Review of Unsound

[Laney K]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Unsound" by Ash Finley.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Unsound by Ash Finley is a book that captures the lives of several teenagers that were at a boarding school for at-risk teens. The book opens with Holly waking up in the hospital and seeing her mother for the first time since she had run away from home seven months prior. She was promptly shipped off to a school in the middle of nowhere Washington instead of going to juvie. There she is given a safe space to detox and come to terms with the trauma that she has endured. Holly is not alone there, and she must learn to lean on the other students in her group. This is not an easy task; they all have past issues that continue to haunt them.

The characters in this book feel so real; this is my favorite part. The characters deal with typical teenage issues such as romance and hormones. However, they also have a lot bigger issues, such as past abuse, depression, and addiction. These topics are heavy, and Finley presented them in a realistic light that made the characters' actions realistic and true to their past. He also presented the process of healing from trauma in a way that showed the wave-like pattern that recovery takes.

One of my favorite moments happened when Holly first arrived at the school and weaponized her eating disorder to make one of the other girls jealous. I found this moment particularly interesting because, to me, it said a lot about how Holly reacted to a perceived danger. The theme of defense and walls to protect oneself is developed throughout the novel, and I enjoyed how early it started in the book.

I only spotted a few errors throughout the book; I believe that it was professionally edited. There was also nothing I truly disliked about the book.

I am happy to rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. As previously mentioned, there was nothing I disliked. I would encourage those who are looking for a novel that is driven by character interactions to check this one out. I would caution readers that there is strong language, sexual abuse, addiction, and general abuse discussed in this book. If those are sensitive topics for you, then this is not the book for you. However, if not, this book has such interesting characters that it will pull you into their journeys of self-improvement. I highly suggest taking the time to read the entirety of this amazing book.

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Unsound
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