Jennifer Sturman

Delia knows that her mother, the unflappable, always together, perfectly organized T.K. Truesdale, would not disappear off the face of the earth without previous notice. Which is why she’s suspicious when news comes of her mother’s death on an Antarctic environmental protection expedition and Delia is shipped off to NYC to live with her two aunts.

In between making friends, dealing with a newfound crush, and trying to fit in at her prestigious private high school, Delia investigates her show more mother’s supposed death on the side and discovers what she already believed: her mother is not dead. There is a reason she is hiding out, but the more Delia finds out, the more sinister everything sounds, and the more danger that she and everyone she cares about might be in.

Wow! How do I even begin to describe AND THEN EVERYTHING UNRAVELED, which defies categorization? It’s a mystery-suspense story wrapped around a typical girl-coming-of-age tale, and yet as a result it is so much more.

Delia is a darling, an unassuming high school girl with a lot of bad luck but an equal amount of smarts on her hand. In straightforward, attention-grabbing prose she tells us how the transition from California to NYC is, how living with her crazy aunts after her by-the-book mom is, and how important it is to her that she get to the bottom of this mystery with her mom. The plot is definitely the best thing about this book, for the hint of a mysterious and dangerous conspiracy in an otherwise normal YA novel is unusual, and thus delightful.

Besides for Delia, most of the other characters are interesting as well. Her aunts Charley and Patty are complete opposites of one another, and yet neither of them feel clichéd or unrealistic in their differences. Jennifer Sturman has the crazy-awesome ability to make even the most minor of characters have personality. The only character that falls slightly short in my opinion would be Quinn, Delia’s love interest, who’s gallant and noble and infuriating but still a little fuzzy in my head.

However, since the ending of this book clearly promises a sequel or two, I am confident that I will only fall more and more in love with Delia’s world. AND THEN EVERYTHING UNRAVELED is a stellar start to what promises to be an exciting, heartwarming, AND nail-biting series. Can it really get better than that? show less

This novel marks Sturman's entry into young adult, although at times it is hard to see how Delia Truesdale is less mature than Rachel Benjamin (leaving aside whether that is a compliment to the former or an insult to the later). It's an exciting read from beginning to end, mixing the genres of classic orphan novels with young adult and mystery others. I won't spoil the ending for you. Then again, neither will Sturman.

You know those books that leave you with nothing but love for? That's how And Then Everything Unraveled is for me. I really loved this book! I honestly didn't know what to expect. I didn't hear much about this book before receiving it, so I went in with just the premise. It wasn't long before this book had me hooked.

It was chocked full of mystery that you uncover along the way with the protagonist, Delia. But I also found loads of quirky humor that kept this story at a perfect balance. Delia show more is such a great character that anyone could enjoy reading about. When everyone is convinced that her mom, T.K. is dead, Delia knows there is more to the story. She never gives up on what she believes, even when everyone thinks she is wrong. That is such an admirable quality. Seeing her having to adjust from California to New York was fun to read about. New York is always one of my favorite places to read about.

What I loved about all of Sturman's characters were how uncliche they were, and how each of them brought something fun to the mix. You got the detective with the crazy ties, the friend who is ordered to parties by her parents to work on her social skills, the drone-like cousins, the two aunts who couldn't be any more opposite if they tried, and then there's Quinn. Quinn was was a fantastic character that surprised me in a good way. At first, I thought he would be that cliche popular boy, but there so much more to him. We didn't get to see nearly as much of him as I would want, so hopefully we get lots more of him in the sequel!

My absolute favorite character in this story - which is also now one of my favorite characters in literature - is Delia's Aunt Charley. How awesome was she! She lives in a converted warehouse that was described as big enough to roller skate in, she LOVES to shop, she does whatever job appeals to her, she is an 80's teen movie fanatic, oh, and she loves ice cream! If you are a teen who has to be shipped off to live with someone until you can find your mom, Charley is the person you want to live with. Or maybe I am just as wacky as Charley. :)

The plot was fun and moved at a fast, yet steady pace. I was left with so many more questions at the end, and was SO ready to jump into the sequel! And Then Everything Unraveled was a fantastic start in what promises to be a fun and exciting series. Sturman has won me over as a reader for this one. It is a must read for sure! show less

After several death-defying encounters in her search for the truth behind her mother’s disappearance, Delia Truesdale has a pretty good idea who might be behind the illegal Antarctica oil drilling plans. The problem is, she thinks it might be the father of her crush, golden boy Quinn. Along with her eccentric aunt Charley, a private investigator, her computer genius friend, and a few other quirky characters, Delia races to stop the bigwigs behind the conspiracy and to bring her mother home show more safe and sound.

AND THEN I FOUND OUT THE TRUTH is a satisfying conclusion to the wonderfully colorful mystery that began in AND THEN EVERYTHING UNRAVELED. While the plot may seem a little shaky and uneven at times, the character development is even stronger.

I had forgotten how funny Jennifer Sturman is in her first YA novel, but AND THEN I FOUND OUT THE TRUTH brought it all back for me. Delia narrates with an appreciable wryness that is 100% funny and 100% heartfelt. There is an eclectic cast of characters, but they never felt like stereotypes to me, the way some other stories with quirky characters and over-the-top humor might. You might not find these characters in real life, but they work exceedingly well in fiction for our entertainment.

In particular, I want to know how much more developed Quinn, Delia’s love interest, was in this sequel. My one minor issue with the first book was the flatness of his character, but in this book Quinn is a much more well-rounded character, with strengths, gallantry, problems, and vulnerabilities.

The plot of AND THEN I FOUND OUT THE TRUTH fell a little short in my opinion, though that may have been because my expectations were high for the sequel. A lot of the detective strategies from the first book came back here, and Delia was, I felt, unfortunately restricted in her sleuthing in a lot of ways that were frustrating. The ending was more Spy Kids-esque than Minority Report-worthy, which is charming in its happiness but otherwise rather simplistic.

Even so, any weaknesses this book might have did not detract from my immense enjoyment. Jennifer Sturman does a great job of writing memorable three-dimensional characters into a complicated plot. I hope she writes more YA in the future! show less