What do you think?
Girl, Unstrung
You might think it's fun to grow up around Hollywood with semi-famous parents.
You'd be wrong, and Clara Cassidy would be the first to tell you so.
She's fourteen, figuring out life with three siblings and a new stepmom, and navigating her freshman year at a stupid high school where she doesn't even want to be. She was supposed to be at arts school by now.
It's fine, though, totally fine: she's going to practice her viola extra hard and get into LACHSA next year. She's definitely 100 percent focused and not even slightly going to get distracted by Tim, the sophomore Scrabble champion with the swoopy hair and the chin dimple. Nope. Not her.
You'd be wrong, and Clara Cassidy would be the first to tell you so.
She's fourteen, figuring out life with three siblings and a new stepmom, and navigating her freshman year at a stupid high school where she doesn't even want to be. She was supposed to be at arts school by now.
It's fine, though, totally fine: she's going to practice her viola extra hard and get into LACHSA next year. She's definitely 100 percent focused and not even slightly going to get distracted by Tim, the sophomore Scrabble champion with the swoopy hair and the chin dimple. Nope. Not her.
Unknown Binding
Published July 7, 2020
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 2, 2021
Finally, Something For Violists
I had a chance to read a preview copy of Girl, Unstrung, and it is fantastic. It's a clean YA romance that steers clear of the stereotypical high school-types and activities. The characters are all very strong and well-crafted. It is told from the POV of Clara, who wants nothing more than to be a normal teen who happens to be very good at the viola (which, as Clara says, is the violin's more sophisticated cousin, deeper, and more mellow and unsqueaky...and much easier to go further with because fewer people play it). It's about Clara's journey as a high school freshman who is trying to audition into the high school of her dreams, specifically for students of the arts. There are many trying and touching moments in this story, gracefully-written awkard-subject conversations between a teenage girl and her parents and friends. It's a wonderful coming-of-age story, and FINALLY, something for violists!
I had a chance to read a preview copy of Girl, Unstrung, and it is fantastic. It's a clean YA romance that steers clear of the stereotypical high school-types and activities. The characters are all very strong and well-crafted. It is told from the POV of Clara, who wants nothing more than to be a normal teen who happens to be very good at the viola (which, as Clara says, is the violin's more sophisticated cousin, deeper, and more mellow and unsqueaky...and much easier to go further with because fewer people play it). It's about Clara's journey as a high school freshman who is trying to audition into the high school of her dreams, specifically for students of the arts. There are many trying and touching moments in this story, gracefully-written awkard-subject conversations between a teenage girl and her parents and friends. It's a wonderful coming-of-age story, and FINALLY, something for violists!
October 8, 2021
I am not the target audience for this book (or I assumed I wasn’t, anyway!) but was drawn to it as I play the viola and grew up on the classical youth music scene. You don’t get many books about that, especially featuring a viola player. Anyway, I enjoyed the book and liked its pace and subtlety. I imagine some people would be put off by exactly those two things, but each to their own. I knew people like Clara when I was growing up, and for me both she and her relationships/non-relationships are entirely believable, though obviously not “normal”, whatever that really means. I don’t think for a moment that a reader would have to be a classical musician or anything like Clara in order to enjoy this book, but rather than assuming that this group of people are unbelievable, maybe it would be fair to keep an open mind and consider that they might not think and act the way a predictable stock character might. I think it’s OK to have a quirky central character, and one whose thoughts and actions might sometimes be annoying. I recommend Girl, Unstrung, especially to anyone who is connected to youth classical music, but really to anyone with an open mind who wants to read something based in a different setting from anything you are likely to read or watch elsewhere.
September 21, 2021
This review is based on an ARC of Girl, Unstrung which I received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (BooksGoSocial).
A brilliant novel from Claire Handscombe, a sure force to be reckoned with in the YA world! Reading Girl, Unstrung brought me back to all of my favorite YAs from when I was a young teen; I cherished my time with this book (er, kindle) between my hands.
Handscombes' characters, plot, dialogues, pace, settings are structured, unique, real. This woman knows how to write, and she demonstrates her talent without immodesty.
This isn't your average YA. Girl, Unstrung is a moving, funny, original coming-of-age with many facets and folds to get lost in. The main character, Clara, is also multi-faceted. This is a story, not only entertaining, but relatable, endearing.
I thought I had finally grown up and moved on from YA, but Claire Handscombe has proven me wrong!
A brilliant novel from Claire Handscombe, a sure force to be reckoned with in the YA world! Reading Girl, Unstrung brought me back to all of my favorite YAs from when I was a young teen; I cherished my time with this book (er, kindle) between my hands.
Handscombes' characters, plot, dialogues, pace, settings are structured, unique, real. This woman knows how to write, and she demonstrates her talent without immodesty.
This isn't your average YA. Girl, Unstrung is a moving, funny, original coming-of-age with many facets and folds to get lost in. The main character, Clara, is also multi-faceted. This is a story, not only entertaining, but relatable, endearing.
I thought I had finally grown up and moved on from YA, but Claire Handscombe has proven me wrong!
October 7, 2021
3.5 rounded up to 4
Girl, Unstrung is a contemporary YA book about Clara, a high school freshman who has three siblings and semi-famous parents in her blended family. She auditioned as a violist to attend LACHSA, the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, but did not make it in. Clara is determined to get into LACHSA next year, since the school only auditions rising freshmen and sophomores, but first she has to make sure she doesn't get distracted by a cute guy at her current high school. The book follows Clara's point-of-view.
I was excited to see that she played the viola, which doesn't get as much love as its more sophisticated cousin, the violin (as Clara describes it). The book seems to be set in the same universe as Handscombe's adult romance Unscripted, which occurs before the events of Girl, Unstrung. I find it interesting that, while keeping with romance as a theme, Handscombe has spanned genres between YA and adult fiction with this universe.
Clara definitely acts like a typical high schooler, so her voice felt authentic to me. She has the typical self-centeredness of a teenager, but also checks herself from time to time and calls herself out on this issue. This is most present when she is trying to figure out how she feels and acts around her new step-mother.
Clara's main growth arc is about her obsessiveness with the viola and her struggle with feeling like she is "enough." Her entire family is full of artists; her mom and dad are both actors and her step-mother acts and teaches ballet. She wants to get into Julliard someday (where here dad went to college), and she believes that the only way to get there (as she notes in her bullet journal) is to get into LACHSA first. She practices her viola for three or more hours a day at her peak.
While I enjoyed reading this book, I do think it may have been a little too long. The chapters themselves are fairly short, and potato-chip-y. However, there are some recaps within the book where Clara mentions something that was said ten or so chapters before that I don't think needed to be rehashed. That being said, Handscombe is wonderful at writing prose and I'm excited to read more from her.
I received an advanced ebook copy of this book for review via NetGalley, but all opinions contained herein are my own. I really enjoyed Handscombe's prose in this novel, but even for an advanced reader copy, this sure had a ton of formatting and grammatical errors. I sincerely hope that they are fixed before the book is released on November 23, 2021.
Girl, Unstrung is a contemporary YA book about Clara, a high school freshman who has three siblings and semi-famous parents in her blended family. She auditioned as a violist to attend LACHSA, the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, but did not make it in. Clara is determined to get into LACHSA next year, since the school only auditions rising freshmen and sophomores, but first she has to make sure she doesn't get distracted by a cute guy at her current high school. The book follows Clara's point-of-view.
I was excited to see that she played the viola, which doesn't get as much love as its more sophisticated cousin, the violin (as Clara describes it). The book seems to be set in the same universe as Handscombe's adult romance Unscripted, which occurs before the events of Girl, Unstrung. I find it interesting that, while keeping with romance as a theme, Handscombe has spanned genres between YA and adult fiction with this universe.
Clara definitely acts like a typical high schooler, so her voice felt authentic to me. She has the typical self-centeredness of a teenager, but also checks herself from time to time and calls herself out on this issue. This is most present when she is trying to figure out how she feels and acts around her new step-mother.
Clara's main growth arc is about her obsessiveness with the viola and her struggle with feeling like she is "enough." Her entire family is full of artists; her mom and dad are both actors and her step-mother acts and teaches ballet. She wants to get into Julliard someday (where here dad went to college), and she believes that the only way to get there (as she notes in her bullet journal) is to get into LACHSA first. She practices her viola for three or more hours a day at her peak.
While I enjoyed reading this book, I do think it may have been a little too long. The chapters themselves are fairly short, and potato-chip-y. However, there are some recaps within the book where Clara mentions something that was said ten or so chapters before that I don't think needed to be rehashed. That being said, Handscombe is wonderful at writing prose and I'm excited to read more from her.
I received an advanced ebook copy of this book for review via NetGalley, but all opinions contained herein are my own. I really enjoyed Handscombe's prose in this novel, but even for an advanced reader copy, this sure had a ton of formatting and grammatical errors. I sincerely hope that they are fixed before the book is released on November 23, 2021.
October 4, 2021
I want to begin by thanking NetGalley and the publishers for the Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This book isn’t my typical genre I choose to read but it was a light hearted, refreshing coming of age story. The book itself is very well written. The characters and plot were relatable. I’ve never read a book that focuses itself around a viola and that was refreshing to see instruments you don’t often hear or see get so much credit, which according to Clara is the violins sophisticated cousin.
This story follows Clara, a high school freshman wanting to audition for her dream school. I loved that the story stayed away from repetitive high school drama. Clara is dealing with a new stepmom and 3 siblings. Which is relatable for me as my parents split and I had a step brother. The journey you read about Clara going through is endearing, dealing with changes in her life, chasing her dreams, those awkward teenage conversations that we all had at some point. One of my favorite characters was Tim, the scrabble champion. That was unexpected to me but I love that he wasn’t the typical jock or bad boy.
Like I said this book isn’t my preferred genre but it has so much merit, you’ll find yourself not being able to stop reading this book! I definitely recommend it!!
This book isn’t my typical genre I choose to read but it was a light hearted, refreshing coming of age story. The book itself is very well written. The characters and plot were relatable. I’ve never read a book that focuses itself around a viola and that was refreshing to see instruments you don’t often hear or see get so much credit, which according to Clara is the violins sophisticated cousin.
This story follows Clara, a high school freshman wanting to audition for her dream school. I loved that the story stayed away from repetitive high school drama. Clara is dealing with a new stepmom and 3 siblings. Which is relatable for me as my parents split and I had a step brother. The journey you read about Clara going through is endearing, dealing with changes in her life, chasing her dreams, those awkward teenage conversations that we all had at some point. One of my favorite characters was Tim, the scrabble champion. That was unexpected to me but I love that he wasn’t the typical jock or bad boy.
Like I said this book isn’t my preferred genre but it has so much merit, you’ll find yourself not being able to stop reading this book! I definitely recommend it!!
September 18, 2021
This is a fun, cute coming-of-age story that links nicely with Unscripted, but can be read as a stand-alone.
I enjoyed being able to follow Clara. Watching her dealing with all the struggles, challenges & pressures you face as a teenager. And, although not relatable to me now (I’m old lol), it’s a true reflection on what it’s like being young and navigating your way through life.
Clara, for me, is very much like Rachel Berry from the tv series Glee. She is determined, passionate, focused and at times, a little selfish. But, like Rachel, over the course of the book, you begin to understand her better and watch as she grows into a more mature young lady.
Thank you so much Claire & NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this prior to release in return for an honest review
I enjoyed being able to follow Clara. Watching her dealing with all the struggles, challenges & pressures you face as a teenager. And, although not relatable to me now (I’m old lol), it’s a true reflection on what it’s like being young and navigating your way through life.
Clara, for me, is very much like Rachel Berry from the tv series Glee. She is determined, passionate, focused and at times, a little selfish. But, like Rachel, over the course of the book, you begin to understand her better and watch as she grows into a more mature young lady.
Thank you so much Claire & NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this prior to release in return for an honest review
October 7, 2021
I'm pretty sure I read a completely different version of this book than everyone else.
Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
There will be mild spoilers throughout my review. They will NOT be tagged.
I don't even know where to start. Actually. That's not true. I'll start with the pacing and the quality of writing.
The pacing of this book is slow and tedious and boring. Clara never really does anything. Stuff just happens and she reacts to it. It's supposed to be a cute coming of age, but Clara starts the book being proviledged and naive and ends the book in the same place.
I actually want to address each paragraph from the synopsis, because it missells the book.
"You might think it's fun to grow up around Hollywood with semi-famous parents."
I wouldn't know since we spend little to no time around Hollywood. We're told that Dad is only a minor celebrity (in fact we're told multiple times that he's not even that famous) and Mom hardly makes an appearance in the story. Clare writes how everyone is obsessed with her because of her Dad but literally no one ever talks to her at school. She has no friends and she's probably considered the loser of the school.
"You'd be wrong, and Clara Cassidy would be the first to tell you so."
But Clare rarely tells us anything about living with an actor father. She tells he used to be popluar and he's stil acting and honestly aside from some general grumpiness at the start of the story, her 'anger' with her famous parents is literally never addressed (or even a thing).
"She's fourteen, figuring out life with three siblings and a new stepmom, and navigating her freshman year at a stupid high school where she doesn't even want to be. She was supposed to be at arts school by now."
Okay. But the three siblings have been her siblings the whole time. They're ot half-siblings or even step-siblings. So this is stupid. Also, her siblings hardly ever show up in the story except for Clara to tell us she hates them for one reason or another (one becuase she reads too much, another because she's a good dancer and the other because he's a little boy). The siblings are pretty much just filler at the dinner table and a reason for Clara to hate her step-mom for being a good step-mom to her siblings.
We spend next to no time at the school. Or in orchestra practice. Or really doing anything relevant at the school at all. We only meet the orchestra conductor in three scenes and two of those are just to set up Clara to prove him wrong and to be praised for proving him wrong (she wants to play in a talent show - teacher thinks the piece she picked in 'ambitious' - she plays it perfectly - teacher congratualtes her - we never see teacher or orchestra class again).
Art school. Good crap. This stupid art school. Apparently the only way to get to Julliard is to go to this stupid priviledged school in LA. I'm not even joking. Clara's entire LIFE will be ruined if she doesn't get in next year. (Yeah. I get it. She's 14. Everything is dramatic. Whatever.)
And the bulk of the problem with the synopsis:
"It's fine, though, totally fine: she's going to practice her viola extra hard and get into LACHSA next year. She's definitely 100 percent focused and not even slightly going to get distracted by Tim, the sophomore Scrabble champion with the swoopy hair and the chin dimple. Nope. Not her."
Clara does practice extra hard. To the point where she's harming herself. She is pretty focused. But Tim. Swoopy Hair Boy? He's in like 5 scenes. They've spoken to each other 2 times. Clara is convinced she's in love with him. Yeah. Love. Not a crush. Not a lust. LOVE. As in she wants to LOSE HER VIRGINITY TO HIM and bought lingere to do it, LOVE. (THIS IS AFTER TALKING TO HIM TWICE). All the while she is convinced he's only using her for her Hollywood connections. But that's okay. Because he's hot.
Tim shows up in MAYBE a dozen scenes total. They known pretty much nothing about each other. The few times Tim has tried to start a conversation with Clara she gets pissy and wishes he would shut up.
There is unnecessary (and unresolved) girl hate. A 'mean girl' shows up for I think maybe 3 total chapters. She and Tim flirt. Clara is jealous and glares at girl. Then she just poofs out of the story and we never see her again.
The most annoying part of the entire book is that Clara blames Swoopy Hair Boy for an accident and holds a grude for pretty much the entire second half of the book. She never accepts her role in the accident. She refuses to forgive him. Yet still thinks about kissing him. But she hates him. Because of an accident that he had a VERY small part in.
Clara of course gets her Happily Ever After - For Now.
Let's talk about all THE PLOT ERRORS
In chapter ten. We get all the boring background about how Clara LOVES words and was obsessed with spelling bees but she lost at the regionsal as missed nationals and still holds a grudge.
Cool story right? Some background about Clara and how she's so smart.
Well. YOU GET THE SAME STORY WORD FOR WORD in chapter 43.
Since we're on the topic of how much Clara LOVES words. She interally monologues about how she's smarter than everyone else and uses big words. But she never uses big words. When she finally uses a slightly obscure word (viscous) I don't care.
We're told Mom and Dad can't attend The Nutcracker together because of animosity (I guess) but they're perfectly okay with sitting together at Clara's talent show/showcase/recital thing at school a few months earlier.
Clara is also obsessed with being neat and orderly and keeps a bullet journal. But she only uses it for the front page where she keep her life check list. She uses it again toward the end of the story. Why even bother. Why not just have a post-it on her mirror. Stop telling she's organized. Or smart. SHOW ME.
The Talent Show goes from being a student arts showcase to a recital over the course of a few chapters.
The ski trip to Colorado (mentioned in chapter 13) ends up being in Alta, Utah (in chapter 27).
Clara says that trumpet players are shy like mice (she's never met a trumpet player in her life before)
Randomly in the middle of chapter 43 Dad's name (Dan) is randomly changed to Ethan.
In chapter 1 Clara can't read the map of the high school to find her orchestra class. But when she's in London she manages to memorize the entire tube map and knows exactly where they are going before they get there.
Let's Talk About CLARA (and how annoying she is for the entire book)
Clara is 14. I don't remember much about being 14, but I'm sure I was insufferable. Honestly. Most teens are idiots. Clara, however, wins the title of the most insufferable protagonist I've read in a long time.
Her entire personality is being mad her her step-mom. That at obsessed about Swoopy Hair Boy.
Any time her siblings do something good (one is a dancer and danced very well at a recital) Clara reacts angrily. Or passively, she dismisses her sister's dancing MULTIPLE times. She thinks the sister who reads all the time is boring. Yet she also resents them because they have a healthy relationship with step-mom. Clara doesn't want a relationship with step-mom and constantly berates her and snips at her for doing normal things.
Clara is jealous of her (supposed) BFF who got into the performing arts school (for acting) and doesn't want to talk to her. The only times BFF makes an appearance is to stir up drama for Clara. BFF gets no resolution. We never see Clara cheer her on. Or even appreciate her friendship.
Clara is obsessed with Swoopy Hair Boy (Tim). But only when she's not resenting him for wanting to use her to meet celebrities (THAT SHE NEVER MEETS IN THE ENTIRE BOOK). She mentally accuses him of using her. Of only wanting to get close to her dad (eww). But she still hopes to lose her virginity to him after speaking actual words to him on two occasions.
After the accident. Clara tells us she hates Swoopy but continues to lust after him. She imagines all these future scenarios where they're together. Then she's back to hating him and never wanting to see him again. This is never really resolved. They never talk about the accident. Clara never apologizes for her terrible attitude toward him. They end up in a relationship (I guess).
Clara is supposed to be a bit self-absorbed. But the problem is she admits she has a privilidged life. But instead of thinking about it, considerig it. She just moves on. She NEVER stops to actually think about what her famous parents lifestyle has done for her (or she does it in passing and still never really acknowledges it). It makes her come off as unlikeable and unrelateable. She can see others have proviledge but can't accept her own.
HOW COULD THIS STORY HAVE BEEN IMPROVED?
Start with Clara and her first orchestra rehearsal. Show us her love of music and how dedicated she is. Show her working hard to try to get earn a first chair position (this could have been done easily by having anyone challenge the player who sits in front of the. The one who plays better takes the better chair.). This would have given us a chance to get to know Clara and some of her fellow musicians. Give her a chance to bond with people at school instead of being a loser loner.
Have Tim try to strike up a few conversations. She can blow him off, thinking he's only interested in her adjacent fame. The more he presists the more she gives in until they've established some kind of 'friendship'. Then he can invite her to the ski trip.
Have a build up of a group of girls who don't like Clara (maybe they're jealous or just mean. I don't care). Then all the mean girl stuff doesn't come out of the blue. It can even be someone who is also friends with Tim and is jealous that he's paying attention to Clara.
Have Tim teach Clara how to play Scrabble (now they share a common interest). Maybe Clara isn't interested at first. Maybe she likes it because she's supposed to have a big vocabulary.
Show more scenes where Clara turns down hanging out with new friends to practice. Or turning down other invitations to practice. Right now her life is just empty. She has no friends and never has to decide between friends or viola. Give her some conflict. Give her 'friends' a reason to be a bit resentful because she's always picking viola over them. JUST GIVE CLARA SOME FRIENDS.
After the accident Clara can feel hopeless and alone. She's pushed her friends away. She can't practice. She doesn't know what to do. Instead of this fake conflict with Tim it can be a deeper conflict. She's pushed him away too. Etc.
I'd honestly cut the entire trip to London. It was pointless. It was stupid. It honestly served no purpose but to wrap up loose ends from the previous book.
As Clara spends more time healing she can try to patch things up with her friends. She can find a new hobby. She can spend more time with her siblings. Eventually her attitude can shift about step-mom and her family. She can find joy in familytime and sharing her siblings interests. She learns that life isn't about pushing yourself to extremes and that she needs balance.
Then she can go to the Scrabble tournament to APOLOGIZE to Tim, not complete against him. He can be resistant to her apology. Maybe even offended that she thought so poorly of him.
Then he can come to some orchestra thing she's in where she's just happy to play and not obsess over being perfect.
They can have their heart-to-heart and after their first date the kiss won't feel so squiky (since they've talked to each other over the course of the entire school year and actually know things about each other).
Anyway. There is a TON of potential here. But it never came togther in a satisfying way. I didn't enjoy Clara's way of telling the story (way too much description and never enough dialogue). The chapters felt choppy and jumped too much from chapter to chapter. All the characters were a bit too 'cardboard cut out' for me. And I didn't feel Clara grew enough for me by the end of the book.
Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
There will be mild spoilers throughout my review. They will NOT be tagged.
I don't even know where to start. Actually. That's not true. I'll start with the pacing and the quality of writing.
The pacing of this book is slow and tedious and boring. Clara never really does anything. Stuff just happens and she reacts to it. It's supposed to be a cute coming of age, but Clara starts the book being proviledged and naive and ends the book in the same place.
I actually want to address each paragraph from the synopsis, because it missells the book.
"You might think it's fun to grow up around Hollywood with semi-famous parents."
I wouldn't know since we spend little to no time around Hollywood. We're told that Dad is only a minor celebrity (in fact we're told multiple times that he's not even that famous) and Mom hardly makes an appearance in the story. Clare writes how everyone is obsessed with her because of her Dad but literally no one ever talks to her at school. She has no friends and she's probably considered the loser of the school.
"You'd be wrong, and Clara Cassidy would be the first to tell you so."
But Clare rarely tells us anything about living with an actor father. She tells he used to be popluar and he's stil acting and honestly aside from some general grumpiness at the start of the story, her 'anger' with her famous parents is literally never addressed (or even a thing).
"She's fourteen, figuring out life with three siblings and a new stepmom, and navigating her freshman year at a stupid high school where she doesn't even want to be. She was supposed to be at arts school by now."
Okay. But the three siblings have been her siblings the whole time. They're ot half-siblings or even step-siblings. So this is stupid. Also, her siblings hardly ever show up in the story except for Clara to tell us she hates them for one reason or another (one becuase she reads too much, another because she's a good dancer and the other because he's a little boy). The siblings are pretty much just filler at the dinner table and a reason for Clara to hate her step-mom for being a good step-mom to her siblings.
We spend next to no time at the school. Or in orchestra practice. Or really doing anything relevant at the school at all. We only meet the orchestra conductor in three scenes and two of those are just to set up Clara to prove him wrong and to be praised for proving him wrong (she wants to play in a talent show - teacher thinks the piece she picked in 'ambitious' - she plays it perfectly - teacher congratualtes her - we never see teacher or orchestra class again).
Art school. Good crap. This stupid art school. Apparently the only way to get to Julliard is to go to this stupid priviledged school in LA. I'm not even joking. Clara's entire LIFE will be ruined if she doesn't get in next year. (Yeah. I get it. She's 14. Everything is dramatic. Whatever.)
And the bulk of the problem with the synopsis:
"It's fine, though, totally fine: she's going to practice her viola extra hard and get into LACHSA next year. She's definitely 100 percent focused and not even slightly going to get distracted by Tim, the sophomore Scrabble champion with the swoopy hair and the chin dimple. Nope. Not her."
Clara does practice extra hard. To the point where she's harming herself. She is pretty focused. But Tim. Swoopy Hair Boy? He's in like 5 scenes. They've spoken to each other 2 times. Clara is convinced she's in love with him. Yeah. Love. Not a crush. Not a lust. LOVE. As in she wants to LOSE HER VIRGINITY TO HIM and bought lingere to do it, LOVE. (THIS IS AFTER TALKING TO HIM TWICE). All the while she is convinced he's only using her for her Hollywood connections. But that's okay. Because he's hot.
Tim shows up in MAYBE a dozen scenes total. They known pretty much nothing about each other. The few times Tim has tried to start a conversation with Clara she gets pissy and wishes he would shut up.
There is unnecessary (and unresolved) girl hate. A 'mean girl' shows up for I think maybe 3 total chapters. She and Tim flirt. Clara is jealous and glares at girl. Then she just poofs out of the story and we never see her again.
The most annoying part of the entire book is that Clara blames Swoopy Hair Boy for an accident and holds a grude for pretty much the entire second half of the book. She never accepts her role in the accident. She refuses to forgive him. Yet still thinks about kissing him. But she hates him. Because of an accident that he had a VERY small part in.
Clara of course gets her Happily Ever After - For Now.
Let's talk about all THE PLOT ERRORS
In chapter ten. We get all the boring background about how Clara LOVES words and was obsessed with spelling bees but she lost at the regionsal as missed nationals and still holds a grudge.
Cool story right? Some background about Clara and how she's so smart.
Well. YOU GET THE SAME STORY WORD FOR WORD in chapter 43.
Since we're on the topic of how much Clara LOVES words. She interally monologues about how she's smarter than everyone else and uses big words. But she never uses big words. When she finally uses a slightly obscure word (viscous) I don't care.
We're told Mom and Dad can't attend The Nutcracker together because of animosity (I guess) but they're perfectly okay with sitting together at Clara's talent show/showcase/recital thing at school a few months earlier.
Clara is also obsessed with being neat and orderly and keeps a bullet journal. But she only uses it for the front page where she keep her life check list. She uses it again toward the end of the story. Why even bother. Why not just have a post-it on her mirror. Stop telling she's organized. Or smart. SHOW ME.
The Talent Show goes from being a student arts showcase to a recital over the course of a few chapters.
The ski trip to Colorado (mentioned in chapter 13) ends up being in Alta, Utah (in chapter 27).
Clara says that trumpet players are shy like mice (she's never met a trumpet player in her life before)
Randomly in the middle of chapter 43 Dad's name (Dan) is randomly changed to Ethan.
In chapter 1 Clara can't read the map of the high school to find her orchestra class. But when she's in London she manages to memorize the entire tube map and knows exactly where they are going before they get there.
Let's Talk About CLARA (and how annoying she is for the entire book)
Clara is 14. I don't remember much about being 14, but I'm sure I was insufferable. Honestly. Most teens are idiots. Clara, however, wins the title of the most insufferable protagonist I've read in a long time.
Her entire personality is being mad her her step-mom. That at obsessed about Swoopy Hair Boy.
Any time her siblings do something good (one is a dancer and danced very well at a recital) Clara reacts angrily. Or passively, she dismisses her sister's dancing MULTIPLE times. She thinks the sister who reads all the time is boring. Yet she also resents them because they have a healthy relationship with step-mom. Clara doesn't want a relationship with step-mom and constantly berates her and snips at her for doing normal things.
Clara is jealous of her (supposed) BFF who got into the performing arts school (for acting) and doesn't want to talk to her. The only times BFF makes an appearance is to stir up drama for Clara. BFF gets no resolution. We never see Clara cheer her on. Or even appreciate her friendship.
Clara is obsessed with Swoopy Hair Boy (Tim). But only when she's not resenting him for wanting to use her to meet celebrities (THAT SHE NEVER MEETS IN THE ENTIRE BOOK). She mentally accuses him of using her. Of only wanting to get close to her dad (eww). But she still hopes to lose her virginity to him after speaking actual words to him on two occasions.
After the accident. Clara tells us she hates Swoopy but continues to lust after him. She imagines all these future scenarios where they're together. Then she's back to hating him and never wanting to see him again. This is never really resolved. They never talk about the accident. Clara never apologizes for her terrible attitude toward him. They end up in a relationship (I guess).
Clara is supposed to be a bit self-absorbed. But the problem is she admits she has a privilidged life. But instead of thinking about it, considerig it. She just moves on. She NEVER stops to actually think about what her famous parents lifestyle has done for her (or she does it in passing and still never really acknowledges it). It makes her come off as unlikeable and unrelateable. She can see others have proviledge but can't accept her own.
HOW COULD THIS STORY HAVE BEEN IMPROVED?
Start with Clara and her first orchestra rehearsal. Show us her love of music and how dedicated she is. Show her working hard to try to get earn a first chair position (this could have been done easily by having anyone challenge the player who sits in front of the. The one who plays better takes the better chair.). This would have given us a chance to get to know Clara and some of her fellow musicians. Give her a chance to bond with people at school instead of being a loser loner.
Have Tim try to strike up a few conversations. She can blow him off, thinking he's only interested in her adjacent fame. The more he presists the more she gives in until they've established some kind of 'friendship'. Then he can invite her to the ski trip.
Have a build up of a group of girls who don't like Clara (maybe they're jealous or just mean. I don't care). Then all the mean girl stuff doesn't come out of the blue. It can even be someone who is also friends with Tim and is jealous that he's paying attention to Clara.
Have Tim teach Clara how to play Scrabble (now they share a common interest). Maybe Clara isn't interested at first. Maybe she likes it because she's supposed to have a big vocabulary.
Show more scenes where Clara turns down hanging out with new friends to practice. Or turning down other invitations to practice. Right now her life is just empty. She has no friends and never has to decide between friends or viola. Give her some conflict. Give her 'friends' a reason to be a bit resentful because she's always picking viola over them. JUST GIVE CLARA SOME FRIENDS.
After the accident Clara can feel hopeless and alone. She's pushed her friends away. She can't practice. She doesn't know what to do. Instead of this fake conflict with Tim it can be a deeper conflict. She's pushed him away too. Etc.
I'd honestly cut the entire trip to London. It was pointless. It was stupid. It honestly served no purpose but to wrap up loose ends from the previous book.
As Clara spends more time healing she can try to patch things up with her friends. She can find a new hobby. She can spend more time with her siblings. Eventually her attitude can shift about step-mom and her family. She can find joy in familytime and sharing her siblings interests. She learns that life isn't about pushing yourself to extremes and that she needs balance.
Then she can go to the Scrabble tournament to APOLOGIZE to Tim, not complete against him. He can be resistant to her apology. Maybe even offended that she thought so poorly of him.
Then he can come to some orchestra thing she's in where she's just happy to play and not obsess over being perfect.
They can have their heart-to-heart and after their first date the kiss won't feel so squiky (since they've talked to each other over the course of the entire school year and actually know things about each other).
Anyway. There is a TON of potential here. But it never came togther in a satisfying way. I didn't enjoy Clara's way of telling the story (way too much description and never enough dialogue). The chapters felt choppy and jumped too much from chapter to chapter. All the characters were a bit too 'cardboard cut out' for me. And I didn't feel Clara grew enough for me by the end of the book.
September 26, 2021
Girl, Unstrung by Claire Handscombe is the perfect coming of age story featuring an adorable 14-year old viola player. This contemporary YA novel was refreshing for all the right reasons and steered away from the normal 'high school' drama in many other books. I thought each of the characters was well developed and I enjoyed that I was finally reading a book that showcases music! (I'm also a music major, so I was quite excited). I really enjoyed how our main character, Clara, was sometimes awkward and not as confident when conversing with others. It gave the book a bit of human touch, in which made me love it even more.
I received an arc for this novel from the lovely author for an honest review. My thoughts are my own, and I'm definitely recommending this to others!
I received an arc for this novel from the lovely author for an honest review. My thoughts are my own, and I'm definitely recommending this to others!
November 17, 2021
Girl, Unstrung is a book I would have loved even more when I was in high school and could relate better. However, I absolutely loved reading through what the author, Claire, had in store for us.
The character development and showing us how Clara evolves as a person is reminiscent of many coming of age stories. We were able to see Clara come into her own and grow in passion for other people and activities outside of playing the viola.
A few of my favorite pieces include the shortened chapters, the development of Clara outside of her comfort zone, and the relationships she betters as she grows. It’s so heartwarming and a genuinely sweet book.
I rated it four stars because while I’m not the intended audience, I couldn’t get over how much it made me recall being in a school orchestra and just other moments from ten plus years ago. It was a fun exercise in remembering those details.
The character development and showing us how Clara evolves as a person is reminiscent of many coming of age stories. We were able to see Clara come into her own and grow in passion for other people and activities outside of playing the viola.
A few of my favorite pieces include the shortened chapters, the development of Clara outside of her comfort zone, and the relationships she betters as she grows. It’s so heartwarming and a genuinely sweet book.
I rated it four stars because while I’m not the intended audience, I couldn’t get over how much it made me recall being in a school orchestra and just other moments from ten plus years ago. It was a fun exercise in remembering those details.
November 22, 2021
I really enjoyed Girl, Unstrung! I received a free advanced copy from the author, but this is an honest review.
I’m a violist, so seeing representation of my instrument in a YA book was great! I would’ve loved to have read this as a teen.
Overall, the book shared a lot of real world insight into the music world, especially the hardships young adults encounter as they try to create a career in classical music. I think it’s really important for budding musicians to be exposed to these realities, and I’m grateful the author brought this message across!
This book also deals with performance related injuries (among other medical events), which is a harsh reality for many violists in particular. Again, I think it’s great that the author included this in a book for teens!
For my full review (mostly spoiler-free), go to my blog at https://lifefromtheviolasection.com/g...
I’m a violist, so seeing representation of my instrument in a YA book was great! I would’ve loved to have read this as a teen.
Overall, the book shared a lot of real world insight into the music world, especially the hardships young adults encounter as they try to create a career in classical music. I think it’s really important for budding musicians to be exposed to these realities, and I’m grateful the author brought this message across!
This book also deals with performance related injuries (among other medical events), which is a harsh reality for many violists in particular. Again, I think it’s great that the author included this in a book for teens!
For my full review (mostly spoiler-free), go to my blog at https://lifefromtheviolasection.com/g...
October 29, 2021
What a great insight this is into the trials of tribulations of being a teenage girl.
It's cleverly written because I took me back to being a teenager. The situations were different but the way Clara overthinks and discusses this with her friends is very similar.
Its a great book with some giggle moments from reminiscing and some moments where I just want to hug her.
Clara goes through similar mental torture about her step mum as I did when I was younger. It's difficult to be a teenager and have all those changes to your life that were totally unexpected.
Fabulous book which I will be recommending.
It's cleverly written because I took me back to being a teenager. The situations were different but the way Clara overthinks and discusses this with her friends is very similar.
Its a great book with some giggle moments from reminiscing and some moments where I just want to hug her.
Clara goes through similar mental torture about her step mum as I did when I was younger. It's difficult to be a teenager and have all those changes to your life that were totally unexpected.
Fabulous book which I will be recommending.
November 20, 2021
I really, really wanted to like this one. I enjoy coming-of-age young adult stories, and that's what I thought this would be. At the heart of the story is Clara, a freshman who is in a school she doesn't want to be in. She has famous parents and a semi-famous stepmom. How do we know? Because she talks about it constantly. She does have the struggle of trying to figure out if a boy likes her for her parents or if he actually likes her. Above everything though is Clara's obsession with getting into a performing arts school playing viola so she can one day get into Julliard.
The story itself was great - something happens to Clara's hand that throws all of her dreams of playing viola in a performing arts school and Julliard away, and she has to rediscover herself. Meanwhile, she is struggling to accept her stepmother, who has secrets of her own.
The parts of the story that had me struggling were Clara's thoughts. You know the old saying of "show don't tell"? This applies here, because for the first 75% of the book we were told. Everything. Someone would say something, and we would then immediately be pulled out of the scene with a whole page of Clara's rambling thoughts and back story to whatever was happening. If the last thing said was a question, by the time we got to the second character answering it, I had already forgotten what the question was because of the amount of information told to you in between the 2 lines. This happened throughout the book, but got better towards the end. I started to skip those lines and when I read just the dialogue, it became a much better story to read.
I was provided a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.
The story itself was great - something happens to Clara's hand that throws all of her dreams of playing viola in a performing arts school and Julliard away, and she has to rediscover herself. Meanwhile, she is struggling to accept her stepmother, who has secrets of her own.
The parts of the story that had me struggling were Clara's thoughts. You know the old saying of "show don't tell"? This applies here, because for the first 75% of the book we were told. Everything. Someone would say something, and we would then immediately be pulled out of the scene with a whole page of Clara's rambling thoughts and back story to whatever was happening. If the last thing said was a question, by the time we got to the second character answering it, I had already forgotten what the question was because of the amount of information told to you in between the 2 lines. This happened throughout the book, but got better towards the end. I started to skip those lines and when I read just the dialogue, it became a much better story to read.
I was provided a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.
February 11, 2022
I am not the target audience for this YA novel but I really enjoyed it. Just a few of the things I liked:
1) As a UK/US(Cal) transplant myself I thought the author captured both the tone and language with a high degree of authenticity. This may seem a minor point but, when people miss on this, I really struggle to take the book seriously.
2) The pace is great - every chapter is short and you get a sense of movement. Despite this, there are multiple (I counted at least five!) sub-plots that wind and intertwine between each other meaning that while this book is ready to read it is rich in ideas and literary depth.
3) There was a lot more to this than a standard romantic YA novel - complex topics were covered well (substance abuse, displacement in complex family structures, etc) as well as the basic, core 'girl meets boy; boy is kinda cute; ...' plot line.
4) The characters were complex and non-obvious. The heroine is a heroine and you end up wanting her to win but there are times when she is hardly gracious in her behaviour and you see those faults - some visible to her, others not - through the book. Rather than put you off her, I found that this complexity meant I actually cared for her even more by the end. This same treatment is afforded to other key characters in the book - the father, the step-mother, the boy, etc.
5) There are lovely nuggets of detail that I always find a delight to uncover in a book like this. There's some wonderful writing about violas and what they are like, what viola players are like - technical, thoughtful, playful. Equally a beautifully described trip to Cambridge that sings with detail.
1) As a UK/US(Cal) transplant myself I thought the author captured both the tone and language with a high degree of authenticity. This may seem a minor point but, when people miss on this, I really struggle to take the book seriously.
2) The pace is great - every chapter is short and you get a sense of movement. Despite this, there are multiple (I counted at least five!) sub-plots that wind and intertwine between each other meaning that while this book is ready to read it is rich in ideas and literary depth.
3) There was a lot more to this than a standard romantic YA novel - complex topics were covered well (substance abuse, displacement in complex family structures, etc) as well as the basic, core 'girl meets boy; boy is kinda cute; ...' plot line.
4) The characters were complex and non-obvious. The heroine is a heroine and you end up wanting her to win but there are times when she is hardly gracious in her behaviour and you see those faults - some visible to her, others not - through the book. Rather than put you off her, I found that this complexity meant I actually cared for her even more by the end. This same treatment is afforded to other key characters in the book - the father, the step-mother, the boy, etc.
5) There are lovely nuggets of detail that I always find a delight to uncover in a book like this. There's some wonderful writing about violas and what they are like, what viola players are like - technical, thoughtful, playful. Equally a beautifully described trip to Cambridge that sings with detail.
November 20, 2021
3.75⭐
G for a young adult book that's good for all ages
Wow, if you're looking to relive your angsty moments of high school, look no further than this book. Clara just wants to play viola and manifest her future at Julliard, so she has no time for boys or interest in building her relationship with her step mom. Her future on a symphony orchestra in London or New York is more important.
Honestly, reading this book from Clara's point of view reminded me of this painful moments in high school where I was single-mindedly focused on something that in the end didn't even matter, but at the time, it felt like no one understood me. There were plenty of moments where I could not stand Clara and her choices but honestly, I don't think I'd be able to stand the fourteen-year-old version of myself either.
The character growth as Clara is forced to look at her life beyond the viola was excellent and made me so happy because it's the type of story arc I love in YA. There were a few plot points that were rushed, but I really enjoyed this book for all the high school feels. I would recommend this if you're looking an angsty teen book and was in band or orchestra in high school!
G for a young adult book that's good for all ages
Wow, if you're looking to relive your angsty moments of high school, look no further than this book. Clara just wants to play viola and manifest her future at Julliard, so she has no time for boys or interest in building her relationship with her step mom. Her future on a symphony orchestra in London or New York is more important.
Honestly, reading this book from Clara's point of view reminded me of this painful moments in high school where I was single-mindedly focused on something that in the end didn't even matter, but at the time, it felt like no one understood me. There were plenty of moments where I could not stand Clara and her choices but honestly, I don't think I'd be able to stand the fourteen-year-old version of myself either.
The character growth as Clara is forced to look at her life beyond the viola was excellent and made me so happy because it's the type of story arc I love in YA. There were a few plot points that were rushed, but I really enjoyed this book for all the high school feels. I would recommend this if you're looking an angsty teen book and was in band or orchestra in high school!
Read
December 25, 2021 Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an E-arc of Girl,Unstrung in exchange of an honest review.
I'm sorry I really wanted to like this book because I love music and usually enjoy books set around it but this was a miss for me. Some of the things that I didn't enjoy were there's a lot of internal monologue telling rather than showing. She has siblings who are only ever mentioned along with their hobby (one of the sister is always reading,one is always dancing and one is just a little boy) and we don't know about their any other personality trait. She has barely talked with the love interest, who as Clara calls is "swoopy hair Tim" yet she still wants him whilst also hating him because she thinks he's using her for her semi famous actor parents so that he can meet other celebrities. Clara also seemed too conceited and arrogant to me. She came across as someone who thought they're better than everyone and was super unlikable as a main character. However, I do think that this story had potential and I would've liked it if there was more character development and better storytelling.
I'm sorry I really wanted to like this book because I love music and usually enjoy books set around it but this was a miss for me. Some of the things that I didn't enjoy were there's a lot of internal monologue telling rather than showing. She has siblings who are only ever mentioned along with their hobby (one of the sister is always reading,one is always dancing and one is just a little boy) and we don't know about their any other personality trait. She has barely talked with the love interest, who as Clara calls is "swoopy hair Tim" yet she still wants him whilst also hating him because she thinks he's using her for her semi famous actor parents so that he can meet other celebrities. Clara also seemed too conceited and arrogant to me. She came across as someone who thought they're better than everyone and was super unlikable as a main character. However, I do think that this story had potential and I would've liked it if there was more character development and better storytelling.
January 23, 2022
This book was a nice departure from my usual murder-mystery and Victorian classics!
Clara's adolescent naivety about ambition, success, love, sex, and relationships is authentic and poignant and laugh-out-loud funny. She's complex and real and while she learns about herself and "real life" along the way, the book doesn't tie everything up in a tidy bow at the end or feel preachy or heavy handed.
It's a fun and fast read, suitable for middle-schoolers (our heroine is 14) but just as enjoyable for those of us who left school well in the last century.
Clara's adolescent naivety about ambition, success, love, sex, and relationships is authentic and poignant and laugh-out-loud funny. She's complex and real and while she learns about herself and "real life" along the way, the book doesn't tie everything up in a tidy bow at the end or feel preachy or heavy handed.
It's a fun and fast read, suitable for middle-schoolers (our heroine is 14) but just as enjoyable for those of us who left school well in the last century.
May 3, 2023
Girl, Unstrung was an okay book. The plot line wasn't amazing, not something that I would normally pick up. The fact that Clara is an avid violist made it WAY better. Not a lot of romance, but a bunch of "ooh, he's cute". Would recommend to (some) orchestra members, but only because of the prominence of the viola in the book.
November 30, 2021
I was given an eARC from NetGalley for an honest review.
Overall, I thought this book was cute. It not only dealt with music and having your first crush, but it also dealt with how to adapt to a new family situation. I really enjoyed reading this.
Overall, I thought this book was cute. It not only dealt with music and having your first crush, but it also dealt with how to adapt to a new family situation. I really enjoyed reading this.
December 31, 2021
A sweetly engaging coming-of-age story set in the world of music, Girl, Unstrung follows 14-year-old Clara on her quest to enter a highly competitive high-school music academy. Handscombe's prose is smooth and accessible, making this a quick read that's sure to appeal to YA and middle-grade readers (and is also a time capsule for adult readers who want to recapture those young-teen feelings of first love!)
February 24, 2022
I was captivated by this story. I didn't feel like I was reading, but that rather I was watching or living through the story.
December 29, 2021
A really lovely story about a driven teen violist who doesn't get into the high school of her choice and has to navigate a potentially changing dream, all while dealing with her parents' divorce and remarriage and her own potential romance. I liked that Clara was angry and stubborn and appreciated the ways she took up new interests and mellowed out throughout the book. My curiosity was also piqued by her father's backstory - I wanted to pick up the related "Unscripted" right away to get all the details.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews