Review ~ Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

My rating:  5 out of 5 stars

"Juliette has escaped from The Reestablishment.  Now she's free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam.  But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.  Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.  Haunted by her past and terrified of her future, Juliette knows that she will have to make some life-changing choices.  Choices that may involve choosing between her heart - and Adam's life."

I just love the relationship between Adam and Juliette for the most part (more to come on that).  The chemistry is over the top with them.  When they kissed in the beginning of the book, I just loved the description of Juliette's feelings:

"It's like swimming in molasses, this kiss, it's like being dipped in gold, this kiss, it's like I'm diving into an ocean of emotion and I'm too swept up in the current to realize I'm drowning and nothing even matters anymore.  Not my hand which no longer seems to hurt, not this room that isn't entirely mine, not this war we're supposed to be fighting, not my worries about who or what I am and what I might become. 

This is the only thing that matters. 

This. 

This moment.  These lips.  This strong body pressed against me and these firm hands finding a way to bring me closer and I know I want so much more of him.  I want all of him.  I want to feel the beauty of this love with the tips of my fingers and the palms of my hands and every fiber and bone in my being. 

I want all of it."

Absolutely beautiful and so romantic!  But their relationship is about to become a little bit more complicated.  Adam's 'gift' of being able to touch Juliette will eventually kill him.

Juliette still has the 'poor me' syndrome and has this HUGE chip on her shoulder.  At times, it does start to get on your nerves, but finally Kenji tells her like it is, and I was all like 'YAY Kenji!'

"All you do is sit around and think about your feelings.  You've got problems.  Boo-freaking-hoo.  Your parents hate you and it's so hard but you have to wear gloves for the rest of your life because you kill people when you touch them  Who gives a shit?"

Tell her like it is Kenji!

In book one, I had really strong feelings of dislike for Warner, but in Unravel Me, we learn about the life events that have shaped the man that he has become.  I really did start to feel sorry for him.  What a crappy father he has.  What really made me think that there was a glimpse of hope for him was when Juliette discovers him feeding and showing kindness to a stray dog....that just tugged on my heart-strings.  I mean anyone who can give a stray dog some affection can't be that bad right?  We also find out that Warner really does have strong feelings for Juliette:

"I want to be the friend you fall hopelessly in love with.  The one you take into your arms and into your bed and into the private world you keep trapped in your head.  I want to be that kind of friend," he says.  "The one who will memorize the things you say as well as the shape of your lips when you say them.  I want to know every curve, every freckle, every shiver of your body, Juliette - "

"I want to know where to touch you," he says. "I want to know how to touch you.  I want to know how to convince you to design a smile just for me.  Yes, I do want to be your friend.  I want to be your best friend in the entire world."

"I'm so desperately in love with you - "

~~~~sigh~~~~  

This just melted my heart and made me realize that I have now joined Team Warner.

I basically really get frustrated with love triangles, because like Juliette, I am falling in love with both guys as well.  Is Warner in the lead?  Hell yes!  But it is a small lead, so I guess I will be able to determine the winner in book 3...at least I hope. There also seems to be some hope that Juliette loses the poor me attitude at the end of the book and she is ready to fight.....about time!  Take of the gloves sweetie and let's get this show on the road!

I really enjoyed reading Unravel Me.  Between the love triangle and the wretched Reestablishment, I had so many emotions going on and I was always on the edge of my seat.  Ms. Mafi truly does have a way of writing a beautiful, refreshing story that will keep you engrossed the entire time.