I have to say that I don't often read YA anymore. I'm well past being a teen and I find that I can't relate to these books and characters as much as I used to. Of course, there are some exceptions - Sarah Dessen is my all time favourite author - and Notes to Self by Avery Sawyer was one of those exceptions. I was a little hesitant to read a YA novel but I am SO GLAD that Avery emailed me - I really liked her book!
Here's the short and sweet synopsis:
Two climbed up. Two fell down.
One woke up.
In the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury, Robin Saunders has to relearn who she is and find out what happened the night everything changed.
This novel easily could have been too dark and heavy. Robin is dealing with the aftermath of an incredibly serious accident. Not only does she have these physical scars but she has a terrible feeling that there was something more to their accident. Why were they up there? What was Emily thinking? I liked that I got to figure these things out along with Robin. I could feel her frustration at not remembering anything and understood how much better she felt once she discovered the truth.
I mentioned earlier that I love Sarah Dessen and I have to say that I think Sawyer's novel has a sort of Dessen-esque feel to it. It's a contemporary YA novel (as opposed to all those fantasy/supernatural/vampire/dystopia books that are out there) about a teenage girl going through a tough time. There's a dark edge to it that reminds me of Dreamland and Just Listen. Sawyer does a good job of making sure the story doesn't venture over to bleak territory. Sure, I got incredibly involved in Robin's story and my heart hurt for her but it wasn't so overpowering that I started to feel depressed myself. Does that make sense? I hope so!
There were times that I wondered why Robin was doing certain things or acting a certain way. Then I realized that she's a teenager and I am not and am clearly already forgetting what it's like to be a teen. Jeepers, that's scary. Then again, Robin has a bit of a rebellious edge to her that I never had so maybe that's why I questioned some of her motives. She's definitely not a bad kid, though. She suffers from wanting to fit in and her BFF, Emily, is a bit rough around the edges and Robin desperately wants to be liked by Emily and her other friends. It's books like these that remind me high school was actually quite easy for me, even if I didn't think that at the time.
Overall I really liked Notes to Self by Avery Sawyer. I would definitely recommend it to teens or those who love to read YA. It's a sweet, touching, and emotional story and a great read. Thank you to Avery for sending me a copy to review!
Happy reading :)
I mentioned earlier that I love Sarah Dessen and I have to say that I think Sawyer's novel has a sort of Dessen-esque feel to it. It's a contemporary YA novel (as opposed to all those fantasy/supernatural/vampire/dystopia books that are out there) about a teenage girl going through a tough time. There's a dark edge to it that reminds me of Dreamland and Just Listen. Sawyer does a good job of making sure the story doesn't venture over to bleak territory. Sure, I got incredibly involved in Robin's story and my heart hurt for her but it wasn't so overpowering that I started to feel depressed myself. Does that make sense? I hope so!
There were times that I wondered why Robin was doing certain things or acting a certain way. Then I realized that she's a teenager and I am not and am clearly already forgetting what it's like to be a teen. Jeepers, that's scary. Then again, Robin has a bit of a rebellious edge to her that I never had so maybe that's why I questioned some of her motives. She's definitely not a bad kid, though. She suffers from wanting to fit in and her BFF, Emily, is a bit rough around the edges and Robin desperately wants to be liked by Emily and her other friends. It's books like these that remind me high school was actually quite easy for me, even if I didn't think that at the time.
Overall I really liked Notes to Self by Avery Sawyer. I would definitely recommend it to teens or those who love to read YA. It's a sweet, touching, and emotional story and a great read. Thank you to Avery for sending me a copy to review!
Happy reading :)
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