If you're reading this, you're probably wondering who you are...
You are me, Samantha Agatha McCoy, in the not-so-distant future. I'm writing his for you. They say my memory will never be the same, that I'll start forgetting things. At first just a little, and then a lot. So I'm writing to remember.

Niemann-Pick C (NPC), a rare genetic disorder that can affect cognition, motor function, memory and metabolism is at the heart of The Memory Book but it is Sammie's personal journey that will capture you and remain with you long after you have turned the last page of this book.

When we first meet Samantha (Sammie) she has BIG plans. Plans to win her debate Nationals. Plans to give an amazing Valedictorian speech, and most importantly - plans to move to NYC and attend NYU. But her NPC condition takes a turn for the worse (sooner than she expected) and we begin to see her deteriorate with each page. The story is told through us reading her "memory book"entries. Sammie began her memory book as a means to hold onto her life. When she has a memory episode, she reads back recent entries for a clue as to where she was, what she was doing, etc. This format gives us a unique peek into her feelings, memories and day to day life. What really resonated with me was the fact that she was so young, so full of hopes & dreams and optimism. Lara Avery did an amazing job capturing her journey and how NPC changed her both at her core and outwardly via her symptoms.

There were entries in the Memory Book that made me so sad. They made Sammie's "episodes" feel so real to me as the reader. I could feel her confusion, anxiety and loss. You can clearly see how the entries change from the ones written by the confident Sammie we met in the beginning of the book to the Sammie towards the end.

There were also some wonderful secondary characters in this book. Sammie's entire family (her siblings were so vivid & unique), Stuart (her longtime crush) and Cooper (her childhood BFF & neighbor). Oh how I adored Cooper!

There was a bit of a (minor) love triangle. In my opinion, it really made sense within the story and fit in with the overall development of some of the major characters. Due to Sammie's illness, feelings & the expression of feelings were definitely more pronounced/overt with the very real sense of "running out of time".

Overall, this was a fairly quick, emotional & worth your time read.