Unscripted by Claire Handscombe – Book Review

I just finished reading Unscripted by Claire Handscombe, and I absolutely loved it! This was her first novel, published in 2019. I recently read and reviewed her second book, Girl, Unstrung, and I’m so excited to share my thoughts on her first novel with you. It was a joy to read!

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Plot Overview

Nobody is a bigger fan of actor Thomas Cassidy than Libby. Nobody. That’s why she’s totally going to marry him.

She’s going to write a novel, name the main character after Thom, and find a way to get it to him. Intrigued and flattered, he will read it, fall in love with her prose, and ask to turn it into a movie. She will pretend to think about it, then say, ‘Sure, but can I work on it with you?’ Their eyes will meet over the script… and fade to black.

But with four interwoven lives in play, can anything be that simple?

–Unscripted by Claire Handscombe, back cover blurb

Dealing with an Unrealistic Plot

A lot of the plot points in Unscripted are pretty unrealistic (though, you never know… stranger things have happened over the last two years), but Claire Handscombe wrote everything in a way that felt very realistic.

The characters all have real reactions to the unrealistic happenings, and I loved that. It helped me feel like the characters in the world of the book were real.

Some authors excel at this (like Claire did!) and others, I think, don’t. I tried to read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, but to me, it felt like Claire (the main character) acted very nonchalantly to the unrealistic events that take place. For me, that was a huge reason why I couldn’t really get into the Outlander book/series.

Unscripted does this well, because everyone is taken aback by the circumstances and the craziness isn’t lost on them. It was a natural, fangirly kind of reaction, which I can relate to very well!

The Characters

The characters were all so well written, and even the most background of characters had intricate backstories. I loved getting to know each and every character, and I really enjoyed the main character’s friend group.

Libby

Libby is the main character, a 20-something English teacher who has a huge celebrity crush. She was super relatable and multi-dimensional. Sometimes I didn’t like her, but it was in a very well-written way.

I loved how her “plan” evolved over time based on the actions of other characters and events in the book. It felt similar to the way I think, and it reminded me of Clara’s character development in Girl, Unstrung. Clara was just a lot more immature, as a 15 year old would be.

Libby’s Friends

The friends felt like a real, living, breathing group of friends with different lives, personalities, and feelings. They kind of reminded me of the friends in Julie & Julia by Julie Powell. Those characters also had fun backstories!

Thomas Cassidy

Thomas Cassidy, the famous actor, was a great character. I pictured him as Cary Elwes, because he just has a kind, smiley face, and seems like he’d have a similar easy-going personality like Thom.

My best friend and I actually saw Cary Elwes on his book tour in 2015! She blew him a kiss, and he winked at her! 🙂 It was so fun. An event in Unscripted really reminded me of this evening with my friend, who used to really love him!

Dan

Dan is Libby’s best friend, and I really enjoyed reading from his perspective! His memories of their time at Cambridge were probably some of my very favorite moments in the book.

How Does it Tie in with Girl, Unstrung?

Unscripted came first, and it takes place first. The main character is Libby, who’s obsessed with Thom Cassidy.

Girl, Unstrung is Claire Handscombe’s most recent novel, and takes place a couple years later. This novel’s main character is Clara, Thom’s oldest daughter.

I think I really did myself and the author a disservice by reading Girl, Unstrung before Unscripted. Unscripted is somewhat a sequel and somewhat a standalone, so the first time I read it, I felt like I was missing a couple pieces of information that might’ve been assumed.

If I’d read Unscripted first, I’d have had a much more thorough exposition for all the characters before reading Girl, Unstrung.

Unscripted is adult fiction, and Girl, Unstrung is young adult fiction. I think both novels are well written, and if you like getting to know characters and are an adult, don’t let the young adult label scare you off! Sure, the maturity level of the main character is lower, but it’s a great story, and you’ll get extra resolution and closure for the adult characters from Unscripted.

If you’d like to learn more about Girl, Unstrung, read my review!

My One Complaint

I want more!

The end of the climax into the resolution is almost always my favorite part of any book or movie. The ending of Unscripted, while perfect, happened so soon. I always want to sit in the resolution for like 100 more pages, but that’s probably not what the publishing industry likes…

Either way, I want more Dan and Libby and Thom and Ebba content!

Final Thoughts

Overall, I loved reading Unscripted by Claire Handscombe. I was immediately sucked into the story and I loved the characters right away. It took me four sittings to read the entire book, which for me, is pretty good!

I wish I could read it for the first time again. It was so fun! Just a fun, easy-going read, perfect for a trip or a relaxing weekend.

I so highly recommended Unscripted and Girl, Unstrung, and I hope more people read them and start talking about Claire Handscombe–she’s a fantastic writer! She shares great bookish content on her Instagram, @claireandherbooks.

Where to Purchase Unscripted and Girl, Unstrung

Unscripted by Claire Handscombe can be purchased in paperback form from East City Bookshop (and it comes signed!). Right now, it’s only $1.99 on Apple Books and Kindle, if you prefer reading on a screen. Here are all purchasing options for Unscripted.

Girl, Unstrung by Claire Handscombe can be purchased from East City Bookshop (and it, too, comes signed!) or on Apple Books/Kindle. And here are the rest of your purchasing options!