Review: Entangled- Cat Clarke

The same questions whirl round and round in my head:
What does he want from me?
How could I have let this happen?
AM I GOING TO DIE?

17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with a table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got here. As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see?

Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here?

I stumbled upon Entangled a few months ago and was immediately drawn to the gorgeous cover. Then I read the plot summary and was instantly intrigued. It doesn't exactly give us much information on what the book is about! 

Once I started reading, it clicked that Entangled switches back between Grace's present and her memories. That can often get a little tedious, but not here! Cat Clarke takes ordinary teenage events and reinterprets them in ways that made me truly feel what her characters were feeling- the awkwardness, the love sickness, and most of all, the gut-wrenching pain.

Her teen voice is incredibly authentic; I wasn't once jarred by a phrase or action that made me go 'hey, that's not something Grace would logically say/do', and I'm pretty sure I've said that at least once with most of the YA I've read and loved in recent years. (Anna and the French Kiss is another notable exception.) Grace's flaws and struggles are fluidly exposed, and by the end of Entangled I really felt like I 'knew' her. Cat Clarke's style is also delightfully British, something I've come to appreciate after spending nine years in the UK! 


Another thing that stuck out to me about Entangled was the fact that unlike most teen fiction, I had no clue how it was going to end. There were some unexpected turns that kept me gripped enough to sit down and read the whole thing in one go, something I don't often do when I'm not on holiday! 


In short, Entangled is a gritty, raw read that also manages to be sensitive and thoughtful. A fabulous debut! 

Now go and watch the book trailer! :)





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