had quit.

This book gripped from start to finish and I couldn't wait to finish it. Because as much as I love...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Ralala rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, realistic, romance, young-teen, intriguing, relationship

Seventeen-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with a table, pens and paper and no clue on how she got there.

As Grace pours her tangle life onto the page she is forced to remembered everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. but there's something missing.

Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here?

At first when I read the blurb it sounded a bit dodgy but I...more Seventeen-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with a table, pens and paper and no clue on how she got there.

As Grace pours her tangle life onto the page she is forced to remembered everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. but there's something missing.

Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here?

At first when I read the blurb it sounded a bit dodgy but I decided to give it a try and I'm glad I did because it was quite a amazing book.

At first I didn't really like Grace because she didn't really seemed like a suicidal and depressed person at all. And I guess because the first person POV seemed a bit childish so I didn't really like the way that she wrote directly as a teenager would say it though Clarke was trying to realistic.

But yep, definitely worth the read. I loved the plots of the story altogether and there seemed to be something happening on every page so it was very great to read.

* spoilers *

Turns out that the main character Grace was a self-harmer and supposedly before she was 'kidnapped' she was about to commit suicide. But at the end of the novel she was actually in Acoma and the white room/prison and Ethan was part of her subconscious. She was told to write down and the events so she could remember and Ethan was there to help her wake up from her sub-conscious because she was trying to forget all the events that happened to her which include fighting with her best friend Sal, relationship with her Mother and thought so her deceased Dad and her boyfriend Nat.

* spoiler over *

I really liked the concept of the novel. But I'm still trying to figure out why Cat choose Ethan's character to be part of her sub-conscious. I might to looking to far into things and maybe the idea of a young, sexy guy would be more interesting.

I still wonder why Ethan was the way he was. why did he have black hair? why did he wear the clothes that he did? Why was his personality the way it was?

I was quite disappointed to find out that he didn't actually exist in the book but none-the-less, it didn't effect the way I felt about the novel.
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Jan 02, 2013 Maliha Khan rated it 3 of 5 stars

WARNING: FULL OF SPOILERS

WOW...just Wow.

I didn't expect this book to impress me as much as it did. See, I have this dead-on intuition about the cliche outcomes for 90% of the books I've read. I knew there was something going on between Sal and Nat. It was so obvious. Kinda made me dislike Grace for being so oblivious.

But in the end, I really appreciated reading this book. It was out of my element, but I totally enjoyed it. I feel really bad for Grace, the relationship between Nat and her had bee...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Thebookthief rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Every person that can read

Wow. This is one of THOSE books. One of the books that if you read it, leaves you thinking about it for hours on end, thinking and thinking and thinking (well, it did in my case, anyway!).
The protagonist of this book was a seventeen year old girl called Grace, who wakes up one day in a strange white room with no memory of how she got there. She is greeted by a person called Ethan, a boy who seems to know everything about her, yet she knows nothing about him.
I ALMOST cried at this book (almost,...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Amelie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Zur Aufmachung

Mir gefällt das deutsche Cover hier unheimlich gut. Der weiße Hintergrund, der für den Raum steht, in dem sich Grace zu Beginn der Geschichte wiederfindet, aber auch die vielen Buchstaben, die aus dem Originaltext entnommen den Titel bilden. Das ist so eine Art Rätsel und spiegelt damit sehr schön die Atmosphäre des Buches wieder. Im Vergleich dazu ist das Originalcover geradezu lächerlich.

Zum Buch

Ich wollte es wirklich mögen. Vor allem, weil die Geschichte so eine unglaubliche Tie...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Natassja rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: asdfghjkl-books, books-that-made-me-cry

This was my second time reading a book by Cat Clarke. The first book I read from her, Torn, was great, so I decided to check out this one as well.
Now I must admit, I am sucker for your cliche "angsty teen girl going through/recovering from/trapped in a typical teenage drama" so I am biased. But this book was different. For once, you don't always completely side with the protagonist, Grace. At some points I felt like leaping into the book and giving her a good shake, and then at other points (esp...more

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Jul 30, 2012 LeahSakura rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book.... where the hell do I begin?
Well, for starters, I hated the style of writing. If it wasn't confusing me (Which was all the time) then the storyline was dragging on, or swapping around like crazy. At first, Grace was in this crazy white room, then shes drinking and overly flirting with a stranger on the swings, then shes back in the white room, and then with her bestie- I don't even think that was the order, but all I know is that the feeling I had after reading this book was not good...more This book.... where the hell do I begin?
Well, for starters, I hated the style of writing. If it wasn't confusing me (Which was all the time) then the storyline was dragging on, or swapping around like crazy. At first, Grace was in this crazy white room, then shes drinking and overly flirting with a stranger on the swings, then shes back in the white room, and then with her bestie- I don't even think that was the order, but all I know is that the feeling I had after reading this book was not good.
Characters? I hated Grace- she moaned to much for my liking and was way to clingy and needy, the only message sent out here that the protagonist needs her boyfriend (Twilight much- that was WAY better). I hated Sal- she was just fake from the start Grace began to talk about her. I hated Nat- he was to quick to jump into bed with Grace- I love romance and the sexual tension in books, but he was in her pants at like what? Page fifty. I hated Grace's mum- THERE WAS NOTHING ABOUT HER THAT WAS AT ALL RELATABLE! WHAT MOTHER LEAVES HER DAUGHTER FOR WEEKS ON END? NO! Just NO!
I didn't like Ethan- he was too freaky and to me I got this pervy feeling off of him.
I think Devon was the only genuine character I could relate to, who actually possessed some likable qualities. He wasn't as predictable as the others, but I was still able to guess what he would do, and how'd he would react.
Then... Then there were the damn ISSUES in this BOOK.
Alcohol, sex, depression, death, friendship, relationship, abortion....
I'm sorry, but if I had known it was basically the teenage version of Eastenders, I wouldn't have bothered.
Also, the cover is particularly misleading, along with the summery. I thought it was going to be a paranormal romance, y'know, her not remembering about her vampire boyfriend or remembering she was going to save the world... (nothing related to the story, but my genuine expectations of the book.)

But I would recommend this surprisingly, only so I could give people something to insult rather than Twilight.

Although saying this, I would like there to be a sequel- which I know there won't be sadly. I would like to know whether Grace and Sal can get over their issues and remain friends, and whether she'll date Devon or not. Or whether everything falls apart again and she ends up killing herself.
No sympathy
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Apr 23, 2012 Stefanie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult

Oh, where to even begin with this book. Let's start with how there is no remotely likeable character in this except for two side character whose appearances are extremely limited (Devon and Sophie). Let's continue with how the main character especially (Grace) is grating at the best of times. Let's then move on to how big, sensitive topics (teenage pregnancy, depression, self-mutilation, neglect, suicide) are treated as plot devices that have no impact expect to further the personal drama of the...more Oh, where to even begin with this book. Let's start with how there is no remotely likeable character in this except for two side character whose appearances are extremely limited (Devon and Sophie). Let's continue with how the main character especially (Grace) is grating at the best of times. Let's then move on to how big, sensitive topics (teenage pregnancy, depression, self-mutilation, neglect, suicide) are treated as plot devices that have no impact expect to further the personal drama of the central characters. And let's end with how the big mysteries of the book are glaringly obvious long, very long, before they are "revealed" in the book.

I bought the book because I thought the prospect sounded like it could be exciting, with Grace waking up in a white room, imprisoned with a kidnapper who takes good care of her, but with nothing to do all day but write down her story. Except the author clearly had no idea how to use this device to narrate her story. Instead of a gripping, emotional tale I got poorly constructed teenage drama, and let's not even mention how we are supposed to believe we are reading what Grace "wrote down" when it reads more like her own inner narrative at the time things happened. Which would have worked much better than the whole "we read what she wrote down" thing when you can't suspend disbelief for more than half a dozen pages.

The story could have been beautiful and heartbreaking if it had been told differently. Cutting isn't treated as a real problem, but is once again just something a bored teenager with no real problems does to show how sensitive and emotional and troubled she is. Even when she really isn't. Pregnancy? Well, yeah, happens, but other than being a plot device to set up best friends and boyfriends acting shitty nothing comes of it anyway. Depression is apparently no real medical condition, it's just what happens when you fight with your best friend and your boyfriend is unhappy with you. I could go on, but I won't. This book isn't deep, mysterious, emotional, touching. It's just the typical teenage drama you can tune in to every night on every channel, with no originality or emotional impact whatsoever.(less)

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Mar 31, 2012 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I never write reviews, but this book needed one I think. There are spoilers, sorry I'm new to this! Anyway... I think maybe those who have read the book will understand my review better :)

It's hard to put a star rating on this book. I was totally gripped from start to finish, reading it in five straight hours, so it must have done something right! However, quite disappointed that I guessed the plot from the start. There's been a lot of criticism about the layout, how the author jumps from past t...more I never write reviews, but this book needed one I think. There are spoilers, sorry I'm new to this! Anyway... I think maybe those who have read the book will understand my review better :)

It's hard to put a star rating on this book. I was totally gripped from start to finish, reading it in five straight hours, so it must have done something right! However, quite disappointed that I guessed the plot from the start. There's been a lot of criticism about the layout, how the author jumps from past to present at random, but I thought it gave it the edge it needed.. Otherwise I probably would have put it down and not bothered with it. I feel like the whole kidnapping scenario is very transparent, you can almost see the author thinking 'Oh I need to put this in randomly to throw them off the scent', which didn't work for a lot of readers, including myself, and was just frustrating really. The main character, Grace, is... complex. I wish we'd had a bit more information about her, I want to know more about her and her life before the book, and I want to know what happens after the end. Too much of the book is based on Her, and I want to know more about the people around her. Its like 'oh no all these bad people in my life have messed me up, I cut myself and drink too much...' then 'oh Grace we're all so sorry, forgive us blahh'. I can't explain why, but I'm annoyed. It's like she has no control over her own life whatsoever, and though i'm sure there are aspects of this which are common in reality, I feel like the author has just tried to write the most pathetic worst-case situation ever. I can completely sympathise with the self-harm issue, I don't think it was handled badly, however there was just no point to it. Any of it. Nothing really went anywhere, there was no substance.. AGH! Though the plot mostly flowed, I feel like it was something that should be saved for daytime tv chat shows rather than a book.

I didn't like 'being' Grace at all, but I didn't hate her as much as her loser friend. AGH, the deception! Maybe that's why I've given three stars. Though you could see it coming from a mile off, the whole Sal/Nat scenario made my blood boil! The fact that it was obvious from the start probably made this worse, and perhaps the best bit of the book. Well done Cat Clarke.

My favourite character was Devon, ohhh such a beautiful soul! There are various references to him through the text, but not enough, so that when his part comes into play I'm flicking back thinking who's Devon again? He had potential to be an awesome character, I think the readers would have fallen for him if only the author had focused on him a little more... But heaven forbid there should be any happiness in this book!!

My review is rather negative, though I still liked it, for a reason I can't quite put my finger on. I think the 'gritty-ness' of this book will stay in my thoughts for a while. Better go and read something happier...(less)

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Mar 28, 2012 Mateesha rated it 3 of 5 stars

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

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Jan 15, 2012 FashionDayDreamer rated it 3 of 5 stars

The MC, Grace, is a bitch. Pure and simple. Every little thing someone says (that's not sugarcoated to death) she gets VERY defensive. She always has to snap back, be rude and an awful person. She knows she's a terrible person. She blames her upbringing for the way she's turned out: a mess. Excessively drinking, having sex (started at 14) and cutting. Her father died and her mother isn't really one. Okay, fine, I get it, but really? Did she need to turn out that bad? Her mother was hardly the wo...more The MC, Grace, is a bitch. Pure and simple. Every little thing someone says (that's not sugarcoated to death) she gets VERY defensive. She always has to snap back, be rude and an awful person. She knows she's a terrible person. She blames her upbringing for the way she's turned out: a mess. Excessively drinking, having sex (started at 14) and cutting. Her father died and her mother isn't really one. Okay, fine, I get it, but really? Did she need to turn out that bad? Her mother was hardly the worst person on the planet. I've seen way worse. Her mother has an obsession with shoes and sometimes leaves Grace alone for a week to go shopping in London. Yes, she's not very caring, but I don't believe she's chronically bad.

Grace can be funny, but most of the time I just had to push my eyeballs back into their sockets, for fear they would roll out of my head. I can NOT believe someone like her actually manages to keep a best friend. Really, the way she treats Sal is disgusting. Why the hell be friends with Grace for? Sal is much quieter than Grace and has a lot of free time, but still. She can do better (or not have any friends at all would be better if it meant getting rid of Grace).

She cuts a lot. And I mean a lot. At one point she cuts her legs and the bed is SOAKED in blood. I'm not quite sure what cutting is supposed to achieve, but I guess it's like crying -- after a good cry (a good cut) you feel relieved. True, I think, but why does she want to in ten or twenty years time look down and be reminded of what those scars mean? I mean, isn't that the worst part of it all? Scars? Forever reminding her of her awful past? I don't think I'll ever truly understand cutting, but Grace's story DID make me a bit more open-minded about it. I felt that I could understand better why people cut (minus the people who do it for attention, which Grace claims she doesn't as she tries her best to cut in places you won't see and tries to conceal them from Sal and Nat (her boyfriend). Um, why is he called Nat? That's a frigging girl's nickname for Natalie! His real name is Nathaniel, so call him Nate or Nathan. Duh!

Grace is overly sarcastic. I'm all up for a sassy character, but like with everything too much is a bad thing. Constantly rude, annoying, selfish, piggish, yuck. Terrible person. Her way or NO way. She forces people to do things a lot. She makes SURE she gets her own way, gets what she wants. Brat.

Isn't it soooooo annoying when people dooooooo this allllllll the time???!!!

That's what we have to put up with on every other page or so. Exaggerated words, CAPITALS WAY TOO OFTEN, italics to emphasise her bitchiness even more (no, please, no more; I can't take it!), and questions ending with a question mark and an exclamation mark. Like what's the point? Just irks my eyes.

As for the story...Who IS Ethan? Wtf? I still don't know? I know where she was at the end, what she tried to do, but who is Ethan? This story could have still made sense if you cut out the whole Ethan part altogether. I'm not sure why it's even there? I was thinking she was unconscious from the start, but at the end we know that's not the case.

Wow. There's a lot of swearing in this book. I was gobsmacked that a Young Adult book could contain so many "f*cking" in it (plus other swear words). It has more swearing than the House of Night books.

But that doesn't bother me at all. I swear a lot, so I'm not fussed. Just pointing it out to people who prefer none to little swearing in books.

Grace goes to bars and shops and nights out on the piss all the time and she's only seventeen. Her fake ID must be very good! She says how she used to buy, and still does, alcohol from the shop since she was fourteen. Um, I'm not sure where she lives, but here in the real world of the UK it's actually quite hard to pass as an eighteen year old when you're fourteen. The excuse for this that the old lady questions them and then believes them and then sells it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but right now it's hard get alcohol underage from shops UNLESS someone buys it for you, which many underage people around here do. I dunno, maybe I just live in a weird area.

So yeah, this book was okay. I mean, there wasn't much of a story apart from Nat then Sal then Grace then Nat again then Sal then Ethan then Grace then Nat then Sal then Devon then Ethan then Sal then Nat...

So yeah, you get the point. We're constantly flipping in between Ethan and her in the white room and then the past...I think. Nothing much happens. There's some suspense, don't get me wrong, but I think the story could have been told in the first 100 pages. There needed to be more going on. (less)

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Jan 07, 2012 ♫Huneeya♥ rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book would have been two stars if it wasn't for the amazing ending. I mean the whole Nat-Sal thing was completely predictable but I totally wasn't expecting the whole (view spoiler) thing. I'll admit, when I finished the book I was like 'WHAT?! THAT'S THE END?! BUT THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!!! (view spoiler) and then, like,...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Sya rated it 5 of 5 stars

At first glance, the plot of Entangled appears at first to be one kind of story before quietly changing into something completely different. When we meet protagonist Grace, she has been saved from killing herself by an attractively aloof stranger, Ethan. The thing is, Ethan seems to have saved her by...er...kidnapping her. As kidnappings go it hasn't been too traumatic. He's provided her with a clean, white room, regular servings of her favourite food and some paper and pens on which to write. E...more At first glance, the plot of Entangled appears at first to be one kind of story before quietly changing into something completely different. When we meet protagonist Grace, she has been saved from killing herself by an attractively aloof stranger, Ethan. The thing is, Ethan seems to have saved her by...er...kidnapping her. As kidnappings go it hasn't been too traumatic. He's provided her with a clean, white room, regular servings of her favourite food and some paper and pens on which to write. Ethan doesn't say much bar the odd mysterious utterance and so eventually, out of boredom, Grace begins to write down her recent memories which slowly thread together to become the story within the story of her kidnap.

Grace is something else. Not everyone is going to like her – I'm not entirely sure that I did. On one hand she's a young woman: funny, strong and devil-may-care but on the other she is a child floundering in a sea of grief and neglectful parenting, leaning hugely on her best friend and boyfriend who struggle to stop her from drowning. Of Grace's many issues, the most prevalent is her desire to self harm and as the story progresses she cuts deeper and deeper. I had a close friend who self-harmed and Grace's behaviour signaled to me a spiraling out of control that was all too familiar. I found it uncomfortable and upsetting to read. Equally, as with my friend, I found it utterly infuriating. Grace is intelligent and pretty, with her whole life in front of her but she cannot see past her present. I found myself getting angry and frustrated with her depression and denial, not to mention the self-absorption that so often comes with both. Grace is a very real character and, love her or loathe her, it is impossible not to feel her pain.

Sal, Nat and Ethan make up almost the rest of Entangled's small cast of characters. I liked Sal a lot. I could identify with her worry over Grace, with her fear and with her confusion over how to deal with the issue. At the same age as Grace, she has no idea how to help her friend but clearly cares greatly for her. Struggling to get over her own recent trauma, I understood why Sal might lash out at Grace and certainly why she might not want to tell her the details of the event. Towards the end of the book I could, again, understand how Sal ended up where she did. She's not perfect, despite what Grace may think, and finds herself clinging to the nearest life raft in Grace's storm.

Nat is a character who was less clear to me. While he seems perfectly nice, caring and thoughtful his motivations become muddier as the book progresses. However, he is nothing if not a realistic portrayal of a young man caught up in a difficult situation. Like Sal, he cares for Grace but is ill-equipped to really help her and flounders along in her wake slowly but surely making her situation more and more precarious. Ethan is a complete enigma and it's hard to talk too much about him without spoiling the over all story. The scenes in which he and Grace are together are some of the most powerful in the book and, as their situation becomes increasingly bizarre, also some of the most moving. Most importantly, Ethan allows Grace to view her situation (both past and present) objectively for perhaps the first time in her life.

Entangled, while gripping, is not a comfortable read. Grace's life is a train-wreck waiting to happen and while she cannot see it herself, readers will recognise instantly the inexorably slope towards disaster. This crashing inevitability is Entangled's main strength, the author using it to create a suffocating atmosphere of inescapable sadness. This title isn't always comfortable to read but it is an acute and searing account of a breakdown on many levels, be it familial, friendship or mental. It attacks familiar issues with an honesty and bluntness that is refreshing, frightening and certainly worth reading. More than anything Entangled is about seeing yourself clearly as others see you and seeing them as they see themselves for often the most important truths are the ones we intentionally blind ourselves to. With this debut Cat Clarke has cemented herself as one to watch on the YA scene. Brilliant stuff.
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Jul 03, 2011 Kousha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

i loved this book. I thought that the character of Grace was told just perfectly. You could really bond with her and understand her pain completely. Normally for me a book where the heroine/ hero is self harming will normally just make me want to drop the book, because normally the characters end up coming across so over dramatic and pathetic, but i never felt that whilst i read Entangled. It sort of fit into the book, which i think is quite a hard thing to achieve, and you still could bond with...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

I don't know what to say about this one. I read it in a night and couldn't put it down. I was desperately fixated by Grace's "tangled life" and wanted her to be able to wipe her slate clean. I empathised painfully with her. To an extent.

There was a lot about Grace that I didn't like. It seemed like in every scene she had a drink in her hand and she wasn't a pleasant drunk. Her recounted story about how she lost her virginity in a grotty park play-structure made me feel kind of sick with disgust....more I don't know what to say about this one. I read it in a night and couldn't put it down. I was desperately fixated by Grace's "tangled life" and wanted her to be able to wipe her slate clean. I empathised painfully with her. To an extent.

There was a lot about Grace that I didn't like. It seemed like in every scene she had a drink in her hand and she wasn't a pleasant drunk. Her recounted story about how she lost her virginity in a grotty park play-structure made me feel kind of sick with disgust. Her coldness towards her mother made me cringe. There were reasons for all of these things but I couldn't help but feel like Grace was exacerbating her "victim" status in a self-flagellating way. But then I suppose that was part of Grace's character. She lives wild and she lives painfully in order to be able to feel something, anything at all.

To say Grace was "rough-around-the-edges" would be an understatement. And yet, Cat Clarke weaves Grace's story in such a way that we can see how she has become such a fallen figure. We might not exactly like Grace to begin, but we learn to at least sympathise with her. The uncomfortable moments are there deliberately, and Grace's depression is dealt with as a serious, psychological condition. She makes herself hurt because without that pain, she feels she has nothing.

As the story progresses, I started to see Grace as the tragic figure she was. I figured out what I think was meant to be the plot twist quickly, but this added to the tension of the novel. It made me want to scream at certain characters and to punch others in the face. These characters will have you hyperventilating with rage, trust me. The allow Grace to get a taste of what it means to be at peace with herself and almost happy! Then...they take it away. Her fall is so much harder after she allows herself to be lifted up briefly by love and hope.

I am desperately hoping that there will be a follow-up to Entangled, but haven't seen any news of one. I want this follow up because the ending of this book made me feel sad and scared and hollow. Grace has her weaknesses, but she doesn't deserve the pain she and others put her through. Seriously, Ms. Clarke. Even a short story would do!

*Makes puppy dog eyes*

There has been a lot of discussion recently about what content belongs in YA fiction. I'm sure that many might view Entangled as one of those bad influences. I disagree. The idea of self-harm and suicide is not glamorised or made to sound like any kind of escape: Grace's actions disgust ever herself, let alone the reader. The sexual content is discussed with warnings of pregnancy on the one hand, and the idea that you can think you know someone without having a clue on the other. The audience will wish that Grace could have held onto her morals a little more tightly. Her promiscuity only exacerbates her self-esteem issues and makes her feel worse.

Overall, Entangled is a powerful read that I would recommend to older YA readers due to its content. There's a part of me that really wants to give this 5 stars, but I'm withholding one of them until I hear of a coming sequel! A hostage star...think it'll work?

Lx(less)

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Jun 01, 2011 Xxpinknikkixx123 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, it-s-okay-ish

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. There were two reasons why I bought this book.
1) The cover was stunning, absolutely beautiful. Even though they say that you should never judge a book by it's cover I just couldn't help it.
2) I had heard about this book before and the premise was excellent. I loved the mystery behind the whole 'kidnapped in a room with only pens and paper' thing. I was really looking forward to discovering what was happening and as a result of that I finished the book in one sitting.
and 3) I know this doesn't...more There were two reasons why I bought this book.
1) The cover was stunning, absolutely beautiful. Even though they say that you should never judge a book by it's cover I just couldn't help it.
2) I had heard about this book before and the premise was excellent. I loved the mystery behind the whole 'kidnapped in a room with only pens and paper' thing. I was really looking forward to discovering what was happening and as a result of that I finished the book in one sitting.
and 3) I know this doesn't actually count as a reason but I have a pet cat called Clarkie. :)

Well, I have to say that I was disappointed unfortunately. It was ok, but not great. I can understand that some people adored the book, the countless sweet moments and the "supposedly" big twist at the end but I can also understand how people hated it. A girl at 17, whiny, suicidal, a drunk, cuts herself, sleeps with anyone etc, it can be very hard to read for some people. Personally though, I don't have a problem with the main character, Grace, as there are actual people who are like that in the real world. Clarke just wanted someone like that in her story, and to be honest she is quite a spunky character, (she has 'Eeyore' pajamas :D ) so who is to complain?

But, ignoring the characters for now I was really disappointed with the plot line that promised so much and never delivered. I wished so much that Clarke would surprise me with something brilliant and awe-inspiring but in actual fact it was just so cliche that I nearly cried. I knew that Nat and Sal, her boyfriend and best friend, were sleeping together since 1/4 of the way in, (lets face it, Clarke was dropping hints on nearly every page) but for the actual whole white room to be a dream. Come on Clarke, surely you could have done better than that.
Even if Grace was kidnapped and she just ended up escaping from this weird creep I would have been happier. Oh well, I suppose we can't all have what we want.

Another thing that drove me crazy was her mother. Nearly every book out their is about some neglected teen whose parents hate them or are never around. I would have preferred the mother to be someone who cares too much and then Grace had to sneak out, or for Clarke to even give more depth about her mother. Like for the readers to see her mourning the loss of her husband, so she doesn't seem like such a heartless person who sleeps with her husbands best friend (ie. Uncle Mick)

I don't feel that much towards Ethan, He was a figment of her imagination after all so I don't have much to say about him. However I would just like to say that I loved Sal as a character, and Nat. Loads of people probably hate them for being such B****s to Grace but in my eyes it seemed like one of those situations that couldn't be helped. They liked each other and cared for each other but Grace seemed to get all 'Entangled' into something she shouldn't have. (Pardon the pun, a way too overused phrase) Which wasn't her fault by the way. I just see Grace as an unfortunate victim. If it was set in the eyes of Sal or Nat, Grace would definitely be the bad guy so I can't complain about any of them.

So, over all Entangled wasn't great. Yes I won't give it a bad review because it did shine in some places. For instance I couldn't help but smile at some of the sweet moments and cheesy jokes and this book really did interest me when i saw it. But it definitely doesn't deserve full stars, as somehow it wasn't what I was expecting. It didn't give me something original or completely mind blowing so I guess I can't say that I enjoyed it. Yes it was funny, Yes it was sweet, but I can't say Yes, this book is amazing.
xx(less)

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May 20, 2011 Larissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

Grace is impulsive, reckless, selfish and a flirt. Just your typical seventeen year old with a fiery temper and hair to match. She doesn't believe in turning down a drink or a kiss from a boy if he's not half bad looking, actually there isn't much she wont say no to, except her mum of course. But while on the outside Grace is doing her best to hide the hurt, on the inside she is desperately trying to hold on to the only two people who mean anything to her.

When Grace left home for the park with a...more

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Basically Books!: Entangled by Cat Clarke (April 2012 Group Read)	11	32	Apr 13, 2012 11:02am

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