I always fly through Kim’s books but this one was a miss for me. It’s about an affluent teen whose just killed a group of teens in a car crash. He feels guilt and decides to go on a hike that’s sort of like a family right of passage. Things happen and he gets stuck in a cave. It’s super short and things move fast. I didn’t have time to really care for any of the characters and I saw the twist coming.

Grant Franklin Tavish the Fifth - yep, the fifth - the rich son of a senator, get's in a car wreck that kills 4 people. Instead of getting arrested he's told by his lawyer to simply say, "You don't remember anything," and given next to no punishment. Angry over being unable to take responsibility for his crime, Grant takes advantage of a traditional rock climbing trip to plan an "accident" to permanently solve his problem. Before he can follow-thru, a cave-in leaves him stranded in a cave with 4 lost teens. Not wanting their blood on his hands, he works with them to find an escape. Just when they think the cave is their greatest hindrance to freedom, they discover a monster in the shadows. Will they all make it out, or will they die in the clutches of a monstrous fiend?

I enjoyed this book. Grant seemed relatable - even given the difference between his and my stations in life. It was obvious how horrific he felt about the deaths he caused, and the lack of punishment he received. He believes the only way he can atone - with the least amount of emotional turmoil to his family - is to kill himself while on a climbing/survival trip. It was easy to understand his reasoning, even if I disagreed. The teenagers he meets in the cave are fun, easy to like, and realistic. I quickly found myself cheering and hoping to see them make it through this difficulty. 

About halfway through the book I'd guessed what the author was doing. I'd guessed, but I wasn't 100% certain - and really, I hoped I was wrong. Liggett created a binge-worthy story that I finished in two days; and even though I figured it out early, she still left enough options for me to be wrong that I didn't feel like I wasted anytime reading the remainder of the book. It's not on my list of re-reads, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend giving it a shot. There's mystery, horror, psychological suspense and some laughs. Check it out!

4/5

Grant Franklin Tavish V got a slap on the wrist for causing a fatal car accident. He goes spelunking intending to die but when he is trapped with four teens from a nearby public school he tries to help them get out but something is after them. It takes awhile for this title to get going. The first several chapters reads more like a realistic fiction title where Grant ruminates about his guilt for the accident he caused. Based on these first few chapters readers would expect a fairly grounded story about guilt and how class affects the type of punishment could receive from the justice system. Even after Grant gets trapped in the cave and meets the other four teens, the book still feels very realistic. It is only a few chapters after they get trapped in the cave does this book starts to feel like something scary is going on. Once the "something is after them" storyline kicks in things get tense. The problem is there are way too few chapters devoted to the horror aspect on the book and that's the strongest aspect of the book. Everything else does not work as well. The characters are stock types and while exploring the aftermath of a fatal car accident from the point of view of the perpetrator is an intriguing premise, it quickly becomes clear that's not what this book is about. Liggett would have been more effective if she got Grant to the cave more quickly. The beginning of the book gives readers the expectation that this would be realistic fiction thus those readers may be disappointed when it takes a turn towards horror. However because of this readers who prefer horror may be disappointed that it takes awhile before getting to the scares. For such a short book it should not take so long for it to get started.

Thank you to Tor Teen and Netgalley for a free review copy! All opinions are my own.

4-4.25 stars.

This is a story that was definitely out of my comfort zone, but it was quite good! I originally requested this for review (via Netgalley) because I thought it would be a title that my students would love! the cover while kind of gross is incredible and would really capture their attention (especially the reluctant readers of the bunch) but the pacing, characters and suspense really kept me turning the page!

I highly recommend this if you in the mood for a short, quick YA suspense for yourself or the teen in your life. I'm definitely purchasing a copy come fall!

This book was not entirely what I was expecting from the cover. I am very guilty of choosing to read it based on the cover. I think I read the summary when I first looked at, but by the time I read it I had forgotten what it was about. I was thinking it was going to be more of a murder mystery rather than a survival tale. That is certainly what the cover suggested to me anyways. But that said, it was still a really good story that was hard to put down.

Grant was a hard character to like. He is very privileged, and although he is not entirely comfortable with that, he doesn’t do anything about it really. His interactions with his friends at the start of the book are uncomfortable because he thinks everyone is judging him for what he did. But it is a short book, so it isn’t long before he has headed out to do this family tradition of walking through a cave alone. Kind of a weird tradition if you ask me, but just go with it. Things go wrong from the start, but Grant does step up and try to help the kids who are trapped with him. I don’t want to say much more so as not to give things away, but there is a slight twist to what is really going on, that although I figured out what it was, was still a bit of a shocker when I did.

I really liked this short, kind of scary read. It speaks to how your conscience can make you think things that are not really true. I would have liked a little bit more of what happened after Grant gets out of the cave, but other than that a really good solid story.

The Unfortunates was a great story that took you on a wild ride. I could not put this book down and enjoyed every minute of it.

Grant Tavish is the son of a senator and, feels everyone is ignoring what happened in favour of letting him off scott-free because of who his father is.
It's obvious that his conscience is bothering him and he struggles with how his friend and family just gloss over everything.
He decides that, if the public opinion won't judge him then he'll take matters into his own hands.
He tells his family that he is completing an old family tradition and completing a cave excursion on the Appalachian trail. What he doesn’t tell them is that he has no intention of returning alive.

Grant ignores a warning sign and heads into the cave system which immediately collapses on him, burying him. He is found by a group of teenagers and has to take the lead in getting them out. But there are things in the dark that have other ideas.

The second Grant starts going down, the cave system collapses, and he is trapped with a group of other teens who found him dangling on his rope. As Grant and the others do what they need to do to get out, they face challenge after challenge and have to work to find the surface. Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned.

I found myself both feeling sorry for Grant and acknowledging that he was at fault. Despite his guilt he still seemed smothered in privilege and I didn't feel that he totally understood what the culmination of his actions would be.
The author did a wonderful job in expressing Grant's struggle and the twists and turns and various challenges that he had to face were masterfully done.
The final 'twist' was nicely executed if a little cliché. Overall I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
The only odd thing is the title. It really doesn't fit the book at all.




Thank you to the publisher for the review copy in exchange for an honest review

Grant Tavish V is struggling to come to terms with his responsibility in a fatal accident. His father, Senator Tavish, keeps telling him that all he has to do is get through drug testing during probation and testify that he doesn't remember anything, and it will all go away. But the guilt is eating away at Grant. He decides to take drastic measures and heads down into a cave system, never intending to return. But his experiences in the cave will have a lasting effect on his life.

I didn't love The Unfortunates for most of the book, but I absolutely loved the ending. It was a quick read with some definite shock value, and the overall theme was totally appropriate. I love when a book surprises me, and this one definitely did.

I really enjoyed this book! Let's start with the cover. How cool is that cover? Of course I was going to read the book because it was by Kim Liggett, but even if it wasn't, the cover would have sold it for me! It was a very quick read, but that was probably because I could not put it down. It kept me guessing and in suspense the entire time. I know the teens at my library are going to devour this book!