Review: Underneath Everything by Marcy Beller Paul

Mattie shouldn’t be at the bonfire. She should be finding new maps for her collection, hanging out with Kris, and steering clear of almost everyone else, especially Jolene. After all, Mattie and Kris dropped off the social scene the summer after sophomore year for a reason.

But now Mattie is a senior, and she’s sick of missing things. So here she is.

And there’s Jolene: Beautiful. Captivating. Just like the stories she wove. Mattie would know; she used to star in them. She and Jolene were best friends. Mattie has the scar on her palm to prove it, and Jolene has everything else, including Hudson.

But when Mattie runs into Hudson and gets a glimpse of what could have been, she decides to take it all back: the boyfriend, the friends, the life she was supposed to live. Problem is, Mattie can’t figure out where Jolene ends and she begins.

Because there’s something Mattie hasn’t told anyone—she walked away from Jolene over a year ago, but she never really left.

Hardcover

Expected publication: October 27th 2015 by Balzer + Bray

 

Terri's Thoughts

**I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.  The expected publication date is October 27th 2015**

It is with some regret that I have to say I really didn't understand this story.  I mean I did, but I didn't.  The actions taken by Mattie throughout the story were not logical.  Then I thought, well maybe this is a story about mental illness, but no it wasn't.

What I was able to decipher is that it was a story of a girl who was struggling with her own identity and in this struggle fixated on others and essentially took no responsibilities for her actions.  She was also a fan of being put down, lied to and being physically harmed.  She in fact would seek these things out.  This in turn made me dislike her and pretty much every character in the story.

While I get that this was about Mattie discovering who she was, I feel the story fell short in execution.  As the reader I feel like she never really learned a lesson.

This story may appeal to some of the YA audience however it simply wasn't for me.

 

 

About the Author

 

Marcy Beller Paul is a young adult author, former editor, and full-time mom who still has all the notes she passed in seventh grade (and knows how to fold them).

She graduated from Harvard University and lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children. Underneath Everything will be published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins, in Fall 2015. It is her first novel.

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