I like thrillers. I like books about complex mother-daughter relationships. I like books that engage with femininity and the unquestioned misogyny embedded in modern culture. By that metric, I should've liked this book, right?

... Right?

You see, the problem with this book is that, for all its ~deep~ meditations of sexual objectification, it doesn't... DO anything with its observations. Discussing catcalling, the predatory control wielded by fathers or father figures over their daughters' sexuality, why "strong women" stay in bad relationships, and the double standard of sexual activity aren't exactly novel in 2020. We live in an age where teenage girls, in particular, are fiercely defensive of their friendships and their bodies, and the idea that sexual exploits would be looked down upon is a relic of another time. You don't have to be an ardent feminist to recognize that catcalling is gross, men who have a predatory interest in the purity of young women are just that (predators), and that teenage girls are just as capable of desire as teenage boys. None of those, in today's day and age, are revolutionary.

I could buy this book as a period piece - perhaps the 80s or 90s, when slut-shaming was commonplace and not something to be accused of doing. I could also buy this book as one where the thriller elements were darker and more integral to the plot. But as it stands - this middling, neither a thriller nor family drama, sort of book - I really don't see the point of retreading common feminist arguments and presenting them as revolutionary. I really don't.

Deb Caletti blew me away with her last book, A Heart in a Body in the World. She returns with Girl, Unframed exploring a lot of the same topics, but in a new, thrilling way.

Girl, Unframed follows Sydney Reilly as she spends the summer with her famous actress mother. Before she even arrives in San Francisco, Sydney has a bad feeling about the visit. Her feeling proves justified as she meets her mom's leering, dangerous boyfriend, deals with the harassment from the construction worker next door, and confronts loneliness and anxiety of the entire situation by herself.

The book teases out a crime and each chapter starts with evidence presented in the trial for whatever the crime is. Slowly we realize where the ending is going, but you are still left with one last twist. You feel anxious with Sydney, you feel lonely with her. Caletti is great at making you feel like one with the character.

But the strongest part of Girl, Unframed is the exploration of being a woman in society. Sydney is 16 years old and is starting to get a lot of unwanted attention. This is offset by her aging actress mother who is trying to do everything she can to stay relevant and desirable. Caletti subtly shows how women are treated in the world and how men and others try to control and dominate.

A lot of Girl, Unframed felt familiar to A Heart in a Body in the World, especially in the story of a teen girl coming to terms with what it means to be a woman and the good and bad that comes with it. Yet, Girl, Unframed still takes a unique approach and shows this same theme in a different light.

Highly recommended.

**eARC was provided by Netgalley**

I recieved an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great characterization in this coming of age novel. Sydney is the daughter of a self-centered and vulnerable movie star. During a summer visit with her famous mother, Sydney encounters drama from her mother's life and runs into lecherous men. The ending is not particularly satisfying, but it feels real.

The situations with men faced by Sydney and her mother, Lila, will resonate with female readers who have been through similar experiences in our lives. I believe this novel would be a great book read choice for teenage girls to help them navigate the challenges they will face (or are already facing). The novel has a positive underlying message about females securing their power.

I love Deb Caletti's writing. The way she tells a story is so compelling. This book was about many tough and important topics. It is told in a way that I think will appeal to and reach young people who need these positive messages.

I liked the mystery element a lot and the mother-daughter dynamics even though they were not good, they felt real. I was so happy whenever she stood up for herself. The romance was done well, and I liked how it was handled in the ending. It was important to the story, but not the main point of the story.

I think this book will have a broad appeal as it crosses a few genres. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this one.

Caletti is masterful at building tension. Another all-too-believable story of a teen trying to navigate the complicated world of not-so-grown-up grown-ups.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I was dying to read this arc because I loved Caletti's _A Heart in a Body in the World_. Caletti's style, character evolution, and plot formation really work for me in that book...more than they do here.

The pieces of this story never really came together for me. Syd is the only child of an extremely self-involved, famous mother. She lives with her grandmother but visits her mom in San Francisco for the summer, and that's where everyone's lives go awry. While there, Syd meets her mom's trash boyfriend, who from the jump seems like a creep; his interest in Syd's body is immediately triggering and off putting. There's a lot of other shady stuff about him, too, including the environment of domestic violence and alcohol abuse he builds with Lila, Syd's mom.

The adults in this novel are terrible, and they do not take responsibility for their actions: even the okay-seeming ones! This happens generally, but it also happens in what I think is one of the strengths of the novel: Syd's awareness of how disgustingly men - in general - seem to treat her. She does meet a decent guy, but she is surrounded by inappropriate behavior, and I really like the way she processes and questions that. It feels both realistic and productive.

What didn't work as much for me is Syd as a character. I found her really difficult to connect with, to care for, and to root for at times. I like that she moves in a direction of finding her voice, but the path to get there is long and winding. I wanted to feel more invested in her earlier on, and I wonder - based on how much I felt this in Caletti's earlier work - if my response has somehow more to do with where I am in this moment of pandemic, shelter-in-place mindset than the with the writing (caveat? Done).

This is a good read. It's well written and interesting in the premise, but I wanted more connection to the m.c. and her outcomes. I hope you, dear readers, will get what I missed!

3.5

Girl, Unframed by Deb Caletti is a young adult book that takes on the male gaze. It delves into what it is like to be under that gaze as a young girl. This book explores both desire and objectification. I believe that Girl, Unframed is an important book -- even though maybe it just didn't quite hit or land as much for me. That's fine though, I am not quite the target of this book. I do think that themes within will truly resonate for the book's intended audience.

Caletti's latest follows Sydney Reilly who is going to San Francisco for the summer to stay with her actress mother, Lila Shore. Lila lives in this beautiful mansion with her current boyfriend, a shady art dealer named Jake. Sydney feels all these gazes on her and keeps alluding to this event that honestly we don't unravel or get to until the very end of the book. There's a bit of a romance too. The best part though is the dog Max. It made me want to get a dog after reading.

I think reading this as a parent, I just was flabbergasted at how so many adults kept failing Sydney. I am glad that she did have a few people she could trust. Still, her mother has always been an object and in turn, treats Sydney like an object. The men are pretty much trash in this book. There's street harassment. It's just, I don't know, frustrating to see her mom not give much of a crap and then turn herself into a child and make Sydney take on a parentified role. Obviously this is fiction and it would be boring if Lila was perfect. Just yeah, a tough read.

Girl, Unframed is a great book for budding feminists to read. Particularly as they go into theory on privilege and the male gaze. I think this book has relevance to the Me Too conversation. It's a fast and compelling read. I do recommend it - even if it wasn't the ideal read for me at the moment. I recognize that this book has so many merits and strengths and really lends well to discussion.

This is the perfect thriller for girls who want to know how to stand their ground and listen to their guts. Sydney is the daughter of a famous actress and she is not looking forward to going home for the summer. Especially since mom has a new boyfriend. It seems inevitable that he is creepy and kinda shady, so Sydney has to learn how to protect herself and her mom.

This book definitely hits all the summer book vibes and fans of true crime or physcological thrillers will love watching this story from Sydney's point of view. I did want a little more from her school life, just so I felt like there was more than just the summer. The beginning was a little adrubt, but once I get into it the pace of the book evened out better.

This hits close to home. GIRL UNFRAMED so vividly captures what it's like being and becoming a teenage girl that it's painful. This is an essential book, a book everyone should read before they finish high school.

Girl, Unframed by Deb Caletti- This one is a tough, in-your-face read. You wouldn't think you would have much in common with a girl whose mom is a celebrity, but you'd be wrong. Young women, no matter who they are, face non-stop commentary on who they are, who they should be, who people think they are, and, most disturbingly, what people believe they have a right to say/do in regards to a girls' body. Sydney is no different. As she finds herself maturing, she finds the tightrope between good girl, natural desires, and how others perceive her womanly figure a more and more dangerous course to walk. She would be content to stay at her private school dorm by herself for the summer, but her movie-star mom insists she come stay with her and meet her newest boyfriend. She doesn't have a good feeling about the new addition, but can't say, "No" to her mom. She immediately feels something is off about this new boyfriend, or is it just the usual allowance of creepiness guys seem to think is their right? This novel makes one stop and think about what we have come to accept as normal behavior such as encouraging our children to hug adult men/women they may not even know, catcalling as a type of compliment, and people feeling it's OK to comment on a woman's body or what she is wearing. On top of all that (isn't that enough?) Sydney is noticing something very odd about her mom's rich new boyfriend with late-night comings and goings. And she is pretty sure the house is being watched...and not just by the pervert next door. Publish Date: June 23rd, 2020 #GirlUnframed #DebCaletti #Netgalley

*4.5 stars*
It’s no surprise that I liked this, because I trust Deb Caletti implicitly at this point, but this really was unique and wonderful and much-needed. The synopsis pitches this as a YA thriller, but more than anything else, it’s a gut punch of a YA coming-of-age story about what it’s like to grow up as a young woman in a society that hates women. It's raw and honest and frank, but written with so much care. Definitely a book I wish had existed when I was a teenager.

This is such a hard book to review because there were just so many elements to it. So many surprises and so many hard, uncomfortable things about it.

Sometimes being thrown out of your comfort zone isn't a bad thing. It helps us grow, think of things in a new light and can even make us exam things around us that we never noticed before.

Girl, Unframed most of all, is a story about self discovery. A story about growing up, finding out who you are and what you want in life with all the bumps and bruises that growing up gives you along the way. Really, it's the good, the bad, and the sometimes ugly about it all with a few brighter, sunnier moments thrown in.

It is not a thriller although it does have some pretty intense moments, it is not the mystery read you might be lead to believe from the description but it is captivating and rough, and completely will have you turning the pages wondering what will happen next.

Girl, Unframed raises its voice about society's expectations of pretty women. From the shockingly uninvited looks, touches, and catcalls of a young girl coming into her womanhood to selecting the right clothes and the ability to maintain your beauty as you age and have accepted/depend on men's approval--is all brought to light through Caletti's story about a daughter and her maternal influences in her life.
Girl, Unframed makes the reader consider the harm of pointing out a girl's beauty; she is not a painting created for your enjoyment, stares, and comments, nor is she to be bought.

I enjoyed this fast-paced story-- as it unfolded, I could not put it down. There is scandal, love, violence, art, and crazy family dynamics. . .taking place in a Hollywood D-list actor's mansion off the California beaches-- a perfect summer read.

Deb Caletti is an amazing writer, so when I had the opportunity to read her newest endeavor, I was totally psyched.

Girl, Unframed is the story of Syd Reilly, a just-turning-sixteen-year-old spending the summer in San Francisco with her actress mother, Lila. Syd has terrible feelings of foreboding around this trip and begs her grandmother, with whom she is close, to let her stay there for the summer. But the plans are the plans, and Syd flies out to visit Lila.

Only Lila isn't the one to pick up Syd at the airport - it's Lila's boyfriend, Jake. Jake is the owner of the upscale house that Lila rents. Syd forms a fast friendship with Jake's dog, Max (a beautiful relationship, by the way).
What should be a normal summer with her mother turns out to be one that makes Syd question male-female dynamics as well as the relationship her mother has with Jake and what Jake really does for a living. Twined in-between is a lovely developing thing with waiter/sales clerk Nicco, a young man who lavished love on Max before he even really noticed Syd.

I love the way Caletti can knot up plot twists and throw things you don't expect throughout and still have you in love with the book at the end. I had a hard time putting this book down at all. Another great book by Deb Caletti!

As the only child of the troublesome movie seductress Lila Shore, Sydney Reilly tries to keep her distance from her mother by living in Seattle with her grandmother Edwina. But in the summer she turns sixteen, Syd is called to live with her mother in San Francisco. Syd reluctantly leaves behind the life of security she knows with her grandmother, friends, and friends’ families to enter her mother’s high-flying life of glamour. Lila Shore lives in a posh mansion with a lovable dog named Max and boyfriend Jake, a surly, reckless, shallow guy with a mysterious business life. Syd is aware that her long legs and athletic build make her uncomfortably attractive to men who have no business ogling a sixteen-year old girl, so when she meets Nicco, a cute boy her own age, she is unsure how to balance her feelings for him and her fears about males with bad intentions.

In <i>Girl, Unframed</i> Deb Caletti delivers a riveting novel about family, friends, and fear. The novel begins with episodes about a relatively normal girl who suddenly finds herself in a surreal lifestyle, but as it proceeds, the ominous list of artifacts and exhibits in each chapter’s heading promises that something violent will unfold before the book’s conclusion. Along the way, Syd’s narration explores how and why girls feel annoyed and distressed by the actions of males they encounter in daily life. Syd perceptively connects her thoughts to how women are portrayed in classical and modern art. Of course, all of this is especially relevant to Syd because of her mother’s on-screen persona.

The appealing narrator combined with the San Francisco beach setting, a charming romance, fast-paced danger, and disquieting concerns about the opposite sex make Deb Caletti’s <i>Girl, Unframed</i> an excellent choice for young readers this summer.

This review will also appear soon on my blog: https://whatsnotwrong.wordpress.com

Wow. I cried so much during this. It was so good and I was so emotionally attached to it. I hope to see even more amazing books by this author to cry over!

This book had a wonderful chance to be one of the better works I’ve read. I enjoyed the way the author wrote and felt I could breeze through it but the story went entirely too slow and I began to lose interest when I was 70% way through the book and nothing significant had happened.

Caletti's follow up to A Heart In a Body in the World has a lot in common with that book, both looking at what it is to be female in this world where there's a push and pull between being innocent and sexy, in your own mind and in the minds of males around you. Sydney is set to spend the summer with her famous actress mother in a cliffside house in San Francisco, away from her friends and everything familiar. Upon her arrival she finds that mom, Lila, is living with a brutish, heavily muscled man whose business dealings are less than legitimate. From the start, Caletti ratchets up the tension and keeps it up, starting each chapter with court exhibit labels for crime scene photos, depositions and statements, keeping the reader intensely aware that something terrible is coming, but we don't know what or to whom. Beneath all of this is the discomfort and threat that women feel on a daily basis under the male gaze. It's unsettling and terrifying at times, and in female readers will feel all too familiar. Thrilling, gut-wrenching and necessary. Review from e-galley.