Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

 

Is this the most amazing thing I've ever read? No. But oh my God, it is so fun. Sophie Kinsella is a hit or miss author with me because she does this thing where she writes these heroines who are super passive aggressive and borderline pathological when it comes to lying, and it's supposed to be so omg!quirky and humorous, when actually, it just comes across as super toxic and kind of awful. REMEMBER ME? is one of the few books I've read by this author that doesn't do that, and I love it all the more for it.

When the book starts out, it's 2004. Lexi has a loser boyfriend named Loser Dave, she's struggling at an entry-level position in her company as an underpaid and underappreciated sales associate, and oh, yes, her father's funeral is tomorrow. But then she gets hit by a car when she's trying to hail a taxi and when she opens her eyes, everything has changed. She has dyed hair and veneers, all of her clothes are designer, and suddenly she's the director of her whole department. WHAT.

Also, it's 2007 and she can't remember any of it. Oop.

I'm a sucker for a good amnesia story and REMEMBER ME? delivers. The only thing that would make this story better would be if it had a bit of a gothic element to it. I kept hoping Eric was into some shady shit or something, but instead he's just a posh creep with some interesting sexual kinks (I may be traumatized forever by the phrase "Mont Blanc"). It was super interesting seeing Lexi navigate her new life and try to figure out why her sweet younger sister has become a borderline klepto, why all her old friends hate her and call her the "Cobra," and why she can't seem to stomach the sight of her supposedly beloved husband, Eric, who has oh-so-helpfully created a "marriage manual" for her that details everything from her dietary habits to step-by-step instructions for foreplay. LMAO.

Someone should seriously pick this up and make it into a TV mini-series. It's a very, very light mystery that's reminiscent of other cutesy amnesiac thrillers, like SIRI, WHO AM I? (which I also loved). The heroine is actually super likable and relatable and it's got a great ending. Also, the aughts references are EVERYTHING. Brangelina, cigarette jeans, and green juice. I think I actually read this book around the time that it first came out, so it was fun to revisit and experience the same thrilling rush. I'm doing this project called "the literary sad girl canon" where I reread books I loved (or hated!) when I was young. TWENTIES GIRL didn't quite live up to that first read but I'm happy to say this one does.

4.5 out of 5 stars