The Memory Book

I had never heard of Niemann-Pick C, a rare genetic disorder that can affect cognition, motor function, memory and metabolism. NPC is at the heart of The Memory Book."If you're reading this, you're probably wondering who you are...You are me, Samantha Agatha McCoy, in the not-so-distant future. I'm writing his for you. They say my memory will never be the same, that I'll start forgetting things. At first just a little, and then a lot. So I'm writing to remember."When we first meet Samantha (Sammie) she has BIG plans. Plans to win her debate Nationals. Plans to give an amazing Valedictorian speech, and most importantly - plans to move to NYC and attend NYU. But her NPC condition takes a turn for the worse (sooner than she expected) and we begin to see her deteriorate with each page. The story is told through us reading her "memory book"entries. Sammie began her memory book as a means to hold onto her life. When she has a memory episode, she reads back recent entries for a clue as to where she was, what she was doing, etc. This format gives us a unique peek into her feelings, memories and day to day life. What really resonated with me was the fact that she was so young, so full of hopes & dreams and optimism. Lara Avery did an amazing job capturing her journey and how NPC changed her both at her core and outwardly via her symptoms.There were entries in the Memory Book that made me so sad. They made Sammie's "episodes" feel so real to me as the reader. I could feel her confusion, anxiety and loss. You can clearly see how the entries change from the ones written by the confident Sammie we met in the beginning of the book to the Sammie towards the end.There were also some wonderful secondary characters in this book. Sammie's entire family (her siblings were so vivid & unique), Stuart (her longtime crush) and Cooper (her childhood BFF & neighbor). Oh how I adored Cooper!There was a bit of a (minor) love triangle. In my opinion, it really made sense within the story and fit in with the overall development of some of the major characters. Due to Sammie's illness, feelings & the expression of feelings were definitely more pronounced/overt with the very real sense of "running out of time".Overall, this was a fairly quick, emotional & worth your time read.

Samantha McCoy is a straight-A student with a very clear vision of how her life will play out. Then she is diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that comes with severe memory loss and has a 100% mortality rate. The book was formatted in journal-style entries by Sammie as a way for her to remember her life and the people in it as her disorder steals everything from her. She records her first date with a life-long crush, her favorite memories with her younger siblings and parents, and even admits that she misses her oldest childhood friend.While I usually go crazy for any book that involves anything near-medical related, I honestly think I was a little too old for this book. The plotline was fine, and the characters weren’t unlovable, but I just couldn't make myself fall in love with any of it. It was happy, it was sad, it was too "teenage romance that just never works out" for me. This book was meant to be a tear-jerker and make you feel all the feels; however, because of the quick pace, I only really got sad and shed a few tears when reading the messages from Sammie's family. While I loved the concept and liked most of the characters, this one just fell a little flat.

First of all, I must warn you this book will absolutely make you laugh and cry.This book takes you through the senior year and beyond of Sammie as she finds out she has npc (a form of dementia). Before her diagnosis, she has such a bright future. Sammie will be the valedictorian of her class and heading off to college in the fall. She is able to make her valedictorian speech, but her illness relinquishes her to staying home where they are sure she can get the medical attention she will eventually need.During this time, her long time crush Stuart shah shows interest in her and by all points and purposes is absolutely perfect throughout the entire book. He loves her unconditionally, but in the end, the timing is just not right for their relationship, but in the meantime, her longtime friend cooper shows his loyalty and love for her when she needs is most.I won't ruin the end, but it's a heartbreaker!Amazing read!

I'm sitting here, in TEARS just having finished this book. Wondering. Wondering why there aren't more reviews for this book. Laura Avery did an amazing job with this one. I was hooked from the first sentence. I'm so glad I picked up The Memory book. I laughed alot and cried ALOT with this book. I highly recommend!!

This book is so different than most books. Yes, it is super sad, but I love the message it gives. I love the premise behind it. If you have read Before I Fall, The Fault in Our Stars, and All the Bright Places, you’ll definitely love this book! It brings all the feels, but also leaves you content, because even sad endings can have positivity, hope and inspiration in them!

The author writes about a horrible disease in a way that humanize it. While there is an underlying current of sadness and anger, there is also hope, friendship, love, determination, and dealing with everything a 17 year-old goes through during their senior year of high school. Humor, tears, and love eventually lead to Sammie accepting her fate to a point, although she still won't fully given in without a fight.This is a novel of living and thriving without knowing what will happen even minute to minute. It is also a story of living in the face of death.

Heartbreaking in a good way, if that's possible. A little predictable in parts but it didn't take away from the experience. Would recommend.

Great

This was really unexpectedly beautiful. I actually randomly bought it because of a tiktok video I saw! But I read through it in one and a half days as it captured me so quickly. The story is so nicely written and the ending got me really emotional...I didnt want it to end!

This book has its own emotional tale and it gets you into the lead character's Life!! People who like The Fault in our Stars can Go for this another Emotional Ride!!

Karton klebt auf dem Buch eine Frechheit war ein Geschenk

Indeed a good read