"Jessi Kirby's books just keep getting better and better, and The Secret History of Us is her best yet. It beautifully touches on all the most important things in life-love, family, friendship, memory, and bacon. I loved it."-Morgan Matson, New York Times bestselling author of The Unexpected Everything In this gorgeously written, emotional novel that fans of Sarah Dessen will enjoy, a teenage girl must piece together the parts of her life she doesn't remember after a severe collision leaves her with no memory of the past four years. When Olivia awakes in a hospital bed following a near-fatal car accident, she can't remember how she got there. She figures it's because she was in a coma for a week, but as time goes on, she realizes she's lost more than just the last week of her life-she's lost all memory of events that happened years ago. Gone is any recollection of starting or graduating high school; the prom; or her steady boyfriend Matt. Trying to figure out who she is feels impossible when everyone keeps telling her who she was.
As Liv tries to sort out her family and friends' perceptions of her, the one person she hasn't heard enough from is Walker, the guy who saved her the night her car was knocked off that bridge into the bay below. Walker is the hardened boy who's been keeping his distance and the one person that has made Liv feel like her old self...whoever that is. With 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 remember living.
I really enjoyed this book, but it definitely could have been longer. I was fascinated by the storyline, Liv being in a car accident and doesn't remember anything from the past 4 years. She just graduated, so that means she doesn't remember anything about high school, including her boyfriend of 2 years. I feel like there was a lot there that had potential to really pack a few punches, but that never happened, the story always remains close to the surface and never dives in too deep.
Sure, the story isn't all that original, but it was interesting and could have been a 5 star read for me, but the fact that the ending seemed so rushed left me feeling slightly disappointed. I wanted more. I wanted to read more about Liv trying to piece her life back together and I wanted to read more of Walker and his storyline. I guess I just wanted more from the story overall.
I wavered between giving this 3 or 4 stars, but I decided on 4 stars because I did enjoy the story and it was a quick read that I didn't want to put down. It's definitely a book you want to pick up when you don't want to read anything too heavy.
