Review: The Secret History of Us by Jessi Kirby

Collaborative feature with Alexa. We read ARCs together and post our reviews on the same date.

The Secret History of Us
by Jessi Kirby
pub 8/1/17 by HarperTeen
YA - Contemporary
Received via Edelweiss

Plot • After being in a near-fatal car accident and a week-long coma, Olivia wakes up with no recollection of the last four years of her life. Not the friends who've come and gone, her serious boyfriend Matt, or her entire high school experience. All anyone wants is for her to get her memory back but Olivia finds that the person she's hearing she's supposed to be, might not actually be who she wants to be now. Plus, she gets the feeling secrets are being kept from her and the only one who makes her feel somewhat normal with is Walker, the boy who saved her life but insists on keeping his distance from her despite all her efforts. (But you know he eventually can't resist.)

Characters • It's impossible not to feel for Olivia and she wakes up, completely disoriented. You feel her chaos and her panic and her growing frustration when she tries to settle into a life she doesn't remember. The author wisely keeps everyone involved in her Olivia's journey. Her parents, brother, best friend, boyfriend and more. They're a piece of her puzzle, not only to Olivia but also to the reader as we're put together each new discovery along with her.

Writing • I've read every Jessi Kirby book because I think she tells interesting stories and they're so easy to read. But half the time, I do find there to be something missing overall, whether it's connecting deeper with a character or wishing certain parts had been more fleshed out. And unfortunately, The Secret History of Us fell into this category for me.

Overall feelings • It's a quick read and I did like it so if you're intrigued, check it out (but I'd more highly recommend Golden and Moonglass).

What's an inside joke/saying between you and your friends? • When we came up with this question, I immediately thought of my college roommates. We'd been friends throughout all of college but during senior year the four of us shared a townhouse (one of the girls was Carina!). It brought us all closer together and there were a lot of funny moments. So much so that at the end of the year, one girl created a framed collage of all those moments and inside jokes for each of us. But I guess our most common saying, to this day, is still "hey woman!". This is how we address each other in person, email, text, you name it haha.