Review: Notes To Self by Avery Sawyer

Title: Notes To Self
Author: Avery Sawyer
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Young Adult
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Caution: May contain spoilers

.
Two climbed up. Two fell down.

One woke up.

In the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury, Robin Saunders has to relearn who she is and find out what happened the night everything changed.

~synopsis from Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Notes To Self is a story that follows Robin as she tries to piece together what happened the night she and her best friend Emily fell. Robin’s journey post-brain-injury is probably one of the most brilliant tales I’ve read. No matter what happens, she does what she can. She can’t do everything she would like to, but it’s admirable that she keeps trying to move forward. She wants to remember what happened that night, hoping that if she can she would be able to do something to help Emily, who is still in a coma.

Her brain damage does not make this easy. She struggles at first to manage the easiest of tasks, like how to take a shower. As per her doctor’s suggestion, she starts to write down notes to help her remember things. It doesn’t trigger the memory she wants to have back, but it helps. Although she finds herself more prone to crying, she still manages to stay strong considering what she went through and what she’s dealing with.

Aside from her own injury and her friend in a coma, she is having to face mean people at school. Her classmates make fun of and laugh at her when she can’t do things normally. They also constantly ask her when Emily will be getting out of her coma. There is one person she has to rely on, and that’s her friend Reno. He is a very sweet guy from her childhood who, despite not having spoken in awhile, comes by and does what he can for her.

No matter what she does, nothing seems to be helping her to remember what happened. How can she remember? The fall has caused her to forget so much, and it has brought forward strange feelings and mixed emotions about the people in her life. She doesn’t give up, she keeps pressing on and staying strong regardless of the obstacles in her way.

Notes To Self is a story of growth and learning (and relearning) about oneself. Many things Robin kept in the dark (in her subconscious) were brought to light, making her a remarkable person for understanding them. This book kept me captivated chapter after chapter. Avery Sawyer has given us a story to remember. I, for one, hope to see something else from her soon.

My Rating:

Very Good: Stay up late