{Review} The Secret History of Us by Jessi Kirby

Posted by Donna
Release Date: August 1st, 2017
Finished Date: May 20th, 2017

Publishers: Harper360
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback

Pages: 288
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo 

 

Gorgeously written and emotionally charged, The Secret History of Us explores the difficult journey of a teenage girl who must piece her life together after losing her memory in a near-fatal accident.

When Olivia awakes in a hospital bed following a car accident that almost took her life, she can’t remember the details about how she got there. She figures the fog is just a symptom of being in a week-long coma, but as time goes on, she realizes she’s lost more than just the last several days of her life—she’s lost her memory of the last four years. Gone is any recollection of starting or graduating high school; the prom; or her steady boyfriend Matt. Trying to figure out who she is feels impossible when everyone keeps telling her who she was. 

As Liv tries to block out what her family and friends say about who she used to be, the one person she hasn’t heard enough from is Walker, the guy who saved her the night her car was knocked off that bridge into the bay below. Walker is the hardened boy who’s been keeping his distance—and the only person Olivia inexplicably feels herself with. With her feelings growing for Walker, tensions rising with Matt, and secrets she can’t help but feel are being kept from her, Olivia must find her place in a life she doesn’t remember living.

The Review: I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t know that Jessi Kirby had a new book coming out until the lovely people at Harper360 emailed me and so of course I jumped at the chance to read The Secret History of Us.

The Secret History of Us is a moving story about a young girl recovering after being in a car accident and dealing with the aftermath of losing her memories from the last four years and finding out who she really is.

I’ve read several stories before with characters that suffer from memory loss and while the story isn’t something new to me, I find I enjoy stories like this because I like to see how the author delivers the story they wish to tell. In this case, I found The Secret History of Us very enjoyable. I loved how the author handles the struggles the character faces and it was definitely eye opening to read about a character that loses so many years of her memories and to see how she deals with it.  The fact that she has to basically rediscover who she is felt very realistic. She was around family that would tell her what she did before and I understand the reasons why Olivia tried to be that person again but I liked it even more when she went with her own gut feelings and did the things people wouldn’t expect her to do.

I really liked all the characters, Olivia of course being my favourite. I did like all the secondary characters as well especially Walker however I do wish he had some more time in the spotlight. He’s introduced early on in the story but we don’t really start to get to know him until closer to the end. I guess I would have liked more.

In all, The Secret History of Us is a great contemporary read that tackles real life issues and gives you a taste of what it could be like for you if you were in Olivia’s situation. It’s also the perfect read for summer so if you haven’t added it to your TBR then I’d highly recommend it. 

Thank you to Harper360 for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.