The Secret History Of Us
Author: Jessi Kirby
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre/Themes/Demo: YA, Contemporary, Suspense
Release Date: August 1st 2017
Page Count: 288
Format: Audiobook
ISBN: 9780062299468
Author Website | Book Depository | Amazon | Chapters/Indigo
Initial Post Reading Thoughts
I won’t lie. I had no idea this book even existed until recently. It wasn’t even remotely on my radar until I came across the audiobook! The cover and title piqued my interest first, but the synopsis sold me. I loved how mysterious it sounded! I’m really glad I picked it up as I ended up enjoying it quite a lot!
Synopsis
Olivia wakes up to realize she doesn’t remember. Not just the accident—but anything from the last four years. Not high school. Not Matt, the guy who is apparently her boyfriend. Not the reason she and Jules are no longer friends. Nothing. That’s when it hits her—the accident may not have taken her life, but it took something just as vital: her memory. The harder she tires to remember things, the foggier everything gets, and figuring out who she is feels impossible when everyone keeps telling her who she was. But then there’s Walker. The guy who saved her. The one who broke her ribs pumping life back into her lungs. The hardened boy who keeps his distance despite Olivia’s attempts to thank him. With her feelings growing for Walker, tensions rising with Matt, and secrets she can’t help but feel are being kept from her, Olivia must find her place in a life she doesn’t even remember living.
What I Liked
The mystery. It was the mystery of the synopsis that made me want to pick up this book in the first place! As mentioned above, I didn’t even know this book existed until I came across the audiobook version recently. What grabbed me was the synopsis. I really needed a mystery/suspense type of novel and The Secret History of Us did not disappoint. The whole book had me wondering what had happened and what secrets the people closest to Liv were keeping from her.
The build up. The mystery slowly unraveled as each chapter came and went. We learned little pieces of information in each chapter that slowly told the story of Liv, her accident, her memory loss and the secrets that people weren’t telling her.
The conclusion? I have a question mark here because I both liked and didn’t like the way this story concluded. I liked it because it was how I would have liked this story to end. In terms of what Liv has learned about the years that she has forgotten and in terms of her final decisions…
What I Didn’t Like
The conclusion? …I didn’t like the conclusion because it felt slightly rushed and it lacked detail. All of the sudden the ending was here and the book was over. We could have had a little more detail, and maybe even a bit of swoon-worthy-ness, but nope.
Overall, The Secret History Of Us wasn’t anything particularly unique or creative, but it did keep me wanting more the entire time. I wanted to learn more about the past that Liv couldn’t remember as well as all the secrets that were being kept from her. I do wish that there was more to the conclusion, but overall this suspenseful young adult served its purpose and kept me entertained from start to finish.
About The Author
Jessi Kirby is a former English teacher and librarian. She lives in Orange County, CA with her husband and two kids, where she writes stories and runs the beach every day. Well, almost every day.
Thank you for reading!
Big City Bookworm 
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