The Secret History of Us

by Jessi Kirby

Overview

“Jessi Kirby’s books just keep getting better and better, and The Secret History of Us is her best yet. It beautifully touches on all the most important things in life—love, family, friendship, memory, and bacon. I loved it.”—Morgan Matson, New York Times bestselling author of The Unexpected Everything

In this gorgeously written, emotional novel that fans of Sarah Dessen will enjoy, a teenage girl must piece together the parts of her life she doesn’t remember after a severe collision leaves her with no memory of the past four years.

When Olivia awakes in a hospital bed following a near-fatal car accident, she can’t remember how she got there. She figures it’s because she was in a coma for a week, but as time goes on, she realizes she’s lost more than just the last week of her life—she’s lost all memory of events that happened years ago. Gone is any recollection of starting or graduating high school; the prom; or her steady boyfriend Matt. Trying to figure out who she is feels impossible when everyone keeps telling her who she was.

As Liv tries to sort out her family and friends’ perceptions of her, the one person she hasn’t heard enough from is Walker, the guy who saved her the night her car was knocked off that bridge into the bay below. Walker is the hardened boy who’s been keeping his distance and the one person that has made Liv feel like her old self…whoever that is. With 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 remember living.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062299468
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/01/2017
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	661,337
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.20(d)
Lexile:	HL710L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Jessi Kirby is a writer for young adults whose first book, Moonglass, was named an ABA New Voices Pick. She has also written five other novels—In Honor, Golden, Things We Know by Heart, The Secret History of Us, and The Other Side of Lost. Jessi lives in central California with her husband and two kids. You can visit her online at www.jessikirby.com.

Editorial Reviews

Jessi Kirby’s books just keep getting better and better, and The Secret History of Us is her best yet. It beautifully touches on all the most important things in life—love, family, friendship, memory, and bacon. I loved it.” — Morgan Matson, New York Times bestselling author of The Unexpected Everything

“What makes [this book] noteable is its hyperfocus on existential crisis rather than romantic plot threads. This book is ultimately about [Kirby’s character] finding inner strength to live the life she wants to live instead of the life everyone expects.” — ALA Booklist

Kirby skillfully weaves a mysterious plot. This solid, contemporary suspense story will apeal to readers who love Jenny Hubbard, Morgan Matson, or Laurie Halse Anderson. — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

From the Publisher

What makes [this book] noteable is its hyperfocus on existential crisis rather than romantic plot threads. This book is ultimately about [Kirby’s character] finding inner strength to live the life she wants to live instead of the life everyone expects.

ALA Booklist

Jessi Kirby’s books just keep getting better and better, and The Secret History of Us is her best yet. It beautifully touches on all the most important things in life—love, family, friendship, memory, and bacon. I loved it.

Morgan Matson

Kirby skillfully weaves a mysterious plot. This solid, contemporary suspense story will apeal to readers who love Jenny Hubbard, Morgan Matson, or Laurie Halse Anderson.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

07/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—The survivor of a near-fatal car crash, Liv Jordan is a miracle. After awakening from a medically induced coma, Liv is diagnosed with "posttraumatic retrograde amnesia." Although the bruises and physical pain serve as an unpleasant consequence of her past and present, Liv finds her inability to remember even harder to deal with. Reliant on her family, best friend Paige, and boyfriend Matt to "fill in the gaps," Liv isn't sure who she really is. Forced to piece together memories from her photography, the reactions of others, and a bystander video of her presumed death and resurrection, Liv slowly realizes that she was on the precipice of change long before the accident that robbed her of her memory. When Liv attempts to locate her rescuer, a former classmate with a traumatic past, she is unexpectedly drawn to him. This is a coming-of-age story wrapped in mystery with a hint of romance. Liv's circumstances and her search for self are allegorical and parallel many young adults' experiences. First loves, breakups, dissolution of friendships, and the pursuit of passions are explored. Liv's journey toward self-realization unfolds authentically and in a way that will resonate with teens. VERDICT Recommended for most young adult realistic fiction shelves.—Tamela Chambers, Chicago Public Schools, IL

School Library Journal

2017-05-10
Given a second chance at life, Liv must unravel the mysteries occluded by her memory loss. When Liv's car is hit by a truck, she and her boyfriend, Matt, plunge into the bay along with the car. Matt is able to swim to the surface, but 18-year-old Liv is trapped. When town introvert Walker finally pulls Liv out of the water, she is already dead. Walker breaks her ribs giving her resuscitation, but her life is saved. When she awakens in the hospital several days later, it comes to everyone's slow realization that Liv has lost several years of memories, specifically all of high school, in a syndrome called post-traumatic retrograde amnesia. She doesn't know Matt or how to drive. She doesn't even know that she's a vegetarian now. As Liv tries to piece her life back together, there is something a little off about the information her family and friends, mostly white, are supplying…as though they want to re-create her in their own best image. Schadenfreude will stir in readers as Liv obsessively watches the video of her death online, but the rest of the tale is humdrum. Written in Liv's tentative, first-person voice, the big reveal is incredibly predictable, but there are a couple of sweet surprises at story's end. A weightless romance meant to elucidate that one's true self is unsinkable. (Fiction. 13-17)

Kirkus Reviews