The Unquiet

This review is also posted at The Bawdy Book Blog

The Unquiet will haunt you…long after you’ve turned the last page and long after you think the story is over.

I spook easily, but for some inexplicable reason, I absolutely LOVE ghost stories. Especially the kind that wind their way through your subconscious until you don’t know what’s reality and what’s not anymore. Jeannine Garsee has fabricated the wonderful yet uneasy tale of Rinn Jacobs, a bipolar teenager who moves into the old house of someone who committed suicide and attends a new school where legend has it a girl died. Things happen to people who enter the abandoned pool room, and dead rats are often found in the long tunnel. But no one can explain why…

Let me touch on show more the bipolar for a minute: a lot of authors and script writers really sensationalize and overplay personality disorders like bipolar for the sake of drama. Garsee doesn’t and it’s so incredibly refreshing. Having lived with two people who are bipolar in the past, I can honestly say she hit the nail on the head. When Rinn had manic episodes, it was perfectly written. The same goes for the downs; nothing was out of step. The roller coaster ride of someone with bipolar disorder, even on meds, was vividly played out page after page, leaving me nearly breathless, because it felt so incredibly real. I don’t think I would have had the same reaction if I didn’t have the personal experience myself. I know I wouldn’t appreciate the authenticity as much.

The story is exceptional. It took me about a third of the way through the book to REALLY get into it, but once I did…I was off and running. It’s as if all these events from the past and the future collided with such ferocity and all the while, I was wondering what the HELL was going on! I wanted to know….I HAD to know what was in the pool room, and why people got hurt, or worse in that school.

Rinn is a great character. Even aside from the BP I mentioned before, she’s realistic and well-grounded. She knows she’s crazy, takes her happy pills and tries to find her happy place. She, like any other person in her situation, has a bit of misguided guilt regarding the circumstances leading to her present situation, but like I said, anyone would probably feel that way. The secondary characters were sometimes hit or miss for me. Lacy was a Super Bitch; I seriously loathed her. I asked myself why Rinn would hang around someone like that and the answer I found was: she’s bipolar, she has low self-esteem and she’s not going to look a gift-horse in the mouth…even if that gift-horse has really foul breath. The other young female characters were not nearly as vivid as Rinn, nor as bitchy as Lacy, so I was generally indifferent to them. Nate was wonderful! I liked him so much because he was so sweet and exactly what Rinn needed in her life.

By the way, I LOVED the relationship between Rinn and her stepfather, Frank. Okay, so I didn’t love it all. Obviously things were tense….after. But there was love there and it reminded me so much of my relationship with my own stepfather, someone who raised me from elementary school until he passed away in my early 20’s. I love to see extended families like this have a real love for each other, regardless whether they are truly blood-related or not. My stepfather treated me like I was his own, and to read a story where a stepdad loves his stepdaughter like mine loved me….well, that just makes me smile. And cry a little. :)

The creepy factor is a slow build but so incredibly worth it. Every moment, every creek and shadow, every tense word getting to that climax was so intense. I had to keep flipping, flipping, flipping the pages, just to find out what happened next. All in all, The Unquiet lives up to its name, leaving an unquiet buzzing in your mind you just can’t quite dispel. show less

Excellent creepy ghost story with a twist. Having a bipolar main character who must take psychiatric medication is very different from other realistic YA I've read, and then to have the ghost story hinge on whether or not the girl is taking her meds is really really unique! Rinn is not only bipolar, she suffers from being the New Girl in school, she misses her stepfather whom she and her mom left behind in their move to Ohio, she misses her recently deceased grandmother, and: she's living in a house where a woman hanged herself--in the very room Rinn claims as her bedroom! Add to that the creepy goings-on at school, where Rinn begins to suspect that the ghost of a long-dead student is haunting her new friends, turning their show more personalities totally haywire, and you have some serious stress on our girl. And I couldn't put this book down! show less

Last fall, Jeannine Garsee interested me in her upcoming book with one sentence: "Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she’s bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother." Pair that with The Unquiet's gorgeous cover and I'm not sure how anyone could want to pass this up.

If, somehow anyone's still unconvinced, rest assured, the content will meet, exceed and then, likely, blow your expectations.

Following the aforementioned grandmother's death, her own failed suicide attempt, and her parent's separation, Rinn and her mother move to her mother's hometown in Ohio. The snow and cold weather, so different from the California she's used to is more of an issue for Rinn than the fact that the home's previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's show more bedroom.

With Rinn trying to stay sane, a school where nearly everyone believes a girl's ghost haunt's the locked up school pool (where she died) might not seem like the best choice, but she's determined to stay. She's found friends.

Friends who convince her to take part in a seance to contact the spirit of the dead girl.

But when things go wrong bad, horrible things start happening to those involved . . . except for Rinn. Needing to find out if she can be affected by Annaliese, the school's ghost girl, Rinn concocts crazy seeming plans and enlists the help of Nate, her neighbor - who's also the hot "Opie" she's falling for. Her plans may seem dangerous to him, but she has to know . . . she has to know if the ghost is real and find a way to stop everything.


Normally I like books set in the autumn/winter (especially those that give specific dates in the book) to be released in the same time period so that I can read them at the same time things happen. With The Unquiet, though, I absolutely didn't mind reading about snow and Halloween while it was 90 degrees outside. Despite it's blustery setting, this was a book made for summer nights. (Someone made a brilliant decision releasing it in the summer.)

It's a book that will keep you up way past your bedtime reading just a little bit more. Then just a little bit more than that. And then maybe than that.

All the while you'll be happy you're (I hope) far away from cold, long high school hallways.

The setting of The Unquiet is just about perfect. While Southern Gothic and haunted, anything Southern is vastly entertaining, I'm always up for some spooky ghost stories set in the Midwest. Maybe it's due to having lived there? Maybe not. Either way, the small town Ohio setting of The Unquiet fit the story - and the characters, who likewise fit the setting - to a tee.

Rinn had just enough 'outsider,' what-is-this-small-town-tininess, I'm-from-somewhere-developed-with-a-Nordstrom's, without having too much. It didn't get to the point of being annoying (except when it was acknowledged) or condescending and the small town wasn't mocked, either.

Rinn being bipolar adds a great layer to the story as well. Not only is there everything that's happened to her and her family that led to the move to River Hills, there's also an added level of questioning her (by Rinn, herself as well as everyone else) when it comes to things with Annaliese.

As The Unquiet unravels, slowly, slowly never quite letting you figure everything out until the end, it just gets creepier and creepier. Major points to Jeannine Garsee for a great YA psychological thriller, perfect for some late night summer reading!


Rating: 9/10



Thank you to the author for the knowledge of arc's back in the fall and to Bridget for sending me one! show less

Last fall, Jeannine Garsee interested me in her upcoming book with one sentence: "Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she’s bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother." Pair that with The Unquiet's gorgeous cover and I'm not sure how anyone could want to pass this up.

If, somehow anyone's still unconvinced, rest assured, the content will meet, exceed and then, likely, blow your expectations.

Following the aforementioned grandmother's death, her own failed suicide attempt, and her parent's separation, Rinn and her mother move to her mother's hometown in Ohio. The snow and cold weather, so different from the California she's used to is more of an issue for Rinn than the fact that the home's previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's show more bedroom.

With Rinn trying to stay sane, a school where nearly everyone believes a girl's ghost haunt's the locked up school pool (where she died) might not seem like the best choice, but she's determined to stay. She's found friends.

Friends who convince her to take part in a seance to contact the spirit of the dead girl.

But when things go wrong bad, horrible things start happening to those involved . . . except for Rinn. Needing to find out if she can be affected by Annaliese, the school's ghost girl, Rinn concocts crazy seeming plans and enlists the help of Nate, her neighbor - who's also the hot "Opie" she's falling for. Her plans may seem dangerous to him, but she has to know . . . she has to know if the ghost is real and find a way to stop everything.

Normally I like books set in the autumn/winter (especially those that give specific dates in the book) to be released in the same time period so that I can read them at the same time things happen. With The Unquiet, though, I absolutely didn't mind reading about snow and Halloween while it was 90 degrees outside. Despite it's blustery setting, this was a book made for summer nights. (Someone made a brilliant decision releasing it in the summer.)

It's a book that will keep you up way past your bedtime reading just a little bit more. Then just a little bit more than that. And then maybe than that.

All the while you'll be happy you're (I hope) far away from cold, long high school hallways.

The setting of The Unquiet is just about perfect. While Southern Gothic and haunted, anything Southern is vastly entertaining, I'm always up for some spooky ghost stories set in the Midwest. Maybe it's due to having lived there? Maybe not. Either way, the small town Ohio setting of The Unquiet fit the story - and the characters, who likewise fit the setting - to a tee.

Rinn had just enough 'outsider,' what-is-this-small-town-tininess, I'm-from-somewhere-developed-with-a-Nordstrom's, without having too much. It didn't get to the point of being annoying (except when it was acknowledged) or condescending and the small town wasn't mocked, either.

Rinn being bipolar adds a great layer to the story as well. Not only is there everything that's happened to her and her family that led to the move to River Hills, there's also an added level of questioning her (by Rinn, herself as well as everyone else) when it comes to things with Annaliese.

As The Unquiet unravels, slowly, slowly never quite letting you figure everything out until the end, it just gets creepier and creepier. Major points to Jeannine Garsee for a great YA psychological thriller, perfect for some late night summer reading!

Rating: 9/10

Thank you to the author for the knowledge of arc's back in the fall and to Bridget for sending me one!

and don't forget, it's a July YA New Release so it's part of my New Release Giveaway Hop giveaway here (ends 7/31/12) show less

This review appears on my blog, Starting the Next Chapter.

The Unquiet is one of those books that comes out of nowhere and takes you completely by surprise. I hadn't heard much by way of buzz about this book, but the premise looked promising. Little did I know I would quickly become immersed in the book past the point of reason. What was only supposed to be a perusal of the first chapter in order to select my reads for the month turned into an 18-hour read fest that left me glued to my computer screen. I didn't even want to stop long enough to load it onto my ereader! I hate reading on my computer screen, so that is a pretty strong recommendation in its own right.

The cast of characters took me by surprise, as well. Rinn Jacobs is the show more type of character you don't come across every day. Her struggle with bipolar disorder and the ramifications of a tragic accident have left her on shaky ground, simply trying to maintain her footing. When she moves to her mother's tiny hometown in Ohio, Rinn has the chance for a fresh beginning. As more and more of her background and personality are revealed, she becomes even more captivating as a character. She's socially naive due in part to her illness that had run rampant for so long, but she's also witty, sarcastic, and empathetic. All of this makes her a fantastic main character that I enjoyed very much. Nate, her neighbor and love interest, isn't an especially deep character, but his sweetness and stability are great for keeping Rinn grounded. I just wish he had more of a spark on his own, not just when he was flirting and verbally sparring with Rinn. A little more character development would have made it easier to see exactly why Rinn developed feelings for him aside from his appearance. As for Rinn's friends, I just don't get it. Two of them (Tasha and Meg) seem like nice girls on their own, but the third, Lacy, is nothing short of horrible. I couldn't understand why any of the girls, let alone Rinn, would continue to be friends with her. She became over-the-top and distracting in a detrimental way. It was a little too much to believe and became a proverbial bucket of cold water that jarred me out of the reading experience more than once.

The premise for The Unquiet is nothing short of eye-catching. I'm always in the mood for a good ghost story. The Unquiet definitely delivers with a frightening ghost, Annaliese, and a spooky lair for her to hide in. To say that Annaliese is vengeful is a vast understatement. If she doesn't manage to make your spine tingle at least once, I'll be surprised. The settings that are visited throughout the story are varied in their details. The school and Rinn's house are vividly portrayed with clean, descriptive writing. However, I wanted to know a bit more about the town, itself. It felt as though it was glossed over more than it was given its share of descriptions.

The Unquiet turned out to be awesomely creepy, suspenseful, jarring, intense, and attention-grabbing. The story has a wonderfully developed main character in Rinn and a truly intimidating adversary in the form of Annaliese. With its theme of reality questioned, The Unquiet leaves you thoroughly considering whether everything is in Rinn's head or actually occurring. It made for an even more intriguing book that held my attention for hours upon hours. If you're a fan of horror fiction revolving around ghosts, this one should not be missed. The Unquiet is now on my to-buy list, as I'm sure I will want to revisit this story in the future.

Note: Rating on the blog is 4.5 out of 5. show less

I love a good, creepy ghost story and this one certainly delivered.

Corinne (Rinn) Jacobs has had quite the tumultuous life. Rinn is bipolar, and her manic mood swings have landed her in a ton of trouble including a psych ward and the death of her beloved Nana. When her mother and stepfather split, and her mother moves them back to her small, hometown in Ohio, Rinn is less than enthused. That all changes when she meets her cute neighbor, Nate, and after she meets a few girls at school who actually want to be her friend. It seems that maybe Rinn's life is finally starting to turn around, and Ohio won't be so bad, even if she is living in a house whose previous resident hung herself -- in Rinn's bedroom no less.

When Rinn hears the stories show more of Annaleise, a girl who drowned in the school's pool twenty years ago and now supposedly haunts the school corridor, she figures it's nothing more than a local ghost story. But when her friends begin acting strange after spending time in the haunted room, Rinn begins hearing voices and people start to die. Rinn can't help but wonder if maybe the ghost of Annaleise is real. But who is going to believe a girl with a history of psychotic episodes? Is Annaleise real, or is it Rinn's bipolar disorder acting up?

The Unquiet moved at a perfect pace. There is plenty of twists, creeps, romance and action. Ms. Garsee does a wonderful job of keeping the reader guessing -- is it really Annaleise or is it Rinn? While the resolve wasn't a total surprise, I did enjoy the story, and it ended just the way I like my ghost stories to end -- wondering "And then what happened?"

Creepy, atmospheric and filled with plenty of teen angst, The Unquiet is perfect for any lover of ghost stories. show less

I really enjoyed the story - it's creepy and sucks you in....

but I got bored right around the middle. It was great to have so much suspense and back story, but there had to be a better way to go about it. It felt like nothing really happened for about 100 pages.

And I loved the description of bipolar. I thought it was handled very respectfully but with so much depth - the struggle with loving the high. I just thought it was so well done.

If it hadn't lost me for a minute in the middle, this easily would have been a 5 star read. Just a great story and character development.