Despite so many heavy themes that surround this story, this is actually a feel-good one. Especially with how heartwarming Aaron's devotion is to Riley under such overwhelming predicaments.
3.5 rounded up.
But first, what is it about?
Riley is in a car accident and loses months-worth of memory. Worse, his life made a big turn in those months. He doesn't live with his family now, might as well have been stranded from them, and instead he's living with Aaron, the same troublemaker who'd caused his brother to lose a scholarship to college and almost couldn't graduate. Riley has always devoted his all to his family, partially because he knows the burden that is his celiac disease and constantly needing treatment. But when Aaron points out that maybe Riley had found a better way to live, he allows Aaron to reenact the beginning of their relationship to recover his lost memories.
I love this trope that is the closest equivalent to traveling to the future and seeing how life doesn't go as expected. But I have yet to find the best work to explore it. This wasn't the winner. It doesn't doesn't mean it didn't get things right.
I really like how they explored Riley's relationship with his family, and with his brother. I think this is what sets the story apart in fact. This still falls in the YA category, although Riley has already graduated from high school and it may get close to themes that aren't YA anymore, but it manages to stay there. Plus, being a more mature piece compared to others, I expect it reaches exactly the teenager that it could help. I like it when books manages to present tools to real life problems, or at least be an eye opener to situations we normalize but that shouldn't be normal, and I think this book manages both. Riley's family is a little distant and self-centric, but they still sound real.
What I didn't like could actually be the gold for some readers: Aaron. I mean, Aaron as a person sounds incredibly nice (excluding his rebellious years). But Aaron as book boyfriend was above all too good to be true. And that takes away the magic of romance to me. There is also the issue that a lot of the progress Riley made before losing his memory is entirely thanks to Aaron's interference, which made Riley change internally too, but if you transpose it to real life, it doesn't look like a good thing depending so much on someone. I wish Riley could have made that change for himself. (I don't mean there isn't a bit of that too, but the book really focuses on Aaron's importance in it, which can be read to a teenager as "If only I had an Aaron, my life could change.")
And more onto my Aaron problem, I'm not sure it's a good sign that someone would be as devoted. Aaron really insists even after Riley pushes him away. I see the author worried about boundaries and made sure Aaron wasn't being criminal, but instead it made me wonder, Would anyone do that much for someone else? A teenager, nonetheless? This side of Aaron didn't feel realistic to me. We see his weakness later, but never related to this. He seemed to yearn for his lost love, but I wish I had seen more of the complexity his situation and feelings. As it was, he was the perfect boyfriend. As I said, that probably pleases a lot of readers, but it sounded fake for me.
Despite that, it is a good story that makes you feel warm and empowered.
(Now I wonder where the plot about celiac disease come from, because that sounds like it's own type of hell.)
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
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