A Million Miles Away by Lara Avery // A Truly Special and Touching Story

A Million Miles Away, by Lara Avery
Publication: July 7, 2015, by Poppy
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: 

When high school senior Kelsey's identical twin sister, Michelle, dies in a car crash, Kelsey is left without her other half. The only person who doesn't know about the tragedy is Michelle's boyfriend, Peter, recently deployed to Afghanistan. But when Kelsey finally connects with Peter online, she can't bear to tell him the truth. Active duty has taken its toll, and Peter, thinking that Kelsey is Michelle, says that seeing her is the one thing keeping him alive. Caught up in the moment, Kelsey has no choice: She lets Peter believe that she is her sister.
As Kelsey keeps up the act, she crosses the line from pretend to real. Soon, Kelsey can't deny that she's falling, hard, for the one boy she shouldn't want.

My Thoughts:

A Million Miles Away was a raw, realistic, gorgeous story I will never forget about. That's the honest and wholesome truth in one sentence. After reading Lara Avery's other novel, The Memory Book, I had this urge inside of me to pick this one up as well and read it and bawl as I read it and feel like I'm connecting to the story, you know? Let's just say that this book was a gorgeous masterpiece I recommend to everyone. If you enjoy chick-lit romances, this book is for you. If you usually enjoy mysteries and thrillers, this book is for you. If you enjoy fantasy, this book is for you. This book is literally for everyone. 

This time around, Lara Avery focuses on a main character named Kelsey, who has an identical twin sister, Michelle, who tragically dies in a car crash. She is finding it extremely difficult to move on, and the worst part is the fact that Michelle's boyfriend, Peter, is in Afghanistan for the military. He doesn't know that Michelle passed away, and Kelsey doesn't want to tell him the truth... yet. So in the meantime, she pretends that she is Michelle, though as she begins to form a relationship with Peter, she realizes that she has feelings for him, too.

I love the way Lara Avery had this story progress. You see, it wasn't cheesy or generic; this was one of the most raw and emotional books I've ever read. From the beginning, we immediately form an emotional connection with the characters in the way that we briefly meet Michelle, Kelsey's twin, before she passes away. We can immediately tell that they didn't always get along; Michelle is more artistic while Kelsey focuses on popularity and cheerleading. However, when times are rough, Michelle did tend to fall to Kelsey to solve her problems. Already from the first few chapters I was able to tell that this book wasn't one of those cliché chick-lit stories with characters whose lives are perfect. It was the complete opposite of that. Both sisters had their own problems, with each other and with others, and that just made the book so much more believable. I kept imagining a girl in Kansas struggling to move on after grief has succumbed her. 

What I especially adored about this story is the fact that it was easy to understand why Kelsey pretended to be Michelle. That's where the emotions that correspond to this story come in. I loved Peter as a character, and it seemed that from the start, Kelsey loved him too for keeping her sister happy. Kelsey is a character who didn't want to disappoint others, and by interacting with Peter, she was given the chance to learn more about the person her sister really was, instead of Michelle just being Kelsey's twin. This just exemplifies the fact that each individual is different, no matter what family or group you come from.

A Million Miles Away is a memorable story that I recommend to everyone. I truly imagine this becoming a movie, and it can be compared to the stories of Nicholas Sparks, but more mature in the sense that it's not just about the romance. It's about the emotions generated in both the characters and readers that make this story so special. I feel that Lara Avery's writing is really underhyped and more people should become aware of this fantastic author.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher via BookExpo America in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What is the most emotional book you've ever read?

The Memory Book by Lara Avery // Raw, Emotional and Everything In-Between

The Memory Book, by Lara Avery
Publication: July 5, 2016, by Poppy
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

Sammie was always a girl with a plan: graduate at the top of her class and get out of her small town as soon as humanly possible. Nothing will stand in her way--not even a rare genetic disorder the doctors say will slowly start to steal her memories and then her health. What she needs is a new plan.
So the Memory Book is born: Sammie's notes to her future self, a document of moments great and small. It's where she'll record every perfect detail of her first date with longtime crush, Stuart--a brilliant young writer who is home for the summer. And where she'll admit how much she's missed her childhood best friend, Cooper, and even take some of the blame for the fight that ended their friendship.
Through a mix of heartfelt journal entries, mementos, and guest posts from friends and family, readers will fall in love with Sammie, a brave and remarkable girl who learns to live and love life fully, even though it's not the life she planned.

My Thoughts:

Holy gumballs and watermelons. (Excuse me, but I'm currently chewing on a piece of watermelon gum, so don't mind me) I'm trying not to sob and break down all over again in front of my computer again, so let's just get this started once more. Never did I ever expect to adore Lara Avery's The Memory Book as much as I did. Seriously? It is the best 2016-published book I have read, yet. It is one of my most favourite books ever. Why? Because it changed my life and made me want to write, aspire to follow my dreams, fall in love, appreciate life and appreciate memories, because they don't always last. And I'm not referencing diseases necessarily. Yes, our heroine, Sammie (who I adore and want to be my best friend and antisocial activist), does have a disease, also known as Niemann-Pick Type C, but not every person needs to lose their memories like that. I love books that are researched, raw, real and emotional. Lara Avery just explained Sammie's story well, and not in a 50-50 scientific-emotional split for YA readers. It was more than that, perhaps more emotional or more scientific and I can't even imagine how this was all constructed.

I rarely (okay, occasionally) say this, but this book is perfection. There is not a single thing wrong with it, there are no flaws. Okay, perhaps I missed a grammar mistake, but even though I read an uncorrected proof, I saw no flaws. The Memory Book left me aching for something more, something to turn to the next day (I finished this at midnight) when I felt sad. Okay, this book was already sad, so I don't think things can get sadder.

This book is a teenager's worst nightmare. Or at least, my worst nightmare. We have a protagonist (Sammie) who has her whole future planned out, kind of like I do. She wants to go to NYU (well, it's happening), become a lawyer and live in New York City. She's valedictorian, has worked so hard for that role, and things are becoming the way she wants. Most of all, she wants to leave her small town outside of Hanover, New Hampshire. (DARTMOUTH, GUYS!) It's our worst nightmare when something gets out of hand and your life automatically changes and heads in the worst direction. I felt so much pity, guilt for Sammie, knowing that her future is at stake, that things that she wants to happen won't ever happen because of her condition.

This book is what you think it is: it is a memory book of Sammie's. She unexpectedly discovers that she has Niemann-Pick Type C after being unable to move her eyes up, and this book is written from her perspective where she records her daily life in a document in her computer. She falls in love with her longtime crush, Stuart, and becomes friends with her old friend again, Cooper. THERE IS SO MUCH MORE, THOUGH. The plot was fast-moving and things couldn't stop happening. There were moments where I had to take a breather and actually calm down after what was happening all the time. I read this in a sitting or two (because of interruptions), GUYS. THIS IS A GOOD SIGN.

"Sometimes life is really terrible. Sometimes life gives you a weird disease. Sometimes life is really good, but never in a simple sort of way. And when I look back, I will know I have tried" (70).

So yeah, there's a love triangle: Sammie is torn between Coop and Stuart. I kind of saw what occurred coming, but I wasn't sure. I WOULD BE TORN, MY FRIENDS. Coop is the adventurous, hot, caring guy who will always be there to give you a ride somewhere and make out with you on the way there. *twiddles eyebrows* Stuart is the mysterious writer (who I also love) and he's so smart, philosophical and agh, I'm in love. 

The Memory Book is written so lyrically and so realistically. I felt Sammie's strong voice speaking to us readers. Avery informed us about Sammie's condition in such a way that is not like reading an article on the internet; it's coming out of a victim's heart/mouth, being written with so much realism. I also loved the setting of this whole story—it makes me want to go to Vermont/New Hampshire even MORE. I've always been thinking about Dartmouth University, and this is the best experience of reading about a university—in a YA novel. 

We see this transition of Sammie's condition throughout the book. She undergoes these scares that literally scares us readers too, because we know that the worst is yet to come. Things became drastic, and my feels went out of control. I was so intrigued/tired by the time that I finished this book that I couldn't cry even when I really was in the mood for. MY LIFE WAS OVER. I COULDN'T DO IT ANYMORE. 

"It's like, take my body, fine. I wasn't really using it anyway. I've got this enormous butt on ostrich legs, the hair of a "before" picture, and weird milky brown eyes like a Frappuccino. But not my brain. My true connection to the world" (12).

The Memory Book has been anticipated by me for a long time, and I can see why everyone is awing over the emotion. This is simply gorgeous, perhaps the most gorgeously written book ever. It's poetic, and has this vibe that many emotional books struggle to maintain. John Green and his lookalike authors (by means of writing, I mean) need to take a few tips by my new favourite, Lara Avery. I need to read A Million Miles Away. STILL SOBBING HERE.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What book has made you the most emotional? What is the most sad YA read for you?