It's funny that "The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer" involves illusions, because I felt like I was caught in my own hypnotic trance while reading it. All I could think while reading was, "Wow this is great. WOW I'm in love." It wasn't until I finished that I realized one or two things that annoyed me. Then one or two things became a couple things, and a couple things became quite a few things. Don't get me wrong, the book still gets four stars for being a fun and consuming read, but it's definitely far from perfect. If I could, I'd probably give it 3.5 stars. 
 So the basic gist, Mara Dyer is a teenage girl who survived a terrible accident that killed her best friend and boyfriend. She begins to have some PTSD-like breakdowns while strange and awful things continue to happen to her. Piece by piece Mara begins to uncover her involvement with the accident that killed her friends, all the while falling in love with notorious school bad-boy Noah Shaw. 
 Pros: The biggest strength of the novel comes down to one word: entertainment. The hefty 456 pages go by in a flash; I myself finished it the same day I started. Bonus: the storyline is for the most part very unique. Mara's delusions make her an unreliable narrator, so you feel just as confused and crazy as she does. Believe me, this is a pro. You never truly know what dark turn the story will take next. 
 Secondly, there's Noah Shaw. Even better than Noah Shaw is his adorable relationship with Mara. While both the character and the relationship are far from being free of book sins (as I'll discuss later on), there's no denying that both are just too damn loveable. Like, hello, you had me at loose tie, messy hair, scruffy jaw, and English accent. 
 Cliche-haters beware: Mara and Noah's relationship DOES start out as a typical "girl-hates-cocky-boy, girl-and-boy-banter" scenario, but damn is it delivered well. Mara and Noah's comebacks are witty and hilarious, and it's evident the entire time that they are actually flirting. 
 Another refreshing aspect was Mara's family complete with a mom AND a dad AND not one, but TWO brothers. Noah forms a bond with Mara's family, which is both heartwarming and hilarious, especially when Noah and Mara's older brother, Daniel, gang up on her with cute surprises and teases. 
 Cons: Despite the plot's uniqueness, the most annoying part of the book was its cliche characters. First: Noah. Yeah, I know, I just went on about how much I love him, and I do, but we can't go without discussing this whole "Noah is a secret rich boy with family issues and a dark past and his cocky attitude is just a facade to cover all of it up" cliche. I actually groaned when Noah pulled up to the front of his house (*cough* mansion). OF COURSE he's super rich. OF COURSE he rejects this wealth as an act of rebellion and a reflection on his character. 
 Also, we have to discuss Mara's new best friend, Jamie. I love him, but he is really just the messy result of an author who threw every minority group in a blender and hit "go." Jamie even says it himself: 
 "But none of this matters, because you're not going to listen to your token black Jewish bi friend, are you?" 
 Nothing gives me more secondhand embarrassment than when an author tries to validate poor characterization by pointing it out to the reader as if to say, "Ha, GOTCHA! I totally know it's poor characterization, too, so therefore it isn't." Ugh. No. 
 Switching gears a little, it really irked me how Mara exemplified the "unlike other girls" complex. We (the readers) are asked to believe that every girl in Mara's new school aside from Mara is a robotic, self-absorbed bitch with a crush on Noah. At one point in the middle of their bantering, Noah flat out tells Mara that she's not like the other girls, and that draws him to her. I hatehateHATE this "girls-hating-girls" concept. When Mara is seen together with Noah at school, she is actually SHOVED and given DIRTY STARES by other female students solely because they are jealous. You're telling me the entire female student body acts like this? I'm just not buying it. 
 Also, it's not really a con, but it's important to mention that romance takes up a greater portion of this book than you might think. Pretty much the first 50% of it is focused on building up Mara and Noah's relationship. 
 I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next installment, "The Evolution of Mara Dyer." But as a last comment, I don't really see how this series is classified as paranormal... it's more like a trippy romance. If you love a good romance, a fast read, and some heart pounding moments, you will be satisfied.