Book Review: All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab

One year after the murder of Carly, her ex-boyfriend Neily and cousin Audrey are still reeling. Even though Audrey’s father has been convicted of Carly’s murder, Audrey doesn’t believe it, and she sets out to find Carly’s real killer, enlisting Neily’s help.

There really aren’t that many YA novels that fall into the realistic mystery/thriller category, so finding one like this that’s so well-written and expertly set-up is a rare treat.

The story unfolds via alternating narrators, Neily and Audrey, and you need both points of view to truly understand Carly, the key to whole novel. It took me awhile to warm up to Neily. At first he seemed standoffish and whiny, and his frequent navel gazing and smarter-than-thou attitude was irritating. But you gotta love a guy who risks life and limb to bring his ex’s killer to justice even after she broke his heart as viciously as Carly did.

As a character, Audrey was a bit blander than what you’d expect from someone with such a tumultuous upbringing, but really, Carly is the star here anyway. Her slow descent into despair and self-destructive behavior after the loss of her mother was very touching and felt authentic. Her involvement in the Brighton Day School’s bad crowd and their criminal menace also rang true, culminating in a twist I never saw coming.

ALL UNQUIET THINGS was released this week in hardcover. Find out more about it and uncover hidden content on the author’s website.