I wish I had read this not knowing it was by the author of A HEART IN A BODY because that coloured my whole experience, and I thought the big reveal was going to be a lot more emotionally hard hitting than it was. It almost felt anticlimactic given all the buildup, in that it was revealed and then over so quickly.

The constant harassment though, oof. So much hit home. ( )

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

While spending a summer with her famous mother and her criminal boyfriend, Sydney Reilly, age fifteen, finds love with Nicco but her premonition of something bad coming proves dreadfully accurate. ( )

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

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

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

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

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

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