If you happen to be one of those teens who just wants to forget what has happened the last few years, here is what you do: throw yourself down a flight of stairs!Crazy I know! but this is a sweet book. Here is one of my favorite passages:page 259:"It happens, baby." Dad nodded and patted me on the hand and then he read my mind. "You forget all of it anyway. First, you forget everything you learned-the dates of the Hay-Herran Treaty and Pythagorean Theorem. You especially forget everything you di...

It was a fun enough book, read well enough - I got it because I hoped it would measure up to author Zevin's later novel for adults, "Young Jane Young," which shows how far Zevin's writing has improved.

The story is actually sad but the author managed to make it light and fun even because I thought it was very entertaining. The dialogues are laced with humor and philosophical truths that are so simple and yet so relatable on a personal level. I also could never guess where the plot was headed and that was a pleasant change in a YA contemporary. It's really so easy to get fond of Ms. Zevin's writing. It's honest, smart, and witty and I really enjoyed it like I did her first novel I read, The Sto...

This is the kind of book that reminds me why I am not a middle school or high school librarian. I need to be able to choose two-and-a-half stars. There were things I really liked about this book, and other things I really did not like.The idea of a teenager who has, basically, "lost" 4 years of her life is compelling and thought-provoking. That would be so strange. Interesting to think about, and I liked that part of the story. I wanted to find out what happened to Naomi. But the more I read, th...

I adored this novel. Mainly due to the author's beautiful writing style and fluid storytelling. If I were to make one complaint it would be that I wish one of the characters, whose name I shall not state due to my fear of spoilers, had more of a resolution. I fell in love with them and my mind is reeling, wondering what will become of them and if they move on, find happiness, and heal. This is one novel I am dying to read a companion to.

2.5I don't know how I feel about this book. I liked the idea, it only bored me a little bit, but I hated the main character. She was such an asshole to everyone, before and after her memory loss. All I know is that if I ever acted like her when I was a teenager, I would've gotten my ass kicked by everyone I love. No one would've put up with this behaviour. (view spoiler)[ She calls her mom a slut for cheating on her dad without knowing the whole story. Yes, it was wrong of her. She did a terri...

I went into this with a quest. To discover if after several years this was still my favourite book.I think it is. I think it is my favourite book.You'll be seeing quite a few videos from me about this book in the next few weeks to hear more of my thoughts, but here are a few :)- This is the book that I think about the most often. I wouldn't say it haunts me, but it makes me think about myself and who I am and how I want to portray myself.- the fact that the character goes through 3 romantic pros...

This book really could have been good if I hadn't disliked the main character and her love interest so much.Towards the end, it got a little bit better, but up until then, I was mostly feeling annoyed by Naomi and her behaviour. Especially since she decided to treat the characters I really liked, namly her dad and Will, rather badly. And didn't even care enough to apologize to them later when she realized she had been mean.

When you hear people talk about voice, this is what they are talking about. The voice in this book is fabulous: strong, funny, and intelligent. I loved it, and I loved that Zevin tells us absolutely nothing. She shows it to us. She never tells us whether to like Naomi or always what she's thinking or what to expect her to do or want or become. I can see how that could be frustrating for girls who are used to books that tell them what to think, but I thought it was refreshing and made the book al...

My initial reaction to this book was a look of disbelief at the title. I mean, how could an amnesiac have memoirs? I opened the book and started reading and I was captivated. What an interesting concept for a book.Naomi Porter loses a coin toss and must return to school to pickup a camera. There, she falls down the stairs and hits her head. When she regains consciousness, she can't remember anything that happened in the past 4 years. Important things, like her parents are divorced, her father is...

FINAL RATING: 1.5 STARSWhere to begin?First off, I suppose I should say that I wanted to read this book the moment I laid eyes on it in the bookstore. I bought it that same day and squealed as I took it home. Yes, I was that eager to read it.Before I could do that, I had to get through City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, Clockwork Angel, Paranormalcy, and Supernaturally. Each of these books was exquisite and original, so maybe that's why this book sucked so much.Oh, yes, and this review will c...

Naomi Porter regains consciousness as she is being put into an ambulence. She hears an unfamiliar voice claiming to be her boyfriend and opens her eyes to see him sitting beside her on the way to the hospital. The pain in her head is so severe that she doesn't worry about the fact that she has no idea who the guy is holding her hand and telling her everything is going to be okay.In the hospital, Naomi learns that she fell down the steps of her high school and hit her head hard enough to cause br...

I didn't find this book as appealing as her earlier book, "Elsewhere." The protagonist, Naomi Porter, was barely likeable, and came off as extremely selfish, cranky, and just generally bitchy for no apparent reason. I'm not even sure why this book is called "Memoirs" since we get very little insight into her amnesia (she loses her memory and has to deal with the resulting high school drama, or lack of). I also disliked how there was very little resolution w/the mother-daughter issue--it's almost...

there may be spoilers*, but mild and gentle ones, not "it was earth all along" spoilers. this is a book i was reading for school, not because i am a big fan of realistic teen fiction. if you are a teen girl wondering if you should read this book, this is probably not going to be the review for you. in fact, you should stay away from most of my reviews because i am careless and i don't want to be responsible for shattering any beautiful innocence about life or anything. stay gold and all that.the...

Once in a while you come across a book that grabs your attention by its profound understanding of human nature and skillful characterization. "Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac" is one of these books. This book is not your standard YA novel with first love and boys and kissing. When I opened the book, I expected to get something like an YA version of Meg Cabot's "Remember Me?" but ended up with a story of a girl who loses and then finds a piece of herself. Naomi forgets 4 years of her life and is fo...

It is such a rare treat to read such remarkable and undeniably realistic characters. Zevin weaves the tale of Naomi’s self discovery with extraordinary skill and creates characters that are so alive, I feel like I know them and experienced the events of this story right along with them as opposed to merely reading about them.In one misstep, Naomi lost years' worth of memories. After hitting her head on the steps after school, she wakes up in an ambulance, more aware of the pain than what actual

I wasn’t expecting this book to be funny, but much of it was quite amusing.I’ve always been interested in amnesia. To me, we are our memories. If we lose our memories are we the same person? Do we like and dislike the same things/people, have the same beliefs? It’s one reason I was so interested in reading this book, and I think the story did a good job of addressing this issue.This book had been languishing on my to-read shelf so I’m very grateful that the YA Book Club here at Goodreads chose i...

Audio narrated by Caitlin Greer. (6h 40m) A different plot for a YA novel that opens with the main character, Naomi, in the back of an ambulance with a boy that claims he's her boyfriend. Of course, my mind filled with a repertoire of suspense thrillers immediately went to "OMG, he tried to kill her", but no, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac is not that kind of book. Honestly, I wish it had been a little more like that. Instead it was full of teen angst, choosing between three different guys, and t...

Such an interesting concept ... and yet I stopped reading at page 90. The trail of unfinished books I've left behind me since the beginning of this year starts to become alarmingly long. Still I refuse to read on when processing the scenes becomes an effort instead of fun. Although I can understand the heroine's motivations - forming a stance, an opinion on something, coming to terms with personal calamities, growing really fond of someone takes time, and therefore it is natural that somebody wh...

Rounding up to 4 StarsEverything about this book was appealing: characters, story, hint of mystery, language....except for the ending! It was one of those where you flip the page and your mouth gapes open with confusion. That's it? Huh? The story seemed to just stop. Admittedly, I'd prefer my endings tied up with a silky red ribbon. I can guess, of course, but ugh! (My Kindle is most definitely to blame, as well. I was at 89% when I suddenly hit the acknowledgement pages. I've noticed this happe...