ALA Booklist (Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

When Sammie gets the diagnosis her senior year at a genetic condition will rob her of her mind, the one thing she valued over everything else 's just one more thing for her to overcome, with the help of her "memory book," a diary that will remind her future self of the Sammie she once was. But as the realities of her condition become more glaring, Sammie has to reevaluate everything she thought made her who she is. Avery (A Million Miles Away, 2015) balances humor and devastating sadness perfectly. Sammie's voice is sympathetic but not pitiful as she relates her hopes for the future and thoughts on the past. Like Before I Die (2007), by Jenny Downham, the novel focuses on a teen trying to figure out what making the most of the time she has left means. Though there are moments recorded in Sammie's book that seem like they were captured at a very unlikely time to journal, each entry adds to a story of self-discovery that's hard to put down.

Horn Book

Eighteen-year-old Sammie, star debater and high-school valedictorian, refuses to give up her bright future--even to Niemann-Pick Type C, the fatal genetic disease robbing her of memory and eventually bodily control. So Sammie keeps a "memory book" to guide her future self. That book, and this novel, ultimately becomes a gut-wrenching but perceptive record of Sammie's decline and its effects on those around her.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Samantha -Sammie- McCoy, 18, has big plans: win the National Debate Championships with her friend Maddie, become class valedictorian, attend NYU and law school, and become a human rights lawyer. These plans are derailed when she-s diagnosed with Niemann-Pick, a terminal illness that will rob her of her memory and physical abilities before killing her. Through journal entries

Voice of Youth Advocates (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

The dreams of eighteen-year-old Sammie, brilliant debater, valedictorian, a lover of books and ideas who has devoted her time to studying, are shattered when she is diagnosed with Niemann-Pick Type C. Confronted with a rare disease that will cause her to lose one of her greatest assetsher memoryshe writes a book of memories addressed to her future self, a record of her days, thoughts, and feelings that will remind her of who she is. Shining through her narrative is her determination not to accept the limitations that her parents and doctors wish to impose upon her. She insists on living life as fully as she can: finishing her AP courses; attending National Debates with her partner, Maddie; going to parties that she had previously shunned; and finding romance with budding writer, Stuart Sheh, and then, love with her childhood friend, Coop.Avery brings an emotional honesty to Sammie's narrative. For example, Sammie's ambition prevents her telling Maddie about her illness until memory loss causes them to lose in the National Debates. She writes of her sadness and despair as she fills two pages with the words, "die, die . . . ." She records her relationships with her parents and friends as her disease progresses. Teens will be inspired by Avery's heart-rending story about a special and intelligent young woman coping with a devastating diseasea story buoyed by the strong love of family flowing through Sammie's narrative and by an exquisite love story in which Sammie experiences happiness with Coop.Hilary Crew.