Before I Go to Sleep - by SJ Watson

Here's the thing: the first half of the book is so ridiculously like Fifty First Dates, that I could not for the life of me get Adam Sandler's face out of my head. And you can guess how traumatic that would be; I don't need to explain it. Actually, I had Jimmy Fallon's impression of Adam Sandler in my head. Even weirder. 
 Please click "read more" for the full review and brief synopsis.


Imagine waking up every morning in a body that feels thirty, forty, fifty years too old. Christine Lucas has an unusual case of amnesia, which makes her wake up sometimes remembering only the first six years of her life, sometimes only the first twenty, and sometimes recalling bits and pieces of her whole life only vaguely. And while she sleeps, everything in her memory is wiped clean again. What initially seems to be a novel about self discovery, soon turns into a psychologically thrilling page turner. Most of the book is presented in the form of Christine's diary, in which a note is written by Christine herself urgently warning her to not trust her husband. (Suspense!)


Anyway, once the plot finally progressed past its similarities with the movie, I could enjoy it for what it was: a psychological thriller. What I especially loved about this book was the ending. I wouldn't dream of spoiling it for you, but I will tell you this: it's phenomenal. What the plot lacks in originality in the beginning is made up for in the series of unpredictable twists in the second half of the book. In all honesty, I wasn't expecting anything nearly as awesome as what wound up happening. Not on my list of high priority recommendation, but definitely worth the time of reading it. 


One disparaging thing I will say, though, is that I think Watson was a little too excited to be writing an adult book (this was the debut novel, after all), and included a lot of unnecessary f-bombs and c-bombs. I'm not opposed to swearing. When it's right for the story, I am adamantly pro-swearing. I just think that there are times when the See You Next Tuesday jumped off the page in a blaringly I DON'T BELONG HERE fashion. It got annoying. That's all I'll say.