Book Review :: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.There is.
She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong.

Last updated on 22 February 2022

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What is The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer about?

Mara Dyer awakes from a coma, not knowing what has happened to her. Her friends are dead, and she was at the scene, but somehow survived. But she can’t remember what happened.

Because of this traumatic experience, Mara and her family move town, in hopes of a new life, away from the memories. But moving towns doesn’t help, and Mara begins to see the faces of her dead friends all around her – at home, at school. Now things are happening to people around her, and she can’t help but feeling it has something to do with her. What makes things worse, Noah Shaw, the most popular, good looking guy in school can’t leave her alone, and while she appreciates his interest, she can’t help but wonder what he sees in her.

The story follows Mara as she grapples with the loss of her friends; the knowledge that she, too, should be dead; a sudden and unexpected relationship with Noah Shaw (of all people!); her mother constantly worrying about her sanity; and her brothers who are…well, they’re brothers.

My thoughts on The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

I really enjoyed this YA/paranormal story, for it is indeed, a little paranormal. I won’t go into the details, you’ll have to read it yourself. But I quite liked Mara as the main character, and Noah, though cocky and a little up himself, is rather swoon-worthy. Mara’s friend, Jamie, is your typical ‘best friend’ sort of character, and while the two aren’t really best friends, his humour and friendship throughout the book is sometimes just what Mara needs.

Written in the first person, it was easy to read, with a decent pace. The supernatural/paranormal/fantasy-like aspect was just enough throughout the book to make you wonder what the heck was going on, and the end was a little surprising, and certainly left me wondering what happens next. Thankfully there’s another book. Or two.

Have you read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin?