I think this is a case of ‘it’s not you, it’s me’, because my interest in this book completely nosedived early on when Sam started getting all starry-eyed over Stuart, and I definitely seem to be in the minority. Either that or this book is simply not good enough to cure my strange book slump. I’ll admit I pretty much gave up around page eighty and skimmed afterwards, but here are some of the things I did like:

- The sensitive but funny was Avery has dealt with a serious illness, Niemann-Pick C, which is essentially described as being like dementia (memory loss, hallucinations, leads to death). Sam writes in a diary to her future self in order to remember things that she will inevitably forget, and it is written in such a way that you feel incredibly sad for her situation whilst still being able to laugh at the things that she says.
- Sam’s reaction to her diagnosis; she’s aware of the impact NPC will have on her life but it seems to make her all the more determined to live as fully as possible, with the positive side effect of making her realise you can’t always plan ahead but need to live in the moment as well.
- Sam’s personality; some would say she’s quirky but I just liked her and found her relatable. She’s academically intelligent, debates fiercely about social injustice, and loves to read. Winner. Her narrative is hilarious for the most part, and easy to read, which I always appreciate.

And the thing I didn’t like so much:

- Sam’s internal monologue about Stuart Shah. I get it, you find him attractive and intelligent and have had a crush forever, but I just don’t care. It’s not that I disliked Stuart as such, I just found him a bit bland and two dimensional, although that could have been because I didn’t read much of it properly. I was much more interested in learning about Sam and the way she was dealing with NPC outside of having a love interest. I love a good romance but the beginnings of this one left me feeling cold.

Loads of people seem to love the book though, so I guess give it a go? I genuinely don’t think there’s anything wrong with the book or the way it’s been written, it simply didn’t work for me at this moment in my life. I may give it another go in the future, who knows.

Just when Samantha Agatha McCoy is relishing the idea of the final national competitive debate of her school year and of her future at college in New York training to become a human rights lawyer, she learns the devastating news that she has a terminal condition called Niemann Pick Type C, an inherited neurological disorder, a condition that affects an estimated 1 in 150,000 people, with 50% of those with the disease under ten years of age at the onset of their illness. She researches her life-expectancy but finds that there are not many statistics for young adults who discover that they have the disease. She is however saddened to learn that bit by bit her impeccable memory of which she is so proud, will desert her and that she will gradually become more and more confused and definitely unable to function independently. It is a massive blow for her heart held plans. Her brilliant brain will fail bit by bit, not unlike people who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. She puts on a brave face and is determined to make the most of the remaining time she has left. She works out strategies to kick start her memory of everyday routines, pinning up notices to jog her memory and setting her mind to planning for her future.
Sammie has decisions to make: she must cram in all of the ‘firsts’ she had thought she’d have a lifetime to achieve. She starts writing a journal of occasions she absolutely doesn’t want to forget whilst also planning her ‘summer of firsts’: she still wants to challenge herself, to go to her first party, to enjoy her first kiss and maybe more, she wants to rebel and lead her life as much to the full as she can possibly manage. This Young Adult novel catalogues her life after the devastation of the diagnosis and sees her going through the pain of loss, kicking back at the unfairness of what has happened to her. It also sees her maturing and taking the thoughts and opinions of others more seriously as she embarks on an endearing friendship for the first time with her neighbour Cooper and also falls in love with a boy she admires called Stuart. The characters in the story have lessons to learn as well as Sammie and they marvel at her positive attitude and rally round to help her achieve her short term ambitions. It really is a novel of two parts; before and after. The characters are well developed and endearing and the story telling frank and fair, but not without humour.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Quercus Children's Books for my copy of 'The Memory Book', sent out to me in return for an honest review. Its subject matter is pretty serious but there are plenty of light- hearted moments, although the issues are of course very sad. I particularly loved the characters of Sammie’s parents and her two new boyfriends, most particularly Cooper who has secretly loved her for most of his life. He is philosophical but oh so caring and leaves Sammie to discover her first love so unselfishly. He really warmed my heart and he was such a nice young man. I enjoyed reading this novel and would recommend it without hesitation.