Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
This book had been a favorite of mine for years. The first time I read it was for a school summer reading assignment and I fell in love with the story.
It’s been a a few years since I have read it so I decided I needed to revisit it again. And it did not disappoint. I’m not sure if I can attribute the excitement to forgetting the smaller details in the time I’ve been away or just the story being so fascinating. But it was worth revisiting again.
Jenna is fighting for a chance to be a girl who can make mistakes and choices for herself. To feel human. This starts long before she has to come to grasp with her not so human form. The pressures of perfections and hardships of not wanting to disappoint the people that love you, that adore you, can make even the most sane of us, lose our minds.
Overall I find that I understand Jenna well, even if there are obvious differences separating us. Finding our place as a human and becoming painfully aware of humanity is something all of us must go through at some point.
It’s been a a few years since I have read it so I decided I needed to revisit it again. And it did not disappoint. I’m not sure if I can attribute the excitement to forgetting the smaller details in the time I’ve been away or just the story being so fascinating. But it was worth revisiting again.
Jenna is fighting for a chance to be a girl who can make mistakes and choices for herself. To feel human. This starts long before she has to come to grasp with her not so human form. The pressures of perfections and hardships of not wanting to disappoint the people that love you, that adore you, can make even the most sane of us, lose our minds.
Overall I find that I understand Jenna well, even if there are obvious differences separating us. Finding our place as a human and becoming painfully aware of humanity is something all of us must go through at some point.
Intense, unique, powerful, also very sad.
I feel for Jenna's parents here, can understand their motives well. I think this one would come off very differently depending on perspective.
I feel for Jenna's parents here, can understand their motives well. I think this one would come off very differently depending on perspective.
A really well done look at medical ethics and autonomy perfectly suited to the adolescent mind. I really appreciated the nuance and intricacy of the story
I have a weakness for an amnesiac main character. What kept me reading was the mystery. The author does a good job of revealing things but holding back enough secrets to keep me reading.
It's the perfect book to read before bed, because of all of the tiny chapters, (particularly in the beginning) it's very put downable.
The Good:
She really captured the emotions involved with what it must be like to have no memory. We don't actually see much from her past, mostly just told that her memory is coming back as opposed to lots of flashbacks. (Though Jenna does watch old videos, which was a quicker way to do it.)
We only get a taste of the world building, only what's necessary for the story. I wish there had been a bit more. That we saw more of the futuristic society and technology.
The mystery was quite well done.
I liked how Jenna had some cool mental abilities. I'd have liked to see more of that.
The Bad:
There's not much plot and really no action. I feel like we got the build up introducing the character but now I want something to actually happen.
Because of what Jenna's going through and how little time passes we don't get to know any of the other kids very well. Her crush is just that, a boy she likes but barely knows. I wanted more!
I also didn't like Alys. She had zero personality and she was very judgemental, and self righteous.
Will I read the next book? Probably not. At least not now. If it was about Jenna or set in a similar time, I might be tempted, but I'm not really interested in an over 250 year time jump.
It's the perfect book to read before bed, because of all of the tiny chapters, (particularly in the beginning) it's very put downable.
The Good:
She really captured the emotions involved with what it must be like to have no memory. We don't actually see much from her past, mostly just told that her memory is coming back as opposed to lots of flashbacks. (Though Jenna does watch old videos, which was a quicker way to do it.)
We only get a taste of the world building, only what's necessary for the story. I wish there had been a bit more. That we saw more of the futuristic society and technology.
The mystery was quite well done.
Spoiler
At first I thought she was a clone, but when Alys started going on about the ethics of replacing body parts with synthetics, I figured it out. But it was still unique.I liked how Jenna had some cool mental abilities. I'd have liked to see more of that.
The Bad:
There's not much plot and really no action. I feel like we got the build up introducing the character but now I want something to actually happen.
Because of what Jenna's going through and how little time passes we don't get to know any of the other kids very well. Her crush is just that, a boy she likes but barely knows. I wanted more!
I also didn't like Alys. She had zero personality and she was very judgemental, and self righteous.
Spoiler
She found out Jenna's secret, and what does she do? Immediately tells, even though it could get her new friend killed. She didn't even seem remorseful. Then she gets the lifesaving technology that saved Jenna, but she didn't really deserve a second chance. We're just told that she changed and accepted it. (The epilogue takes place 260 years in the future. Which was rather disappointing.)Will I read the next book? Probably not. At least not now. If it was about Jenna or set in a similar time, I might be tempted, but I'm not really interested in an over 250 year time jump.
Man, I've been reading a lot of great books lately. I feel like this is the fourth or fifth book in a row I've given five stars to. In any case, I loved this book. It might've helped that I actually listened to the audio book -- the voice of the protagonist was perfect created by the actress. Lots of interesting ideas, beautifully written, recommended.
Reader’s Notes:
– this is book one of a trilogy but the rest of the series does not need to be read in order for this story to feel complete
– 10 curse/bad words
– a guy tries to force the main character to go with him somewhere and she defends herself by grabbing/hurting his groin until he releases her
Review:
This story is so full of questions, learning, and mystery! It was a lot to process, but it was so good! I liked that we learned little by little what actually had happened to Jenna through the bits and pieces of memories she regained over time. And it was cool to see the inconsistencies between past and present through what Jenna remembered and how she questioned why these were happening. There is so much more to all of this, but I would end up spoiling something badly if I continue. Though I’m very curious to see what book two is supposed to be about considering how this story ended…
A girl wakes up from a year long coma caused by an accident no one wants to talk about. She is told that her name is Jenna Fox. She meets people who say they are her parents, but she has no memory of them. In fact, she has no memories of anything surrounding her life. Jenna is told to watch videos of her as she grew up to help her remember. And for awhile it doesn’t work, but then she starts remembering things that a normal person would have forgotten. Like something that happened when she was two in clear details.
What is going on? What happened to cause Jenna to go into a coma in the first place? What else are her parents not telling her besides the accident?
– this is book one of a trilogy but the rest of the series does not need to be read in order for this story to feel complete
– 10 curse/bad words
– a guy tries to force the main character to go with him somewhere and she defends herself by grabbing/hurting his groin until he releases her
Review:
This story is so full of questions, learning, and mystery! It was a lot to process, but it was so good! I liked that we learned little by little what actually had happened to Jenna through the bits and pieces of memories she regained over time. And it was cool to see the inconsistencies between past and present through what Jenna remembered and how she questioned why these were happening. There is so much more to all of this, but I would end up spoiling something badly if I continue. Though I’m very curious to see what book two is supposed to be about considering how this story ended…
A girl wakes up from a year long coma caused by an accident no one wants to talk about. She is told that her name is Jenna Fox. She meets people who say they are her parents, but she has no memory of them. In fact, she has no memories of anything surrounding her life. Jenna is told to watch videos of her as she grew up to help her remember. And for awhile it doesn’t work, but then she starts remembering things that a normal person would have forgotten. Like something that happened when she was two in clear details.
What is going on? What happened to cause Jenna to go into a coma in the first place? What else are her parents not telling her besides the accident?
I don't know, I expected more? I predicted the twists, which isn't always a bad thing, but the book still failed to deliver. The revelation of what happened to Jenna in the accident is especially disappointing. In the end, this was mildly entertaining but I'm not really sure what it was trying to say. Jenna never had any actual issues with being human, so the whole thing just felt like personal angst.
Spoiler
They were stupid teens who got drunk and crashed their car, so? While probably realistic, the book made it out to be some huge mystery. I was expecting some bigger.
Young Adult Science Fiction
This story tells the tale (in the not so distant future) of medical miracles. The ability to save someone when only 10% of their brain is left. This book is the story of Jenna Fox, who doesn’t know that she’s a medical miracle. Once she finds out, we follow this ”18 year old” through her quest to determine what it means to be human and how you know what you are.
This story tells the tale (in the not so distant future) of medical miracles. The ability to save someone when only 10% of their brain is left. This book is the story of Jenna Fox, who doesn’t know that she’s a medical miracle. Once she finds out, we follow this ”18 year old” through her quest to determine what it means to be human and how you know what you are.
Rated: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½
This has taken me a while to write because 1. I completely forgot about it and 2. Because online college has turned my brain into complete mush. My routine has been royally messed up.
But I have finished a book this month! (On track to hopefully finish two more). I listened to this on audio from Scribd and it was okay. There were parts of it that had me captured, like the parts with the science and Jenna hearing voices in her head, accidents, weird coincidences and the end. That sounds like a lot right? No. Most of this book was just filler it felt like. Unnecessary scenes with characters I felt didn't have an impact on the story. Jenna going to school felt especially unnecessary. In my opinion there were other ways to have incorporated Ethan and Alice into Jenna's lives. Everything else about the school was just boring to me. I know it was supposed to be the transition about Jenna slowly figuring things out about herself and her life, but the transition didn't feel like it fit with the story. It felt too normal for such an abnormal story. I would've liked to have felt more connected to Jenna's overall journey throughout this book, but her going to school (which felt like a majority of the story) took over what could've been more development in her character and the science that plays a role. I guess I'm just disappointed in the direction the author took this book. However, I thought the ending was good,, fit well with the course I wanted for this story and was a good introduction for the next book. Which I will read.. but I'm unsure when. I wasn't captivated enough to pick it up right away.
Okay things I did like about this, I liked the character interactions! I felt that the relationships started from zero and built up as Jenna progressed. I like that she ended up being close with Lily again, and that why their relationship was strained was explained to the reader. I liked how Jenna's relationship with her parents was in uncharted waters, and that her parents were unsure of what to do about it.
I liked the secrecy. I felt like that plays a part in the uncharted waters aspect because her parents kept huge things from her (as well as the reader). So when Jenna found out about things, we found out about them too, and we were just as surprised as she was. It made me feel a bit closer to Jenna as a character.
Going off of that, I really liked the science that was involved in this story. That while Jenna's dad is this high up bio-something guy, his role as a parent comes first to him. He brought a whole new aspect of science to the world inside this book!
I didn't like how immature Jenna felt as a character. I understand that she has woken up and literally remembers nothing, but she is 17, and a person that old doesn't act and speak like such a child. That was something that was continually an issue for me, as I felt it didn't get any better until the very, very end of the book.
I felt like the "romance" was kinda weird and unnecessary to the plot and direction of the story. Ethan kissed her a few times. Stuck up for her, but only kind of? And was way too invested in Jenna's problems for his own good. That was kind of all we got from Ethan. He played no significant role, he was just kind of there. Until the end when they described his true, overall purpose of being Jenna's romantic interest.
So while I did enjoy parts of this, it was mostly just okay.
This has taken me a while to write because 1. I completely forgot about it and 2. Because online college has turned my brain into complete mush. My routine has been royally messed up.
But I have finished a book this month! (On track to hopefully finish two more). I listened to this on audio from Scribd and it was okay. There were parts of it that had me captured, like the parts with the science and Jenna hearing voices in her head, accidents, weird coincidences and the end. That sounds like a lot right? No. Most of this book was just filler it felt like. Unnecessary scenes with characters I felt didn't have an impact on the story. Jenna going to school felt especially unnecessary. In my opinion there were other ways to have incorporated Ethan and Alice into Jenna's lives. Everything else about the school was just boring to me. I know it was supposed to be the transition about Jenna slowly figuring things out about herself and her life, but the transition didn't feel like it fit with the story. It felt too normal for such an abnormal story. I would've liked to have felt more connected to Jenna's overall journey throughout this book, but her going to school (which felt like a majority of the story) took over what could've been more development in her character and the science that plays a role. I guess I'm just disappointed in the direction the author took this book. However, I thought the ending was good,
Spoiler
before and after the time jumpOkay things I did like about this, I liked the character interactions! I felt that the relationships started from zero and built up as Jenna progressed. I like that she ended up being close with Lily again, and that why their relationship was strained was explained to the reader. I liked how Jenna's relationship with her parents was in uncharted waters, and that her parents were unsure of what to do about it.
I liked the secrecy. I felt like that plays a part in the uncharted waters aspect because her parents kept huge things from her (as well as the reader). So when Jenna found out about things, we found out about them too, and we were just as surprised as she was. It made me feel a bit closer to Jenna as a character.
Going off of that, I really liked the science that was involved in this story. That while Jenna's dad is this high up bio-something guy, his role as a parent comes first to him. He brought a whole new aspect of science to the world inside this book!
I didn't like how immature Jenna felt as a character. I understand that she has woken up and literally remembers nothing, but she is 17, and a person that old doesn't act and speak like such a child. That was something that was continually an issue for me, as I felt it didn't get any better until the very, very end of the book.
I felt like the "romance" was kinda weird and unnecessary to the plot and direction of the story. Ethan kissed her a few times. Stuck up for her, but only kind of? And was way too invested in Jenna's problems for his own good. That was kind of all we got from Ethan. He played no significant role, he was just kind of there. Until the end when they described his true, overall purpose of being Jenna's romantic interest.
So while I did enjoy parts of this, it was mostly just okay.