The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Mara Dyer wakes up in the hospital with absolutely no memory of how she got there. She can’t remember what day it is or the accident that killed her friends. She doesn’t know why she’s the only one who made it out alive. She’s scared, and it’s all a little too hard for her to deal with, even after she and her family move far away from everything that happened. The new setting does little to ease her mind, especially when other strange events start happening all around her. Is it possible that everything is connected? Could it all lead back to the accident that killed her friends? Mara knows that there must be more to the story—but what will it cost her to find out?

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is one heck of a psychological thrill ride. Prior to reading this book, I was having some difficulty finding a book that I could really get into, but after reading The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, I realized that this was the book I wanted to read all along. Hodkin truly shines in her phenomenal debut. She keeps the circumstances of the stranger events mysterious enough to keep readers on the edges of their seats but doesn’t make them so vague that readers are annoyed by the constant ambiguity. This balance between mysterious and vague is not an easy one to reach, so I’m so glad that Hodkin was able to strike it so wonderfully. Additionally, Hodkin paces her release of information so well throughout the book to keep readers hooked.  This is the type of book that will make readers guess, doubt, reach conclusions, doubt again, and be really anxious for a sequel. With an addicting plot, a myriad of mysterious events, and a very steamy romance, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a psychological thriller not to be missed.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer will be enjoyed by fans of Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma.

Rating: 4.5

Review copy from Teen Author Carnival