This delightful little novel will take you on a journey through the literary world and show you the trials and tribulations faced by many authors. But it may also leave you asking, “Is Katelyn Detweiler really the author or is it all a giant hoax?”
The characters in this book are a little quirky, but instantly lovable. Thistle, while having an extremely unique name, is a pretty average homeschooled seventeen-year-old girl. With one exception. She is the author of this amazing run-away success series of books and she isn’t so hot at coping with the fame. Liam is the boy next door. Literally. He’s pretty much the stuff of every rom-com where boy next story is desired by girl, great friends, then become more, etc. Kind of a vanilla character, but it works in the plotline. Oliver rounds out the love triangle. He’s a ginger (gotta love that, not enough redheads in fiction) who is wholly devoted to his sister in that great big brother protector way.
It’s usually a toss-up when reading a book written about authors. Sometimes it’s great and sometimes there’s just too much writing process within the storyline that the plot is lost. Undoing does a great job of balancing the writing process and players with a storyline that twists and turns and is about more than the words on the page. I especially loved the snippets from the Lemonade Skies Series at the beginning of the chapters and (hint-hint) those snippets make me want to read the actual series.
The language is super simple in this book, so less mature readers should have an easy time turning page after page. The love triangle probably makes a better topic for the high school crowd then middle school, but even mature middle schoolers can handle. It’s a quick read and the ending comes to a great final conclusion that will leave you pleasantly satisfied. Overall, it’s a good summer read in the young adult genre.
Review of an Advance Reading Copy
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Holiday House
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 11 religious exclamations; 16 mild obscenities; 2 religious profanities; 4 derogatory names; 19 scatological words; 6 anatomical terms; 7 f-word derivatives.
Violence/Gore: Recall of car accident that killed parent (no detail); fall from ladder with serious injuries; cut hand on glass.
Sex and Nudity: 25 instances of kissing, hand-holding or hugging; arm around shoulders; hand on back/waist.
Mature Subject Matter:
Death of family member, chronic illness, anxiety, depression.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Adult smokes cigarette.
