Review: The Day We Met by Rowan Coleman

Title: The Day We Met
Author: Rowan Coleman
Format: ARC
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publish Date: March 31, 2015
Source: I received a copy from the publisher; however, this did not affect my review.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "A gorgeous husband, two beautiful children, a job she loves—Claire’s got it all. And then some. But lately, her mother hovers more than a helicopter, her husband Greg seems like a stranger, and her kids are like characters in a movie. Three-year-old Esther’s growing up in the blink of an eye, and twenty-year-old Caitlin, with her jet-black hair and clothes to match, looks like she’s about to join a punk band—and seems to be hiding something. Most concerning, however, is the fact that Claire is losing her memory, including that of the day she met Greg.

When Claire meets a handsome stranger on a rainy day, she starts to wonder if Greg still belongs in her life. She knows she should love him, but she can’t always remember why. When Greg gives her a blank book, Claire fills its pages with private memories and keepsakes, jotting down beginnings and endings and everything in between. The book becomes the story of Claire—her passions, her sorrows, her joys, her adventures in a life that refuses to surrender to a fate worse than dying: disappearing."

My Two Cents:

"The Day We Met" is an incredibly touching story by Rowan Coleman. In this book, we meet Claire, a woman who should be in the prime of her life, however, She is dealing with early onset Alzheimer's disease. It's incredibly difficult for Claire because she wants so badly to be able to remember things like her children and what they're doing and their names and more importantly, she wants to be able to remember her husband but is worried about saddling him with her health troubles. It was a touching picture of what it means to love and to care for one's family.

I cannot begin to imagine what it would feel like to go through something like early-onset Alzheimer's disease. It would be horrible to go through at any age in a persons life, however, there's something even more sad about it happening so early to person. Coleman does a great job of showing what Claire is going through so that the reader can understand where she's coming from and how much of a difficult time she is having.

I really liked how the book focused on each of the characters so we really got a chance to know them well. Claire's narrative was especially compelling.

I really love books that can take me through a whole gambit of emotions. This book definitely did that for me. You go from feeling really sad for Claire to feeling hopeful for her future by the end of the book. This book had my emotions all over the map. And I loved every second of it!