A review by brendalovesbooks
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

5.0

Reread for a book club. I still loved it and flew through it, but I do think it's best the first time through. This time I thought more about what 26 year old me would think of current me, and if I'd be surprised about what my life is like now.

Original review:
I absolutely loved this book. It was very well-written, the kind that you don't want to put down and could read for hours. But beyond that, and what always makes a book extra good for me, is that it really made me think. What would it be like to lose 10 years of your life? To all of a sudden have three kids that you didn't know at all. To have all your relationships changed, and you didn't know how or why. It definitely gives the reader a lot of food for thought.

At first I didn't really care for Alice--either her 10 years ago personality or her current (the one she's trying to remember) personality. She seemed a little too childish. I can't say I ever really came to love her character, but she definitely grew on me. But it wasn't really even that the characters were likable that made the story good. They were flawed, silly, mean . . . just like almost every person you know. I felt their heartbreaks right along with them.

And I cried. I can't remember the last time a book made me cry. I can't even remember the last time I really loved a non-genre book, for that matter. Mostly I tolerate books that aren't speculative fiction, but really this one was just fantastic. There was something about it that sucked me in right from the start and didn't let go until I finished it around midnight. I would definitely recommend this one!