The One Memory of Flora Banks ~ Emily Barr

Seventeen-year-old Flora Banks has no short-term memory. Her mind resets itself several times a day, and has since the age of ten, when the tumor that was removed from Flora’s brain took with it her ability to make new memories. That is, until she kisses Drake, her best friend's boyfriend, the night before he leaves town. Miraculously, this one memory breaks through Flora's fractured mind, and sticks. Flora is convinced that Drake is responsible for restoring her memory and making her whole again. So, when an encouraging email from Drake suggests she meet him on the other side of the world—in Svalbard, Norway—Flora knows with certainty that this is the first step toward reclaiming her life.
 
But will following Drake be the key to unlocking Flora’s memory? Or will the journey reveal that nothing is quite as it seems?

Book Review:

I picked up this book as a part of BookTube-A-Thon 2017 for the hyped book challenge. I have seen it all over BookTube and it is even one of the books on the Zoella and Friends Book Club list. I figured that it was a good time to give it a try and I am glad I did. 

When I first started reading it, it felt and read like any contemporary novel with a bit of a twist coming in the form of Flora's short-term memory, over protective parents, and one confusing evening. As I continued to read it, I began to get similar feelings to when I was reading We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. 

I was constantly kept on the edge of my seat as I read the story. I wanted Flora and her best friend to work things out. I wanted Flora to get answers for the confusion that continued after her kiss with Drake. Eventually we find out the truth about that night and that kiss that Flora seems to remember. It is not as sweet as Flora remembers it to be. I wont divulge to much of the truth because it would completely ruin the impact of the novel, but let's just say, it was completely unexpected.

After the truth is revealed, Flora has to deal with figuring out who is with the help of some friends and her dead brother through his boyfriend. Thankfully, it seems as though everything is going to work out for Flora and she is going to be able to live the life that her brother wanted for her. 

Pages:298                                                                                                                                  Rate: 4/5

Favorite Quote:

“Although I don't know much about anything, I know that I have a story. I know that it is not over. There are shades and shadows of adventures and people and wild new places."