My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I received a copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.
Sia Halloway is a 17 year old girl who wakes up on a park bench with no idea of who she is and what she is doing there. She tries to get her bearings and figure out who she is but nothing seems familiar. She is then forced to spend some time under a bridge where she meets a homeless woman named Carol. They both start living on the streets until Sia almost gets hit by a car and lands in a hospital where she learns she has amnesia and has been missing for over a week.
Her parents are famous in Hollywood and she is a cheerleader with the most popular football player as her boyfriend. It appears her life is perfect except that she is unable to remember, let alone adjust to her old life.
Sia is Josh Grayson's debut YA novel. As a debut, it is not bad. However, the story is somewhat hard to believe but then again, it is a work of fiction. I find the story rather naive enough to consider it a "feel-good" book provided the reader does not make much of an effort to find sense or reason or logic.
For one thing, why in heaven's name would a 17-year old girl agree to get into the car of a stranger? Not even amnesia takes away that much common sense. Then there is the situation wherein Sia somehow does not think of going to the police once she realized she could not remember who she was.
There are numerous other instances wherein the story goes into situations which is unrealistic. Having said that, the story can be considered an okay read for people who need to pass the time without needing to connect any dots. Good first novel though. I know of a lot of debut novels that are a thousand times worse which is the reason for the 2 stars.
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