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Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Sophie Kinsella Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2008-10-28 ISBN: 0385338732 Number of pages: 400 Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback
Book Reviews of Remember Me?Book Review: Made me fall back in love with Sophie Kinsella's writing Summary: 5 Stars
Despite reading the rave reviews of this book I was skeptical of whether it would be worth reading. All though I am a huge fan of Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series I was less captivated by her later books, Undomestic Goddess and Can You Keep a Secret? as well as those written by her as Madeleine Wickham. After finishing this book, however, I was not only pleasantly surprised, but found I enjoyed it equally as much as the Shopaholic series.
This book follows the story of 28-year-old Lexi Smart as she awakes with amnesia after an accident and cannot remember the last three years of her life. Navigating her new life she initially feels like she has stepped into a fairy tale until she slowly comes to find that not everything is as it appears.
Although this premise, as others have alluded to, has been done before Kinsella covers it skillfully in a way that is engaging from start to finish. She throws in enough twists and turns along the way that while the book is somewhat predictable, the reader is still surprised and entertained by how things unfold. She especially succeeds bringing her main character to life. Lexi is likeable, multidimensional and easy to relate to. Even if you have never experienced amnesia (which I am sure many readers will have not) the character deals with plenty of things that are relatable like family drama, romantic relationship challenges, and the loss of a friendship. She also infuses a lot of humor into the book, as she did with the Shopaholic series, which makes for a fun, breezy read. I, like many other readers, also appreciated that she did not tie all of the loose ends up at the end of the book, which would have made it seem too contrived. Like many of her Shopaholic books I found myself always eager to read the next chapter and happily devoured it in three days.
Overall this is a great book that is a perfect read while on vacation or curling up at home. Like most Chick Lit it's no literary wonder, but it is funny, relatable, and great fun.
Summary of Remember Me? When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she?s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident?in a Mercedes no less?Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she?s about to find out just how much things have changed, Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband?who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she?well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all. Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does? Behind The Book: A Note to Amazon Readers from Author Sophie Kinsella It's hard, in hindsight, to say exactly how a book comes into being. There are so many ideas and themes that get explored and discarded along the way; so many layers that are built up. Plus it's a bit like having a baby?once the hard work is over it becomes a blur! But with all my novels, I usually start with one little kernel of an idea--and gradually build it up over months of thinking, plotting, the "coffee shop stage" as I call it. With Can you Keep A Secret? it was: what if you told someone all your secrets? With Remember Me? it was: what if you woke up and didn't recognize your life? What if you lost three years of memory--and everything had changed in that time? All my books involve some kind of wish-fulfilment; some kind of escapism--whether it's shopping, or a whirlwind romance, or stepping off the career treadmill--and Remember Me? is maybe the ultimate form of wish-fulfilment. What if you didn't recognize your life... because it had become so perfect? The image that kept coming to me was of a girl, blinking up at her Greek God of a husband, whom she doesn't recognize. It made me giggle every time I thought about it. And so I created my amnesiac heroine Lexi, and her perfect new glossy, unrecognizable life--from the new shiny teeth to the designer handbag, to the perfect millionaire husband. The potential for comedy was irresistible. Another theme I wanted to explore was identity, which I've always found fascinating. Our lives take unpredictable turns and we all change over time. But it's so gradual we don't always notice it. Would your younger self recognize your older self? Put another way, if you woke up tomorrow in the year 2011... what would you find? I grew incredibly close to Lexi whilst writing this book, and really felt all her ups and downs. I laughed and cried and cringed at every embarrassing moment (of which there are plenty!) I think of all my heroines she has maybe the biggest challenge to face and journey to make--as her biggest obstacle is herself. I hope you enjoy her journey!
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