Entangled by Cat Clarke

The same questions whirl round and round in my head: What does he want from me? How could I have let this happen? AM I GOING TO DIE? 17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got there. As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see? Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here? A story of dangerous secrets, intense friendships and electrifying attraction.

This is one of those books that hooks you right from the start. Grace wakes up in a strange white room, with no memory of how she got there, or why she only see's this boy Ethan bringing her food. To occupy her time, she writes. She writes what she remembers, the long twisting series of events that led to this. We only know what she knows but some things she does not want to reveal, like why she wanted to kill herself, what the deal was with her and best friend Sal, and what on Earth happened with Nat?

It was nerve-wrecking to read in a weird way but I was completely hooked. As Grace writes, the story is somewhat split between her wasting time in the white room and remembering what happened to get her here. It is obvious she doesn't want to remember but with Ethan's odd encouragement, she has to finish her story. And as she does, we see another side to her, one that misses her dad, cuts herself to feel, drinks and sleeps around because she has nothing better to do. I've never read a character who cut herself, it's not something I completely understand but from Grace's perspective, it, along with her attitude to boys, seemed like a cry for help. It seemed obvious to me that she didn't like it either, she just couldn't stop.

Entangled is one of those books that makes you think. Just when you think you know what's happening, it swerves. Throughout all of this, Grace is less than perfect but even knowing all the horrible things she's done, I just wanted to hug her. I was yelling at the book at awkward moments, laughing and crying in quick succession, practically screaming at Grace 'why can't you see what's happening right in front of you?!' But of course you see what you want to see. And she didn't want to see anything wrong with her perfect relationship with Nat or her friendship with Sal. 

Oh and the ending! Don't worry, I won't spoil you, but just remember what I said about the plot swerving. This book will have your heart racing with all-consuming love and horrible secrets. A warning for adult and grim themes but definitely not one to miss. 

Published 6th January 2011 by Quercus.