Book Review: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Synopsis from Goodreads
Title: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Publication Date: August 21st, 2007
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn't have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn't have hit her head on the steps. She wouldn't have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia. She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her "Chief." She'd know about her mom's new family. She'd know about her dad's fiancée. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future, who tells her he once wanted to kiss her. She wouldn't have wanted to kiss him back. But Naomi picked heads.
 After her remarkable debut, Gabrielle Zevin has crafted an imaginative second novel all about love and second chances

My Review

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I've had high expectations for it, but I was disappointed on how bland it was for my taste.

I've expected to read about the hardships of being an amnesiac; it was sad how little of that I got to read.

It is true that there were some struggles on Naomi's part as she tries to cope with her memory loss, but the storyline lacked emotional substance. The story just jumped from one part to another.

Even with the love interests, there was absolutely no chemistry between the characters; it all seemed superficial to me.

Probably I've set very high expectations on this book, which actually lead to my disappointment from head start. If I did not have such high hopes, I migh have liked it.

Overall, it was ok, as there were parts that made me smile.

1.5/ 5 stars

Xoxo Meera

Book Review: Sons of Fortune by Jeffrey Archer

Synopsis from Goodreads

Title: Sons of Fortune

Author: Jeffrey Archer

Publication Date: December 9th, 2002

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

In hushed maternity ward, an infant dies, while twin brothers thrive. By morning, one mother is told that her only child is doing fine. Another is told that she has tragically lost one of her sons...

Twins seperated at birth, Nathaniel Cartwright and Fletcher Davenport have been raised in different worlds, and have both thrived among the best and brightest of their generation. In an era of violent change, freee love, and blind ambition, Nat goes off to war, while Fletcher enters political combat. With each choice they make--in love and career, through tragedy and triumph--their lives mirror one another...until a high-profile murder case brings them together. Until a high-stakes political battle turns them into rivals. Until a decades-old secret is exposed...and two powerful men must confront their bonds of fate and fortune.

My Review

It was an okay read. Knowing Jeffrey Archer's work, I expected the book to be filled with suspense and action. However, it was more like a realistic drama. The storyline was fast paced  and easy to read, but it was lacking a climax.. the developments and twists in the story were minimal; it was such a disappointment.

Fletcher and Nat were separated at birth, where Fletcher ended up with the Davenport's, a well established family. Nat, on the other hand, was raised by his birth parents, the Cartwright's, whom although were economically challenged, were very caring and loving towards their son.

They both grew up to be well-respected men, they married the women they love,  and are both lucky to have loyal best friends. All in all, they were fortunate enough. Both brothers met each other during their political battle against each other. They were rivals and were both liked by many people around them, so the competition was pretty tough.  As the story progressed, Nat's and Fletcher's journeys had major set-backs.. they both had challenges to overcome, and a high-profile murder case to fight.

While reading the book, I enjoyed it at first, but then, I was desperately waiting for the storyline to pick up its pace, but it was just too dull. Even when there were major events that happened in the story, it wasn't as effective.

I was also anticipating some action, ESPECIALLY when the brothers got to find out that they were related and twins, but it wasn’t even a big deal to them.

Overall, the book was fast-paced and it has some interesting aspects, but it lacked a lot for me.

2/5

Xoxo Meera

Book Review: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Synopsis from Goodreads

Title: Just Listen

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publication Date: 6th of April, 2006

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything"—at least that's the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf's Department Store.This year, she's the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling. With Owen's help,maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.

My Review

It was an enjoyable summer and light read. It is the first book I’ve ever read of Sarah Dessen’s and it definitely won’t be the last.

Just listen is about a girl called Annabel, who is viewed and known as “The girl who has everything”, a popular best friend, a seemingly perfect family, a popular reputation for being the beautiful model. However, it all ended after one incident at a party she was attending last summer. She lost her friendship with Sophie, her reputation was tampered, and is totally alone. This incident traumatized Annabel, which her solution to it was isolate herself  the rest of the summer believing everything would be okay after returning back to school. Instead, her perfect plan backfired wherein she found herself alone and judged by everyone around her. Which also eventually, she still believes that not talking about it is still for the best, which in reality, she was lying to herself and to the people around her. 

One day, she meets this boy, Owen, who is a music freak.. He is addicted to it. He teaches her that there are many things to learn in life and where she can make options for herself instead of sticking with just one that might as well suffocate her. Other than that one incident, she also has issues at home in which her sister Whitney has eating disorder, and her parents were on denial of everything that’s going on around them, well maybe, mostly her mother. The whole plot is about Annabel's life after that incident and how she would be able to learn more about herself.

Character: Annabel can be relatable, but she still was very annoying to me. I just wanted her to speak up and say what’s on her mind. However, it’s the whole purpose of this book, where Annabel is in this journey trying to figure out who she really is and who she can be. Owen, was this sweet boy, but not so sweet to the point of being TOO perfect. He was realistic, and he also has some issues of his own. Whitney, Annabel’s sister, was dark, but has this unique character that makes you want to read more about. 

At first, I had issues with how the story kept going back and forth between pasts and presents. Nevertheless, I was able to get over it because Sarah Dessen was able to synchronize the past and present pretty well in which I did not feel out of place. The whole story was able to be a well rounded piece of work/art.

Overall, this book is great for teens where it teaches many valuable and memorable lessons. It teach us how to be honest with ourselves, how to be able to open up to people we trust expecting them not to judge us, and how to understand and figure out ourselves. A definitely recommended read for everyone. 

There are many memorable quotes I liked in the book; here are some I want to share:

“I was beginning to see, though, that the unknown wasn’t always the greatest thing to fear. The people who know you best can be riskier, because the words they say and the things they think have the potential to be not only scary but true, as well” Page 67

“It wasn’t until I was right up to him that it occurred to me this might be a mistake. But you get only so many do-overs in this life, so many chances to, if not change your past, alter your future” Page 145

“It was not the last time I would run away from my sisters. Not the last time I thought being alone was preferable. I am still the center sister. But I see it differently now. There has to be a middle. Without it, nothing can ever truly be a whole. Because it is not just the space between, but what also holds everything together” Page 333

“There comes a time in every life when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you’d better learn to know the sound of it. Otherwise you’ll never understand what it’s saying” page 349

These quotes taught me a lot.. this book is filled with advices, so it’s a must read!

5/5

I know I’m always positive about my books, but I guess I choose them pretty well :P 

Xoxo Meera

Book Review: North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Synopsis from Goodreads

Title: North of Beautiful

Author: Justina Chen Headley

Publication Date: February 2009

Publisher: Little, Brown

As he continued to stare, I wanted to point to my cheek and remind him, But you were the one who wanted this, remember? You're the one who asked-and I repeat-Why not fix your face?

It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper.

She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?

Written in lively, artful prose, award-winning author Justina Chen Headley has woven together a powerful novel about a fractured family, falling in love, travel, and the meaning of true beauty.

My Review

A very inspirational book; I honestly enjoyed it.

It started off a bit slow where Terra was just describing stuff out randomly, but then the story was progressing to something really addictive.

Terra's father can be a pain in the a$$, I really wanted to punch him on the face.. argh!

I looved the relationships between (Terra & Jacob), (Norah "Jacob's mom" & Lois "Terra's mom"), and (Terra & her mom) they were all just soo sweet. Terra's progress and her mom's were very inspirational; Justina came up with an amazing character and story wherein she truly made me pause and think a lot about life and its meanings... North of Beautiful.. TOTALLY WORTH IT!!

4/5

Xoxo Meera

Book Review: Lost for Words by Alice Kuipers

Synopsis from Goodreads

Title: Lost for Words

Author: Alice Kuipers

Publication Date: August 15th, 2009

Publisher: HarperTeen

My New Year's resolution: I'm moving on from everything that's happened. I'm not going to talk about it, think about it, let the memory pounce upon me like a waiting tiger, nothing.

All Sophie wants to do is forget. But it's not easy now that everything's changed. The house feels too big, school drags on for too long, lights are too bright, the room spins, and her hands get sweaty for no reason. And she can't remember why she was ever best friends with Abigail, who is obsessed with parties and boys. Only the new girl, Rosa-Leigh, with her prose poems and utter confidence, might understand. But talking to her seems impossible.
Lost in memories of the life she once had, Sophie retreats into herself. But there's only so long she can keep everything bottled up inside before she explodes. Maybe by confronting the tragedy of her past she'll figure out how to fix her future.

My Review

Plot: It is about a girl called Sophie who struggles to forget an incident that happened last summer. It is all about how she copes with her new life after that. She finds it hard to communicate with the people around her; she rarely talks about it, and basically pushes people out. She starts writing a diary on a notebook her psychiatrist gave her at some point believing it’ll make her better. The book is Sophie’s diary stating her life on a day to day basis.
Likes: I did not find it that likeable at all! Probably, what I liked most is the character Rosa- Leigh, a Canadian girl Sophie ends up being friends with. Sophie’s’ mom is just heartbreaking which made me love her. I also probably like the ending because it got better during that moment.
Dislikes: I believe that this book is just too depressing. Sophie was basically annoying, she wants help from people, but she pushes them away anyhow?!!. Probably that’s what the author wanted, to make a sad novel, but it was just irritating because it was veeeeeerrrryyy dark and depressing. Sophie treats her mother horribly during the story which made her seem soo freaking annoying. The storyline was a drag from me! It took me to read the whole book until finding out what happened. I wish the mystery was at least solved in the middle of the book rather than the end, just to grasp what I was reading.
Overall, I would probably not recommend it to people who wants to read something light because this book is heavy with sad emotions.

2/5

Xoxo Meera