Monday, March 24, 2008

Julie's Review: Remember Me?

Summary: After taking a nasty bump on the head, Lexi Smart awakens in a hospital convinced that it's 2004 and that she's just missed her father's funeral. It's actually three years later, and she no longer has crooked teeth, frizzy hair and a loser boyfriend. Initially wowed by what she's become—a gorgeous, cut-throat businesswoman—Lexi soon finds herself attempting to figure out how it happened. As her personality change and lost memory threaten her job, Lexi tries to dredge up some chemistry with her handsome albeit priggish husband, Eric, though the effort is unnecessary with Eric's colleague Jon, who tells Lexi that she was about to leave Eric for him. Amnesia tales may be old hat, but Kinsella keeps things fresh and frothy with workplace politicking, romantic intrigue and a vibrant (though sometimes caricatured) cast. Though the happy ending won't come as a surprise, readers will be rooting for Lexi all along. ~amazon.com/Publishers Weekly

Review: I admit it, when I hear that Sophie Kinsella is releasing a new book I get excited. I've loved her since my girlfriend gave me Confessions of a Shopaholic series, but I like her non Becky Bloomwood books more. So when I heard that she was coming out with a new book before there was even a summary, it was on my Wish List at Amazon.com. I ended up buying the book at Target a few weeks ago and knew it would move to the top of my TBR pile because I knew that it would be a good, quick, light read and after some of the books I've read lately I needed that. Remember Me? is quite a funny book and Lexi is a great heroine to route for. I found myself wondering what I would do if I lost my memory and how I would handle it. The supporting cast of characters are interesting and fun but the story is pretty typical. There was a good twist that I didn't see coming but other than that it wasn't Ms. Kinsella's best book. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Would I recommend that you read it? Yes. Would I tell you it was the best "chick-lit" book I've read? No, but you will be entertained.

I expect Laugh out Loud moments from Ms. Kinsellas' books and while there were a few, there were less than in her previous books. The ending is predictible but nice just the same. It seems that amnesia is the illness dujour lately in tv and in books but that doesn't mean that it isn't refreshing for a subject matter.

If you haven't read Sophie Kinsella yet, I would recommend either Can You Keep a Secret? or The Undomestic Goddess to read first.

I'll keep reading Sophie Kinsella because I like her style of writing and her books typically don't disappoint. I don't ever feel like I've wasted time reading one of her books.

Final Take: 3.5/5

5 comments:

heather (errantdreams) said...

You know, no matter how old amnesia stories get, I still enjoy them when they're well-told. You can get so much mileage out of the variations on the idea of a 'clean-slate' character! Well you know what they say, things become overused precisely because they're really that good.

Julie P. said...

I actually liked this one a lot. After the last few Shopaholics, I wasn't expecting too much. I was pleasantly surprised.

Mari said...

I think I saw this book on sale somewhere recently. I may have to pick it up.

Thanks for the review.

Anonymous said...

The only book I've ever read by this author was The Undomestic Goddess and I remember enjoying it. I'll have to check out her other stuff soon.

Jenn said...

I'm not a huge fan of the Shopaholic series, but I liked both Can You Keep a Secret? and The Undomestic Goddess. I look forward to picking this one up at some point.