Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn't believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit - more sparkly, more fun, more wild - the better. But even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket - a gifted inventor - steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Stephanie Perkins is fast becoming a must-read author for me. There is humor, snarkiness, intelligence and yet, the cool relationships that blosom are completely believable...which is weird for me...the most snarky and jaded person in the world when it comes to love. :) 2011, 384 pages.

"Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac" by Gabrielle Zevin

271 pages

Sixteen-year-old Naomi's life changed forever with the toss of a coin. If she hadn't lost the coin toss, she wouldn't have been the one to go back into her high school to retrieve the camera from the yearbook office. She wouldn't have slipped on a piece of trash on the stairs and hit her head. She wouldn't have lost her memory of the past four years. Now Naomi can't remember anything that happened to her after age twelve. Her family's been reshaped; she's involved with activities that she never cared about before; and she has a best friend and a boyfriend who are strangers to her. As Naomi gets more clues about the person she had been right before her accident, it seems like she had become someone totally different from who she was as a kid--and who she is after the accident.

Of the young adult books I've read this year, this is one of my favorites. The idea of losing one's memory and having to reevaluate everything is fascinating and made me think about how I'd react in the same situation. It also made me consider what my 12-year-old self would think of who I am today. There's some stereotypical teen drama and romance in here, but it seems more sincere and not quite as predictable as some other young adult stories are. The story made me laugh and is also touching without being too cheesy. I fell in love with the characters right away, especially Will and Naomi's dad. Great stuff all around!

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

"I'll know when you get your memory back."
"How?" said Alice.
"The way you look at me. As soon as you remember, I'll see it in your eyes."

Alice wakes up after a fall from her bike in Spin Class (boy have I been there) believing she is 29 and about to have her first child. Life couldn't be grander with her adoring husband Nick and the new fixer upper they just purchased. Trouble is, Alice soon discovers that she is actually 39, the mother to three children she doesn't remember and is in the middle of a horribly nasty divorce from Nick. Every single memory of the last ten years of her life is gone.

This could easily have been a fairly light chick lit book. Instead it is a unique take on the midlife crisis. What if everything you've become in the last ten years is wiped away and you are dealing with the present with your past mentality? How does that help you or harm your growth as a person? A strong character study with a touch of mystery as the reader hangs on wondering what really happened with Nick and how it will all play out. Two side stories-journal entries from Alice's sister about her troubles having a child and letters her Aunt Fannie writes to a mysterious man-add to the journey of discovery the book provides.

2011, 432 pages.