Review: The Secret History of Us by Jessi Kirby

Title: The Secret History of Us 

Author: Jessi Kirby

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publishing Date: August 1st, 2017

Pages: 288
Audio Length: 6 Hours and 18 Minutes

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Series: Standalone

Source: Audio

 

A near drowning…a coma for days…and then…
Olivia wakes up to realize she doesn’t remember. Not just the accident—but anything from the last four years. Not high school. Not Matt, the guy who is apparently her boyfriend. Not the reason she and Jules are no longer friends. Nothing.
That’s when it hits her—the accident may not have taken her life, but it took something just as vital: her memory. The harder she tires to remember things, the foggier everything gets, and figuring out who she is feels impossible when everyone keeps telling her who she was.
But then there’s Walker. The guy who saved her. The one who broke her ribs pumping life back into her lungs. The hardened boy who keeps his distance despite Olivia’s attempts to thank him.
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 even remember living.

What made me pick this book up: 

I saw it on our audible, and it has a really... not creepy, but kind of... almost ominous cover. It's very eerie looking to me.

What did I like about the cover: 

I love the dark colors of it, and the half of the girl's face. I have a thing for half faces, or headless photos. Totally came out wrong, I just mean where the head is not in the photo... Oh you know what I mean! 

Anyway!

Like I said, it's ominous and eerie, and just draws you in.

What made me read this book:

It was a short book on audio, and I needed a filler book. I can listen to *most* of my audio books on either 2.5 or 3 speed, so it makes it easy. 

Plus Jenn said it was really good, and it caught my eye so.

What did I like the most: 

So this book didn't turn out to be anything I thought it would. I thought it was going to be a creepy mystery type book. I mean look at that cover!

With that being said...

I fell in love with this book. I didn't know I was going to. I didn't think I would *not* like it, but I didn't think I would love it.

The story is a really good one, that doesn't get told often. About a girl who gets into an accident and goes into a coma. The coma is only for a little over a week, but when she wakes up she can't remember the last 4 (I think it was 4) years of her life.

I mean imagine what it would be like waking up and not remembering that much of your life. I mean, so much can happen in 4 years. She doesn't remember how to drive, anything about school, her friends, her boyfriend. Anything. To me that is incredibly frustrating. And terrifying.

To just be dumped into this would be awful.

The writing is really well done, full of emotions and it's almost poetic the way it's written.

Now let's go to the characters.

Liv was a really great MC. She's gone through so much, and she doesn't whine. She doesn't make it all about her. She's scared and confused and frustrated, but she keeps her head on her shoulders. She does what she needs to do and moves forward.

The fact that she's a photographer is awesome too.

Then there's Matt. I like Matt for the most part. I feel bad for him, because he loves her, but she doesn't even remember him. He's really sweet through the whole thing. There is something I don't really like, but I'll put that under the "didn't like" section down below. 

Walker is this yummy hero guy, who I instantly fell in love with. Even if he was barely in the book. He was still great, and I love him. He's mine.

There wasn't anyone I didn't really dislike, everyone was really supportive of her.

This book is all about her growth, finding out who she really is, and not pretending to be who she used to be, just to make others happy. It's all about her realizing this. I think for that it's a really great book.

What didn't I like: 

I'll get to the Matt thing here in a second. 

I think the thing I disliked the most was the pace of the book. I was half way through the book and *nothing* had happened yet. I mean I don't know what I was expecting, but it was really slow in the way you didn't realize holy cow I have like 5 minutes left of this book.

Okay so now onto Matt. 

***SPOILERS HIGHLIGHT TO READ***

Matt had broken up with Liv the day before the accident that caused her coma. And he fails to mention this to Liv and I feel like he's taking advantage of her not knowing. In my opinion it's a crappy thing to do.

***END SPOILERS***

Would I read the rest of the series/more from this author?
Most definitely.

“I can't go back. just like with everything else in my life. All I can do at this point is keep going forward. So I do.” 
― Jessi Kirby, The Secret History of Us

Jessi Kirby is a former English teacher and librarian. She lives in Orange County, CA with her husband and two kids, where she writes stories and runs the beach every day. Well, almost every day.


You can contact Jessi at jessi@jessikirby.com