REVIEW: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) by Michelle Hodkin

Title/Series: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer | Mara Dyer #1
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: September 27th 2011
Format: Paperback | Pages: 452
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Source: Amazon
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Michelle Hodkin | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong.

Even though I had a small but manageable pile of review books that needed to be read, that wasn't how I wanted to start off my 2015 reading wise. I really wanted to start the new year off with a bang. Something to leave me thinking "wow, am I glad I picked this up instead!" I picked up my Kindle but nothing inspired me to drop everything and read. I kept looking toward the piles of recent purchases sitting on my desk just waiting for me to quit procrastinating and find homes for them on my bookshelves. On top of one of those piles was The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. Everything about it just kept calling out to me, the gorgeous cover, the intriguing title and most especially that blurb that piqued my curiosity in unbelievable ways. So I knew this had to be the one. And now that I've finished it? Oh. My. Gosh. Am I freaking glad that I picked this up instead! I have the worst book hangover in the world and I have since ordered the other two books.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

I highly enjoyed the whole mysterious side to this book. Sitting here trying to guess as to what is going on as I read. Normally my brain will come up with quite a few different theories, all of which are generally wrong, but with this book I've been completely baffled. I'm still not even sure what's happened fully or what will happen next. I feel like this was a major contributing factor to how much I loved this book. I mean if I can't even come up with a guess, even a wrong one, then I am impressed!

"You don't know me. You only know what Daniel told you, and I don't let him see. There's something wrong with me."

The characters in this book are so complex and different. I never felt like they were the same type of character I've read time and time again. Mara was just brilliant. I wondered from one page to the next if there was something truly wrong with her or not. She's funny and sarcastic, brave in so many ways and yet in other ways just a frightened teenage girl. I am so excited for the other two books to come in the mail so that I can see what comes of her character from this point. This one ended with her in a very what in the hell kind of moment so I'm just dying over here!

My mouth fell open. "Did I just see you litter?" 

"I'm driving a hybrid. It cancels out."

For a brief, delusional, moment I didn't think I was going to like Noah at the beginning. A reputation was implied before we really get to know him. One of him being sort of a love-em-for-one-night-and-leave-em type of guy. It didn't take long, though, for me to fall hopelessly for him. He's so freaking funny and sweet and chivalrous and just an all out good person. Plus he's got that whole British accent thing going on and I am a complete sucker for that fact right there alone. I loved how protective he became of Mara and how easily he fit into her life and melded with her family. He's quite the charmer.

Jamie batted his eyelashes. I kind of loved him.

This book is just filled with unique and interesting characters. Mara's two brothers were both favorites and I loved the dynamic between the siblings. Daniel who's a year older than Mara is very protective and watches out for her not just in public type situations but at home with their parents as well. Loved him. But besides her family there's the first person she meets at her new school, Jamie, who is...well I don't know how to even describe him. He's just my favorite. Truly some really great character creation. If I didn't love them I hated them with a fiery passion and hoped for very bad things to happen to them!

"I had grand plans for today. Hookers and blow aren't cheap, but I suppose animal sacrifice will have to do. Happy birthday."

What I love most about this book is it leaves you feeling so many things throughout. It's not just a dark, anxiety filled edge of your seat mystery. There's this sweet and yet passionate romance. There is so much humor that I was not expecting at all. There's also stuff to get you riled up and ticked off. You, or at lest I did, really experience the whole spectrum in the feels department. I am absolutely hooked and in love with this series so far. This first book was just a beautiful and brilliant series starter that pulled me in immediately. It kept me on the edge of my seat and the only break I took from start to finish was when my eyes were so heavy it was impossible to keep them open. Now if you'll excuse me while I go sit staring out the window like a dog waiting for his owner, I have a mailman to stalk because I'm dying to know what happens next!