Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn't have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn't have hit her head on the steps. She wouldn't have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia. She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her "Chief." She'd know about her mom's new family. She'd know about her dad's fiancée. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future, who tells her he once wanted to kiss her. She wouldn't have wanted to kiss him back.
 
But Naomi picked heads.
 After her remarkable debut, Gabrielle Zevin has crafted an imaginative second novel all about love and second chances.

I really thought I was going to love this one. In the end, it was just another okay book.

Naomi Porter doesn't remember the simple things in life. She doesn't remember her best friend, or her boyfriend or how to drive a car. Because of a coin toss she hit her head on cement steps and wakes up with amnesia. Now she has to learn the last 4 years all over again.

I liked the book in the beginning. It had so much potential and I was interested in Naomi as a character. It just went down hill from there.

The writing was good. Zevin did a great job giving the teenage girl a voice. It wasn't that long ago that I was there and I can remember thinking many of the things Naomi did. There was no climax though. She loses her memory, re-learns things, changes who she doesn't remember being, remembers and changes again. That is it. Most of the characters didn't sit well with me either.

I liked the subject of James' mental health. Zevin took that on and handled it well. I had a couple of  'been there' moments. Also, Will, Naomi's best friend, he was the best character of the entire book. I was happy when he was in the story. He is funny, quirky, adorable and confident. I loved him.

My biggest problem with the book was that it was too cliché. A teenage girl struggling to find her identity, the endless string of boys, it got tiring.

I didn't hate the book, there were a few redeeming qualities but not enough to completely win me over.

3 out of 5 stars

BUY IT HERE: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac