Book - The Girl He Used To Know by Tracey Garvis Graves

“I want to work at a library someday," I said. "I want to spend every waking day of my adult life surrounded by books."

The Girl He Used To Know begins in 2001, when Annika hears a familiar voice while grocery shopping in Chicago. She instantly recognizes him - It's Jonathan, her ex-boyfriend who she hasn't seen in 10 years. 

The story is told by the perspectives of both characters and goes back and forth between 1991, when they meet as students at the University of Illinois and 2001, the year they reconnect and start hanging out again. 

Back in the old days, Annika was a very shy young woman who'd feel extremely nervous in social situations. Her roommate Janice was a life savior, teaching her the ways to navigate through life. Annika's favorite hobbies were reading in her dorm room and going to chess club. One day, she is introduced to Jonathan by one of her playmates.

The two soon begin a romantic relationship. Jonathan was Annika's first boyfriend and everything she could ever ask for. He was loving and kind, and understood Annika's quirks and the challenges of dating her. The two were happier than ever and even made plans to live together in New York after they graduate. Until something tore them apart.

Ten years later, she is a librarian and he works in finance. Now that so much time has passed, they're forced to talk about what happened and confront their feelings. 

This book addresses something which is easy to capture at the beginning but is only mentioned far ahead in the story. It's also a story of true love, loneliness, second changes and forgiveness. 

I think the author made such an effort for Jonathan to be likable that he ended up being too nice, always knowing what to say and do, which I found unrealistic. The story also has a crazy coincidence at the ending, which ultimately added very little to the point of the story. 

This a cute romance novel. I wasn't blown away, but I recommend if you like books with peculiar characters. 

Rate: 3.5/5

Book - Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

When starting reading this book, there are 3 things we learn:

1. I’m in a coma. 

2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore. 
3. Sometimes I lie. 

Amber, a 35-year-old radio presenter, wakes up in a hospital bed. Although everybody thinks she's in a coma, she can hear the voices of the nurses, her husband, Paul, and her sister, Claire, but she can't move or speak to them. Amber doesn't remember why she is there, but she has a suspicion her husband is involved in it. 

The narrative goes back and forth between the present, in which Amber is paralyzed, the days before the incident that put her in the hospital and the pages of childhood diaries. We learn that she is at war with her boss, Madeline, and is doing everything she can to make her leave the radio show. We also find out that Paul is hiding something from her and that Claire was her parents' favorite child, making her feel neglected growing up. We also get to know someone from Amber's past, someone she hasn't seen in many years. 

We know that Amber, as a self-proclaimed liar, is an unreliable narrator and her current state of being high on drugs and partially amnesiac only adds up to the situation.

But slowly, she regains her memory and the truth, or at least the truth given by Amber's perspective, begins to unfold. Is Amber and her sister who they say they are? Who is that someone and what's their part in this story? Is there more about Madeline than just a work dispute? And above all, why is Amber lying in a hospital bed?

Sometimes I Lie is a slap in the face. I felt claustrophobic by Amber's descriptions of being awake but unable to move and wished I could shake her off and make her respond to people. 

The beginning is a bit dull due to the rambling between work situations and present-day illusions and familiar conversations. However, it's only a matter of time until the story gets very interesting and full of unpredictable twists. 

This book left me feeling so confused I ended up reading other people's interpretations. Considering how the story ended I think it can definitely continue in a sequel and would turn out perfectly in a movie as well!
Rate: 4.5/5