This can be difficult to listen to at times as it examines addiction - how and when it starts, the impact it has on the addict and their interpersonal relationships with family and friends, Having both authors narrate their stories made it more authentic and I thought structuring their stories in alternating chapters worked really well. It's rare for a parent to admit to their own addiction/failings and both approached this with great candour and laid bare their lows, which is admirable.

I agree that this book covers a very important topic that should be discussed, but the mentions of faith weren't really for me. It is 100% a brave story that is beautifully written, but the inspiration I had hoped to feel from Tom's perspective through recovery was less prominent than I'd expected. Overall, I did enjoy it, but I would not read it again and I'd recommend it selectively.

A harsh truthful account of addiction. Two generations - dealing and affected by it. This story follows a mother and son and is the reality of generational addiction. Although the topic and incidents were hard to take in at times this book is a necessity and I appreciated the authors honest approach to the subject. Their lift is more common than anyone would like to admit or believe and individuals sharing this information; their struggle, will only help to bring this all to light.

Although I wish the narrators were a bit more exciting, what I enjoyed most about this book was how it reminded me that all walks of life, all social and monetary classes have skeletons in their closets. Anyone, no matter what gifts they have, can turn to addiction. But, there can be a way out.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

Unraveled is the story of a son and a mother who both have suffered through addiction and their road to recovery. Laura who is a recovering alcoholic and Tommy who is in the throes of an opioid addiction. Told in both perspectives you get a glimpse of how addiction can impact a family.
I absolutely loved this book. As someone who is in recovery, I could actually relate to Tommy. They were so brutally honest about their addiction, that you couldn't help but be moved. There were times, I literally had tears running down my face. They each had their own journey that quickly led to a devastating addiction and their resilience to face sobriety head on.
Addiction is real. It affects all types of people. It does not discriminate. Thank you for sharing your story. The good, the bad, the ugly, and the triumph.

Straightforward narrative of addiction and recovery. I liked how this was told both from the point of view of the mother and son, but the resolution seemed a bit too easy and pat. The storytelling was good, but at times the attempt to frame themselves as a midwestern St Louis family felt off (annual skiing trips to Colorado are what every family did growing up, right? Along with resources to hire a former pro Canadian snowboarding coach?). It probably didn't help much that the book starts off with the son's low point, where he acts so much like an evil jerk to his friends and to strangers that it was hard to be sympathetic to him for the rest of the book! The son did suffer some really awful bullying and abuse at school, and it was interesting to see the mom connect her addiction issues to her son's, but this felt like more of a well-polished story (with the rough edges of both addiction and recovery filed off) than an eyes wide open story of addiction and redemption.

Laura Cook Boldt and Tom H. Boldt have penned an important book on substance abuse from different generations and viewpoints, and all from the same family. Laura, the mother, realized she had an addiction problem and finally got sober. Her son, Tom, while watching her struggles, did not equate her issues to his until it was almost too late. Fortunately, he got sober too and together they tell their stories and the story of a family marred in addiction but choosing sobriety. As so many before them have stated, addiction affects the whole family, not just those addicted. Excellent audiobook, narrated by the authors.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced listen in exchange for my honest review

Multigenerational story of addiction. I’ve read and listened to many stories about addiction and this doesn’t differ much from things I’ve read previously

I did enjoy how the stories wound together with the mother getting sober first and discussing the importance of protecting her own sobriety while also being concerned for her son who was actively using

If you’re triggered by addiction this story takes on both alcoholism and drug addiction so be mindful of your own self care needs

I found that this book and this mother and son's story, captured me from the very beginning. The story really highlighted the most important part of their story of addiction, without being super lengthy. The authors were very raw but also very real about addiction and all of the consequences that came along with it.

This is a memoir that switches between the accounts of mother and son, documenting each of their histories with addiction and substance abuse - and how they eventually achieved sobriety. Thanks to NetGalley for granting me early access to the audiobook.

I think, in many ways, this is the typical heartbreaking story of the terrible disease of addiction. Negative former experiences (such as bullying at school, which seemed to be the catalyst in this case for Tom), a genetic disposition for addiction issues, and a downward spiral involving injury, near death and burned bridges with important people. I am sincerely glad that both authors are in a much healthier and happier place than they were for the majority of this memoir.

However, there are many elements here that were not standard or ordinary. I think this book serves as a reminder that addiction can afflict anyone, regardless of class or social standing. By all accounts, this family seemed to be fairly affluent - regular skiing trips, private school experiences, hints at the large size of the house they lived in, etc. - and this I think would have absolutely contributed towards the happy ending (because rehab and halfway houses for a number of years can be extremely costly). This isn’t to negate the incredible hardships experienced as a result of the disease that needed to be addressed - but it did make my atheistic brain quite cynical when the last portions of the book explored the role of religion and God in helping the recovery. It seemed to come from a place of great privilege - something denied to many who sadly do not manage to overcome their addictions. I know this is my own personal bias coming through, and many people will disagree with me.

Overall, I think my own personal experiences of watching people succumb to addiction problems, with no available resources to help, definitely clouded my judgements here. I struggled to listen objectively; and although I accept the massive strength it takes to overcome this, I think the preachy ending (the implicit message of how everyone can overcome it if they just put their mind to it, or find God) ruined it for me.

Another one of these, huh? Where a wealthy, privileged person(s) does a bunch of bad stuff while wasted, doesn't really face any consequences (especially not legally), and then is able to afford months-long stays in in-patient rehab centers. And THEN, of course, writes a "woe is me" tale about it, cluelessly thinking that everyone can relate to and get better by following their INCREDIBLY privileged and expensive pathway through recovery. Honestly, I didn't learn anything new from this book, and it mostly just irritated me (clearly).

This audiobook was gripping and I could not stop listening. It was interesting to read about the authors' experience and certainly helps with empathy of dug addicts. \i liked that there is a message of hope iin spite of obstacles - though the message of hope does not override the realty of drug addiction. An honest and realistic memoir I recommend.

4/5
Synopsis
"Unraveled" explores the story of addiction from two perspectives. The mother's, who was a former alcoholic, and the son's, whose demise into the depths of drugs the book depicts. It is a devastating exploration of a fall from grace and then a fascination return to a normal existence. Laura the mother struggles to keep sober and to keep everyone together while Tommy slowly falls apart.
I have to address that the setting is quite a privileged one. It's not a story of an addict taking away their household's last pennies. So the rehabilitation programmes and the wide array of opportunities both of emotional support of the family and as ways to better himself aren't accessible to each and every addict. Laura and Tommy are fortunate to be in such a position where they can allot resources and time to a slow recovery.

Evaluation of the story
Overall impression
I enjoyed immersing into this memoir. The perspective of both sides gave a lot of value to the story. At some points I thought but what about others in the family, how did they cope, how did they interpret the situation. The story moves forward nicely and is quite interesting to read. It definitely is a worthwhile piece.
Highlights
One of the points that some people including me relate to is going from a high stakes environment and not having the emotional blast to compensate it. In this case, it went from extreme sports to drugs.
I appreciate that the topic of addiction is even brought up and talked about. It is vital that the public doesn't forget its vulnerable and the struggles some choices that create much later in life.
Where the Story Lacks
After the prolonged journey of Tommy's addiction and recovery from it I expected a longer glimpse into the life beyond.
I'd have much preferred a more even distribution of events: a fourth of the book about getting to the point of addiction; a fourth living in a drug-induced La La Land and coming to the realisation that it has to end; a fourth about the journey to recovery; and the last forth about how it is actually living in a relatively fragile state of a sober human. The book lacked the latter.
At some points, it glides too seamlessly. I understand that some struggles may not need to be revealed but at some points, everything seems to resemble a beautiful fairytale where everyone has a happy ending, not the reality.
This aspect made the memoir lack some depth. It may have an upside as a lighter format may not upset as many readers but, in my view, in a telling of such a devastating topic, I expect much more inner darkness and demons to surface.

Audiobook Narration
The narration of the book is truly magnificent. Will Tulin and Linda Jones alternate between perspectives to portray Laura's and Tommy's voices. Their voices fit the story nicely.
I will have to say that it was a tad too slow for me thus I listened to the whole book at 1,5x speed.

The book was going along really great and I was enjoying the story a lot. Listening to the mother and son talk about their addictions is an interesting and fascinating study on how some people can become addicted to things that normal people could take lightly. Where I grew uninterested at was the 25% of the book in the middle of it that talks about snowboarding and then onto tennis. I did not care for the section as I do not care about sports I think it slowed down the momentum and the story that there were trying to tell. It added nothing to the story. Just felt like they wanted to throw it in there to brag about how special and great he was. I thought it was going to lead into why he started doing harder stuff and it seriously went no where.

Not the right autobiography for me. I felt like it was presented as a different kind of memoir than the one they gave us.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this copy. All opinions and comments are my own(if they weren't it properly would be 5 stars hahaha)

I appreciate Laura and Tom sharing their stories of addiction. I enjoyed hearing from son and mother perspectives which set this book apart from others about this terrible disease. Tom and Laura are very privileged and that is apparent in the book. I feel as though that will make it hard for many people to relate. However, book is interesting and honest; worth the quick read!

Thanks #netgallery. I enjoyed this both from both points of view. As the loved one of an alcohol in recovery, I appreciated the mother's story along her sons. I also found this to be a good representation of how addiction can impact anyone from any socioeconomic group. I read reviews about the privilege of this family and their access to rehab and sports. Addiction doesn't care about class or economic privilege so this is a great story.

I found this book interesting and really appreciated the honest of the authors talking about their battles with addiction and the effects it has in everyone around them.

One of the better memoir’s I have read lately. I appreciated the candor of mom and son as they both went thru their journey of addiction. They were both open and honest about their failures and successes telling their stories in a well thought out manner that made their story easier to read. I would recommend this book to my friends, especially to my friends who seek to understand the disease of addiction and the lives it destroys.

What a powerful message in this book! Some of it was so painful to listen to and I really disliked both of them when they were in the middle of their addiction.

It had to take a lot of courage to reveal the affects of what the addictions can do to a family unit and put it into print.

Their road to recovery is a testimony to courage, faith and gaining control of their lives after years of falling into the abyss that they couldn’t control. They were powerless over their addiction.

The authors did a wonderful job of narrating their own stories alternating between the two.

#Unraveled#NetGalley

Laura and Tom Boldt give a courageous account of their own personal struggles with addiction and their path to recovery. Very raw and emotional at times I appreciated their candor and hope to.help others with their stories
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for giving me this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review