Inte(Re)view with Liv: Undone by Brooke Taylor

This will be my third Inte(Re)view posted here at this blog, but it was my second one actually done, and I have to say I am really excited about it. This one was such fun!

Please welcome the awesome Liv from Liv's Book Reviews, who, after some technical difficulties, managed to participate in my second-done/third-posted Inte(Re)view ever!

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Chelsie: Thanks for joining me!

Liv: No problem!

Chelsie: Mind telling readers what tonight's interview is about?

Liv: Tonight I'm being interviewed about Brooke Taylor's debut book Undone. It's about two best friends, Serena and Kori, the dynamics of their relationship, and how far they are willing to go for each other.

Chelsie: Best friends, huh? There sure are a lot of novels about friendship. How would Undone compare to some other friendship novels you may have read?

Liv: Wow. I've read many other books based around duos, but Undone has one of the most interesting pairings. Kori is the dark, dangerous, and bold one, who for some unknown reason decides she wants to befriend the shy and soft-spoken girl. Serena depends a lot on Kori's strength to help her through high school and Kori in turn depends on Serena in her own way. In other books, the best friends are usually pretty stereotypical; they've known each other since they've been in diapers, they share clothes, music, and boys, and they know all of each other's secrets. In Undone, it's completely different which was refreshing. Kori and Serena know many superficial things about each other but neither is willing to give up their darkest secrets to the other, which makes it a very interesting relationship to read about.

Chelsie: I've never heard of any friends who are best friends who aren't willing to share dark secrets... how did that turn out?

Liv: I think it added a sort of stress to the story. Kori and Serena were always present in each other's lives but yet at the same time, they knew not to pry into the other's business. After Serena is separated from Kori in the early parts of the story, it makes her realize that there were many things that she didn't know about Kori. Serena takes it on herself to learn every detail about her life and in that she discovers things she didn't know were even plausible. I think Serena felt betrayed to some degree but was also understanding to why Kori kept things from her as she herself had things she wanted hidden from Kori. I liked that they didn't have the kind of relationship you'd expect. There was always some sort of twist that added something new and surprising to the story.

Chelsie: I was watching the Undone book trailer* and it made it seem like, when they are separated, Serena was on a sort of quest to learn more. Is that an accurate way to describe it?

Liv: It's definitely a quest. When Kori left, she left behind a list of things that she wanted to do in her life. Serena finds that list and makes it her duty to both complete Kori's list so it isn't left Undone (hence the book title), and learn the circumstances in Kori's life that were present on the night she disappeared. Serena contacts old friends of Kori's that she didn't knew existed, she confronts her mother, she goes through Kori's things; all because she wants to complete the list which includes mysterious things like "Confront D", and even "Tell Serena". After first reading the list she realizes that there are some major things she didn't know about the girl who was supposedly her best friend. Serena goes to such extremes in her "quest" that she ditches her only other friends, acts like Kori, and becomes involved with Kori's old boyfriend. It's almost like she believes she is Kori, and it takes some serious measures to get her to come back to her friends and her life, and leave the past behind.

Chelsie: So it sounds almost like a mystery... something to get you hooked and trying to figure out exactly what's going to happen next.

Liv: Exactly. I was left guessing until the very end, which was something I really enjoyed. Once one plot point was resolved another one turned up which added even more suspense and mystery, like you said. I really had no idea what was going to happen next in the book, but once it did you can see where all the puzzle pieces fit together. It's both suspenseful, and satisfying, once everything gets figured out. Brooke Taylor really knows how to write a story that will keep you flipping pages.

Chelsie: I love a good page-turner. So, overall, what would you rate this book, on a scale of 1-5, with one being the worst and 5 being the best?

Liv: That's really hard, but I think I'd give it a 4.5. Pretty close to perfect! It's definitely a book I'd recommend to any one who is looking for a book that will suck you in and keep you in suspense until the very last page.

Chelsie: And for comparison's sake, if you could say this book is similar to any others, what would it/they be?

Liv: That's a hard question too! I don't think I've ever read any book that had a plot even close to Undone's. Stephanie Kuehnert's I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone is probably the closest. Both of the girls in the books are searching for clues about someone that's not in their life and they both have a yummy, edgy, writing style. And coincidentally, both of them are among the list of my favorite books.

Chelsie: Wow, any doubts I might have had (there were very few) about reading Undone are completely gone now that you've compared it to I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, which I loved. I had this book in my pile earlier today, and slowly as I did this interview it has moved up on my list.

Chelsie: So, what kind of expectations did you have for this book? Were they met, or exceeded?

Liv: I'm so glad you've moved it up on your pile! It's a great read.

Liv: I had some pretty high expectations when I started to read Undone as I had read quite a few positive reviews on it. Everyone said it was very enthralling and moving so I had a few doubts that when I would read the book, it wouldn't live up to that, but that doubt was totally erased as my expectations were fully met. I can't say that they were exceeded as they were pretty high to begin with, but they were definitely met which was all I wanted. Undone is a book that lives up to any positive review out there. It has detailed characters, a twisting plot, and a writing style that's unique and easy to read. I couldn't have asked for more.

Chelsie: And speaking of reviews, as a side note I read an extremely awesome review of Undone over at Reviewer X's blog, so click here to check it out.

Chelsie: I'm having a hard time coming up with any good questions, since you seem to have summed it all up perfectly in my mind, so is there anything you'd like to add before I wrap it up?

Liv: Just thank you for having me!

Chelsie: Well, it was a pleasure!

Chelsie: And now I am really excited to read Undone!

Liv: As you should be. It's really really good.

Chelsie: Well, thanks for being my Inte(Re)viewee!

Liv: I had a great time! Thanks for being willing to interview me.



*Undone book trailer: click here.


--If you'd be interested in participating in an Inte(Re)view, email me at bookluverreviews@hotmail.com--