Undone

by Brooke Taylor and Brooke Taylor

Book Overview

When Kori Kitlzer, the "dark angel" of the 8th grade, tells Serena Moore that they are more alike than she thinks, Serena is instantly intrigued. As their friendship solidifies and their lives... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802797636
• ISBN13: 9780802797636
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Walker & Company
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.9" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

Perfect First Novel!

Serena is a loner, computer geek in the eight grade. Kori is the hot topic of the school, since the summer of infamous incidents. Serena thinks that she and Kori couldn't be any more different, especially according to the gossip that's spreading around the school. That is, until one fateful day Kori runs into Serena in the bathroom and tells Serena that they might be more alike than she thinks. Ever since then, they have become like sisters, even dying their hair the same color to look more alike. Serena lives to torture her goody two shoes mother and Kori's parents don't understand her. So, they live life as they want to, including sneaking out and going to parties. One of their favorite activity is daring each other to do things that they wouldn't normally do. Mostly it's Kori taking the lead, she's the more outgoing one and doesn't care what others think about her. In one of their classes at school, their teacher gets them to write down five things that they want to do in the future to tempt fate. Shortly after, a tragic accident happens and leaves Serena depressed and shocked. After finding Kori's list, Serena makes it her mission to finish the list out for her. Challenging herself, Serena learns there is more to her best friend than she knew about and she finds things out about herself along the way. Undone is a book that when you get to the end, you look back and want to experience it all over again. It's an amazing first novel from Brooke Taylor, who I'm sure will be around for awhile. Undone is not only grips you from the first chapter, but keeps you into the story throughout and tugs at your heartstrings in the process. This is a novel from '08 that your not soon to forget. Highly recommended!

Liv's Book Reviews

After hearing a lot of great things about this book, I was expecting fantastic things. The only thing that really bothered me about the story was that at some points it got rather confusing. Everything was cleared up eventually, but I just didn't like the little parts where I was left hanging. Also, Serena's character got a little annoying after a while, in how she was always trying to be like Kori and didn't discover who she herself was until the very end of the book. That being said, there were tons of things that I liked about this book. The plot was very good. Even though it was a little bit predictable, I was still anticipating the next twist and flipping pages to get to the next part of the story. I also loved the character of Anthony Beck. He's the ideal boyfriend; a good kisser, supportive, and gives you your space when you need it. I'm completely in love with him. He treated Serena so well even as she was chasing after Kori's old boy toy. The best part of Undone was the huge twist at the end. I'm not going to give it away, but let's just say that it knocked me off my feet. I wasn't expecting it at all which was the greatest part. I also liked how the PostSecret postcard project was incorporated into the book. Brooke Taylor did an excellent job of having relative pop culture references in the story which added a nice edge to the narrative. All in all, I'd definitely recommend Undone. It's dark, captivating, and edgy. You won't be able to put it down.

Incredible debut

Serena Moore is, for the most part, your average high school student. A couple of years ago her relationship with her mom deteriorated and she doesn't know why or how to repair it. She loves her best friend Kori Kitzler who is both a good and a bad influence. She's a gamer, finding refuge in the programming she can control. Although she wishes fellow computer geek Josh didn't have a crush on her. And that she could talk to Anthony Beck normally. Brooke Taylor swiftly sets up this high school atmosphere. Serena and her three closest friends are fringe popular, though they think of themselves as outcast, and are somewhere between being good girls or bad girls. Kori's angry and wild and confident. She drinks, she does light drugs, and she sleeps around. But she's got a good heart and works to help Serena find herself even as Serena resists finding herself by simply following Kori. But things change when Kori dies. Serena thought the only secret in her life was her father's identity. But now she's about to find out how many things Kori kept hidden - the least of which is the attractive shaym. Every revelation allows Serena to understand her more, even as her heart breaks further. Reading UNDONE reminded me of the first time I read LOOKING FOR ALASKA. I cried, less during UNDONE, but I had errands my mom made me run during a crucial part of the novel. I think it calmed me. But the author slowly made it better, soothing the wound as the characters healed. It's the kind of book that's a little difficult to read in parts because it gets the emotions so right. Serena, like any teenager, is self-centered. But Taylor fleshes out her world and you can catch glimpses of the journeys other characters are going on - Parker, Marci, Cole, and Lexi especially. All of them are going through difficult times as well. Their peripheral stories interact well with Serena's, allowing the secondary characters to have depth without stealing the show. Serena and Kori wrote five things to tempt fate in class with their favorite teacher, Kori with thought and Serena carelessly. But in a town called Kismet with a mother named Destiny, fate just might respond. Serena struggles to complete Kori's list but her own haunts her as well. UNDONE is an engrossing tale of relationships, secrets, and self-discovery. From In Bed With Books

Stellar, stellar debut.

Undone wastes no time meandering along the surface. The very first page, containing the prologue, depicts the first acquaintance between destined-to-be-best-friends Kori and Serena. Serena runs into Kori in the bathroom and Kori, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag, tells Serena that, for some ungodly reason, they're more alike than she thinks. This statement, because of its elusiveness, still haunts Serena two years since the bathroom encounter that inaugurated her and Kori's close-knit friendship. Striking, this is; it's not until later the reader figures out this very scene is where the heart, the core, the key to the story lie. As previously mentioned, two years have passed, and the girls--having grown so very close in the meantime--are now sophomores. They're given an assignment to list the five things they want to happen in the next six months--their five ways to tempt fate. Of course, Serena scoffs at it. But then something tragic happens to Kori, and Kori's list of five things becomes an important artifact--not only to figuring out the mystery of her tragedy, but also to following through with Kori's desire not to leave anything undone. So, anyway, Serena is left estranged to the world and life itself without her best friend. What's more, while she's always been very mindful of her and Kori's blatant differences, the deeper she digs in making sense of what happened, the less she sees the Kori she thought she knew. This is devastating in itself because, not knowing what the entity that is Kori stands for anymore, Serena, in turn, doesn't know herself any longer, either. However, life still goes on. At home, Serena's mother is still the same: Not trying to understand Serena or the pain she's going through. Instead, she's focused on maintaining the same flawless front she's always kept to avoid rumors from the small-town community she reckons still condemns her for getting pregnant with Serena as a teenager. Oh, and of course, she still won't let Serena on to who her father is. At school, teachers allow a grace period for Serena to readjust, but grace periods don't last forever and Serena's not ready to go back to routine yet. There are also her two other friends, Lexi and Cole, who try to divert her attention, but to no avail. And then there's Anthony, and their "relationship", which she can't make sense of. Serena lets it all float away while she tries to figure out Kori's secrets, and, in so, figure out herself. To say this is a novel about finding yourself is to simultaneously hit the mark and to sell it short, because while that is precisely what it is, when I finished reading it, I felt it accomplished much more than the "finding yourself" bit. Thing is, it's hard to define Undone, if only because it fits so many categories and themes of self-discovery: mothers and daughters, best friends, first loves, first temptations, missing fathers, so on, so forth. The truth of the matter is, it touches on many topics worthy of explorati

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

What happens when the only person you think understands you is gone? It happened to Serena when she lost her friend Kori. Her friendship with Kori started just a short time ago, but the two have come to almost define each other. Serena not only adopted Kori's look and style, but also gained her protection and support. Both girls struggle with family issues, but life seemed a bit easier when they could escape together. Kori brought out the wild side of Serena. There were late night rendezvous, smoking, tongue piercings, and plans of a tattoo. Serena became more of a risk-taker and more sure of herself when Kori was there. Serena had other friends, but everyone took a step back when the two girls were together because their connection was special. The already rocky relationship Serena had with her mother became even edgier when her mother demanded that the two girls not see each other. The accident was a shock to everyone. The ride Kori accepted with Parker became her last, and it left Serena with a feeling of responsibility to complete the tasks left undone by her friend. It was obvious from the funeral and memorial tribute that Kori's family didn't know her like Serena did, which meant that only Serena knew what to do to honor her memory. But when Serena began to check off the tasks on Kori's list, she began to uncover secrets about her own life. Brooke Taylor is a YA author to keep an eye on. She realistically captures the frustration of teens trying to deal with family issues, school pressure, and finding a place to fit in. Readers from all backgrounds will be able to find themselves in Taylor's characters. The teen world of insecurities, impulsive decisions, and shifting emotions is well-developed in the storyline of UNDONE. I look forward to Ms. Taylor's next book. Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"