What happened if you knocked your head and woke up only to realise that you have just lost 10 years of memory? Everyone around you had changed and people were talking about things and people whom you didn't even know. Will you feel panicky? Will you think that it's just a dream?
In this book, Alice lost her memory right from the start of the book. She thought that she was 29 years old and pregnant with her first baby and has a loving husband, a doting sister and a shy mother. When her 39 years old self woke up in the hospital with only memories of her life up to 29, she was in a shocked to realise that everything had changed. She couldn't even recognise herself anymore. Her mother had remarried and was a completely changed woman who spoke out her thoughts and is a social butterfly. Her attractive sister no longer spoke to her and she looked so depressed and dejected ever so frequently. Her husband was angry at her and they were getting a divorce. And she didn't even remember how she had given birth to 3 children.
The above all sounds like a huge disaster, however, the book is not. In the first half of the book, we mainly read about Alice trying to overcome her fear and glimpse of past memories. It sounded like nobody liked her future self and she didn't understand why. Everybody kept mentioning the name Gina but she had no idea who this woman is. Towards the middle of the book, we finally get to know more about Gina and how she played an important part in Alice's life. Although I have read reviews about people finding the first half of the book draggy and long winded, I actually enjoyed it. I felt that all the details were necessary to build up the story and prepare us for what was to come in the second half of the book.
As Alice slowly blended into her 'new' life, I really like how she made things right with Nick, Libby and Madison. They were people she treasured in the past and somehow events had ruined their relationship over the years. I think we can really see how things improved and the people coming back into her life. To be honest, I like the 29 years old Alice much more than the 39 years old one. Gina definitely didn't have a positive impact in her life.
The book is written in the POV of Alice but we get to read from the POV of Elisabeth and Frannie through their writing to their doctor and lover respectively. Elisabeth's story had somehow blended in perfectly to the book where Frannie's was a little more out of the main story but was both fun and sad to read.
I really like how the book ended. The Epilogue was awesome! I have known what Alice's decision will be once she got back her memories and the glimpse into her life few years down the road was a pleasant read. I simply love happy ending.
I highly recommend this book to everyone out there. This book really got me thinking what my 10 years ago self would think of my life at this moment. Have my dreams and goals been achieved? If not, what had happened in this 10 years. Can I do something now to salvage it? And from this book, I've learned that everything is possible if I am willing to take the first step to make the change.
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