Tangled by Carolyn Mackler

Very minor spoilers.

Title: Tangled
Author: Carolyn Mackler
Year of Publication: 2010
Genre: YA
Pages: 310
First Line: "Paradise sucked until I found the suicide note."

Summary: Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen are all at Paradise - a resort in the Caribbean, that is - for different reasons, but in Paradise their lives become tangled together in ways none of them can predict. The week might take Jena one kiss closer to having a life; set Dakota on a new path; push Skye to stop playing a role, or face the consequences; or inspire Owen to take a leap from his online life to a real one, all because of a girl he met in Paradise. Whatever happens here, it will change them all.

(Source: Back of book)



Review: Despite the girly cover of the book (and yes, I do read books by their covers; covers are very telling), Mackler's novel is pretty deep and not so chick-lit. It is c-l to some extent, but certainly not what I expected. I was impressed by the way Mackler managed to sound like a different narrator almost 100% for each of the four parts. Only a few word choices and phrasing made it a little more obvious it was the same author for all four sections. Some of the book was pretty shocking as far as content goes. I've certainly read "worse" but this was pretty racy, especially when it's supposedly for ages 12+. If you're a fan of good YA, I'd check it out. I might compare her to Kevin Brooks, but on a much lighter scale.

Worst part: Despite the title of the book, the plots weren't quite as tangled as I would have wished.

Best part: The writing style, as I mentioned before, being pretty versatile and the individual plots were pretty good.

Grade: B+

Other Books by This Author: The Earth, My Butt, And Other Big Round Things; Vegan Virgin Valentine; and Love and Other Four-Letter Words

Other notes: I got this book as a galley. Which was super exciting.