The Memory Book by Lara Avery

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Publication Date: July 5th, 2016
Publisher: Alloy Entertainment
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Pacing: Fast
Genres &  Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mental Illness, Romance, Dementia, First Love, Family

BLURB:

They tell me that my memory will never be the same, that I’ll start forgetting things. At first just a little, and then a lot. So I’m writing to remember.

Sammie was always a girl with a plan: graduate at the top of her class and get out of her small town as soon as humanly possible. Nothing will stand in her way–not even a rare genetic disorder the doctors say will slowly start to steal her memories and then her health. What she needs is a new plan.

So the Memory Book is born: Sammie’s notes to her future self, a document of moments great and small. It’s where she’ll record every perfect detail of her first date with longtime crush, Stuart–a brilliant young writer who is home for the summer. And where she’ll admit how much she’s missed her childhood best friend, Cooper, and even take some of the blame for the fight that ended their friendship.

Through a mix of heartfelt journal entries, mementos, and guest posts from friends and family, readers will fall in love with Sammie, a brave and remarkable girl who learns to live and love life fully, even though it’s not the life she planned.

I feel a little sad and empty right now. I think I was watching a movie before I decided to finish The Memory Book—what was it?—but now I don’t feel like it anymore…

This was my first time reading about dementia. Everything I thought I knew about the illness turned out to be damn wrong and stereotyped. Boy was I wrong.

Dementia doesn’t necessarily kill a person—physically—but it does kill their memories, and so, because Sammie wants to fight that, wants to still remember, she started writing in this book she decided to call ‘‘the memory book.’’

Despite how I make it look, The Memory Book is not that sad of a tale. It’s brimming with important messages, love and firsts. Not only is it enthralling, but it’s also illuminating and inspiring.

See, although Sammie knew she would one day lose everything she aspired to—college, friends, her future—she nonetheless kept on giving all she had to make her dreams come true. She’s amazing and I certainly do not say that loosely.

I may never have read anything about dementia before, as I mentioned it, but I did read many, many books about all types of mental illnesses, and let me tell you that not all of them feel authentic.

But everything about The Memory Book is. Everything. Everything is convincing—even the characters—and I felt so close to Sammie I personally wanted to hold her hand through hard times.

Now I really wish I could give this book a higher rating—I really, really do—but the romance is very forced. Believe me, I’m all for cheering for the underdogs, but Stuart never touched me the way Cooper did.

Regardless, it’s such a powerful story I beg of you to not let my rating discard your interest for this book (if you think it to be low). It may only be a 3.5 star-rating, but it’s a solid 3.5 star-rating.

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