Unravel: A Novel (Fairfax Book 1)

What a fascinating, suspenseful, crazy book! It had me knots and made my head spin nearly the entire time. I do STRONGLY urge you not to skip to the last page or you’ll ruin the suspense and the buildup that leads to a shocking ending when the intricate storyline finally comes together.In the beginning of the story we meet Naomi Carradine, our heroine, who has been involuntarily committed in a mental institution. We don’t know why she’s there or what happen to her. What we do learn is that her world is unraveling around her. The doctors think Naomi is making up stories about the people in her life, that they aren’t real and only in her head. But she is adamant about the truth and wants her doctor to believe her, which led to a lot of unspoken questions swirling around in my head: Is this girl even sane? Why was she committed? What brought her to this point? These questions and other questions I had are answered as Naomi’s story is told.Naomi’s story alternates between the present, in the mental hospital, and the past. Naomi is in love with two men. Max is her current love interest. He’s the man who haunts her dreams and thoughts. And Lachlan is the boy next door she grew up with, forming a deep seeded connection with that turned into love. Then there is Lana, Naomi’s best friend, who is shy and meek. These best friends love each other something fierce and are always there for each other. Some bad things happen to Lana and Naomi tries to help. This sets things into motion that leads to Naomi being committed.I love both Max and Lachlan. Both of them are sexy, sweet, and loyal. Both of them came across as the epitome of perfect with the way they love and cherish Naomi. They are both different but alike at the same time. And they both own a piece of Naomi’s heart. Mine as well! But I won’t delve any further into the story. The less you know the better.The build up to the story was a slow but intense, suspenseful ride and totally addictive. There is nothing like the feeling of not knowing what is about to happen yet dying to know at the same time. My thoughts were spinning all around in my head. It did take me nearly the first half of the book to catch on to the mystery that drove the storyline. But the things I never caught on to shocked the hell out of me.The romance element in the story is complex and beautiful and strong. It’s also an integral part of the story. The sex scenes are seriously raging hot! And very well-done! You’re probably wondering by now if this is a love triangle. That question will be answered as you read the story. My lips are sealed. *wink wink* But I will leave you with this quote I love…"My heart is stuck in my throat, as I look him over. I love him so much. I love him too much to be considered healthy. I know that.""Someday, you're gonna get out of here." He utters the last of his words slowly. "And everything's going to be okay.""Tell me what you're fighting and I'll fight with you."Now, I would be lying to say the subject matter in Unravel isn’t sensitive. Calia Read writes a raw and painful story that gutted me. I must warn you this story has a rape scene written in a discreet way but still very disturbing. If that type of dark content easily disturbs you, then this book isn’t for you.I loved Unravel because it was so different. It kept me engaged with the suspenseful and interesting storyline. There are a few questionable things about the story that seemed to be too easily resolved, but those things didn’t ruin the story for me. This book hooked immediately on the first page, making it impossible for me to put my Kindle down as I tried desperately to figure everything out. This book left an impression on me so much so that I continued to think about it for days after I was done with it. Go ahead and one-click this baby and get started because you don’t want to miss out on this one!Rating: B+Heat: Hot-- A Romantic Book Affairs Review

FAVE OF 2014!I had been chomping at the bit to get this little token in my hands, since the title and snippet were released. I was instantly intrigued and knew, just knew, that I was going to love every second of it. And loved it, I did. But it wasn't just the story that had me, it was everything. Every detail, every character, the writing, the flow, the emotions---those emotions ate me up, and most importantly how sucked in and wrapped up in the story that I became. This is a story that has you guessing until the very last page. So needless to say, I was MIND.BLOWN!It has been close to 24hrs since I finished Unravel and I am still reeling from everything that took place. I feel like I lost a limb once I completed the book. I didn't know what to do with myself. I was a mess. And you know when you are left like a limp noodle, you've read one marvelous book!I fell hard and fast in love with Naomi, Lana, Lachlan, and Max. I mean how couldn't I? Those characters gave us so much. They handed over their jumbled thoughts, broken hearts, and battered souls for us to consume. I mean that in the best way possible, because they gave us more to understand, to hold on to while learning them and their story. You have to go into this book knowing that you are going to feel everything, I.MEAN.EVERYTHING. And I sort of feel like I lost a piece of my soul to these characters because of how much I felt.We are introduced to Naomi, who is our MC/Heroin. Her parents are currently jet setting around the globe while she spends the summer with her bestie, Lana and her parents. Lana is very shy and meek, but a bestie who loves Naomi something fierce. These two are tighter than thieves, so you know they've always got each others backs. Lachlan is the boy next door hero, with a few years on Naomi. She looks up to him, in a sense, as a role model/big brother type. But you can sense there is more to how she feels about him as the story thrives. Max is sort of that mysterious sex on a stick hero, who is worth buttloads, and makes every womans mouths water, amongst other things. These four help weave a story for the ages, they show us some dark, spicy, gut wrenching scenes, as we learn what is about to unravel in front of our eyes.Naomi grabbed a hold of me and never let go. I was living vicariously through her----I became her, and I needed to to see the big picture. She leads us a on thin string throughout the whole story. She shares intimate details into her being. She braves everything, and she does it so earnestly with a fierce passion. She doesn't falter on her journey, she trudges through fighting and forging her way into what she knows. She bares her soul and heart more times than I can count. And those moments are the most captivating and heart stopping moments throughout the whole story. We know who she is, what she wants, and know she is still not fighting the battle she is trying so desperately to. The girl is on a mission, from the very first page, to the very last. This is a mission that you don't want to miss out on. Hold on tight to your ereader/paperback, and be prepared for anything and everything!When I said Naomi and Lana were as thick as thieves, I meant every word of it. Naomi will do everything within her power to make her bestie smile, laugh, or even to soothe her. These two have each others backs when times are rough and bumpy. And as I said before, Lana is very self-kept, but likes to take a walk on the wild side with Naomi. I loved their bond and easiness with one another. They share something very real and special. There were times when things were hectic or a bit unnerving in the story where I just wanted to rock Lana, and tell her everything would be ok. But Naomi was there to be her rock. Can these two keep their bond while life throws them a curve ball? Or will their relationship crumble?The men Lachlan and Max, had me ooey gooey and messy throughout the story. They really are the epitome of perfection. Each man has a characteristic that pierced me. It made me fall head over heels in love with both of them. They each carry a part of Naomi, something that they both cherish. You feel the way they want/need Naomi, it isn't desperation, or lust, it is something deeper than that. Something so strong that it could possibly engulf these three. The relationship that Lachlan/Naomi have compared to Max/Naomi is more pure and honest, where as Max/Naomi have strong passion and heat. Like I said, these two men each have their own fire that intrigued me, and had me falling under their spells. But who is the one to be there for Naomi, through rough tides? Who will be her rock when it is needed most?This whole story had me in knots. I felt like a pretzel. I felt the need to scream, shout, kick, cry, and smile. I needed a release. I struggled not being able to know the answers fast enough. I wanted every piece of the puzzle, whether it landed jagged or completely whole, I had to know what the outcome would be. And once I had the puzzle pieced sharply together, my heart shattered .Then I felt empty.And cried tears of pain, sadness, happiness, and everything in between.I am still replaying the whole story like it is on a movie reel and picking through each reel trying to figure things out, again. I honestly can say I didn't expect this book to eat me alive. I knew, that this was going to be a darker read. One that would have me dangling over an edge, but not one that could push me off that edge. I was rereading passages just so I could make sure I was reading everything correctly. It isn't fast-paced, so to speak, but mildly paced. A LOT HAPPENS! A lot. I am not lying when I say that. You need to keep your eyes and mind peeled the whole time you are reading, so you soak everything up. Because if you blink, you will miss everything!This book is the reason why I.LOVE.READING.Be prepared to have the reading experience of a lifetime! Author Calia Read does not disappoint. She throws us to wolves. This is one of those stories that you are going to have a massive book hangover from, one that will stick with you forever! This is Ms. Reads best novel to date. She dove into some deep stuff with this novel, but one that she pieced together perfectly. This is 10+++ Star read for me.

This is a very good psychological drama that really got under my skin. It is the story of Naomi who is an inmate in a psychiatric hospital and tells the story in flashback form, of how her mind unravelled to the point she is at now. It is a very dark and disturbing story, revolving around her best friend Lana, and the two men Naomi loves, Max and Lachlan. On one level it is the story of the lengths a person will go to in order to protect someone they love, but it is also about passion, family, friendship, loyalty and self preservation.The strange thing about this book is that there were times when I actually hated it and wanted to throw the kindle at the wall. It seemed to be full of strange plot holes, thing that just didn't add up and at one point I thought I was reading the worst book in the world, ever. The reason I didn't give up is because the storyline had actually grabbed me and drawn me right in, I really wanted to see how it would end and how and why Naomi was in the hospital.I am so glad I didn't give up, because when the end came, all those little things that had bugged me about the book all tied together and made perfect sense at last and I have to say it is a very cleverly written story, gripping and tense with an ending that I just didn't see coming. Although now I am kicking myself for not seeing it!

Where does one start with a review like this.This book is like no other. It's wrecked my head to say the least.Took me to a dark, twisted place.It's emotionalPhysicalRawBrokenDrainingIt's the life of Naomi Carradine.It must be hell to be In a mental institute. To have to go over your life time and time again. To see the image in your mind and to have to relive your personal experiences with a person you despise and don't trust.Her one constant is losing hope. To look forward to that one saviour to appear, and for the world to be back to normal for the millisecond. To see hope and a small bit of life is invigorating.No one believes Naomi's story. Her first doctor has given up. Her constant battle to prey that someone believes her must eat her alive. To see the look the other patients give her, to hear the voices. To think they know your secret. It's a daily battle.Naomi knows Max is real. But no one believes her. The visions are there, the feelings, the touch, the smell, the true love. She knows what happened. She also knows she loves both men. Max and LachlanTo think that no one believes or understands you must mess mentally with your head. Make you question everything you believe is real.I loved the lust, the sexual tension between Max and Naomi. The heat they draw together, there hunger for lust. It keeps you engaged.The power lust can hold over your body, the way it draws you to that other person, the level of intensity is overwhelming.Her ability to protect her friend is killing her. She fought tooth and nail to keep Lana as her best friend. How she protected her and kept her secret close to her chest, amazed and baffled me.Her conscious is overly worked. She constantly sees him. He is everywhere around her. The simple click of knees brings him back to the surface. Brings the agony back, the images. The voices are all around her playing mind games.He is taunting her in her darkest hours. Reminding her not to talk.Her life has turned into a dark pain, a life no one believes. Naomi has scars more than most people. She just needs that chance for someone to help her. She has lost all that she has loved.The book constantly changes from the here and now to the past as Naomi revisits her past. It keeps you at arms length, wanting you to read more. We get to see the real trauma she is fighting against. The demons in her head.I'm baffled.Lost for words.Hell I did not see that end coming.To be so strong and live and survive through all that. One must ask the question. How she isn't back to were we started. Posted by Sarah from[...]

What a mind-f***! God, this is totally unlike anything I've ever read before...4 STARS FOR NAOMI, LACHLAN, MAX & LANA!This stand-alone novel begins by introducing us to Naomi, who has been admitted to a mental institution, by her family, against her will. Everybody thinks she is crazy, but Naomi knows that the things she sees and remembers aren't just in her head. She knows she isn't making it up. She knows she isn't insane. As Naomi continues her therapy sessions with her doctor, her story unfolds. "Just remember that even the purest of souls have darkness in them. It might be hard to spot. Perhaps they've perfected the art of covering it from the world. Or maybe it's hidden in a dark corner of their mind. But it's there. No one in this world is scar free."For a while with this book I was totally confused. And it frustrated me. I couldn't work out what was going on or how I was supposed to feel. It made me want to flick forward and find out what happened so that I didn't feel so completely in the dark. But I didn't. I stuck with it. “Listen closely. Hang on to every word. But most of all, please believe me.”However, I did guess the climax pretty early on. Once I'd guessed the plot twist, things became quite obvious and then, once again, I just felt like racing ahead and getting to the point. To see if I was right, to find out how it would all turn out, etc. I just wanted answers and it made me impatient. I do tend to be quite an impatient reader anyway and this book was not good for my impatience. Lol.I think, one of the problems for me was that my tolerance for things that trigger our suspension of disbelief isn't very high. I can't read paranormal/urban fantasy novels because I just can't buy into them. I even have trouble with things like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Unless it's Disney (because Disney can do what it likes) I want it to be believable. I'm not necessarily a realist, because I have to have a happy ending, but I want to believe in what I'm reading! It's just the way I am. I can't switch that off. I have to be able to believe the things I'm reading, so the possibility that Naomi might have been sane and seeing the things she was claiming to see, hearing the voices she was claiming to hear, was just beyond what I could accept. So for me, there were two options, either Naomi was clinically insane and was hallucinating, or the book was a no-go. 'If anyone ever doubts whether madness exists, they only need to look right here. It drifts throughout every room. It slides down the sterile hallways and attaches itself to every patient, stripping them of their hope and covering them with despair.The writing, though, is fantastic. I can totally appreciate how Calia Read drip fed the reader with clues, inferences and memories of Naomi's, gradually, unravelling the mystery! And I applaud her for an incredibly original, intriguing, suspenseful, well written, superbly developed novel.This book is much more mystery/suspense than it is romance. There is a definite romance element and some very steamy sex scenes, but the focus of this book is Naomi's mental health and what has lead her to be sitting in a psychiatric facility. I didn't really feel like we got a chance to fall in love with either Max or Lachlan fully. "Tell me what you're fighting and I'll fight with you," he whispers into my hair.Of the two of them, I preferred the memories of Lachlan. I loved the flashbacks to her childhood and teenage years, where she and Lachlan were crossing the line from friendship to romantic interest. "I'd do anything with you... for you... to you." He leans down; his eyes level with mine. "I'm thinking you have me under a spell."I didn't feel much of a connection to Max at all. I felt that the flashbacks of him and Naomi were a little rushed, a little vague and slightly confusing. In hindsight, I get why, but at the time, again, it was something that frustrated me.The ending was absolutely the best bit of this book. It was brilliantly executed and everything that I hoped it would be after Calia Read has lead on such a wild goose chase. It was emotive, gave you the answers you'd been craving but was just ambiguous enough to leave you reeling, even at the very end. And I have to say, despite all the times I felt frustrated with this book, and even though I'd guessed some of the mystery pretty early on, the ending made me want to go back to beginning and read it with fresh eyes all over again, now that I knew for certain what I knew. And even though I'd guessed right, it still made my head spin. “I'll accept that in order to unravel my story, I need to be destroyed first.”For those HEA junkies, like me, this book does have a fully resolved happy ending. Honestly, through most of the book you will wonder if that is even possible, but that is part of what makes the ending of this book so great. Calia Read takes a totally f***ed up situation and does the impossible by resolving it in a believable, satisfactory way! “Life moves forward wether you're okay or not”So, I'm in two minds with this book. Parts I loved, parts drove me mad, parts were a little slow... I've given it four stars, because it isn't quite a five star read, but it's brilliantly written and totally original. I love when an author throws something at me that I've never even imagined before, let alone already read. And that's exactly what Calia Read has done here. Very nicely done!Have you read it? Tell us what you thought?'Unravel' Statistics• Steam Rating (out of 5): ♥♥♥• Ending: Happy ending• Length: 362 pages• POV: Naomi's POV.• Narrative: First person. Present tense.• Series: ✗• Can this be read as a standalone? Yes• Themes:Mental health• WARNING. This book includes...Sexual content. Rape. Child abuse. Death. A very confusing situation...• Writing: GreatReview by Smitten's Book Blog

I bought this Kindle book on a whim, not really knowing what to expect. Now that I have finished it, I am left glad that I persevered with it but also a little disappointed.UNRAVEL tells the story of Naomi. As the book opens, we learn that she is an in-patient at a clinic for people with mental health issues, although we don't know why. The book is narrated by Naomi, meaning that we get to see the world from her point of view. We also begin to understand that, obviously, something has happened to make her need this kind of help, but we are not sure what. The story then goes backwards and forwards from the past to the present, slowly unravelling her story.Overall, UNRAVEL is an ok read. Parts of this book were very good - the exploration of sane versus insane was adequately done. There are also very strong, dark themes within this book and they were generally handled well as well. However, there were times when I didn't feel that the story or the characters felt 'right'. This led me to sometimes skipping some sections of the book and disliking the lead character. The plot twist at the end was clever, however it is not too hard to guess that this was going to happen.As a psychological thriller for young adults, this was a very successful book. If you like your thrillers to be a little more tight than this, you may want to look elsewhere.

I don't really know where to start with this review. Saying it had me hooked doesn't quite cover how much it held my attention.It was so intriguing to read about how the mind can be so affected by events that it will create a different reality. The only way Naomi's mind could ease her pain, shield itself and cope with her situation was to create another person. I desperately wanted to know why she was at Fairfax. I was as torn as she appeared to be by Max and Lachlan and wondered how she would ever be able to be with both (no spoilers).The storytelling was brilliant and I actually enjoyed the flitting back and forth between the past and present. The author wrote the love story in this book so well it was captivating. *Sigh* yeah, so I loved this book! It makes my list of best books I've read this year.