I’M NOT CRYING. YOU’RE CRYING.
The Memory Book was so very good basically. It nearly made me sniffle. I actually had A TEAR INSIDE ME (and this is the Vulcan who cries at nothing) over the complex and emotional characters and the incredibly beautiful writing. Applause from me!
I will have a Pros & Cons list, though, because that’s who I am, Bob. But before get to that: YES this is an “illness book”. It’s about Niemann-Pick Type C which is an illness that affects your memory and gradually shuts down your body. It presents like dementia plus your body is failing. (Some of the symptoms include: slurred speech, enlarged organs, epilepsy, psychosis, depression, mutism, delusions, loss of muscle tone, etc.) But while this is a sad book it wasn’t depressing the whole time. A lot of the story is about Sammie’s life, friends, her love of chocolate milk, falling in love, books, and life as a super smart nerdy geek.
- SAMMIE WAS FANTASTICALLY RELATABLE AND NERDY.
I definitely adored her! She’s written this “journal” to herself, so it’s letter/journal style and she’s has dry epic self-depreciating wit which I adore. And — oh pfft, let’s just have a LIST WITHIN A LIST of reasons I love her.- Sammie goes to a party and…READS A BOOK.
- She cares more about Middle Earth than actual earth sometimes.
- She is a huge nerd and likes complicated things and is top of her class in school.
- She’s accused of being very intense/serious.
- She sometimes fails at social cues, what a precious cucumber. <3
- She can drink a gallon of chocolate milk in one sitting (while reading a book preferably).
I picked up a book called Anagrams and started to read. I felt someone’s eyes on me and looked up. Stuart. I held up the book like someone would hold up a glass. Cheers. Parties, right? Ha-ha. It’s that I don’t know what to do or say it’s just that I’ve been to so many parties that I’m tired of them and would rather read this book ha-ha so don’t worry about me I’ll just be here.
- GLORIOUS EMPHASIS ON FAMILY.
Sammie has THE BEST family! She has two parents who are freaking awesome and loving and supportive and three younger siblings who are adorable and she’s SO NICE TO THEM. I love family books, oh gosh.
“I don’t know, Mom. Now that I’m about to graduate, I plan on being more spontaneous.”
Mom opened her eyes and burst out laughing.
I said, “Got spontaneity on the calendar for next Tuesday.”
- THE ROMANCE IS KINDA ADORABLE.
Although, full disclaimer: the romance is also on the cons list. BUT WE’LL GET TO THAT. At the beginning of the book Sammie has a mega-crush on Stuart. It’s ridiculously adorable how their relationship develops. Slow burn. They go out for iced-coffee. At first he just kisses her on the cheek while they get to know each other. They talk about nerdy things! Stuart is a WRITER. STUART IS FABULOUS. So initially = toot toot I am all aboard this ship.
- THERE IS FRIENDSHIP.
Although I admit, I didn’t like Sammie’s BFF, Maddie, who was seriously self-centred and just arghgh. But I loved Sammie’s initial friendship with Cooper (WHO IS A DORKY ADORABLE NERD). And even though Sammie was super bad at socialising and friendship…she didn’t sneer at others. #yay She didn’t act like a Special Snowflake Too Smart For This World AND THAT WAS JUST GOOD.
THE WRITING WAS DOWNRIGHT BLISS.
You know that feeling when you pick up a book and you just think, “Okay this is super well written. I am going to like this.” BECAUSE I HAD THAT FEELING. The characters all leapt off the page and Sammie was so real and just — okay, epic fangirling flails over the writing.
- THERE IS…UM…A LOVE TRIANGLE.
I don’t like to give blanket statements like “I hate love triangles” because truth is: they CAN be well written. And this is a well-written triangle. Because both boys are complex and developed (and adorable dangit). But it still doesn’t make entire sense to me why it was there. And I always get disappointed that boys/girls are rarely in books as JUST FRIENDS. Like…why not??? Also I have to vent a little so SPOILERS BELOW. Don’t click the tag unless you want to be RUINED for the romance outcome:
But Cooper is the childhood-friend who’s kind of “back”…but he only really showed up when she got sick. #suspicious I feel like both boys romanticised Sammie’s illness. I mean, Sammie was awesome, but she’d NEVER had a boyfriend before she got sick and now she has two???? Also just the fact that she was falling in love with Cooper but didn’t break up with Stuart until he caught them together…I just…ugh. Being ill is NO EXCUSE to be cruel to other people.
- I WISH IT’D GONE INTO MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE ILLNESS.
I’d never even heard of Niemann-Pick Type C until I read this! And while the book DID talk about it, it was actually focused on Sammie’s memories of things. She recorded a lot of the good stuff, not so much the bad. Which made the book easier to read, I think. But…I can’t help wishing I’d known more about the darker side. Plus she didn’t talk about her decline in health, so when it came, it was REALLY fast.
I definitely say The Memory Book is AMAZING.
Incredible writing and complex characters are my weakness. PLUS THE FEELS. PLUS SAMMIE’S RELATABLE AWESOME. I felt completely swallowed by the story and it was a delight * having my heart stomped on by this book.
* Did I say delight? I’m 100000% lying. I AM NOT OKAY.
THANK YOU TO HACHETTE AUSTRALIA FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. The Memory Book by Lara Avery is published July 2016.
Samantha McCoy has it all mapped out. First she’s going to win the national debating championship, then she’s going to move to New York and become a human rights lawyer.
But when Sam discovers that a rare disease is going to take away her memory, the future she’d planned so perfectly is derailed before its started.
Realising that her life won’t wait to be lived, Sam sets out on a summer of firsts.
The first party.
The first rebellion.
The first friendship.
The last love.
Sammie sounds like an awesome and relatable character. 😀 And I haven’t read too many books with parents who are actually active in their children’s lives, so I am very tempted to pick this one up. (Goodness Cait, I swear 90% of books you recommend end up on my TBR list. I can’t read fast enough to get through them all! XD But seriously, we seem to have similar taste in reading, so I love hearing about new books from you.)
I think love triangles CAN be well-written, and I don’t mind them that much unless the entire plot revolves around the heroine trying to decide who she likes. 🙂
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I so SO love books with epic fictional families!! I should start making a Goodreads shelf for them because I’ve come across a ton this year! AND IT HAS BEEN GRAND. And I’m also deviously pleased you like my recommendations. #winning 😂 But omg if we have really similar taste you must tell me your top favourite books sometime!! WE CAN SWAP RECOMMENDATIONS YAY.
Hi! 🙂
OMG! 🙂 That sounds like a book that will be good for me!!! I actually did that one time, I went to a club with my co-employees, and since I don’t drink, smoke or party hard for that matter, I pulled out a book and started reading. 😀 LOL!
Thanks for an awesome recommendation, Cait! 🙂
YOU ARE A HERO AMONG BOOKNERDS OBVIOUSLY. :’) I basically take a book everywhere and would totally read it at a party…if I went to one. Which I do not. Because it’s comfier to read at home.😂
A TEAR, YOU TELL ME? *gasps* A WRITER AND READER FOR MAIN CHARACTERS? I am already brandishing out my Book Binoculars. (Yes they are I thing, they spot YA books from faraway book stores for you 😊)
As for love triangles, I don’t mind them at all IF both of the guys/girls in the triangle are likeable. Most times though I am biased and lean more towards one character than the other. *coughs* James Carstairs *coughs*
Also more often than not, the guys I like in love triangles are the less liked??!??!? Like Mal from Shadow and Bone, Jem from The Infernal Devices, and despite me not liking TOG, CHAOL for life even though my friends all say Dorian is the better one for Celaena 😜
Oh and Gale from THG. One must never forget Gale 😂
YES A WHOLE TEAR, OMG, I’M BREAKING APART. I’M BECOMING A HUMAN. And also I like the sound of these Book Binoculars…I need some.
And ahahahahh YES. Cassandra Clare writes a GLORIOUS triangle. :’) I love all her triangles honestly, omg (and like how does one even choose sometimes?! I’m not sure if you’ve read Lady Midnight but: TORTURE <3 And I love it) and I agree Jem is the best pick in TID. 😂 So I'm with you there! But omg CHAOL FOREVER. Although I'll let you keep Gale because there is only Peeta for me. <333
Ah this sounds like a book I might very well enjoy. I might have to put this on my GR and pick it up sometime when I get around to it. I need to read more contemporary and I /did/ post a discussion about more parents in YA so I DEFINITELY am here for the family dynamic. Great review, Cait. I always love reading your thoughts haha!
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Omg YES to needing more epic parents in YA!! FOR SURE. I’ve actually read several epic-parents-in-books this year and I should’ve made a list of them for a post sometime.😂 Literature families are awesome. :’)
I think I started reading other books on illnesses after the curious incident something something ( it was about asperger syndrome wait…. does it count as illness?) mental illnesses fascinate me!!!!!! I luuuurve the books about them. *that didn’t come out right* it’s a welcome change from cancer fluff and feels. this book want to read but dffgdhdhdh the teen fluff I see. I like the disease but I may be a bit turned off by the love triangle ( dear mother of cheeses whhhhhy????!) ahem. I am no person for cruel love triangles. maybe the one where the person can’t choose or something. sick of the best friend / crush thingy thing. HOWEVER I am open minded to carefully thought out love triangles ( like maybe she loses both if them! mwahahaha!) this is probably the longest comment I’ve ever written. otherwise googling the illness. sounds interesting.
Ah, no, actually. Aspergers is definitely not a mental illness, it’s a disability. There’s nothing to cure about Autism — it’s just a different thinking process. (I’m kind of passionate about this topic!)
But agh, YES, love triangles just….I mean, there are definitely some I like!! I just didn’t understand the reasoning behind this one a lot. *cries* It would’ve been sooooo much better without it.
Aww, thank you for commenting though! I LOVED READING THIS.
It’s good that you enjoyed this so much. 🙂
Personally, not a fan of illness/dying young books…but it can depend on how it’s written. Sounds like you found a winner!
Agreed! I’ve read a few illness books that were torturous to get through, but this was definitely an excellent read!!
Ugh, Cait, how dare you recommend another fabulous book. My TBR is already dangerously high already. ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME, CAIT? ARE YOU? *eyes you suspiciously* That’s what I thought.
I need this book so much. I haven’t even heard of this illness before, so now I want to research all the things. But the love triangle will probably irk me. I wish those weren’t so much a thing. I think they sometimes work, but only if they’re written well and only if they absolutely belong there. *shakes head*
HERE, HAVE A THOUSAND POUNDS OF CAKE AND SPRINKLES TO MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER.
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YES I AM TRYING TO DROWN YOU IN BOOKS. YOU GOT ME. THAT’S MY #1 PLAN HERE.
But omg I’m the same with illnesses and things I haven’t heard of before. And I think it’s awesome that people are writing about these kind of obscure illness too, because we get to learnnnnnn things.
*eats all the cake* I’M SURE THIS WILL FIX EVERYTHING. SOMEONE FEED THIS BOOK CAKE.
Hey Cait,
I hope you’re well! This review was awesome. I’ve literally just requested a copy from Hachette after reading your review. I’m all excited now and also let’s be real, the cover is super cool. It’s been too long since I’ve visited and left a comment on your lovely blog but it really is lovely. It’s all so pretty and ur content is fab. Sorry I’m fangirling now. Anyway, great review!
AHHHH I HOPE YOU GET APPROVED AND THEY SEND IT TO YOU!! *shrieks* It’s so very good and just…ajfdksald I’m such a contemporary snob, generally, but this was AMAZING.
Aww, thank you for visiting, Sunny! I APPRECIATE THE COMMENT SO SO MUCH. <3
I rarely read books about ilnesses. I think it’s becuase I didn’t like TFIOS.
Love triangles are okay if they’re resolved quickly and they don’t take over the entire plot.
I REALLY WANT TO READ THE MEMORY BOOK!!!
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Ah, I understand that! Not ever genre is for everyone, so that’s fair. 😉 And omg YES! I prefer when triangles are resolved quickly! I don’t think this one takes over the plot though, thank goodness.
This book sounds 100% fabulous (except for the love triangle) I really liked your review 🙂 I’ve never heard of this disease before, but it seems realy interesting–and a great premise for a story, obvs! I do like books with illness–I think illnesses of one kind or another affect everyone at some point, so they’re a good thing to write about. I think that love triangles can and have been well done, and that they can be a really good symbolism for a big choice–like in the Hunger Games. But they can also be very angsty and detract from the main purpose/plot of the book.
IT IS SO INTERESTING. and also it made me go research about the disease so that was interesting too. And I think it’s great that authors are representing more obscure illnesses like these and everything nowadays. I LEARN SO MUCH. And it’s heartbreaking.💔 I really felt for Sammie!!
Your pictures are so beautiful here! I love your review, now I’m intrigued and have put this book onto my wish list. Gahhh.
AHHH THANKYOU, CLARA. *shrieks happily* IT IS WORTH IT. IT IS JUST SO GOOD.
Hey Cait 😉
I´m not into book about diseases, cause they are soooo sad most of the times and my heart isn´t made for that. Actually, I really NEED a HEA!!!
But yeah, Fault in our Stars is sitting around here, looking at me and well, maybe I might read it. Though I never wanted to. Because I realised that I like the writing style (I was cleaning up, the book fell down (OMG!) and so it was open, I read the first page… and yes ^^). Maybe. I don´t know yet. Depends on my mood, my nerves and my heart 😀
And love triangles… not my thing, because I hate that in books it is portrayed as if friendship between genders is not possible. And in real life not many girls are wanted and loved by two incredibly amazing, good looking and all-around-sexy boys. Nah. Doesn´t happen. And then, she most of the times chooses the better looking, dangerous one and lets her old best friend sit alone. That´s sooooo sad! And unfair. Cause I mean, he was there always until the new boy arrived…
Mary <3
I get that!! These illness/disease types of books are SO HARD TO HANDLE SOMETIMES. *melts into a puddle of tears* The feels are so heart-stabbing, but altogether the story was GOLDEN. And TFIOS = 💔💔 I loved it though. I’m a sucker for painful books apparently.
Eeep, love triangles can be done well…but mostly I find they’re underdeveloped. 🙈🙊 I thought this one was well developed but I didn’t understand Sammie’s motives for choosing. SO YEAH. AWKWARD FOR ME.😂
If it made you sniffle it must be worth a read 🙂
EXACTLY. It’s like a miracle book to make me shed one single tear.😂
Love triangles?
AH. Yessssssssssssssss. Let’s talk about love triangles.
Well, in theory, I don’t mind having a story where there’s a girl and she has two guys who both like her, and she has to make a decision and choose between them. Because that IS something people have to deal with in real life, and if it’s handled well, it can add depth to the story and even be a vehicle for character growth (ie, girl finding out more about herself and what she wants.)
HOWEVAH. In practice, I often find love triangles to be SUPER ANNOYING because they aren’t about a girl who’s seriously trying to make a good decision; they’re just about a girl who has NO idea what she wants and is just waffling back and forth between two different guys, based on which one was with her last, or which one is “hotter.” Ummmmmmmmmmm . . . HOW ABOUT NO.
You see, I think that *this* kind of love triangle is basically just an excuse for perpetuating the stereotype that girls are silly, emotional creatures who can’t figure out what they really want. And I Do Not Like That. Because it’s not true. *frowns darkly*
But at the same time, I can’t say that ALL love triangles are bad, because they aren’t. Hey, I even have a love triangle of sorts in my historical-fiction-Holocaust-novel; there are two different guys who both like the heroine, so she basically sits down and tries to seriously figure out her feelings towards each one. And once she figures it out, she moves on. Like a sensible person 🙂
I COULD NOT AGREE MORE. And I hate when it’s the girl waffling around between two guys and it’s like THE WORLD IS ALSO BURNING so love life shouldn’t even be the priority. omg!! Ahem. And also I feel like it’s not strictly…right?? to have “equal feelings” for two people. If that’s true, then maybe the girl doesn’t love either enough?? But YEAH. That all saying, I think it an still be done well!!😂 SOMETIMES. (Rarely…bahaha.)
I don’t think this book said that Sammie was silly/emotional though. I don’t know what was going on, because the triangle only came in at the end and she was pretty sick by that time. 😐
YOU MAKE THIS SOUND SO GOOD. I love gorgeous writing so much and will usually stand a few other things being sacrificed for it, but sounds like there aren’t any to be made with this book. And THAT COVER is great, your photos make it pop so much!
As for love triangles, I usually have a lot of trouble calling any good ones to mind. But then I remember the Grisha trilogy (and maybe THG). I actually wrote a post about it once, and I think it was very well-done, mostly because it serves a purpose in revealing dualing parts of Alina’s self/will, and I don’t think that that could have been done quite so well any other way. And, well, THE DARKLING. But also, the two guys are never really presented as being on equal footing love-wise, so I think that makes a difference.
AH I AM GLAD.😂 I like it when my reviews are convincing mwahhaha. Ahem. The colours in the cover made the photoshoot SO EASY THOUGH OMG. It was just super aesthetically pleasing. <3
Bahah, I'm glad you did like the triangle in the Grisha books!! That's one of the ones where I'm annoyed with who she ended up with, but I think I'm a minority. 😉
Haha no, I’m with you on that, I was disappointed with who she ended up with too. Even if I understand Leigh’s reasoning.
Nope nope and nope. I have heard too many times about the waterworks that happen with this book, and my fragile heart can’t take it! I just don’t think I’m ever going to be able to read this book. Can’t do it. You can’t make me. Nope nope nope. *puts fingers in ears starts singing and walks away*
*runs after you tossing the book at you* BUT ALIIIIIIIIII IT’S SO SO GOOOOOOOD. ARE YOU SUREEEEEEE YOU DON’T WANT IT?
I SO WANT TO READ THIS BOOK! It sounds incredible! Aaah, I need it in my life! I am so intrigued by this story,a nd the illness. It makes me think of 50 First Dates. But it’s not out in paperback until next year 🙁 At least not over here 🙁 Boooo. And I’d rather a physical book than a ebook. Oh well, I shall have to wait, But fantastic review, Cait! 🙂
I forgot to talk about love triangles. I actually don’t mind them in general. I think there was a time when they were overdone, and it got a bit boring, but I do enjoy wondering who will end up together, and choosing a side! It can make it even more exciting. 🙂
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YOU MUST TRY IT, JO!! IT IS SO GOOD!! And this is like a once-in-a-blue-moon thing for me to be loving a contemporary, right?!? bahah.😂 And I think love triangles can be done well…but I think I’ve been burnt with too many subpar ones? Which sucks. Bleh.
Yeah, I really did enjoy The Memory Book. I adored the style it was written in because it truly did feel so genuine and unique. Tbh, I saw the whole Coop thing coming from the moment he was introduced as a character. But I adored him.
And YES TO NERDS WHO ARE ALSO ADORABLE SWEETHEARTS. Sammie was a treasure. Though…decisions were made that I was yelling at her to not make. Grrr… Like, Sammie, get your life together. XD
I was just hoping SO HARD Coop was going to stay platonic. GAH. I mean, he was adorable and I loved him, but I don’t see why everything has to turn into romance?!? Like why didn’t he make contact/be friends with Sammie before her illness?? I can’t help but feel like her illness actually attracted her to him and that’s frustrating.
BUT NERD LIFE FTW I SAY FOR SURE.😂
Oh I definitely want to read this one. I LOVE reading books about illnesses, either psychical or mental. I don’t know why but I like to torture myself with all those feelings because there’s nothing more satisfying than having a good cry over a book. And this looks really interesting and funny. Also, I think love triangles can be well-written. I don’t know, I love me some drama a la soap opera so I don’t really have problems with them… okay sometimes when they’re especially bad… Edward and Jacob bad. 😀 But otherwise I’m good because if the characters are complex and the emotions are on point, then I think it’s possible to have feelings for both of them. Though I’m not saying that both feelings are the same and I’m definitely not saying that both of them are love. 🙂
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There’s nothing like a good dose of bookish torture THAT’S FOR SURE. :’) We don’t really want our feels intact anyway, do we? Pfft. Of course not.
And I agree love triangles CAN be well done. Although I think I’m biased to be annoyed by them these days…just because I’ve read so many dodgy ones UGH.
I must read this! It sounds like it is right in my wheelhouse with the heart-ripping! I am so drawn to characters who leave me blubbering and wanting to cuddle them. And strength in the face of adversity makes me swoon… and I sound really crazy right now!
Nothing better than a good HEART WRENCHING SOUL STOMPING read to remind us why the bookworm life is torture but also glorious. :’)
Once again, you have convinced me that this book needs to be read and consumed by my eyes and my brain! Cait, how do you do it?!
I’M A WIZARD. THAT’S THE ONLY ANSWER.
I think I’m the only person in existence who didn’t really like this book. I don’t know why, but I just did not connect to Sammie at all, even in her tragic circumstances – and I wasn’t a fan of the love triangle either. I don’t know – I wanted to love it, but I just couldn’t. Guess I’m the black sheep on this one.
That’s fair though!! Not every book is for everyone right?!? And honestly I was super disappointed in the triangle. It came out of nowhere IMO and I was excited about platonic friendships…but no. 🙁
Sounds like a really good book. I was fascinated by the origami-like folded post-its on the cover. I thought at first you’d made them 🙂 Just checked Goodreads and they are the cover! PS super impressed with your tiny origami stars. I have tried to make them and failed miserably!
Bahah, YES. That is the cover!! But it’s soooo pretty and I love the colour combo and everything.😍 And omg those origami stars are a pain to fold but SO WORTH IT.
This book is SO GOOD. So good. I loved it a lot, a lot. Though… I do agree with you about the thing under the spoiler tag. I do. But I umm liked the way that thing worked itself out, so I got over it in a hurry? 😉 And about that one part in the spoiler tag (man, this is hard to discuss, right?) maybe he was just like… realizing that he needed to seize the day? That was kind of how I saw it but who knows!
But yes, there was ALL the sobbing during this book. I mean, a trapped tear for Cait equals a tsunami of tears for Shannon, so I am still floating along somewhere, I am sure. Oh, and triangles can totally be well done. I don’t mind a triangle unless it is completely pointless and eye-roll inducing, which this one wasn’t for me- I just do wish that it had gone a *little* differently, but it was also probably more realistic this way. Glad that you loved it toooo!
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I’M SO GLAD WE ARE TWINNING ON THIS ONE. *HI FIVE* I don’t really understand why she suddenly went anti-Stuart though?? And like she could’ve at least had the decency to break up with him once she knew she had feelings for Cooper. THAT annoys me. Grr. POOR LITLE BROKEN HEARTED CHILDREN.
I so loved this one. I thought it was really well written and Sammie was definitely relatable in a lot of ways. As for the love triangle, I think it was done really well because both guys were written well AND I liked both of them. I don’t like the typical love triangle of a “good guy vs. bad guy.” Both Stuart and Cooper were good guys, though they had faults – which just made them more realistic. I don’t think Sammie used her illness intentionally because she so wanted to be normal. I can see how OTHERS might feel more obligated to her because of it though.
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It IS true both guys were written well!! I mean, I loved Stuart, but Cooper was downright adorable.😂 And I don’t think Sammie “used” her illness at all, no way! I think she was fully in her rights the times she didn’t tell people she had it, because like that’s a HUGE THING and people do treat you differently when things like “terminal illness” get thrown around. I totally get why Sammie didn’t tell Maddie. (Maddie was awful though omg.)
A part of me thinks this book sounds fabulous, but it also hits a little too close to home so I don’t know if I’ll ever read it. BUT I AM SO GLAD YOU ENJOYED IT! Maybe someday I will get over the feeling I have about it right now and read it.
Aww, fair enough. *sends you cake anyway* Sometimes I avoid books if they’re hitting too close to home. 🙁
DID YOU ACTUALLY ENJOY A CONTEMPORARY BOOK?! ARE YOU FEELING ALRIGHT, CAIT?! ;D If you loved this, I’ll most definitely have to give it a go! I’ve actually been interested in this book ever since I saw it on Netgalley a few weeks ago and your review has me wanting to read it even more! *_* Sammie sounds like such a wonderful character, the romance sounds so sweet and FAMILY! I LOVE FAMILY BOOKS!
Wonderful review, Cait!
YES I JUST DID JUST LOVE A CONTEMPORARY BOOK. SOMEONE CHECK THAT I’M FEELING ALRIGHT. THIS IS A MIRACLE.😂
Ohh… YES! A book that has an illness! The book I’ve been working on for the last two and a half years (currently on the 15th draft), is about a musician with Lyme disease. I had Lyme disease for 5 years before we were able to get a diagnosis, so I figured writing a book with a character with Lyme disease might be in order since I”m a writer anyway… I’ll totally have to check out “The Memory Book.” Thanks for your review, Cait, they’re always the best! (Seriously. I just sift through Goodreads reading your reviews and being happy. It’s like almost as good as reading a regular book.)
Ohhh I’m so happy for you that you’ve gotten through Lyme’s disease! *cheers for you* But YES, I think books about illnesses are really important and there’s not really enough of them around, right?!?
But awk, you make me so happy with the nice things you say. <3
I definitely think love triangles can be well written! I actually loved the Will/Jem drama in The Infernal Devices xD I don’t mind reading illness books because I like to torture myself sometimes. Anyways! I’ve actually never heard of this book but obviously that needs to change because it sounds absolutely amazing!
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Ohhh, it IS true! Cassandra Clare writes a marvellously epic triangle. 😂 And a it of sad-book-omg-hold-me-in-a-bucket-of-ice-cream-to-recover is good. *nods* I also kind of love learning about illnesses and things I’d never heard of before?! Even though it’s also SAD. But still. LEARNING.
I’m not a fan of reading about illness. It’s just… too real. I’d rather escape into the books I read… not feel like I’m trapped in them with all kinds of trauma.
I don’t really know if I like love triangles. Maybe if the main character actually ended up with the person I liked… but usually, they end up with the worst choice. I don’t know why authors do this. To be edgy? So… I guess if it was done really well and it was an equilateral love triangle where both choices would be okay, then yes, I’d be okay with love triangles. It’s just that I’ve seen so many isosceles love triangles where the main character picks the person who seems to be their worst match and ignores the perfectly good match. Or–worse–the author throws in something at the last minute to make the perfectly good match not so good anymore.
I totally get that!! For some reason I’m totally fine to read depressing books…mostly.😂 If it gets TOO all grey and gloomy I tend to need to run off to have a dragonish happy adventrue afterwards.
Eghgh, I don’t know why they tend to pick the wrong one. I guess the author is trying to go for a plot twist? IT’S FRUSTRATING.
Glad to read this is a good book. I’ve seen it around the book blogging community and been curious, but I don’t think I’d looked into the “what and who” of the story. Thanks for the great review!
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IT IS SUPER GOOD. I mean, not that you can tell I liked it after my super flaily review.😂😂
This book was so incredibly good. I had never heard of this disease. I actually had to look it up because I thought maybe it was this fictional type disease that came out of the author’s imagination, I’m glad that the author taught me something new, but you’re right that the disease itself could have been featured a bit more. As for the romance, while I liked Stuart, I liked the other guy better (can’t even remember his name now). I could tell that she was meant to be with the other guy, so what bugged me was that this girl is dying and she is waisting her time with someone she doesn’t really love. And yeah, the end totally had me sobbing.
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I’d never heard of the disease before reading this book either! I LEARNT SO MUCH. (And I also went and looked it up afterwards because I wanted all the information of ever. #nerdinessFTW) It’s such a sad illness, omg.
And yes, it was kind of weird how it just suddenly stopped being Stuart and started being Cooper? I mean, Cooper was awesome, but I don’t get WHY Sammie went anti-Stuart. I do wish she’d broken up with him befooooore it had to get to punching people.
Dangit, Cait! You’re always reviewing heart-wrenching illness contemporaries! I don’t like contemporaries … but I love sad books and your reviews make them SOOOOOO interesting!!!!
These are the kind that I like!! BUT SO MANY REGRETS AFTERWARDS OMG. ALL THE PAIN. ALL THE TEARS. <3
This sounds really good! And Sammie sounds so adorable and awkward! I love that snippet of her at a party with a book. XD That would be me. *raises hand*
IT IS. I EMPHATICALLY ATTEST TO THE FACT THAT IT IS BRILLIANT. And omg she’s so relatable with her bookworm/nerdiness.
I just finished this and absolutely loved it! I agree with you on the love triangle though, I’m not sure why it’s there. I think the worst part was seeing the illness take its toll on Sammie. I’m fine with there not being loads of information on it, I knew I was only reading this for the emotions hahah.
I totally wish the love triangle had not been there…then it would’ve been 5-stars AND ALL THE TEARS for me.
OKAY you need to stop loving books Cait. It hurts my TBR. It’s growing so big, it can’t possibly be healthy.
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OH MY GOSH I KEEP SEEING THIS BOOK EVERYWHERE AND IF YOU CRIED I WILL BAWL AND DIE AND I NEED IT NOW.
I keep seeing this book EVERYWHERE & I really really really need to read it. I have been on a mental illness knowledge enrichment streak lately (partly from my AP psych class) and I want to LEARN EVERYTHING. If I can do that through an amazing story it is so much better.
Yesss you do need to read it!! But this isn’t mental illness, it’s physical illness! Just so you know. 🙂