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Product Description: With the same wicked humor and delicious charm that have won her millions of devoted fans, Sophie Kinsella, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Shopaholic & Baby, returns with an irresistible new novel and a fresh new heroine who finds herself in a life-changing and utterly hilarious predicament….
When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she’s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident—in a Mercedes no less—Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she’s about to find out just how much things have changed.
Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband—who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all.
Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does? Amazon.com: Behind The Book: A Note to Amazon Readers from Author Sophie Kinsella It's hard, in hindsight, to say exactly how a book comes into being. There are so many ideas and themes that get explored and discarded along the way; so many layers that are built up. Plus it's a bit like having a baby—once the hard work is over it becomes a blur! But with all my novels, I usually start with one little kernel of an idea--and gradually build it up over months of thinking, plotting, the "coffee shop stage" as I call it. With Can you Keep A Secret? it was: what if you told someone all your secrets? With Remember Me? it was: what if you woke up and didn't recognize your life? What if you lost three years of memory--and everything had changed in that time? All my books involve some kind of wish-fulfilment; some kind of escapism--whether it's shopping, or a whirlwind romance, or stepping off the career treadmill--and Remember Me? is maybe the ultimate form of wish-fulfilment. What if you didn't recognize your life... because it had become so perfect? The image that kept coming to me was of a girl, blinking up at her Greek God of a husband, whom she doesn't recognize. It made me giggle every time I thought about it. And so I created my amnesiac heroine Lexi, and her perfect new glossy, unrecognizable life--from the new shiny teeth to the designer handbag, to the perfect millionaire husband. The potential for comedy was irresistible. Another theme I wanted to explore was identity, which I've always found fascinating. Our lives take unpredictable turns and we all change over time. But it's so gradual we don't always notice it. Would your younger self recognize your older self? Put another way, if you woke up tomorrow in the year 2011... what would you find? I grew incredibly close to Lexi whilst writing this book, and really felt all her ups and downs. I laughed and cried and cringed at every embarrassing moment (of which there are plenty!) I think of all my heroines she has maybe the biggest challenge to face and journey to make--as her biggest obstacle is herself. I hope you enjoy her journey!
Customer Reviews: Rating: 
Date: 2008-07-07
THE 1ST THING I THOUGHT WAS - THIS COULD BE ME!!
The idea behind this book is thought provoking - Ladies, what would you do if you suddenly woke up in the hospital to find out that not only have you no memory of the last three years of your life, but that everything that you do remember has completely changed? This would include your appearance (for the Better!), your career (you've been Promoted!), your love life (You're Married!! & to a really good-looking guy), your lifestyle (Fantastic! Your husband is rich and you make three times as much as you used to) and that your social life has changed too. Well, maybe not everything new is better - you seem to have all new friends but your old friends; the one's that matter the most to you act like you don't even exist. This is the case of Lexi Smart - a young woman who has the misfortune (or would that be fortune?) to suffer a brain injury after falling down a set of steps.
Sophie Kinsella is a masterful story teller; she mixes real life with just enough drama to carry you along and helps you invest in her characters. She takes Lexi from an average "any woman" to an ambitious, super styler who now has the sleek body of an athlete and makes us all wish that we could be her; then Sophie switches it up and we discover that there are cracks in the perfect exterior and that not everything is picture perfect.
The story gets even more involved when we find out that Lexi's last memory is indeed from three years earlier, but that the reason she's in the hospital is because of a very recent car accident. Somehow her brain injury jumps her memory back three years and it was during those three years that she consciously made all the changes in her life. She just doesn't remember how or why. She decides to jump right in, thinking that if she plays along, hopefully her memory will return. So she moves in with her gorgeous husband, makes plans to visit her job and see her friends. She just can't understand why she's no longer tight with the girls at work that she used to always hang out with. She even meets a man that seems to know her more than he should and before long, the sparks begin to fly!
Readers are treated to a mystery as Lexi takes on the task of discovering who she is and what is really important to her - she learns just what events sparked the tremendous changes in her life and as she gets to know herself, she discovers who she really wants to be. We ride along with Lexi as she takes on challenges and wonder if she'll ever regain her memory and if or when she does, how will it change her life?
As a personal aside, after reading this book description, I actually gasped! This is ME! Well No, not really but this book really meant something to me personally, as I too, woke up in the hospital after a bump to the had after falling down the stairs and I had no recollection of it either - my life hadn't changed much - except I did lose almost 10 pounds (feeding tubes are great - there's practically no fat pumped in there!) Fortunately, all my important memories are still intact, but it was so intriguing to me when I saw the description of this book that I just had to read it and I'm so glad that I did! Everyone can enjoy this tale; even if you haven't found yourself in Lexi's shoes (or mine!) because the story speaks to everyone about the perils of wanting "the good life" and what can happen as you discover that maybe, just maybe you may already have it!
Rating: 
Date: 2008-07-05
SK does it again, now with 30% more amnesia.
I was never really a fan of Sophie Kinsella's until I read Can You Keep a Secret?. I had read the first Shopaholic book but I didn't really like Becky as a heroine. That all changed with CYKAS, and since then, I have been one of SK's biggest fans. I loved The Undomestic Goddess and had been waiting for her newest book to come out. Well, it has, and it's FANTASTIC.
The heroine, Lexi Smart (Gardiner) begins the book downtrodden and fed up with her humdrum life. After a knock on the head (or two) she wakes up and sees a totally new person reflected in the mirror. And, believe it or not, despite appearances, her life is MORE miserable than it was when she had a crap job, a boyfriend named Loser Dave and the nickname "Snaggletooth". Lexi has to figure out what happened over the past 3 years and decide whether or not she likes the "new" Lexi.
A perfect beach book that has a little bit of a kick, pleasantly mindless but thoroughly engaging. Rating:
Date: 2008-07-04
Still fun!
Not quite up to par with the Shopaholic books, but this was a very fun and enjoyable read. A beach type of book for sure, but you will be able to whip through it in one sitting. Dealing with a woman who has to rediscover/redefine her life, the book deals with lots of fun questions about assessing life and figuring out what you want if you could recreate it. Would you want to? Lots of fun. Rating: 
Date: 2008-07-01
Okay but a bit morally questionable.
I've read all of Ms. Kinsella's books. I've grown to really like Becky in the 'Shopaholic' series. This wasn't bad but I have to agree that cheating on a spouse is not to be taken so lightly. Maybe it's different for the current generation of readers. Also the comparison to Hitler was a bit too casual for me. Rating:
Date: 2008-07-01
Sophie does it again!
I love this author, she's one of my favorites. Reading her books is like watching a romantic comedy chic flick. They're so funny, so witty, and so relatable. You won't be able to put it down, making it a very fast read. |
