by Monica Mei V. Cariño
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING author Sophie Kinsella of the Shopaholic Series has released her eighth novel Remember Me? The book is a modern-day Cinderella tale about a girl who goes through a very bad day, trips, and suddenly wakes up to discover herself with a perfect life.
It’s 2004 and Lexi Smart’s boots don’t fit. She’s standing in the rain with her friends as, once again, her boyfriend stood her up. With her father’s funeral happening the next day and the perennial problem of her crooked teeth and fuzzy hair, her last memories before she tripped and toppled down the stairs were the worst.
Imagine her surprise when she wakes up in 2007, married to a hot guy who can maneuver a speedboat. She has turned into the youngest director of her firm, enjoying penthouse living in upscale Kensington, and dressed up in branded clothes that accentuate her toned and sheen legs. And she has no recollection of the past three years.
Slowly, Lexi regains her memory and pieces together the perfect life she doesn’t fit in. Readers go along with Lexi as she finds clues that reveal how she became the person she is.
Compared to Kinsella’s other books, the characters in her latest novel are much more real and mature. Unlike Shopaholic’s Rebecca Bloomwood, who’s fickle and indecisive, Lexi is a hard, career-driven woman who is regarded behind her back as a ‘cobra.’
As the novel pans out, Lexi discovers that she didn’t have many friends. And with her family problems on top of that, Lexi’s story sometimes feels melodramatic and thus, hard to read.
Aside from her dismal social life, Lexi is also coping with her amnesia so expect Remember Me? to be a bit darker than her previous novels.
Kinsella’s novels are known for their memorable lines, three-dimensional characters with lots of heart, and a pinch of drama. Readers won’t be disappointed as Lexi Smart proves to be an endearing heroine despite the way she turned out. Kinsella gives the stereotypical bitch everyone hates a heart.
Although the novel takes a more mature turn, readers need not worry, as Kinsella manages to create laughs with a plot that may seem farfetched, but becomes engagingly real. Who hasn’t dreamt of wishing to be that person who waltzes in, well-dressed and powerful, along with the perfect trophy spouse? Who doesn’t wish for this ideal life?
With superb writing, Remember Me? is a hilarious, laughter-inducing read that just can’t be put down. Sophie Kinsella has once again produced a gem of a book, although a more mature and serious one at that.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 g’s
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