I love young adult mystery thrillers. This one had a lot of twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and I loved the mysterious aspect.

I have been a fan of Deb Caletti's for years now and was so excited to read this one. Overall this book was powerful and heartbreaking, and something every young girl and woman can relate to.... this is so important for girls and women of all ages, knowing that we all share similar experiences and those experiences are valid.

Deb Caletti is an author that I have been reading for a long time and enjoy everything she puts out. Girl, Unframed was no different. I am a sucker for "child of hollywood" tropes, which is what immediately drew me to this. This definitely was more of a thriller, though, than her usual coming of age novels. I enjoyed this read.

I was just looking forward to a good YA novel, but then I realized it was a thriller as I started reading it and it was WAY better than I had hoped it would be!

GIRL UNFRAMED is a uniquely dark and twisty read. Caletti tackles a lot within these pages, but it cannot be mistaken that there is a commentary on society and the way young women are treated. From beginning to end, this book offers a perfectly crafted plot.

I didn’t really like this. I’m a big fan of YA, but this just didn't work for me. I kept reading, but not because I loved it, I just wanted to get this over with.

This was my first Deb Caletti book, but it won't be my last. Not sure why I never picked up one of her titles before. Pleasantly surprised that her characters aren't all sweetness and light like other YA authors (looking at you Sarah Deesen!).

*Sorry I sent the wrong review before, apologies!*

Sydney is growing into womanhood, trying to understand how to own her sexuality and deal with the male gaze. Her understanding is complicated by the fact that her mother is an actress who enjoys the male gaze and has used it to her advantage. Sydney is also worried the man currently in her mother's life seems to be involved in some underhanded dealings. Overall, this is an interesting exploration of a teen trying to find her way when getting mixed messages and living in troubling circumstances.

Girl, Unframed is a murder mysterious that also looks at how the perception of a girl, based on her looks, her family, etc. can be powerful in the eyes of others. The end result is told at the beginning of the story and then it is a slow burn to learn the exact who and how of the crime.

In Girl Unframed Seattle teen Sydney Reilly is spending the summer in San Francisco with her film star mother, Lila Shore, and Lila's boyfriend Jake in a Pacific Heights mansion. Jake is an art dealer with shady connections and his volatile relationship with Lila is unsettling. Syd not only feels uncomfortable around Jake, a construction worker next door is also giving her unwanted attention. The only bright spot in her summer is her new relationship with Nicco Ricci, a local boy she met on the beach. When a murder occurs on the beach in her own backyard, her summer is derailed. Each chapter begins with a list of exhibits from the murder trial creating suspense as to who was murdered by whom.

Sixteen-year-old Sydney “Syd” Reilly has a great life in Seattle. She lives with Edwina, her loving grandmother, and has plenty of friends. She goes to a wonderful school where she is on the rowing team and loves art. Syd really wants to stay home for the summer, but unfortunately, she is obligated to spend it with her mother in San Francisco.

Syd’s mother, Lila Short, is a washed-up movie star. Although she is beautiful, she is also spoiled, immature, manipulative, and controlling. Lila loves herself and her life much more than she loves her daughter. She wants Syd to call her “Lila” instead of a maternal title.

Syd arrives at the San Francisco Airport and is met, not by Lila, but by a man named Jake, who is Lila’s new boyfriend. Giacomo “Big Jake” Antonetti is supposedly a realtor and art dealer. Lila wants Jake to pick Syd up at the airport so she can meet him and spend time getting to know him. Much to Lila’s dismay and annoyance, Syd does not warm to Jake.

The rest of the summer is a up and down experience for Syd as she navigates Lila and Jake’s relationship and screaming fights, which come to blows on many occasions. Syd begins a relationship with Nicco Ricci, who is about to graduate from high school. Syd is receiving a lot of unwanted attention from a number of men, including Jake, which makes her feel uncomfortable.

Nicco and Syd’s relationship deepens as they spend a lot of their time at the beach and at unusual landmarks around San Francisco. The tension at Lila’s house comes to a head during a fight between Lila and Jake and leads to a surprising, disastrous result for all involved.

Deb Caletti, who has published more than twenty young adult novels, has added another stunner to her arsenal. Girl, Unframed is a real page-turner, full of significant, painful ordeals that many girls and women experience. The novel deals with feminism and a young girl’s coming of age and her sexuality.

The descriptions of historical places in San Francisco are detailed, lush, and accurate. I had not heard of many of them, and I did some research to learn more. There is some foreshadowing in the book, foretelling a disastrous event; Sydney feels dread, and her friend, Meredith, warns her that Lila’s house is not safe. Chapter headings provide hints as to what has happened via courtroom exhibit listings from a crime investigation and trial.

The author handles the double standard of morals between men and women adeptly, alluding to the way women are expected to behave versus how men see them. While Syd feels lonely, moody, and restless, she also experiences feminine power. Framing is worked into the plot expertly—in the title, Jake’s “profession”, the description of art pieces, and the way in which women’s sexuality is portrayed.

Girl, Unframed’s many themes deal with friendship, first love, sexual harassment, and domestic abuse. Hand it to fans of contemporary dramas and mysteries. I recommend it for high school and public libraries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for allowing me to read and review this book.

Sydney is not looking forward to her summer with her mom, Lila, and her new boyfriend. Her mom is awkward and isn't motherly--she's a sexy movie star--and Jake instantly gives Sydney the creeps. The summer ends up being more than Syd expected as her beliefs are challenged. Will she learn to stand up for herself by the end of the summer?
So many powerful questions and thoughts from Sydney about sexuality, feminism, and gender roles. I thought all discussions were age-appropriate and thoughtful. Syd is a very observant, if timid, character and her growth was good to see throughout the novel. Recommended.

https://www.discoverourcoast.com/coast-weekend/arts/bookmonger-girl-unframed-explores-suspense-and-sexuality/article_485fcfcc-cac8-11ea-9c4d-db3f415b5e12.html

Girl, Unframed is an uncomfortable, unconventional book. Sydney is forced to spend the summer she turns sixteen with her mother, Lila Shore, a once popular actress whose star is fading. Her mother is surprised Sydney has become a beautiful young woman since the last time she saw her. Since Sydney looks older than she is, Sydney struggles with how she is now being treated by men. Her self centered, immature mother and her mother’s controlling new boyfriend create more conflict. Each chapter begins with items that appear to be part of a police investigation which provides narrative tension since something serious must have occurred. The constant use of foreshadowing adds to the book’s menacing undercurrent. Girl, Unframed deals with twisted, abusive relationships, as well as the objectification of young women by men. Like Caletti’s previous novel A Heart in a Body in the World, it shows how Sydney must figure out how to live in a body that men objectify and to deal with the pressures that come with being female - how to be nice, but not too nice, how to be in a relationship but not too sexual, how to claim her own life and identity. Girl, Unframed packs a visceral punch. A strong addition to works dealing with #MeToo issues.

As a high school librarian in the Seattle area, I was very familiar with Deb Caletti -- I even met her once at a librarians' conference (a VERY nice lady!). I loved Queen of Everything and Honey,Baby,Sweetheart and frequently recommended her books to my students. So I was excited to read her latest book. I now love her even more!!

Syd is reluctantly spending the summer with her movie star mom in San Francisco. She'd really rather stay in Seattle with her grandmother and her friends. But maybe this will be the summer she finds IT, even if she's not really sure what IT will be. At 16, Syd is battling all sorts of inner (and some "outer") demons. Her burgeoning sexuality is an issue -- if she's too "sexy" is she also "slutty"? how does a girl reconcile those messages that tell her to look "pretty", but not TOO "pretty"? how does a girl deal with those looks from older men....and the younger ones too? Plus, her mother is dealing with aging in Hollywood and this new boyfriend.....well, he's a piece of work. Is he all he says he is? He's nice one minute and creepy the next. And his temper!!!

From the beginning we know something happened that ends up in court. Each chapter starts with a list of "evidence". Since the story is told in first person (by Syd), we know she survived, but exactly what she survived isn't revealed until the last few chapters. In the meantime, we are left with a fabulous mystery, coming-of-age story about relationships -- mother/daughter, girlfriend/boyfriend, best friends, wannabe stepparents, and a wonderful dog named Max (maybe my favorite character).

I read this on the heels of DuMaurier's Rebecca. The writing is not up to that caliber, but there are many similarities. From the beginning the reader knows something has gone terribly wrong, the tension builds slowly to a dramatic event, and when the big reveal comes it's shocking yet not unexpected. There's almost a relief. This book is everything I love about young adult fiction. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

SPOILER!!!

There's something special for the over 50 (60?) crowd -- Do you remember the book (or movie) Peyton Place? If so, the shocking ending will not surprise you. There are hints about 2/3 of the way through when Syd's mom is cast as the lead in a remake of the classic book about sex & scandal in a small town. This is not a "rip-off", but maybe an homage. Certainly a worthy (updated) version of the story of a teenager with awakening sexuality and a mother with a secret. Even though once I made the connection, I knew what would happen, I wasn't disappointed.

Deb Caletti’s Girl, Unframed captures the elusive-to-describe experience of coming of age as a young woman in contemporary society. It’s atmospheric and sinister; a San Francisco noir.

Whether she’s ready for it or not, 15-year-old Sydney Reilly is going “home” to spend the summer with her mother in San Francisco. But home is the stability of Seattle, where Sydney attends boarding school, goes to dinner at her grandma Edwina’s, and hangs out with her best friends. Home is all of these *regular* things, not the on-display life of her beautiful, famous, and distant movie star mother. Sydney doesn’t want to miss summer with her friends, just as she’s becoming aware of her burgeoning powers as a young woman, and all the complicated feelings that accompany her visibility.

The story has a sinister mood from the beginning--Sydney feels uneasy about her upcoming visit, and nothing changes upon arrival to her mom’s beautiful but cold mansion on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. She has trouble connecting with her mom’s new boyfriend Jake, and his relationship with her mom is unpredictable and confusing. The “male gaze” is omnipresent--it’s in the famous male artist’s paintings of nude women that art dealer Jake stores in the house. It’s in the unwanted attention from the construction worker building the house next door. It’s in the strange man who parks his car across from their house everyday, and the men who approach bikini-clad Sydney when she’s sunbathing on the beach. Her best friend Meridith disapproves. But Sydney’s conflicted: she doesn’t want to be like her mother, dependent on men and unhealthy relationships, but all the attention can be heady, even when it’s also creepy.

Then she meets Nicco Ricci, and life begins to pulse with excitement. But everyone else around her seems to be falling apart.

Sydney wished that she could just spend the summer in in Seattle, the place she called home with her Edwina and her friends. Instead she reluctantly goes to spend the summer with her mother, Lila Shore-yes, that Lila Shore-the beautiful, self absorbed actress Lila Shore. Except it’s not Lila that picks her up from the airport but her new boyfriend Jake. Syd has a funny feeling about him and rightfully so, as he displays his bizarre art collection openly in their home. Syd avoids Jake and his growing temper and falls head over heels with Nico, a local, instead and it’s everything that she’s ever wanted, to be wanted by a boy like her mother, the object used by many different men before and well after Sydney’s father. Sydney can’t ignore the storm brewing around her forever; can she stop it before it consumes her?

This book addresses what it is like to be a young women in today’s world. The main character feels as though she’s always being watched. With a double life of normalcy and yet a mother who is famous, Sydney never feels comfortable. While spending time with her mother and new boyfriend, Jake, she tries to push away the warning signs of her mother’s abuse. Sydney struggles to accept who she is in her body when men are always ogling over her. This depicts exactly what thoughts go through a woman’s head and how to fight against being viewed and treated like an object.

Some readers will consider Girl, Unframed by Deb Caletti a cautionary tale. Others will describe it as a coming-of-age tale. In my mind, Girl, Unframed is both types of stories. Sydney's experiences are a large part of being a teen girl, but her situation grows out of control specifically because she does not have the life experience to recognize any danger in that situation.

I finished Girl, Unframed a few weeks ago, but a recent event with my sixteen-year-old daughter reminded me of why books like this are so important for teen girls. Jim and Holly recently visited a car dealership, looking to test drive a vehicle his nephew wanted to buy. While there, the salesman helping him admitted that he had assumed Jim and Holly were a couple. She had on no makeup and was wearing nothing that would make her look older than her 15/16 years. Still, both this situation, as well as Sydney's in the book, are stark reminders that many men consider anything with boobs accessible, something too many teen girls don't understand until it is too late.

What makes Girl, Unframed so powerful is that I remember exactly what it felt like to be sixteen and to understand that your looks are enough to turn heads. While you may consciously target that ability to boys of your own age, you take secret pride in having a similar influence over older men (and by older I mean early 20s). It is a heady feeling, strong enough to clearly remember thirty years later.

Ms. Caletti is careful to make it clear that Sydney does nothing wrong. Her actions do have consequences, but what happens to her are not those consequences. Wearing a bikini in the privacy of her backyard or on the beach, experimenting with sex with a boy of her own age, wearing clothes that make her feel good about herself while accentuating her curves - none of this excuses how the men around her act. Herein lies the lesson within the story. Society ALWAYS blames the girl simply for being herself, and that is wrong.

Sydney eventually realizes the mixed messaging given to teen girls. Dress to impress but not too provocatively. Desire the attention of the male species, but don't get upset when you get that attention, no matter in what form it comes. Desire, but don't desire too much. In Girl, Unframed, Ms. Caletti not only highlights this minefield of expectations, but she also illustrates her point through Sydney's confusion as well as the danger in which she finds herself. Thus, Girl, Unframed becomes an important weapon in educating our girls of the dangers they face simply by being themselves thanks to a patriarchal society that glorifies in objectifying young women.

Ms. Caletti excels at explaining what it is to be a teen girl without pandering or demeaning her target audience. She does so in a way that is authentic and evocative so that even middle-aged readers will remember that feeling of invincibility that only the young feel. She also provides her readers with insight into situations they are not yet capable of handling with the necessary maturity, of which Sydney's situation is a perfect example.

3,5 - 4,0 stars!
This book brings together important content about puberty, family relationships, self-esteem, and it's all dressed in the tense atmosphere of a thriller.
I really like the author's narrative style and I recommend this book to all fans of the genre, but you should know that the book includes sexual harassment, domestic abuse, emotional manipulation.