Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

Lexi Smart is a normal, twenty five year old woman who is broke and lives in a low-key, shabby apartment. But when she wakes up in the hospital, she finds out that she hit her head, got amnesia, and lost three whole years of her memory. So Lexi is now twenty eight years old, is the head of her company, and is married to a very handsome and wealthy man. Confused, Lexi has to learn how her life went from boring to glamorous with one bump on the head. 

Remember Me? was fun to read, and I loved the amount of visual detail, character development there was. I also enjoyed how this book kept me excited and entertained from the beginning, as a lot of books don’t do this to me. With that said, the protagonist annoyed me. All of the characters in all of Sophie Kinsella’s books are the exact same – flirty, airheaded, and ignorant. The theme of amnesia was also confusing. As the reader, it was hard to keep track of and understand the time periods, as the book switched from pre-accident/before amnesia (3 years in the past), and after accident/with amnesia (3 years in the future). Additionally, I disliked the message that the author gave to the audience. Kinsella made it seem like it’s acceptable to cheat on your significant other if you fall out of love with them. I think that this is a horrible message to send to anyone, but especially to young adults who are starting to date themselves and starting to learn what love is. However, if you like romances, then this is a good book to read. I would rate this book an 8/10. In my opinion, readers should be 15+, due to sexual content and cursing.

Katrina Williams (Gum Spring Library)

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Lara Lington has just learned that her great aunt Sadie has passed away. But while attending her funeral, Lara starts hearing things…or does she? It turns out that Sadie is haunting Lara because she needs Lara’s help to accomplish her last, dying wish. Sadie’s request is for Lara to help her find her stolen family heirloom, a gold dragonfly necklace. If Lara is able to find this priceless necklace, Sadie will finally be able to rest in peace. Will Lara be able to help Sadie, so she can stop pestering Lara?

As with all of Sophie Kinsella’s books, I was very entertained, as there was a lot of humor scattered throughout the whole book. I also enjoyed the mystery of the story because it wasn’t a predictable, cliche mystery like in a lot of other books. It wasn’t obvious who held the stolen necklace or where the necklace was located. The theme of Twenties Girl also focused on family and friendship, which I thought was different for a romance novel, since they usually just concentrate on love. However, I wasn’t a fan of one of the main characters being a ghost because I don’t like the fantasy or sci-fi genres. While it still was a fun read, Sadie being a ghost made the story very far-fetched for me, which I disliked. Anyone who enjoys mysteries, fantasies, rom coms, or all of the above would absolutely love Twenties Girl. In my opinion, readers should be at least 14+.  

Katrina Williams (Gum Spring Library)

Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand

Cyrano de Bergerac is a humorous book about a talented poet, Cyrano, who seems to write beautifully but can’t seem to capture the heart of women through his looks. He and Christian are obsessed with one beautiful girl, Roxane. Christian is just the opposite of Cyrano, he can’t seem to talk well, but has the looks to please Roxane. To win, Roxane, Cyrano and Christian become friends. Cyrano writes letters to Roxane on Christians behalf. 

I enjoyed this book because of Cyrano, and how he talks and makes a fuss about his big nose and all his other problems. It is also funny how Christian talks to Roxane. I didn’t enjoy how this book was written in a play format, although it is supposed to be one. The play was hard to imagine, if it was a story there would be more background information. They can’t put that much in the parenthesis in plays, so if they made it into a story it would be better. This book is for anyone who enjoys humor, dramatic main characters, and olden day 17th century Paris vibes/talks.

Saanvi Celamkoti (Gum Spring Library)