Who would you be without your memories?
So, What The Heck Is This Book About?
A mysterious pandemic has spread throughout the world, causing less than one percent of the population to permanently lose their memories. Jeremy Sargo lost his best friend. Ari Cortez lost herself.
When Ari's loved ones share conflicting stories on her previous identity, Ari resorts to following a strange note's instructions to get her memories back. Along the way, she ropes in Jeremy from her memory loss recovery group. Jeremy, however, hasn't actually forgotten anything. Without his best friend by his side, he pretended to lose his own memories for a fresh start.
Soon, both teens find themselves caught up in lies as they attempt to rediscover who they truly are without their memories.
This Was Awesome!
Memory Minefield's idea and execution of a pandemic causing permanent memory loss was fascinating to read. Plus, I really enjoyed seeing the pandemic from two different perspectives. The choice definitely made for a better story since I was able to understand the effect memory loss would have on a variety of people.
I also loved Jeremy's point of view. He has a strong and hilarious voice, frequently beginning the chapters with insane one-liners, which always made me thrilled to read. Jeremy's personality brought out the best in Ari as well, creating at interesting dynamic between the two.
It was hard to accept the ending at first since I enjoyed Jeremy and Ari's dynamic so much. However, upon further reflection I think it made the story stronger, and I'm glad the author was bold enough to write it instead of a generic happy ending.
And This Kinda Sucked
My only major problem with this book was the logical inconsistencies throughout the story. Essentially, Ari genuinely believes that stealing a painting will get her memories back. While I understand that without her memories she may be more gullible, I still wasn't convinced that someone could believe stealing a painting would do anything to help memory loss.
Because that inconsistency was a major plot line and I wasn't so in love with the novel that I could justify giving it a perfect rating, I didn't end up giving the book a perfect rating (even though it was a great novel!)
The Conclusion Is...
I enjoyed Memory Minefield! Although not a novel I'd recommend for people who can't handle more bittersweet books, I had a blast reading it and found it to be very well-written.
Rating: 9/10
Goodreads Rating: 4/5
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