I adore this book and all the things that come with it. The cover. The story. The concepts. The characters. And, the author. So, welcome to my stop on the tour! :)
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- The Book -

Synopsis: Two days before the
start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a
pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life
flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows,
she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high
school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even
though it isn't possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that
Ben has somehow brought her back to life.
But her revival, and
Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle
must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues
about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down
to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed,
she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's
happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden
appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as
the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to
the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets—and
keep from falling in love with him in the process.
From debut
author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight
to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming.
BUY A COPY! Do it! Do it!
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- The Author -
Elizabeth Norris briefly
taught high school English and history before trading the southern
California beaches and sunshine for Manhattan's recent snowpocalyptic
winter.
She harbors dangerous addictions to guacamole, red velvet cupcakes, sushi, and Argo Tea, fortunately not all together.
Her
first novel, UNRAVELING (Balzer+Bray, April 2012), is the story of one
girl’s fight to save her family, her world, and the one boy she never
saw coming.
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- Q and A With the lovely Janelle and Ben -
Janelle / Ben:
I'm a huge music girl! What kind of music do you both listen to? Any songs on
your playlist you'd want to share with us?
J: I'm pretty eclectic. I listen to everything from Faith Hill to
Eminem--and I really love bands with a kickass frontwoman like Paramore
and Evanescence. But then I also listen to artists that are sort of
embarrassing like Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato. I like how upbeat some of
their songs are. "Stay" by Miley Cyrus makes me think of Ben.
Shortie Says: I love Paramore and Evanescence toooo! I've totes have Demi on playlist too! Who doesn't?!
B: This is where we might differ. I'm not exactly a big pop fan. I
tend to go for bands that are a little less mainstream that have lyrics
that really mean something. My favorite band is Tool.
Shortie Says: But, ah, I have to go with Ben on this one. I love less mainstream bands as well. Emo/Alternative is my favorite.
Ben: What's your
favorite thing about Janelle? Other than her saving you of course.
B: She's smart and independent. When there's an obstacle in her way,
even if it's something like saving the world, she tackles it head on. At
the same time, she takes care of everyone, her friends, family, and
even strangers. I'm not the only person she's saved.
Janelle: You seem to be all about saving people, in a
kick-ass way of course, and we know you can wield a gun. Would you ever kill
someone?
J: I hope not. Or at least, I hope I'll never be in a position where I
feel like I have to. I believe in our justice system. But at the same
time I wouldn't stand by if someone was hurting the people I care about. I would want to do whatever it took to keep them safe.
Shortie Says: Yeah.... not sure if I could ever kill anyone.
Janelle: Having
an FBI dad and friend... any cool FBI secret/tricks you can tell us?
J: Struz would say it's not as exciting as it looks. There's a lot of
paperwork involved, and he's pretty disorganized so that's his least
favorite part of the job.
Ben: Seems like
you might be a semi-nerd, I mean that in the BEST way... I mean you're a hot
nerd. But other than hacking into computers, what's your favorite books (other than Our Mutual Friend)?
B: I am a nerd, it's true. I like the escapism aspect to books which
means I'm up to read anything. Any kind of good story that can suck me
in is awesome. I've read a lot of classics, but I'm also a big Stephen
King fan. The Stand is one of the coolest books I've ever read.
Ben: I have to
know... boxers or briefs?
B: I, ah, wear the boxer briefs. They're good.
Shortie Says: Yeah..... I bet they're good. *gives eyebrow wiggle* ;)
Janelle: So, um,
this might be kind of awkward but is Taylor Barclay hot? I mean for myself... I
might have a slight thing for him (and your man Ben, but I'm not trying to
start anything!).
J: He's kind of a jerk, but other than that, he's not bad looking or
anything. I mean, actually I guess if we're going just looks alone,
Barclay is kind of hot--his personality just ruins it a little for me.
Shortie Says: I can see that... But I think there's a heart in there somewhere. I'll find it. Just you wait!
Janelle: How do
you deal with being "the mom" of the house? A lot of us struggle with
things like these, any coping mechanisms?
J: The big one is reading--some good escapism always makes me feel a
little better. And of course Alex helps too. Having a best friend who
just wants to get away from his mom and his house means I can always get
him to come over and help me get things done or just listen to me vent
about what I have going on.
Ben: I love the smell of gasoline. I like your shaggy hair. And your big heart. Would you
bring me a burrito from the west coast?! Pretty please!
B: Yeah, what kind is your favorite?
Shortie Says: EEEK! Steak! Steak burritos! I love them! Aw you the best. I'll be waiting! :)
Ben: Why did you wait so long to take a chance on Janelle? Why
not live in the moment if it's something you wanted to much? And, is
there
anything you wouldn't do for Janelle?
B: I don't know. She's asked me that too. There were plenty of times I
saw her and thought I'd go talk to her, but I'd always either chicken
out or . . . I don't know. And there have been a lot of times that I
thought she'd be better off without me. We're from different worlds and
I've ended up causing her a lot of trouble.
J: It was worth it.
B: I probably wouldn't listen to Miley Cyrus for her, at least not without complaining, but everything else.
Janelle: From what Kate did to you, why didn't you just punch her when you had the chance? I think I so would have! HA!
J: It took me a little while to believe it actually happened. We were so
close--when we were kids, we did everything together. Growing apart
from your best friend is so tough and I grieved for our friendship. I
went through denial and depression, and then I got angry. But punching
her probably wouldn't have helped...much. I just wanted her to tell me
she was sorry and explain why she did what she did.
Shortie Says: ...I still think she deserved a hit, maybe a little one.
Janelle / Ben:
Anything else either of you would like to tell us? Secrets?! Jokes?!
J: Ben doesn't like animals.
Shortie Says: O_O
B: Wow. That makes me look like a
monster. It's not that I don't like animals, I just don't think people
should own them. They should roam free.
Shortie Says: Okay I totally agree. Aw Ben yous a sweeeetheart! But, I have so many pets and I love them with all my heart. Can't imagine my life with out them. ANY WHO, thank you for stopping by you two! I will be stalking you in the future ;).
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- My Review -
Excuse my language for a second... But holy hell, that was effing
brilliant. I cannot contain the emotions pouring out of me because of
how amazing Unraveling was. Unraveling is intense, gut-wrenching,
consuming and all around exceptional. One of the best debuts I've read yet, hands down.
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- Giveaway -
Because I love this book SO hard. I'll be giving away a copy to one lucky winner! eBook or Hard copy which ever you'd like to choose! :)
- International
Good luck! :)