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michalice's review against another edition
3.0
After finishing Life Unaware I am still unsure about what I think about it, but also how to get this review written down. Life Unaware focuses a lot on bullying in school, and one day Regan Flay, who is at the top of the popular ladder, soon finds herself right back down to the bottom. All the hurtful, nasty things she has said about others, about her friends, is all thrown back in her face when her messages with friends are printed out and spread throughout her school. Regan soon finds out what it's like to be the subject of everyone's name calling, abuse, lies, and stares. To have everyone looking at her for the wrong reasons, for being a social pariah
Life Unaware is a good story to show how bullying hurts others, how badly it can scar them, and how far people are willing to go to escape the torture, but I also found it hard to read. For me Life Unaware initially felt childish, I felt like the characters we all concerned about themselves, they were pretentious, and spoilt, and it wasn't until the story got going I could sort of see how these personality traits were essential to make the story work.
Once the story picked up I did find myself interested in seeing how this would all play out and how it would end. Regan did eventually prove herself to me, how she goes about this I wont say, but what she does really opened my eyes to her life, and why she acts the way she does. The path she takes isn't easy, and it's not without it's stumbling blocks, but seeing her perseverance at making sure the truth comes out, was something that made the struggle to read this book worth while. The ending of Life Unaware was a thoughtful, if not strange end, and I really liked how things came around in a full circle but in a positive way.
Final Verdict
Life Unaware was an interesting read, although it was slow to start for me, I did eventually like reading the book.
Life Unaware is a good story to show how bullying hurts others, how badly it can scar them, and how far people are willing to go to escape the torture, but I also found it hard to read. For me Life Unaware initially felt childish, I felt like the characters we all concerned about themselves, they were pretentious, and spoilt, and it wasn't until the story got going I could sort of see how these personality traits were essential to make the story work.
Once the story picked up I did find myself interested in seeing how this would all play out and how it would end. Regan did eventually prove herself to me, how she goes about this I wont say, but what she does really opened my eyes to her life, and why she acts the way she does. The path she takes isn't easy, and it's not without it's stumbling blocks, but seeing her perseverance at making sure the truth comes out, was something that made the struggle to read this book worth while. The ending of Life Unaware was a thoughtful, if not strange end, and I really liked how things came around in a full circle but in a positive way.
Final Verdict
Life Unaware was an interesting read, although it was slow to start for me, I did eventually like reading the book.
kice7788's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! I will be writting a blog post about this so please check it out! Mediageeksunite.blogspot.com
dannimaxwellbabcock's review against another edition
4.0
*I was given this book in e-book form through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review*
I went into this without really remembering the synopsis of the book, so it was like going in blind. Part of me wishes I had reread it so I knew what I was going into. It's about Regan Flay who is one of the popular girls of the school she attends who tries to be perfect to keep her overly controlling politician mother happy. But then her private messages are shared with the entire school, so every single lie, and every little manipulative thing she's ever done becomes exposed. So she goes from the popular girl to the one everyone hates, and now the only person who will even give her the time of day is her ex- best friend's brother, Nolan. And while he thinks he knows how she's feeling and what she's going through, he really doesn't. No one knows that she's breaking apart at the seams under her mother's constant pressure to be perfect. Everything happens like a chain reaction, and this was just the beginning.
So originally going into this I felt like it was just a stereo typical story where the popular girl gets outed, she gets hated and realizes she was wrong for doing the things she did, she changes and everyone loves her again. It felt like it was going that way; and part of me wanted to stop reading. But I still felt like I needed to read more than just a few chapters before I could give an honest review on it. So I forged on and actually read the entire book.
While I will say it did feel very cliché in the hated aspect with everyone hating her and bullying/picking on her because they realize what she's done, I feel like it took on an original point of view too because Regan was also struggling with the pressures of being a politician's daughter and having to try and be perfect because of that. She was also struggling with anxiety issues.
I liked that the author wasn't afraid to be brutally honest and she wasn't afraid to use curse words (especially f-bombs). I liked that the main character wasn't just a typical popular girl that every novel seems to have who seems like they can do no wrong, we actually got to see inside her head and got to see that popular people don't always have it easy like they're depicted in most books. And I felt like through out the whole book I was silently begging for things to just look up for once for the main character.
Regarding Nolan, I felt that there was something going on with him from the very beginning because he never talked much to Regan before this and then all of the sudden he does?
And I really liked that the ending happened the way it did. I was very pleased with how it all turned out.
Overall, after having some issues getting over the clichés and stereo types, I still felt like it was still a really good read and I enjoyed it. I gave it 3.5 stars. :)
I went into this without really remembering the synopsis of the book, so it was like going in blind. Part of me wishes I had reread it so I knew what I was going into. It's about Regan Flay who is one of the popular girls of the school she attends who tries to be perfect to keep her overly controlling politician mother happy. But then her private messages are shared with the entire school, so every single lie, and every little manipulative thing she's ever done becomes exposed. So she goes from the popular girl to the one everyone hates, and now the only person who will even give her the time of day is her ex- best friend's brother, Nolan. And while he thinks he knows how she's feeling and what she's going through, he really doesn't. No one knows that she's breaking apart at the seams under her mother's constant pressure to be perfect. Everything happens like a chain reaction, and this was just the beginning.
So originally going into this I felt like it was just a stereo typical story where the popular girl gets outed, she gets hated and realizes she was wrong for doing the things she did, she changes and everyone loves her again. It felt like it was going that way; and part of me wanted to stop reading. But I still felt like I needed to read more than just a few chapters before I could give an honest review on it. So I forged on and actually read the entire book.
While I will say it did feel very cliché in the hated aspect with everyone hating her and bullying/picking on her because they realize what she's done, I feel like it took on an original point of view too because Regan was also struggling with the pressures of being a politician's daughter and having to try and be perfect because of that. She was also struggling with anxiety issues.
I liked that the author wasn't afraid to be brutally honest and she wasn't afraid to use curse words (especially f-bombs). I liked that the main character wasn't just a typical popular girl that every novel seems to have who seems like they can do no wrong, we actually got to see inside her head and got to see that popular people don't always have it easy like they're depicted in most books. And I felt like through out the whole book I was silently begging for things to just look up for once for the main character.
Regarding Nolan, I felt that there was something going on with him from the very beginning because he never talked much to Regan before this and then all of the sudden he does?
Spoiler
I also predicted that it was going to be Blake who was going to mess things up just before things were about to be an almost happy ending, and I was right.Overall, after having some issues getting over the clichés and stereo types, I still felt like it was still a really good read and I enjoyed it. I gave it 3.5 stars. :)
laughlinesandliterature's review against another edition
3.0
* I received this book from Entangled Teen in exchange for an honest review*
Life Unaware is a coming of age story, about a former mean girl who realizes the error of her ways. My biggest complaint in this story is that people who were bullied, became bullies in order to get back at the bullies. It just felt awful all the way around. I mean in the end was it good that Regan changed her ways? Of course, but it just felt wrong that her epiphany came about because people bullied her, and caused her to lose everything that she cared about.
I did like that Regan and Nolan grew closer, and that Regan was truly remorseful for the things that she had said and done. I did feel like the author did a great job of explaining how no one can truly understand what is going on with another person. Everyone has their own trials and their own damage, we all react differently and in many cases bullies are simply dealing with their trauma the only way they know how. I think that does send a good message to teens, that despite being targeted it may not really be about them. In Regan’s case it wasn’t really about looking down on all those people, it was a way to maintain the image that her mother pressed her so hard to create.
I did really like this book, and I did see the little twist at the end coming. I get the idea of revenge, but it just didn’t seem right to me that we’re putting that in a book meant for teens. I did enjoy it, and I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. Definitely recommended for teenagers or fans of contemporary teen books.
* This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2015/05/life-unaware-by-cole-gibson-review.html*
Life Unaware is a coming of age story, about a former mean girl who realizes the error of her ways. My biggest complaint in this story is that people who were bullied, became bullies in order to get back at the bullies. It just felt awful all the way around. I mean in the end was it good that Regan changed her ways? Of course, but it just felt wrong that her epiphany came about because people bullied her, and caused her to lose everything that she cared about.
I did like that Regan and Nolan grew closer, and that Regan was truly remorseful for the things that she had said and done. I did feel like the author did a great job of explaining how no one can truly understand what is going on with another person. Everyone has their own trials and their own damage, we all react differently and in many cases bullies are simply dealing with their trauma the only way they know how. I think that does send a good message to teens, that despite being targeted it may not really be about them. In Regan’s case it wasn’t really about looking down on all those people, it was a way to maintain the image that her mother pressed her so hard to create.
I did really like this book, and I did see the little twist at the end coming. I get the idea of revenge, but it just didn’t seem right to me that we’re putting that in a book meant for teens. I did enjoy it, and I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. Definitely recommended for teenagers or fans of contemporary teen books.
* This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2015/05/life-unaware-by-cole-gibson-review.html*
jaimejustreadsromance's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes when I've read a string of New Adult or Contemporary Romances and then I dive into a Young Adult/Coming of Age story I have a hard time reprogramming my brain to get into the mentality of a 15-18 year old. It's then that I have a hard time remembering what it was like to be young, naive and, yes, a little stupid which is why it was probably hard for me to get into this book for the first 25%. Do teenagers really act like this? Are they this cruel and selfish? Yes? That's why I hated high school, it's all coming back to me now.
This is why I focused so much on the romance aspect of the story. I needed something sweet and good to hold onto in the sea of crap these teens were giving each other. Enter Nolan, the outcast, annoying older brother of Regan's best friend. It's obvious pretty early that the dislike that Regan and Nolan have for each other will turn into something else but it was fun to watch (read, whatever, you know what I mean). Nolan was sarcastic and had a sort of bitterness to him but he was also smart and caring and it's clear he's going to go places and do things that go above and beyond himself. I could only sit and hope that his indifference to being a "nobody" would rub off on Regan.
Regan, she drove me crazy. Everything she did seemed so vindictive and cruel, especially when you know what she's dealing with all by herself. I guess that's the point though right? That bullies are usually bullies because they are trying to deflect their own problems from the spotlight to help them forget about the fact that they aren't happy.
When I finally started to see Regan changing, it's was a huge relief but it's then that I started to see that something deeper and darker was going on in that school with her friends. I had an idea of what was to come but when everything finally came out I was totally not expecting all of that. My heart broke for Regan, for Nolan and for everyone involved.
This was a well-written story of change, growth, acceptance and forgiveness and it will leave a sharpie mark on my heart for a long time.
This is why I focused so much on the romance aspect of the story. I needed something sweet and good to hold onto in the sea of crap these teens were giving each other. Enter Nolan, the outcast, annoying older brother of Regan's best friend. It's obvious pretty early that the dislike that Regan and Nolan have for each other will turn into something else but it was fun to watch (read, whatever, you know what I mean). Nolan was sarcastic and had a sort of bitterness to him but he was also smart and caring and it's clear he's going to go places and do things that go above and beyond himself. I could only sit and hope that his indifference to being a "nobody" would rub off on Regan.
Regan, she drove me crazy. Everything she did seemed so vindictive and cruel, especially when you know what she's dealing with all by herself. I guess that's the point though right? That bullies are usually bullies because they are trying to deflect their own problems from the spotlight to help them forget about the fact that they aren't happy.
When I finally started to see Regan changing, it's was a huge relief but it's then that I started to see that something deeper and darker was going on in that school with her friends. I had an idea of what was to come but when everything finally came out I was totally not expecting all of that. My heart broke for Regan, for Nolan and for everyone involved.
This was a well-written story of change, growth, acceptance and forgiveness and it will leave a sharpie mark on my heart for a long time.
greenvillemelissa's review against another edition
5.0
Book #55 Read in 2015
Life Unaware by Cole Gibson (YA)
This was a powerful read which I could not put down. Set in a high school where, like most, there are the popular kids and those who are on the fringe, Regan is a popular girl, daughter of a famous politician. Then all of her private messages, where she is judging her classmates, are taped to the lockers belonging to those she had talked about. Regan becomes a social pariah immediately and this book tells of the bullying she faced. Nolan, her friend's brother, becomes her only friend and the two decide to do a video project where Regan apologizes to those she had hurt. This book shows the truly vicious nature of bullying and how it affects its victims. I think high school girls would eat this book up. It was well written and the characters were complex and interesting. I received a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for a honest review.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
Life Unaware by Cole Gibson (YA)
This was a powerful read which I could not put down. Set in a high school where, like most, there are the popular kids and those who are on the fringe, Regan is a popular girl, daughter of a famous politician. Then all of her private messages, where she is judging her classmates, are taped to the lockers belonging to those she had talked about. Regan becomes a social pariah immediately and this book tells of the bullying she faced. Nolan, her friend's brother, becomes her only friend and the two decide to do a video project where Regan apologizes to those she had hurt. This book shows the truly vicious nature of bullying and how it affects its victims. I think high school girls would eat this book up. It was well written and the characters were complex and interesting. I received a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for a honest review.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
xoxxaxxe's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
sjj169's review against another edition
3.0
Want to know what scares the ever loving crap out of me?
Teenage girls in particular.
Regan Flay is one of those girls. She is on the cheer-leading squad, up for student council, all the shit that goes with being a popular princess.
Regan Flay is not exactly like-able. She talks behind your back and always needs the dirt on you so she can get you first.
Then someone puts up all the bad things she has said about her fellow classmates all over school and suddenly she is the one getting bullied.
Before crawling into bed, I'd made the mistake of checking Facebook one last time. I'd discovered a new comment on the Regan Flay Abuse Support Group page. That comment churned inside my chest like a ball of razor blades, ripping and shredding everything in it's path.
REGAN FLAY SHOULD JUST DO THE WORLD A FAVOR AND KILL HERSELF.
It wasn't so much the comment that hurt as the fact that it had seventy-six likes. Seventy six. More than two football teams' worth of people agreed the world would be a better place if I didn't exist.
During reading this book I did not think I would come to like Regan but that changed. The book shows that she could grow up some and change her way of thinking. I honestly didn't think it came across as cheesy or fake. At times the writing did seem over the top and predictable but I still kept my eyes glued to it.
There is a bit of romance in the story but it's not overdone. I kinda cougar crushed on him a couple of times myself.
I think teenage girls should probably be forced to sit in a chair and memorize this book by heart. I'll monitor them, with a pitchfork.
Cuz I'm skeered.
Enough with the rambling. Yes, I recommend this book. Powerful message about bullying.
Don't you think it's sad some people are only remembered by the graffiti about them on the bathroom stalls?
Teenage girls in particular.
Regan Flay is one of those girls. She is on the cheer-leading squad, up for student council, all the shit that goes with being a popular princess.
Regan Flay is not exactly like-able. She talks behind your back and always needs the dirt on you so she can get you first.
Then someone puts up all the bad things she has said about her fellow classmates all over school and suddenly she is the one getting bullied.
Before crawling into bed, I'd made the mistake of checking Facebook one last time. I'd discovered a new comment on the Regan Flay Abuse Support Group page. That comment churned inside my chest like a ball of razor blades, ripping and shredding everything in it's path.
REGAN FLAY SHOULD JUST DO THE WORLD A FAVOR AND KILL HERSELF.
It wasn't so much the comment that hurt as the fact that it had seventy-six likes. Seventy six. More than two football teams' worth of people agreed the world would be a better place if I didn't exist.
During reading this book I did not think I would come to like Regan but that changed. The book shows that she could grow up some and change her way of thinking. I honestly didn't think it came across as cheesy or fake. At times the writing did seem over the top and predictable but I still kept my eyes glued to it.
There is a bit of romance in the story but it's not overdone. I kinda cougar crushed on him a couple of times myself.
I think teenage girls should probably be forced to sit in a chair and memorize this book by heart. I'll monitor them, with a pitchfork.
Cuz I'm skeered.
Enough with the rambling. Yes, I recommend this book. Powerful message about bullying.
Don't you think it's sad some people are only remembered by the graffiti about them on the bathroom stalls?
melissapalmer404's review against another edition
5.0
Book #55 Read in 2015
Life Unaware by Cole Gibson (YA)
This was a powerful read which I could not put down. Set in a high school where, like most, there are the popular kids and those who are on the fringe, Regan is a popular girl, daughter of a famous politician. Then all of her private messages, where she is judging her classmates, are taped to the lockers belonging to those she had talked about. Regan becomes a social pariah immediately and this book tells of the bullying she faced. Nolan, her friend's brother, becomes her only friend and the two decide to do a video project where Regan apologizes to those she had hurt. This book shows the truly vicious nature of bullying and how it affects its victims. I think high school girls would eat this book up. It was well written and the characters were complex and interesting. I received a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for a honest review.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
Life Unaware by Cole Gibson (YA)
This was a powerful read which I could not put down. Set in a high school where, like most, there are the popular kids and those who are on the fringe, Regan is a popular girl, daughter of a famous politician. Then all of her private messages, where she is judging her classmates, are taped to the lockers belonging to those she had talked about. Regan becomes a social pariah immediately and this book tells of the bullying she faced. Nolan, her friend's brother, becomes her only friend and the two decide to do a video project where Regan apologizes to those she had hurt. This book shows the truly vicious nature of bullying and how it affects its victims. I think high school girls would eat this book up. It was well written and the characters were complex and interesting. I received a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for a honest review.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
kristy_k's review against another edition
4.0
Life Unaware takes on the world of high school bullying. Regan, our main character, starts out as popular and a bit of a bully, digging up dirt and spreading it in order to insure her spot in the social order. When she becomes the victim of a bully attack, her life is reversed and she is suddenly the outcast.
This story is such a reminder of how vicious high school can be and how much our actions can affect another person, especially bullying. There is such pressure to fit in, to preform a certain way, even to look down on those deemed different. This in no way excuses the acts perpetrated by Regan and others, but it sheds light on why some bullies do what they do. And when Regan herself begins to get bullied, she, and in turn the reader, get to see how actions similar to hers can really affect a person.
"Those bathroom stalls in there? Those are our hearts. Whenever someone says something about us, it gets written inside us, permanently. Sure, you can scribble out the words or try to paint over them, but beneath the layers of paint and ink, they're still there, branded to our cores like initials carved in a tree.
So we're walking around with these scars etched inside us, but no one can see them, so no one knows how bad we're hurting. Meanwhile, people keep talking and writing more words, until every inch of our hearts is covered with venom so black even we can no longer see the good in ourselves. So we start to add our own words, and they're darker than the rest, the scars cutting more deeply than the others ever did....
I realized, too late, all the damage I caused with words I both spoke and typed. Just like bathroom graffiti, those words will be forever written on some people's hearts. They'll walk around for the rest of their lives with scars inflicted by me."
This story is such a reminder of how vicious high school can be and how much our actions can affect another person, especially bullying. There is such pressure to fit in, to preform a certain way, even to look down on those deemed different. This in no way excuses the acts perpetrated by Regan and others, but it sheds light on why some bullies do what they do. And when Regan herself begins to get bullied, she, and in turn the reader, get to see how actions similar to hers can really affect a person.
"Those bathroom stalls in there? Those are our hearts. Whenever someone says something about us, it gets written inside us, permanently. Sure, you can scribble out the words or try to paint over them, but beneath the layers of paint and ink, they're still there, branded to our cores like initials carved in a tree.
So we're walking around with these scars etched inside us, but no one can see them, so no one knows how bad we're hurting. Meanwhile, people keep talking and writing more words, until every inch of our hearts is covered with venom so black even we can no longer see the good in ourselves. So we start to add our own words, and they're darker than the rest, the scars cutting more deeply than the others ever did....
I realized, too late, all the damage I caused with words I both spoke and typed. Just like bathroom graffiti, those words will be forever written on some people's hearts. They'll walk around for the rest of their lives with scars inflicted by me."