Review: The One Memory of Flora Banks

Title: The One Memory of Flora Banks
Author: Emily Barr
Publisher: Penguin
Published: January 12th 2017
How I got this book: I got this book as an e-arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
My rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Flora Banks has no short-term memory. Her mind resets itself several times a day, and has since the age of ten, when the tumor that was removed from Flora's brain took with it her ability to make new memories. That is, until she kisses Drake, her best friend's boyfriend, the night before he leaves town. Miraculously, this one memory breaks through Flora's fractured mind, and sticks. Flora is convinced that Drake is responsible for restoring her memory and making her whole again. So when an encouraging email from Drake suggests she meet him on the other side of the world, Flora knows with certainty that this is the first step toward reclaiming her life.

With little more than the words "be brave" inked into her skin, and written reminders of who she is and why her memory is so limited, Flora sets off on an impossible journey to Svalbard, Norway, the land of the midnight sun, determined to find Drake. But from the moment she arrives in the arctic, nothing is quite as it seems, and Flora must "be brave" if she is ever to learn the truth about herself, and to make it safely home.

My thoughts:
This will be a spoiler-free review, and I will therefore not comment specific things within this book.

I am so glad that I chose this to be the first book of 2017, because it made me excited for reading this year. To me, this was a clear 5 star book. I could not put it down once I started in, and finished it in a day, despite reading it on my computer. My mind was so focused on this book, and on Flora, that I had to finish this before continuing with the other books I was reading. 

Though I have never experienced anything like Flora, and could not see myself in her setting, I felt so connected to her. The writing style was perfect for the story, and kept me on my toes. It was easy to understand how Flora's brain worked, because of the writing style. 

This book is mainly a YA contemporary, but it also gave me the feel of a thriller. Simply because there was so much we didn't know, or Flora didn't know. We would learn information with her, but she would forget it within the next chapter.

I did love that a part of this book took place in Norway, more specifically on Svalbard. I am Norwegian myself, so I am always really thrilled when Norway is a part of a non-Norwegian book. I have never been to Svalbard myself, but Longyearbyen, which Flora was, is amazing. It was obvious that the author knew what she was writing about, and she included small details that I found really funny. Like the fact that Flora was happy she got coins with holes in the middle, when she got Norwegian kroner. Details like that made my really happy, and I am sure other Norwegians will react in the same way.

If you don't want any spoilers at all, skip this paragraph, but it won't contain an specific incidents. Even though I really liked the ending of the book, I do wish we had gotten a few more answers. But then again, I always want a bit more after finishing a book, no matter what. I was not happy with the mother at all, when we had the big reveal. I understand that she had er own thing, but there should definitely be consequences for what she did. I cannot imagine how Flora must have felt. 

This is definitely a book that I will recommend to other people, because I want more people to read this book. If I had a physical copy I would lend it out to all of my friends, but I might just gift them the book instead. If the plot of this book seems even slightly interesting to you, you should pick it up and give it a try. I was unsure of how I would feel about the book in the beginning, but I absolutely loved it, and I want others to try it and love it as well.

Buy this book?
Amazon (US)
Amazon (UK)
BookDepository (worldwide, affiliate link)
AdLibris (Norway)