The Memory Book Claimed

They tell me that my memory will never be the same, that I’ll start forgetting things. At first just a little, and then a lot. So I’m writing to remember.

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.

About the Author: Lara Avery is the author of three Young Adult novels for Alloy Entertainment, and her articles and essays appear in Good Housekeeping, the San Francisco Chronicle, Gay Mag, ARTNews, and Women In Clothes. She received the 2017 Minnesota Book Award for The Memory Book, a 2020 AWP Intro Journals Honorable Mention, and has been awarded spots at the Loghaven Residency (2021) as well as the residency at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts (2022).