Unfriended

By: Rachel Vail

Narrated by: Corey Allen, Ramón de Ocampo, Nora Hunter, Cassandra Morris

In middle school, nothing is more important than friendship.

When Truly is invited to sit at the Popular Table with the group she has dreamed of joining, she can hardly believe her luck. Everyone seems so nice, so kind to one another. But all is not as it seems with her new friends, and soon she’s caught in a maelstrom of lies, misunderstandings, accusations, and counter-accusations, all happening very publicly in the relentless, hyperconnected social media world from which there is no escape.

Six eighth-graders, four girls and two boys, struggle to understand and process their fractured glimpses into one another’s lives as they find new ways to disconnect, but also to connect, in Rachel Vail’s richest and most searching book.

Critic reviews

Praise for Unfriended:

"Hearkens back to Vail’s wonderful The Friendship Ring series in its opportunity to see how various characters delight, suffer, and rationalize, complicating the portrayals. . . Clear and compelling. . . This will be an irresistible starter to a discussion of ethics and values, and readers will appreciate both the cautionary tale and the message of survival’s possibility." —BCCB, starred review

"With keen insight, Vail reveals the internal struggles with uncertainty and self-doubt that can plague young teens regardless of popularity status. . . With a resolution that is both realistic and hopeful, Vail captures the complexity of middle school social challenges, insightfully addressing the issues of friendships and integrity." —Publishers Weekly

"Vail has a great ear for dialogue, and her characters. . . are well differentiated and realistic." —VOYA

"A realistic portrayal of middle school life. Truly is depicted as a complex young adult, not a single-minded social climber. . . [and] the other characters are multidimensional; they have struggles and worries, and are not the flat, stereotypical popular kids that are sometimes portrayed in YA novels. . . A solid choice that will ignite meaningful discussion." —School Library Journal

"Vail brings her sharp observations and wry humor to the world of eighth-grade friendships." —Horn Book

"Mean girls, misunderstood girls, awkward boys, friendship, popularity, social misfits, all play into this book that epitomizes the roller coaster that is middle school." —LMC

Praise for Rachel Vail:

"Wonder is wonderful! It's got energy, humor and heart." —Judy Blume, for Wonder

“The writing is sharp, unpredictably clever” —Avi, Newbery Medalist, for Justin Case: School, Drool, and other Daily Disasters

“Vail again demonstrates a penetrating insight into the concerns of young teen girls … Readers will absorb this in one fell swoop.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review, for Lucky

“Vail proves that first love is anything but simple and sweet. Her razor-sharp wit will keep readers turning pages.” —Publishers Weekly, for If We Kiss

I fell in love with this book

It was sort of boring at first, but in around chapter 30 things really started to heat up, and I fell in love with Unfriended. My favorite thing about this book is that I know that a lot of people can relate to this story, I know I can.

Excellent Presentation

I did not want to read this book because of the subject matter. I hate cyber bullying and expected this to be painful, (I was required to "read" this), so I figured Audible could help me out. The multiple voice narration was excellent and made an otherwise painful topic doable for me. Having the story told from six points of view, including the bully's, was well done. I would recommend this for any teen dealing with bullying and any parent who would like to understand this a little better. I ended up liking the story more than expected, and the ending, in which some of these middle school characters showed surprising maturity, made the story more worthwhile.

I ❤️ This Book

I love this book. I'm in middle school and I love realistic fiction. If you love books with middle school or high school like topics and realistic fiction listen to this audiobook... (I love books like this, try the sample.)👁❤️this📖

AMAZING

LOVE IT

this is Realateable and true the story line was amazing and I just wish she would make this a series I would buy them ALL

Perfect read for your middle school student

I think this story line touches so many aspects of the middle school student. It gives several student’s personal perspective on the same topic and outlines how social media can impact us all.