My Thoughts: The Other Side of Lost by Jessi Kirby

The Other Side of Lost
by Jessi Kirby
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Publication Date: August 7th 2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 312
ISBN: 9780062424242
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Edelweiss Review Copy

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Girl Online meets Wild in this emotionally charged story of girl who takes to the wilderness to rediscover herself and escape the superficial persona she created on social media.

Mari Turner’s life is perfect. That is, at least to her thousands of followers who have helped her become an internet starlet. But when she breaks down and posts a video confessing she’s been living a lie—that she isn’t the happy, in-love, inspirational online personality she’s been trying so hard to portray—it goes viral and she receives major backlash. To get away from it all, she makes an impulsive decision: to hike the entire John Muir trail. Mari and her late cousin, Bri, were supposed to do it together, to celebrate their shared eighteenth birthday. But that was before Mari got so wrapped up in her online world that she shut anyone out who questioned its worth—like Bri.

With Bri’s boots and trail diary, a heart full of regret, and a group of strangers that she meets along the way, Mari tries to navigate the difficult terrain of the hike. But the true challenge lies within, as she searches for the way back to the girl she fears may be too lost to find: herself. (Goodreads)

I absolutely LOVE discovering new books by authors that I enjoy, so of course I was pretty excited when I first discovered The Other Side of Lost by Jessi Kirby. I’ve read a few of Jessi’s book in the past, and really enjoyed them, and have a few of her books that I still need to read as well. But, once I discovered this new book, I just HAD to check it out, and I’m so glad that I did!

I want to start this by saying that I *really* enjoyed the storyline for this book SO much more than I expected to. I’m not at all a nature/outdoorsy person, and while I love the idea of hiking, especially like the main character in the story did, I doubt I could ever pull it off. BUT, I did enjoy reading all about Mari’s adventure, especially the descriptions of the hike, and I have to wonder if the Jessi Kirby has made this hike herself.

Also, there are some really great characters in this book. I love all the friends that Mari meets during her hike, and I think I could totally do a hike if I had a group of friends like these there to support and cheer me on. Some pretty awesome friendships are made throughout this book, and there’s quite a bit of romance along the way as well, which was really sweet.

That being said, as much as I liked this book, as a mom I feel like I need to add… Mari totally should have checked in with her mom before and during her adventure!! (Especially after what happened to her cousin.) I would have been completely terrified if I was her mom, and Mari blowing her off didn’t work for me. This was the only part of the book that I really didn’t care for. As a mom, it just seemed really selfish to me. But, that’s just me!

Overall; While I had one small issue with The Other Side of Lost, I still found it to be a very enjoyable read! I definitely think fans of Jessi’s will definitely enjoy this new book as well! I will most totally be keeping my eye out for new books by Jessi in the future, and I also am really looking forward to reading the few books of hers that I haven’t read yet!! If you’re looking for a good contemporary novel, do check this book out!

My Thoughts: The Secret History of Us by Jessi Kirby

The Secret History of Us
by Jessi Kirby
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Publication Date: August 1st 2017
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9780062299468
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Edelweiss

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A near drowning…a coma for days…and then…

Olivia wakes up to realize she doesn’t remember. Not just the accident—but anything from the last four years. Not high school. Not Matt, the guy who is apparently her boyfriend. Not the reason she and Jules are no longer friends. Nothing.

That’s when it hits her—the accident may not have taken her life, but it took something just as vital: her memory. The harder she tires to remember things, the foggier everything gets, and figuring out who she is feels impossible when everyone keeps telling her who she was.

But then there’s Walker. The guy who saved her. The one who broke her ribs pumping life back into her lungs. The hardened boy who keeps his distance despite Olivia’s attempts to thank him.

With her feelings growing for Walker, tensions rising with Matt, and secrets she can’t help but feel are being kept from her, Olivia must find her place in a life she doesn’t even remember living. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts...
I was really excited to read The Secret History of Us by Jessi Kirby, as I had read her previous book, The Things We Know By Heart last year, and really enjoyed it. I just knew that I was going to like The Secret History of Us as well, and I did!

The story definitely starts off with a bang, and it completely grabbed my attention and didn't let go. We follow Olivia as she wakes up in a hospital with absolutely no memory of how she got there. As the story goes along, the pieces of what happened the night of the accident start to slowly come together, and if you're anything like me, you'll fly through the pages trying to put all those pieces together. I was hooked. Coming in at just 288 pages, this book was a really quick read, and I found myself not wanting it to be over as I turned the last page!

Can I say that I can't even imagine being in Olivia's shoes? She definitely handled it much better than I would have, which would have been a blubbering, sobbing mess. She's definitely a strong character, and she has your right along with her as she tries to piece together exactly what happened. She has a really great, supportive family, who do their best to try to help her the best way they possibly can. I don't really feel like we got to know much about some of the secondary characters in the story, but in this case, I was more than ok with that, as I really just wanted to know more about Olivia. Ok, ok... I would have liked to know a little bit more about Walker as well. *wink*

Overall; I really enjoyed reading The Secret History of Us, and I'm even more curious to read more of Jessi's books now! Golden, In Honor, and Moonglass in particular have been on my TBR for a while now, and I'm definitely going to have to pick them up soon!

Review: Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby

Things We Know By Heart
by Jessi Kirby
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Publication Date: April 21st 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9780062299437
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Edelweiss

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When Quinn Sullivan meets the recipient of her boyfriend’s donated heart, the two form an unexpected connection.

After Quinn loses her boyfriend, Trent, in an accident their junior year, she reaches out to the recipients of his donated organs in hopes of picking up the pieces of her now-unrecognizable life. She hears back from some of them, but the person who received Trent’s heart has remained silent. The essence of a person, she has always believed, is in the heart. If she finds Trent’s, then maybe she can have peace once and for all.

Risking everything in order to finally lay her memories to rest, Quinn goes outside the system to track down nineteen-year-old Colton Thomas—a guy whose life has been forever changed by this priceless gift. But what starts as an accidental run-in quickly develops into more, sparking an undeniable attraction. She doesn't want to give in to it—especially since he has no idea how they're connected—but their time together has made Quinn feel alive again. No matter how hard she’s falling for Colton, each beat of his heart reminds her of all she’s lost…and all that remains at stake. (Goodreads)

Things We Know By Heart is the first book I’ve read by Jessi Kirby. I’ve had some of her other books on my to-read list for a while now, but haven’t had a chance to read them yet. Now that I’ve read one of her books, I’ve definitely become a fan, and I can’t wait to get my hands on her other books!

Poor Quinn, for such a young girl, she had been through so much. Having the love of your life die in a tragic accident can make even the strongest of persons buckle. As a way to cope with her loss, she decides to meet the recipients of Trent’s donated organs; seeing the life that Trent provided to those who needed it. And after 400 days, she had met almost all of the recipients, except for the one that would be the hardest to deal with, the heart recipient, who doesn’t want to be found. But Quinn is very determined, and ends of finding him anyways. From there, her chance meeting with the recipient turns into something much, much more.

I really loved Quinn’s determination throughout the story. She just knew that she would find closure after finding the heart recipient, and all she wanted was a little peek at the person. But she totally didn’t expect all the feelings that came with finally finding Colton, which was completely understandable. I loved Colton a little more than I expected to, and it was hard not to love him. He was so sweet! I loved watching the relationship between the two grow.

This book will have you hooked from the beginning. The very first chapter is like a punch to the gut. The accident and the feelings; my heart was breaking for Quinn. That’s another thing about the book; it gives you ALL the feels as you turn the pages. Also, I love the setting of the book is at the beach. I love books that are set at the beach, they make me want to learn to surf and kayak and do all the things that Quinn and Colton did in the book.

Overall; I really enjoyed Things We Know By Heart.  The characters are well written, and the storyline was addictive, and full of hope. I am super excited to read more by this author as soon as I possibly can.