This and other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews

Unravel Me picks up just after Shatter Me finished, and Juliette has a little bit of trouble fitting in. After being shunned for so long, and then in isolation for years, she feels as if everybody is just waiting for her to screw up so they can throw her out in the cold again.

Honestly I forgot most of the things that happened in this book, exacpt for Warner.

At most points I was like

"Wait wut?

That happened. How did I forget that.

Wtf O_O"

So, a bit of an unpopular opinion right here but the more I think about this book, the more problematic I find it and I've read this book in January, so you can imagine how much my two braincells are working over it. The writing wasn't really the problem for me although some metaphors were quite peculiar but i have a problem with the characters.

As always, I'm not here to offend anyone, this is just my own personal opinion. I decided to completely remove my rating of this book and of the rest of the series because I actually don't know how to rate these books.

At first I really liked them and enjoyed taking part into the Shatter Me readalong. It was great to read between two college finals. But then I read the second book and my mind started thinking yes, it happens sometimes. I started noticing things that I didn't like not only in books but also in relationships. So yeah, unpopular opinion here ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I absolutely loved the writing style in this book...original, interesting, evocative. And, Juliette is such a sympathetic character, reminding me of the times my students and I have discussed the basic human need for touch, physical contact. The instant steaminess between Juliette and Adam is, while understandable on a visceral level, incredibly off-putting to me. I get it, I really do: Juliette has been deprived of love in any form, shunned, feared, mistreated all her life. She craves human contact; she's losing her grip on reality without it. But she goes from zero to 100 in the blink of an eye, and Adam's explanation that he has always loved her (and her reciprocated experience) doesn't transcend the intense immediacy of their contact for me. Perhaps for some, this is their response to the post-apocalyptic world they inhabit; for me, it felt reckless.

However, this story is incredibly interesting, different, worth the read, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the next installment takes me. :)

For original review: https://holedupinabook.blogspot.com/2018/02/shatter-me-series-by-tahereh-mafi.html

I can’t believe that at the beginning, I really considered giving up this book. I had started this book while I was in France and was listening to it via audiobook. It wasn’t boring but I couldn’t really get into it plus I really, really didn’t like Juliette’s tendency to repeat herself multiple times especially when it’s on audiobook. It felt as if I was listening to it on repeat and that there was a scratch on the disk or something hence it being repeated nonstop. So for a while, I played with the idea of putting it aside but then I read all the amazing reviews raving about Warner that I decided to stick it through.

And OMG, WARNER IS ALL THE FEELS. I really fell into the book during the first novella where it was Warner’s POV and discussed what was really going on in his head. The novella took place after Juliette shot him and it talks about his thought process and the reasoning as to why he did some of the terrible things that he did. After reading that novella, omg, I was in love with him as well and was rooting for him all the way. Forget Adam.

Like I stated, I honestly wasn’t a fan of Juliette for the longest time. I found her annoying, whiny and she was always crying. She was also kind of narcissistic in the way that she thought everything was always her fault when, honestly, the world did not revolve around her. And it took me till the really end, the final book, when I started to actually like her character. That was when she decided to actually stand up and fight because for the entire series thus far, she was afraid of herself, the people around her and basically everything that I found her timid and infuriating. On some level, I understand where she’s coming from but at the same time, I wish she understood things quicker and learned to accept herself sooner.

As for Adam, I never really liked him either. He also seemed the depressive sort even when he was with Juliette. There was just something about him that always made me feel sad or sort of down so I was more than happy when Juliette figured it out for herself and moved on. I was also a bit surprised by his anger and disgust when Juliette went to Warner because yes, okay, Warner has shown a despicable side thus far but kicking her out of his place when she had nowhere else to go was a bit harsh. For someone who claimed he loved her, the very fact that he did that showed otherwise.

And of course, I have to talk about Warner. The one thing that I found annoying was how he kept calling her “love” even from the beginning. For some reason, it just really threw me off because he’s only 19 and the only people I ever hear that from are usually middle-aged or something. It just seems really strange for a teenager to keep calling someone his “love”. But despite that, I loved everything about him. It was clear how much he loved her because he was willing to sacrifice and give up so much just for her. He hated working with others and didn’t trust anyone yet because of her, he opened up his home for the resistance and for people he didn’t even like (i.e. Adam and Kenji). For me, that says a lot about his character.

I also absolutely loved Kenji and James. Kenji’s humor and James’ innocence really kept this book going at times especially when Juliette or Adam was in one of their pity moods. Kenji’s personality really shined during this series – I loved how he would talk to Juliette and banter with her and even though he was scared to touch her (rightfully so), he didn’t allow that to change his opinion on her overall.

Overall, I absolutely loved this series and I’m really glad to see that there is going to be a follow-up trilogy. I am a bit concerned about the fact that something tragic is going to happen because Warner, Kenji and James must stay alive at all times otherwise I honestly might boycott it.

I actually read this book a while ago but I don't remember why I didn't add it. I'm too lazy to write an actual review for this one but I really liked it, plus I'm like Juliette, warming up to Warner because I'm quite easily swayed to join the other side haha.

I only know now that the scientists are wrong.
The world is flat.
I know because I was tossed right off the edge and I've been trying to hold on for 17 years. I've been trying to climb back up for 17 years but it's nearly impossible to beat gravity when no one is willing to give you a hand.
When no one wants to risk touching you.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars!

Juliette has a problem: her touch is fatal to anyone she comes into contact with. It's a problem that her parents couldn't deal with, that society deemed was psychotic, and that she's been labeled a monster for most of her life. And she starts to believe it.

I loved Juliette's character! I thought she was the perfect blend of strength and vulnerability. She's spent her whole life thinking she's a monster that it's hard for her to believe anything different. I loved her voice and how she told the story. Tahereh Mafi has a very unique writing style. You either hate it or you love it. But I thought it was perfect for this type of story. The way Juliette saw the world, her thoughts and feelings. I liked the crossed out sentences and the repeats of words. It fit Juliette's character and her erratic thoughts. It took a little bit of time to move past it, but once I did, I very much liked it.

I also loved Adam! At this point, I'm on his team. But you never know what happens in the sequel. ;) Honestly, I'd like a little more development with the secondary characters, especially with Warner. They all have their own personalities, but we don't find out much about them. I loved the additions of James and Kenji! I can't wait for more fun dialogue and interactions amidst the terror and looming possibility of war.

And oh, the romance. It was sweet, passionate, and subtly sensual. It was just so beautiful that Juliette could find love in the midst of her broken life. A love that makes her feel worthy, makes her feel safe and secure, and most of all, doesn't make her feel like a monster. <3

I really liked where this plot headed! Without giving away much, I'm excited for the sequel. And I'm excited to see where the author takes this superhero type of story-line. :) Shatter Me was a truly unique read. I'll be patiently impatiently waiting to read the sequel.

this was AWESOME AND SO WORTH THE WAIT BUT ALSO WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG OMG I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!
JULIETTE SWEETIE!!! WARNER MY ADORKABLE IDIOT!!!!

Yeah, like, good book :D

Juliette has been imprisoned for three years. (She could give you the exact time; I cannot.) She accidentally killed someone just by touching them, and so her parents---who had been extremely cruel and neglectful even before that---agreed to have her locked up for the greater good. So she goes on, day after day, being largely ignored and not touched by anyone. And then she gets a roommate, Adam. She's immediately drawn to him, but is he who he appears to be?

This is one of those books that is nearly impossible to put down. I got sucked into Juliette's life right away and I immediately liked her. One of the writing devices I really enjoyed was the author's use of the strikethrough to show the difference between Juliette's "acceptable" thoughts and how she really felt but didn't feel justified in expressing. Laurie Halse Anderson used it to great effect in Wintergirls, and it worked just as well here. Even better, as the story progressed and Juliette became more confident, she used it less and less. I love that kind of proof that the character is progressing. :)

Also, the story between Juliette and Adam is intense. Even though I was never quite sure whether she could trust him, I still rooted for them as a couple.

But even better than the love story? The dystopian world. Earth is basically destroyed and the country is run by people who were supposed to fix the problems but instead broke everything even more. There's theoretically a resistance, but nobody's sure if that's true or if it's an urban legend. (If there is a resistance movement, there's also a good chance that the people in charge are also using it as an excuse to crack down on everyone even harder.)

I mention that to show how potentially valuable Juliette is. Can you imagine how much a dictator would love you if you can kill someone with your bare hands?

This is a fun, creepy story. Recommended.

This book wasn’t quite what I expected. The first half of the book is heavy on romance, which surprised me — especially as it felt like it was moving really fast. The last third really better met what I thought the series would be in balancing romance and dystopian problems, with establishing a wider cast of characters, and with the language having better balance between metaphor and plot. Others have pointed out that the beginning was deliberately written like that to reflect Juliette’s mindset at the time, which does make sense to me. I wasn’t sure if I would continue reading at first, but I think that I will.