Latest Read: Sia by Josh Grayson

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Sia by Josh Grayson
Publication date: Nov. 20, 2013
Publisher: Josh Grayson / self-published
Category: Young Adult - Contemporary
Source: Received ARC from published via Netgalley (Thanks!)

Summary: When seventeen-year-old Sia wakes up on a park bench, she has no idea who or where she is. Yet after a week of being homeless, she’s reunited with her family. At school, she’s powerful and popular. At home, she’s wealthy beyond her dreams. But she quickly realizes her perfect life is a lie. Her family is falling apart and her friends are snobby, cruel and plastic. Worse yet, she discovers she was the cruelest one. Mortified by her past, she embarks on a journey of redemption and falls for Kyle, the “geek” she once tormented. Yet all the time she wonders if, when her memories return, she’ll become the bully she was before…and if she’ll lose Kyle. (Adapted goodreads.com)

My thoughts…

I like stories where people can change for the better because in real life, I'm usually doubtful of how possible this truly is. And in books, I want to escape and believe anything is possible. So when Sia is forced to take a good look at who she is after being homeless for a week - I couldn't wait to see the path she'd undertake.

Seventeen year old Sia wakes up on a park bench alone and with no recollection of who she is. She's forced to live on the streets for a week but luckily for her, a kind homeless woman takes Sia under her wing to keep her out of trouble. She's (fairly) quickly reunited with her family but the time she spent away from them leaves an indelible impression on her. She knows what it's like to only have one pair of clothes from a thrift store, to sleep outside without a roof over her head, to stand on line for a bowl of soup. So imagine her surprise when she's reunited with her very rich parents, returned to her mansion of a house (not to mention her walk-in closet) and realizes she was quite possibly the biggest spoiled brat ever. And pretty mean to everyone around her - classmates, "friends", even her parents. She's clearly not the person she was before. Mostly because she doesn't remember that person but she's more than ready to embrace who she wants to be and it's a shock to everyone.

Here's the thing - I like new and improved Sia. She's kinder, more down-to-earth and indifferent to popularity. She's the girl you want to be friends with. But I felt like her transition from "mean" girl to "nice" girl was too easy and too convenient. Granted, she had amnesia on her side but it was so simple for her to become popular again, albeit in a different way (through kindness). I wanted to learn more about the person she was, see her work harder to gain people's trust (including her parents) and just something more. These things are definitely touched upon but it didn't feel like enough. There's a good story and great characters here but in the end, the book turned into one big PSA / after-school special about how you need to be a good person and not bully fellow classmates for the sake of being popular.

Do I recommend?: I've seen plenty of good reviews for this book and it definitely finds its stride towards the end, so if you're intrigued, it might be worth checking out. But it just wasn't for me.

Happy reading!