Sia

by Josh Grayson

When seventeen-year-old Sia wakes up on a park bench, she has no idea who or where she is. Yet after a week of being homeless, she’s reunited with her family. At school, she’s powerful and popular. At home, she’s wealthy beyond her dreams. But she quickly realizes her perfect life is a lie. Her family is falling apart and her friends are snobby, cruel and plastic. Worse yet, she discovers she was the cruelest one. Mortified by her past, she embarks on a journey of redemption and falls for Kyle, the “geek” she once tormented. Yet all the time she wonders if, when her memories return, she’ll become the bully she was before…and if she’ll lose Kyle.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Ebooks, Fiction, New Adult, High School

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 20, 2013

About the author

Josh Grayson was born in Mexico, raised in Massachusetts, and now lives in Virginia. It was his move to the South that stirred his imagination and gave him the courage to start writing. During his free time, Josh enjoys jogging, swimming, reading and dreaming up new stories.


Sia is his debut YA novel.


https://twitter.com/josh_grayson
https://www.facebook.com/joshgraysona...

Reviews

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 1 out of 5]

I run my fingers over the top of my head. My long blonde hair is pulled back—to keep the hair out of my eyes while running, I guess. Curious, I smile at the water and am pleased to see that I’m an attractive girl. I have large blue eyes and perfect teeth. I’m not sure how old I am, though. I look young enough be a high school senior.

Reader, I gave up after 10 pages. This might be a new low in my saga of DNFs.

Some books are better read while drunk out of your mind. This book is not one of them. GUESS HOW I KNOW?! Hint: vodka.It's Friday night, I've just spent 13 hours at work. I've been awake since 4 AM, and there really is no better time to get shit-faced drunk. It's times like these that I grow to appreciate my ability to type accurately while drunk. It's not like I have enough practice at work or anything.

*cough*

Ah, the beauty of working alone after everyone's left the office.

^_______________^

But I digress.

I attempted this book months ago while sober. I burst out laughing after a few pages, said "fuck that shit, ain't nobody got time for this," and immediately tossed my Nook to the side. Immediately after, I realized what I just did, promptly said "OH SHIT, MY NOOK. MY BABY!" and picked it up. Thankfully, it wasn't broken. The only thing broken was my mind, because this book is so fucking bad. And I only read 10 pages.

There's a girl. She wakes up on a park bench, with no memory of who she is. The only indication of her name is her iPod playlist, stupidly fucking titled...

The screen says Sia’s Playlist.

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

My name is Khanh. I sometimes go by another name at work (because white people can't say "Khanh" correctly, no offense to all my white friends, I love you all equally. Peace, yo.) but never, ever, EVER in my life have I ever given a playlist my own name. Here's my iPhone's playlists.



I've never had a single playlist with my name on it. I don't think you have either. Tell me, when it's YOUR own computer. When it's YOUR own device, would you ever give it a name? OH MY GOD I NEED TO GIVE MY PLAYLIST MY NAME IN CASE I FORGOT WHICH PLAYLIST IS MINE.

I don't fucking think so.

This is just the first page.

Some books have female characters who are written convincingly by male authors. This book is not one of them.This author really has a lot of fun describing his female character's bootylicious...booty, and lovely body. I'm not judging the fact that she wears booty shorts at all. I wear the same hot pink shorties to the gym, but the way it's written...lol. It is totally a guy who's writing this completely unconviningly female character.

I look down and pinch the soft Lycra material of my jogging outfit. Good thing the day is so warm because I’m wearing only a pair of skimpy shorts and a tiny top.

It's just a few sentences, but to me, it feels like the equivalent of a shower scene in a movie. It's written in for gratuity.

Suddenly, on page 3, the female character realizes something so horrible. So atrocious. So terrifying. THERE IS A REASON SHE DOESN'T REMEMBER WHO SHE IS OR WHERE SHE IS. LIKE. OH. MY. GOD.

omprehension dawns, and all the blood leaves my head in a rush. I start to shake. No matter what question I ask, the answers all point in one horrifying direction.

I have no idea who I am.

Horrifyingly, this beautiful blonde girl runs into a group of teenaged boys, a group of SHADY teenaged boys. They might be...gangsters.

DUN. DUN. DUUUUUUUUUUUN.

It’s a trio of teenage boys. They wear sleeveless tops and baggy shorts. The way they stroll toward me sends a chill down my spine.

She's such a beautiful girl, and they have TATTOOED BICEPS. Que dangeroso! Is that a word? I don't know. I live in a fairly heavily Hispanic community and I took French in high school.

So to escape these muchachos, Sia runs away! In her little pink booty shorts, feeling very self-conscious. Finally, she realizes where she is. DODGER STATIUM, IN CENTRAL LA. IT'S LOS ANGELES. SHE MUST BE IN CALIFORNIA. There's just a problem. I don't think the author's been 100 miles within California.

Finally, I learn where I am when I jog past a huge outdoor sports arena. Its big blue sign declares, The Los Angeles Dodgers welcome you to Dodger Stadium. Another sign informs me of the state—California, then. That explains the warm breeze and healthy rows of palm trees lining the street. Beyond all this, the air carries the salty tang of the sea.

Dodgers Statium is fucking 15 miles from the beach. Even without the smog, you can't smell the fucking sea from a mile away in Los Angeles.

Trust me, I know. I WORKED IN LA. Hell, I live close enough to the beach right now. I was close enough to the beach to reach it in a 5 minute drive tonight, and hell if I could smell anything other than the fumes of the car in front of me. Book, you so crazy!

The book goes into tour guide mode, giving us landmarks, like Figueroa Street, and the Bonaventure Hotel. Yay! I had no idea I was reading a travel brochure, guided by a beautiful blonde young woman barely out of pubescence.

So poor little Sia is alone, and sad, and desperately hungry. She can't possibly ask a stranger for help. I mean, just look at the tattoed dudes checking her out earlier! Damn, girl, you may have some common sense there. Don't approach strangers. Unless they're a well-dressed man.

I look up into the dark eyes of a smiling man. He looks about ten years older than I am. He’s dressed in a smart suit with a clean shirt and tie, and his hair is combed neatly back.

Even if he checks you out in a totally manner.

His eyes travel over my body, and I instinctively cross my arms over my chest.

You know what your parents taught you about not taking candy from strangers?

“Well, it’s your lucky day. My name’s Bill, and I’d like to buy you a little supper.”

But he's so handsome!

I glance back at him and swallow hard. He’s clean and handsome. His smile, bright under a thick black moustache, seems genuine.

Surely it's safe to go into a car alone with him!

I eye the sidewalk skeptically, but Bill motions to his car. The shiny black Cadillac is parked behind the truck.
“Let’s eat there,” he says.

I mean, he's got a young girl inside, who he claims it's his niece. It's not the equivalent of bribing a child into a a pedophile's car with a puppy or anything like that. And if he offers you an easy job making money despite knowing fucking nothing about you, WHY, IT'S NOT SUSPICIOUS AT ALL.

“And it doesn’t even matter that you don’t have an ID. You wouldn’t need any, and you could make over a hundred dollars a day. I even have a cheap room I could rent you. It’s nothing fancy, but it’d be a roof over your head.”
“Yeah? That sounds awesome.”

Oh no. Nope nope nope. I am done.

Reader, fuck this book.

[Steph Sinclair · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I DNF'd at 54%.

I don't often write DNF reviews because I hate giving up on books and I have this incessant need to know everything that happens in the story even if I'm not enjoying it. However, in Sia's case, I couldn't muster up motivation to continue.

The premise is what originally tempted me to check Sia out. The blurb give the impression that I'd be in stored for a little mystery and self-finding journey, but I had a really hard time getting into it. Here's why:

- The writing style was way too simplistic for my tastes and lacked flow.

- The main character is sexually harassed 3 times in the first few pages. On one occasion she's approached by a pimp, who ends up bitch-slapping her.

- The plot ended up becoming completely unrealistic and leaned toward cheesy. Her mom is an alcoholic and she has one conversation with her and magically she's finally ready to go to rehab. Why? Because Sia's changed so much from being a bully to being the sweetest person alive? Eh. I just didn't buy it.

Overall, this just wasn't for me.

[Marla Mei · Rating 1 out of 5]

My Actual Rating: 1.5 stars with the half star going to the author's effort for trying to make something new from this already overdone story line.


I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. This is one of those moments when I so badly want to like a book but I just couldn't. It just really wasn't possible for me.

Okay, it wasn't that horrible. In fact, it started out pretty fine. I actually had that feeling where I thought that this could actually be a new favorite. But as the story progressed, it became much harder for me to bear. My first issue was with Sia, the main character, It felt difficult for me to connect to her at all. I just couldn't tolerate her and her stupidity. I get it, she has an amnesia. But I don't think it also involved losing her common sense too. I mean, who the hell accepts dinner from a stranger?? Even six-year olds already know not to.

My next issue was the way her adjustment back to her old life was laid out. This is where it started going to the point where it became way too unrealistic for me--where every issue, from her mother's alcohol problem to her parents' failing marriage got solved in just the blink of an eye. It felt like the author avoided any conflict. Problems and issues were effortlessly solved with Sia and her family easily moving on with their lives. It was like suddenly, Sia with her amnesia became her family's own personal messiah.

Everything about Sia's old life screams cliché all over it. It seemed like the author really intended to write another one of those cheesy 80's high school movies just with the amnesia subplot thinking that it would add more depth to the story. Well, I'm afraid it didn't work. The whole concept wasn't organized well.

Sometimes with books like these, I could still say in the end that it had potential or that it could've been better. I'm afraid that couldn't be the case here with Sia. You would be surprised with how the book really is so different from what the blurb suggests. It isn't really that special at all.

I am utterly disappointed.


***An arc of this book was provided by the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Josh Grayson, and Netgalley.)
17-year-old Sia wakes up on a park bench in a pink jogging outfit, with nothing but her ipod. She has no idea who she is, or where she belongs, and eventually befriends a woman who lives on the streets, who teaches her how to look after herself.

When she accidentally gets hit by a car and ends up in hospital, Sia is reunited with her family, and discovers that her parents are famous movie producers, and she is a cheerleader and mean girl.

Sia doesn’t want to be a mean girl any more, but is it too late to change people’s opinions of her? Does she still want to be head cheerleader and the star quarterback’s girlfriend? Or does she want to be someone else?


This book started out okay, but ultimately became very unrealistic. I’m wondering if this author has ever met a teenage girl, never mind getting to know what mean girls are like.

Sia was an okay character. I got her initial confusion at waking up and not knowing who she was, but she didn’t panic quite enough for me. She was scared admittedly, but she never once thought to maybe go to a police station and find out if she’d been reported missing! I mean she was wearing expensive jogging clothes, and had nothing on her but an ipod, so it was obvious that she didn’t usually live on the street! Why it didn’t occur to her to try and find out who she was and where she had come from I don’t know. And why didn’t the woman (Carol) that she met advise her to do this either? And was she even asleep on a bench in the first place?

In her position I would have tried to find out who I was rather than getting in a car with someone she didn’t know, breaking a bottle to use as a weapon, sleeping in a park, and selling her ipod to buy clothes and a sleeping bag. This just didn’t make any sense. Also, when a boy at the soup kitchen then recognised her, why didn’t he know that she had been missing for a week? It seemed like the rest of the school was beside-themselves with worry, yet Kyle didn’t even know she was missing?! And why didn’t she stop and question him when it seemed like he knew who she was? Surely if you have amnesia and have no idea who you are you would want to speak to someone who seems to know you?

When Sia eventually got back home, she was also a completely different person from who she had been before. I understood that she was behaving how she wanted to behave, and that maybe she had been ashamed of her behaviour before, but she went from being a mean girl, to being some sort of saint! She not only started appreciating and looking after her parents, but it was like she wanted to change the world! She talked her mom into going to rehab, tried to make her friends into better people, tried to save her father’s business, and then started to help with a ‘earthquake disaster relief’ thing, which totally reminded me of the film ‘Clueless’, where Cher does something very similar with the idea of becoming a better person.

This book then had a total ‘happily ever after’, fairy-tale style ending, which for me was completely unrealistic. Not only did Sia get her guy, she also solved her mother’s drinking problem, sorted out her father’s money troubles, got the mean girls to change their ways, and raised thousands of dollars for the disaster relief fund, and all without breaking a sweat. I mean, has this author even met a teenage girl? Telling a typical mean girl that she is selfish is not going to make her break down and change her ways, it’s going to get the person who told her ostracised.
Overall; an overly ‘nice’, but unrealistic story.
4.5 out of 10.

[Rashika (is tired)]

Nope.
This book was definitely not for me.

In the first couple of pages you've got an attractive girl who gets leered by every guy she comes across except that one that yelled at her and after that she ends up getting hit by a car. Uh No.

Also the way she comes to the realization she has lot her memory does not make sense to me. I haven't actually lost my memory so I cannot say whether there is a right or wrong way but the fact that it takes more than a couple of seconds for her to realize she has no idea who she is doesn't work for me.

And the fact that when she first sees herself her first thought is 'yay I am attractive' (well not in those words but you get what I mean). If I had amnesia and I saw myself, I'd like to think I'd try to recognize the person who was staring back at me (whoo is that girl I see, staring straight back at me, when will my reflection show who I am in insiddeeee. I'll stop now)

I have to say, she seems to have changed personalities completely. Sure amnesia makes you forget who you were but that doesn't mean you'll be completely different right?

And the writing style didn't work for me. I mean there is this point where she is talking to her boyfriend and he goes on and on about how they were the golden couple. Really? Again, NO.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really good concept with a realistic teenage voice in a somewhat unrealistic setting and with somewhat unrealistic changes all due to a ton of serendipity.

I had quite a few issues with this book. The writing isn't bad, with good wording and a good flow.

The plot wasn't as good. I had to suspend disbelief for much of it.

Sia 'comes to' in a public park, in shorts and a tank top, iPod in hand, but has no memory of how she got there, where she came from or even who she is. She almost gets nabbed by a wanna be pimp, narrowly escapes a few more lechers and finds help from a homeless woman who take Sia under her wings.

For a week, Sia lives on the streets. Until she runs from someone and is hit by a car. With her memory still missing, Sia is taken home by her parents (suspend disbelief as to how the folks at the hospital figured out who she is), and realizes that she's rich, she's beautiful and she's popular.

So not only has her memory been wiped, but with it her entire personality. The new Sia is kind where the old one was obnoxious, courteous where the old one was rude and conscientious where the old one was whatever. A couple of days in school are sufficient for her to figure that out.

From there, the remainder of the novel unfolds from one suspension of disbelief to another, and never quite gets back on track.

I suppose this was intended to be a feel-good story about a young woman turning her life and herself around, what with an alcoholic mother, a workaholic father and a set of snotty friends that Sia single-handedly, it seems, manages to change.

It didn't work. From the slut-shaming to the would-be rapists to the cartoonish characters (with the possible exception of Kyle), this novel had great ambitions and ultimately didn't deliver.

I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not promised in return.

[Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

There’s not a lot of good to say about Sia I’m afraid. The premise - girl wakes up in a park and has no idea who she is, spends a week homeless before being found by her ridiculously wealthy parents - sounds intriguing, if a little clichéd. Unfortunately, the book sticks with the cliché and gets rid of the intriguing. Everything in the plot is telegraphed from the word go, so much so that it’s probably one of the most predictable books I’ve ever read. Every plot point that comes up, like Sia’s mother being an alcoholic, is resolved within a couple of chapters. There’s just no conflict anywhere.
When she goes back to school, Sia is confronted with with the horrible person that she was before, which sparks a desire to change herself. That’s a really noble goal, and maybe a book about Sia being woken up to her faults without needing to go through traumatic amnesia (the reason for which is never fully explained) would be worth reading.
That’s before I’ve even got to the fact that every POC in the novel, from Carol the friendly homeless african america, to Beatriz, the mexican housekeeper, is basically just a stereotype, a foil there to help Sia on her journey. Although, to be fair to the writer, so is every other character. In short - I wasn’t a fan!

I received an ARC from NetGalley

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you were to lose all your memories, would you change into a different person? Would the you that didn't have past baggage be a nicer person or a meaner one? In Sia's case, she turned into a nice person.

Sia opens with the titular protagonist waking up with nothing but an iPod in her hand. Thankfully, another homeless person called Carol helps her out till she is found. And really, the contrast between her life as a homeless person and her life as Sia Holloway, the daughter of an ex-model and a Hollywood producer could not be more different. Unfortunately, Sia also finds out that she's not only popular, but mean. And now she's uncomfortable with it.

The novel is about Sia trying to find herself, and I thought that by getting rid of her memories (by giving her fugue amnesia) was a clever move on the author's part. It let her get rid of past baggage (how else can a person change so easily?) and genuinely become a whole new person. Otherwise, the mean-girl-turned-good story would be much less convincing.

What I would really have liked to have known, but never did find out, was why Sia lost her memories. I thought that it was going to be a plot point, but it never really developed. Her lack of memories does play an important role in the book, but not in the "I'm hiding a terrible secret" kind of way. I suppose that does make a refreshing change, but it's still a loose end.

All in all, this is a gripping book that takes a look at the issue of identity. I read it in one sitting (luckily I didn't burn my lunch) because well, I liked Sia, I like the characters and this book just pulled me in.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review

This review was first posted to Inside the mind of a Bibliophile

[Bonnie Morse · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm just going to start off by saying that this book is terrible. In pretty much every way. But it's the kind of terrible where, after a hard week of challenging reading (and, you know, actual work), you can just sort of shut down your brain and skim through it.

Like everyone else, I was sucked in by the premise of spoiled rich girl turned good after losing her memory. But it was all so trite and pat and perfectly pointless. The characters where one dimensional, and though they changed, they never gained depth. They just went from one dimensionally awful to one dimensionally good. Except for the requisite Magical Negroes, Carol the homeless guru, and Beatriz, the technically Mexican housekeeper. Between the two of them it takes about 2 weeks to transform Sia from queen of the bitches to queen of the fundraisers, but not one word of it was believable.

I got it on special from Amazon for less than a dollar, but I still returned it. My day, however, I will never get back.

[Paula Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect as I opened this book, as the readers of my blog and reviews will know that for 2020 - I decided to make it a goal to try and clear some of my old books off my devices as like this particular one - I have books on them from as far back as 2011 ish. It's the age-old case of you get a book and then another and soon every book in your TBR pile has been pushed further and further down the list and eventually forgotten, that is until something sparks and you decide to go back. That was me with Sia and OMG, I don't know what took me so long to read this book as it was amazing. If you are like me and love the amnesia trope then you will love Sia by Josh Grayson. The novel starts with our main character sitting on a park bench and she has no idea who she is - all she has on her is an iPod with the words "Sia's playlist" - so she assumes that means she is "Sia". Wandering around, Sia will meet a homeless woman named Carol who takes her under her wings, and for a week as Sia will spend life as a homeless person, she learns the tricks and where to find food, etc. Halfway through the book, Sia is found and returns to her old life but still without her memories. It turns out that Sia was far from living a life of poverty and is a rich mean girl. After her experience, she realizes that her personality has changed and that she doesn't want to be the girl who she was before even if that means she will lose her friends, boyfriend, and popularity standing. The other thing I loved about this book was that due to her experience, she decided to use what resources she had to give back to the community and she could have been rude and ignored the homeless and forgotten about Carol once she returned to her normal life, but she never did. I loved the lead character of Sia as not only did she reconnect with the homeless but also worked at reconnecting with her family and those around her at a deeper level and this is one book that if you get a chance to read, you should as it is worth it.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve had this book on my Kindle since I’ve downloaded it as a free read from Amazon, oh, a thousand or so moons ago. The premise sounded promising and now that I’ve finished it, all I keep thinking is how much potential this novel had, and how it would’ve been better off in the hands of, say, Sarah Dessen, Liane Moriarty, or even, Sophie Kinsella (with reference to her novel, Remember Me?). At the same time, I think if this manuscript can be reworked by a good editor or two (to sort out those pesky grammar bugs), a couple of beta readers and some more tlc from the author, we’d have a definite winner on our hands.

Basically, Grayson took a noble idea and dressed it up prettily with shallow characters and Hollywood glitz, including a Hallmark Channel candy floss ending. That’s the long and short of it.

I’ve read quite a lot of male authors who have written female characters convincingly. Grayson is no exception. But let’s take a moment to consider where he went wrong. When Sia steps into her room for the first time after losing her memory, she sees that she has a walk-in closet filled to the brim with fashionable clothes, drawers full of make-up in her bathroom, and a chandelier in the center of her bathroom. That’s it. That’s all we get from the person Sia has been before losing her memory. All that shows me is that she had no personality before losing her memory, and she had no hobbies or anything else going on in her life. Does she not have bookshelves? Posters or paintings against the walls? A computer or sound system or tennis racquets or ANYTHING to show us something of her “previous” life??? That’s not where it ends though. All the characters – with the exception of Beatriz and Alyz (see how both their names ends with z?) who are somewhat tolerable characters – are plain, undeveloped and quite frankly, dull. There’s no depth or character growth to be found anywhere in this book.

To fully “enjoy” this novel, the reader has to be prepared to allow for dizzying amounts of suspension of disbelief. I’m a fan of feel-good stories and SIA had the makings of one, but I got so hung up on the many inconsistencies along the way, that it was hard to feel good once the story concluded – except feeling good that it finally concluded. Like other reviewers, I also want to know why Sia hadn’t gone to the police in the beginning. If she’s the daughter of such wealthy, famous parents, wouldn’t it have been on the news and all over the place that she had gone missing? Wouldn’t Kyle, at the shelter, have known after a week that Sia had been missing from school and that everyone had been looking for her? So many questions were left unanswered!

And Sia convincing her mother in only a few minutes – but which her father couldn’t accomplish in a year – to go to rehab? Nope. Just…no.

Then there’s Sia waking up, not remembering anything, other than her name which she gets from the playlist on her iPod. The author tells us that she panicked and that she felt lonely and was worried some about not remembering anything, but Sia doesn’t show us this at all. She wanders around a little, gives a quick thought to her current situation, and then goes off in search of food. More time is spent on her getting something to eat and stupidly getting into a stranger’s car, than allowing the reader and Sia to fully fathom her circumstances.

Now I can go on and on about this, but I won’t. It would take forever. Overall, SIA is not such a terrible book as I’m probably making it sound. I mean I finished it in one sitting, so that has to count for something, right? It has its moments and the best I can say for it is that it has a good idea at its core, but due to the author’s inexperience as a writer (which shows clearly in this novel), it doesn’t follow through and build on its potential. I would recommend this book for ages eleven to fourteen who wouldn’t look at it as critically as I do every book I read, and who would probably enjoy the story for what it’s trying to be.

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in one sitting (I can't remember ever doing that before). I only stopped the have dinner and then continued. Sia is the story of a girl with amnesia and who changes herself for the better she thinks, it's an original and intriguing story.

I have to say that I loved the first half even more than the second. Sia wakes up in a park and doesn't remember who she is and she ends up being homeless for a week before she is reunited with her parents. I think it was great to read about what she had to go through and I really felt for her. The best part of the story in my opinion is when she get's home and she start changing herself. There are some funny and some emotional scenes when she changes her behavior and people are still expecting her to be the old Sia.

I really like Sia as a character, she realized she has been a terrible person and tries to change for better. She is a really strong and brave person and she really tries her best to change, even though a lot of people still treat her like she is the old Sia, she quickly let's them know she has changed. I also liked reading about her emotions and how she felt, I could really conect with her and I think she is an awesome character. Another character I really liked was Carol, she is such an onspiring character and she proves that best friends can be found in strange situations and how you can improve your own life. She was so good to Sia and really helped her. I did like the side characters, but I did feel like we didn't get to know them all that well, because the focus was more on Sia. I did like how some of the side characters changed during the story. I also liked learning about Sia her family and seeing them grow and become more close to each other. Although some of the changes went a bit fast.

Also while I liked the romance, I felt that sometimes it felt a bit off. They didn't really had to time to get to know each other and Kyle was quite evasive sometimes and I wished they just talked about their issues sometimes, this book focusses more on the story than on their romance.

There are some small parts I liked a little bit less. First is the amnesia, for some reason it is a weird concept to wrap my head around, she forget's who she is, but she remembers a lot of other things. It probably has something to do with losing a specific type of memory and I even got a bit about amnesia during my study, but still, for some reason it still feels a bit farfetched, although it did really work in this story. Also I was a bit disapointed that we never find out what happened right before she got amnesia. Also I thought the second half of the story was slightly less good than the first half, I still liked it, but the scenes about the oscar nomination event and charity just interested me less.

To conclude: I really liked Sia, it was such an original and captivating story with a beautiful message. I loved the first half of the book, but thought the second half was slightly less good. There is a lot of characters growth and developments in this book. I really liked Sia, Carol and Sia her family. There was a scene in the second half I wasn't that fond of, but beside that I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to everyone who is looking for an original Young Adult contemporary romance read!

[Alexia Purdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartwarming story which thoroughly surprised me, I just wasn’t expecting it. From the beginning, I thought it was going to be full of high school drama stuff like a ‘Mean Girls’ scenario, but that played just a minor role in the book. The little insights it had on homelessness, true friendships, and changing one’s life to better themselves, were awesome. The main character, Sia Holloway, was extremely likeable, even after discovering her treacherous past.

Sia Holloway finds herself on the streets of L.A., lost with no memories of anything about herself or where she belongs. Deciding to not go to the cops about it, fully paranoid that it’d bring nothing but trouble, she resorts to homelessness, discovering some hard lessons about life on the streets. After being attacked by a man whose intentions were not so noble, she meets Carol, a homeless lady who takes her under her wing and shows her the ropes of surviving this cruel world. But soon after, Sia gets hit by a car following a strange run in with a mysterious boy, sending her back into her life as a spoiled rich girl who ruled her high school with cutting words and an iron fist.

I liked how Sia discovered what a terrible person she used to be and how the ‘new’ Sia is very much a saint. She knows she’s wronged people and knows she’s not that person anymore. Even though her best friends Amber and Stacy shun her, and her quarterback boyfriend Duke doesn’t understand this new side of her, she continues to want to be better than she used to be, not just for herself, but her family and the new amazing friends she acquires along the way. She hopes her old self won’t come pouncing back in, especially when she’s around the cute bakery boy named Kyle, who sets her heart fluttering. Together with Kyle, she discovers a new calling that makes her a braver, more giving and happier girl.

I enjoyed this story very much. It’s an easy young adult read that keeps you wondering what will happen to Sia next. She turns out to be a very charming girl, even with all her quirks. It’s impossible not to like her. Through her amnesia and her struggles, I found myself rooting for her the whole way through, hoping that even through adversity, she doesn’t return to being the monster of her past. I especially liked her homeless friend Carol, who was wise and always helpful. She was a ripple of sunshine for sure.

A heartwarming, sometimes tear jerking story that reignites one’s faith in humanity. An excellent debut!

5 Stars
ARC provided by the author via NetGalley for an honest review.

[Bèbè ✦ RANT ✦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*



When Sia woke up in the park, she had no idea who she was. Looking on her iPod, she found out her name. And she started walking. After almost being kidnapped, she decides to sleep under the bridge because she cannot continue anymore and that is where Carol finds her. Carol is an older woman who has been homeless for a long time and she helps Sia throughout the week and shows her how to survive on the streets.

One day when someone reconizes her, she learns who she really is. Sia Holloway – daughter of a famous movie producer. She has everything that she could possibly hope for – fancy clothes, makeup, house, friends, and boyfriend. But she doesn’t feel right.

When she finds out who rude she really was and how broken her family is, she wants to change for the better. Finding the right path and proving herself to others is what might really be hard at the end.

I really enjoyed this one. The story was sweet and Sia was an amazing person. Without remembering who she was, she really tried to understand the people around her and try to help everyone. This was truly an inspirational read that made me hope for the best.

I did think that the build up to the conflict was a little too long and all through the book I felt like something horrible was going to happen. But when the conflict did come along later on in the book, I was disappointed. It’s not that it was horrible, my expectations were set too high.
However, the writing was beautiful and I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA/NA/Contemporary reads.

[Megan BG · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute and a quick read, but I thought it was far-fetched.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sia starts off with her waking up on a park bench with a pink skimpy workout outfit on and only an ipod on her. She quickly realizes that she has no idea where she is or who she is. She starts to wander around looking for anything. Then she realizes she is hungry. When she smells the food coming to her, a man well dressed offers to buy her food. She hesitates for only a moment. There is no place to sit and the man states that they could sit in his car and eat. RED FLAGS! She agrees based on him being well dressed polite and kind. Things quickly change and he locks her in the car trying to drive away with her in it. She gets slapped when she tries to get out. Thank goodness she instinctively knew how to maim and she got out of a running car. She learns her lesson but she is still bewildered at who she is and what she should do. She doesn’t want to go to the police until she gets some idea of who she might be. STUPID GIRL.

Then she runs into a homeless woman, named Carol, who takes her under her wing and helps her survive the streets. She learns a lot about compassion and kindness and learns not to judge. They are together for a week. Then one morning at soup kitchen while Carol is momentarily away from her, she runs into a boy who yells at her to get out and that she has some nerve coming here. She has no clue what he is talking about. She leaves quickly and is so upset over it a car hits her when she is not paying attention. She wakes up in a hospital. They know who she is and her parents are there. But of course she has no idea who they are. The doctor tells them that she has fugue amnesia. Who knows when her memories will come back but to do her regular routines and hopefully something will trigger it back. Also, she learns that this is a rare amnesia that is usually caused by stress.

Sia comes to find out that she is very well off and lives in a rich neighborhood. She has a room covered in pink. Sia thanks everyone for anything that she gets, like the driver and the housekeeper, who just grins at the comment. Sia’s friends show up and she finds out she is the captain of the cheerleaders and her boyfriend is the quarterback at school. All that doesn’t sit well with her.

She goes to school and runs into the boy who threw her out of the kitchen. She is intrigued by him. But he kind of ignores her. She soon finds out why. Her so called friends are rude and mean. Sia isn’t like that now and she could only handle so much with them. She also finds out that things are peachy keen at home either. Her parents marriage is on the rocks; her dad’s company is almost bankrupt.

Not knowing what to do, she sneaks out and finds Carol who will listen to her and help her through this.

Then when an earthquake hits. Kyle starts a fundraiser to help the victims. Sia joins them and all hell breaks loose with her friends because Sia isn’t suppose to be like that she is supposed to be like them mean and selfish. And Kyle’s friends don’t want anything to do with her either but they give her a chance. That’s more than her so called friends do. They snub her. Sia breaks up with the quarterback too.

Now Sia is feeling alone and confused. Kyle only talks to her when he has too and yet he watches her. She gets mixed messages from him and she is starting to like him.

Sia’s only real friends are Carol and the housekeeper. Sia decides she wants to stay the way she is and is worried that when her memories come back will she want to be mean, rude and selfish or will she want to be the way she is now, kind, caring and compassionate.

Kyle is afraid that Sia will become mean again and although he has feelings for her, he keeps his distance.

When will Sia get her memories back and what will she become?

I like the premise of the story. That anyone can change. And that people can forgive. There is more than just Sia who changes in this book. Sia radiates her goodness.

If you like forgiveness, learning to be better, overcoming dependence, helping others, charities, service to others, friendships, and family than you will like this book.

[Amy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review


this book had be hooked from the beginning! I spent the rest of the day reading this book until it was done. There was never a dull moment in this book, and you had no choice but to feel bad for this girl. Thien when you least expect it turns into a romance novel!! this book could either be fit under young adult or new adult!


this book is about a girl named Sia. She doesn't know who she is. She woke up in a park, where barley anything in a running outfit. She was trying to figure out who is was, and where she is. She was walking thru town trying to figure things out until she realized that she was going to have to sleep on the street. Wearing just a sports bra and very short running shorts she was a target. She had to fight off unwanted men, and also the ones who looked trust worthly

she gets help from an eldery lady and she takes her under her wing on the streets. Sia thought this wasn't so bad. They would go to the soup kitchen, and also found ways to make sleeping under the bridge more comfy. one day at the soup kitchen she was approached by a young man. he started yelling at her telling her she doesn't belong their and that it wasn't funny that she was there. She was pushed into traffic and hit by a car.

lucky, for Sia her parents found her once she was admitted into the hospital. They told her parents that she has a disease. it was a rare one, because a lot of people don't forget their memory. They said it was due to stress and it could all come back in either days, months, or even years. She had to follow her old routine. Sia was scared. she just wanted to find her old friend. She was taken back to a huge masion. she didn't know what to say.

Sia went back to high school, but she didn't like all her clothes in her walk in closet so after digging around she found something that was nice. She got yelled at by her click of friends. they asked what was wrong with her and they took her to the bathroom and fixed her up. This includes, skirts, high heels, and tons of makeup. This was not Sia. She used to be captain of the cheer-leading squad but her friend took it over.

She will find out what she used to do in high school. She was a bully. not just a bully. "the biggest" bully. She couldn't believe what she heard. She saw it first hand when her boyfriend and friends did it to others. She couldn't handle it. she stood up for the kid getting picked on, and was getting outcasted by her friends. She didn't care.

Sia will know go down a journey to figure out who she is. She is making new friends. She broke up with her boyfriend, and left all her old friends. She is making amends to the others that she hurt in the past. She finds out that her home life isn't that good either. She is on a mission to help everyone. She helps her mom, dad, and finds out when the time is right she can fix herself at school.

sia will have to make a big decision which will change everything forever. After seeing a bit of her past when she is on a project could change everything forever. will she pick a new romance and new life? or will she continue being a bully, and stand tall with her boyfriend and fake friends. This book will have you guessing, and also have you swooning.

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review has been posted on Happy Indulgence, check it out for more reviews!

Sia is like a contemporary fairy tale, where the mean girl realises the error of her ways and turns good in the end. I’ve never read a coming of age story quite like this one, it’s a shame it just got a little too unrealistic at the end.

It kicked off with a really strong start, with a lot of mystery and intrigue surrounding Sia as she finds herself jogging in a park with no recollection of who she is. She’s desperate for some food and shelter, and finds herself living on the streets guided by a kind homeless person called Carol. I have no idea why she wouldn’t go to the police station or hospital when she first woke up instead of going homeless, it just didn’t make sense (although I got a note from the author to say that this has been addressed in his latest revision). When she eventually finds herself reunited with her friends and family, her lavish lifestyle as a daughter of a rich and famous movie producer becomes too much for her and she chooses to do good in her life.

The story of Sia is a lovely one, where living on the streets have humbled the meanest girl in school and she wakes up as a humble, lovely, altruistic person who wants to give back to the homeless people. She dumps her old friends and her bully beefcake boyfriend, patches up her parents relationship and even manages to raise thousands of money for a good cause. I have no idea why Sia’s memory would make her into a completely different person, even her behaviour and her attitude is different but perhaps this is where her circumstance has created the beast.

It’s clear Josh Grayson knew about the story he wanted to tell from the start. Instead of the typical “good girl turns bad” story, this is the other way around. Some parts of the book seemed really manufactured and unrealistic, especially towards the end of the novel where everything worked out perfectly – the mean girls realise the error of their ways, Sia’s mother and father would get back together and rehab would fix her mum’s alcoholism, and Sia’s new love interest will eventually forget about her previous ‘mean girl’ ways.

Despite my gripes about the perfect Disney plot of the book, I did enjoy Sia for something that was different. It’s a heart warming story with some moral lessons, treating people with respect and kindness, showing that everyone can change no matter the circumstance, and giving to those in need and being selfless. I think all readers will gain a lot from the message behind it, as long as they don’t mind everything working out with a cherry on top.

Thank you to YA Bound Book Tours and Josh Grayson for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Olivia (Bookcomet) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sia was really great. Those two words come to mind shortly after the book does. Really great.

In most YA books I read the storyline is pretty much the same when it concerns a popular girl and a nice girl. Nice, nerdy girl turns popular like she has always dreamed and likes it, something bad happens usually concerning mean 'friends' or someone else popular, she stops liking it and then goes back to being a nerd. If you asked me books and movies along those lines, I don't think I could ever stop. But Sia is kind of the opposite: popular girl gone...good. That's it and it really works. I'm not saying I haven't seen popular girl gone good books before, 'cause I have. But like 90% of those times were because something happened between the popular people to make the popular girl get rejected by them or strongly dislike them. Luckily, Sia is different.

Sia lost her memory due to a condition that she gained, prior to the book beginning. I have seen memory loss in books done like dozens of times but never like this. Sia lost hers due to a condition, which I thought to be extremely interesting. If I wasn't already immeresed in the story by the time it got to the point where the doctor shared with us what her condition was, I definitely was after that.

I would be lying if I said the cover wasn't one of the things that attracted me to Sia. That would be a really big lie as a matter of fact. I think that those pretty colours with the pale complexion of the girl go extremely well. Especially with such a different title like Sia. Hats off to ever designed and/or decided on the cover. When I read the synopsis, I was sold.

I loved the parts of the story where Sia was collecting money for charity - paticularly the red carpet scene. So cool. The characters were pretty much as cool as that scene. And I mean cool. They were typical and interesting.

I can't quite give this book the full five stars because I found it to be a little on the predictable side. There was nothing that particularly surprised me and no twists. I did like the ending though, I definitely wasn't expecting to find out about the characters' adult lives. So that was pretty interesting. The bad thing about that is that I guess there is no sequel.

Anybody who likes contemporary novels and doesn't mind/quite likes books where the main character has lost their memory will probably like or even love Sia. I would definitely recommend this to teens and up.

A beautiful story where the popular girl goes good and stays good.

4.5/5 stars

*In no way is my opinion influenced

[Francesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book and finished it in one day. The story has a very sweet and positive view if the world and about people's ability to change and help the world. It was so sweet that at a certain point it became unrealistic. It is a story filled with hope for the goodness of people in this world, and I love that someone would write such a sweet story. It's the type of story that makes a person feel good inside.

The first thing is the amnesia itself seemed really strange, but I went with it. It's just a fiction story and it's an interesting plot device. I liked the character I met at the beginning, and I enjoyed watching her try and cope with her situation. I felt it was strange that memory loss would cause her personality to change so much, but I guess memories make us who we are. I just felt that there should have been some quirks that linked her to her old self, habitual movements or something.

I didn't like that she was from a rich family simply because I feel like writing about a rich characters makes the story less relatable to your average reader, but the financial worries her family was having helped bring it back around to the average reader and gave the character conflict in her perfect life.

Sometimes the story moved to fast. I felt like the romance was forced too quickly and that some decisions were made to quickly, but that seems to happen in a lot of ya with the romance being love at first sight.

The books representation of high school seemed very cliche as if it came directly out of a movie itself. Most rich people wouldn't go to a school with middle class working Americans, and if someone was on scholarship at their private school for wealthy kids, they simply would ignore them, it would be beneath them to physically torment that kid.

For all that I complain about aspects of the story I still enjoyed it and say yes, this is worth reading. I only give books I enjoy reading four stars. I would buy this book and read it because the feeling of hope and happiness at the end was definitely worth reading this book.

I received an arc of this book from net galley and the author in return for an honest review.

[preppea · Rating 3 out of 5]

SIA is a light and entertaining read about second chances.

Sia wakes up in a park, alone, with no memory and no idea where to go. She spends a week homeless, taken in by a kind bag lady who helps her learn how to survive on the streets. An accident sends her into the hospital where they are able to locate her family and suddenly her life is upside-down all over again. She is told that the best thing to do is re-immerse herself in her old life until her memory returns, but Sia quickly realizes she hates the person that she used to be. Determined to prove to herself and those around her that she can be a better, kinder person, she sets out on a journey to make a difference. But can she make a difference when her old friends refuse to accept the new Sia and her old enemies don’t trust ANY Sia? And what’s more, will she still want to be the new Sia when her memories return?

From the cover and concept, I was really excited to read SIA. And while the story flowed really well and kept me entertained, it just didn’t push deep enough for me to truly love it. It was more like a surface level story with one-dimensional characters—it was a bit predictable and at times cheesy. And while the part I most looked forward to was the love interest between Kyle and Sia, it just didn’t sizzle. The chemistry and attraction didn’t come out in the pages and it wasn’t as integral of a focus to the storyline as I’d hoped. The mean girls weren’t that believable—and in the end the steps they made towards changing weren’t convincing. I did think the story was a nice light read and it kept me interested—but kind of the way a made-for-tv-special does—in the I’m going to learn a valuable lesson about putting others before myself kind of way. I enjoy that kind of thing every once in a while, but I never forget that it’s being shown to teach me a lesson and not as a credible storyline.

**Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.

**Reviewed by preppea on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sia is one of those rare books that make you want to get out and attempt to make a difference in the community. It’s a heartfelt and encouraging story that definitely has it’s core set in the right place.

Sia wakes up on a park bench completely lost and with no memory of who she is, and as result spends week on the streets. When she finally returns home she sees that her life is incredibly far away from what she experienced while homeless. She also realizes that everyone see her as someone completely different and she desperately wants to turn her life around. However Sia isn’t the only one who grows and changes through the course of the novel and I loved that more than one person was affected by her amnesia and her want to improve the lives of others. Her family starts off broken and nearly collapsed, and her friends want nothing to do with the ‘new’ Sia. Everyone grows and by the end of the book has reached their own levels of improvement. There were a few moments of convenience but they didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the novel.

Kyle is a kind-hearted guy who volunteers at the local soup kitchen and has witnessed Sia when she was in her prime, and he wants nothing to do with her. The relationship that they cultivate over the course of the book is really sweet and I liked that despite some moments of tension they worked better as a team.

Grayson has given us an extremely charming and heartfelt story about about self discovery, selflessness, and friendship. Sia’s tale shows that second chances are possible and no one is beyond redemption.

[Glass · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review from Ja čitam, a ti?


Josh Grayson gives you a modern fairy tale in his debut novel - Sia. Imagine what would happen if you would mix Courtney Summers novels Cracked Up to Be and Some Girls Are with reality TV shows and second-chance scenarios? That would be it.

Sia is a mean girl who wakes up one day on the bench in the middle of the day and she has no clue who she is or what she was doing before that moment. She is forced to live on the streets for a full week like homeless person and that one experience is a start of her change. Accident brings her back to the family and her old life, but Sia can't fit into the it - new girl is completely different person. Rest of the story is pretty expected - she changes, helps out other people and find new friends. Don't forget a new boyfriend.

Honestly, I expected something much more serious. Sia is a fluffy read where everyone gets what they want and it's all in the typical "they lived happily ever after" tone. Not very realistic, but okay. My biggest problem with this novel was that I couldn't buy whole amnesia plot twist. It wasn't really believable for me.

Who will love this book? Fans of light, fun reads.

[Alicia · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star, and only because someone had to spend effort writing this thing.

If you're looking for your next read, look elsewhere. This book is dumb on so many levels-- the writing, the plot, the characters... wait, what plot? You'd think that in a few hundred pages and thousands of words SOMETHING would have crystallized and caught my eye.

Zilch.

Nada.

No substance to even talk about, I'm sorry. What's opposed to love is not hate, it's indifference. I closed this book (my kindle) with a bleary eye and felt nothing at all. Too tired to hate it like seriously, one of the most cheesy, trashy and unrealistic stories.

[Thalia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read the review on my blog:
http://thaliasbooks.tumblr.com/post/6...

[What Makes Patri · Rating 3 out of 5]

We are The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club, to know more about this book, go to the post in our website:

Sia by Josh Grayson

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Review:

We have received an ecopy of SIA via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I want you to remember that this is my personal opinion. I don’t intend to offend the author or to be disrespectful. I apologize in advance if this review is an offence to the author or to our readers.

Once clear that, let's talk about SIA. SIA is Josh Grayson’s debut novel. This is a book about a girl facing new obstacles, learning to be a better person and realizing that money is not happiness.

I was going to write an “about the book” part, but I think that the synopsis describe perfectly this book. It is what it is, a mean girl who doesn’t know who she is. She’s been living on the street for a week. After that, she goes back to her wealthy life. When she is back at school, she realizes that she was the meanest girl there and that nobody used to like her (besides her parents and her snob friends).
But she is a different person now. She is kind and wants to help others. Does it sound familiar to you? Or is it just me? (I have been watching a lot of “mean girls” movies).

What I wanted to say with the paragraph above is that the plot isn’t something new. It is a story about a mean girl wanting to be a better person. SIA reminds me a lot of another book, Vain by Fisher Amelie. It may have some difference, like the amnesia, but I keep thinking that the plot is so similar to Ms. Amelia’s book (or other films). That makes me keep thinking that it is not an original plot.

Nevertheless, the fact that the plot wasn’t something that would blow your mind, does not imply that SIA is a bad book or a boring one or even that Josh’s writing isn’t good. In fact, SIA is a fun read and Mr. Grayson has talent, it needs to be polished a little bit, but he sure has talent. I assure you that SIA was an enjoyable and a quick read. I had fun reading Mr. Grayson’s book.
I know I have said that the plot wasn’t mind-blowing, but Josh wrote SIA in a way that made me enjoy the read. His writing was clear, easy to understand and smooth. As I have said before, it was a quick read (It took me a couple of hours to end this book).

Once I have made clear my opinion about the plot and Josh’s writing, I want to talk about the character of this book. I have to say that I didn’t identified with any character of the book, but I liked some of them. It was kind of hard for me to “feel” the characters, because first, where I come from there is no such a thing like mean girls (or not as books and films make it look), and second because I couldn’t.
It was fun to read SIA, but some of the actions of the characters, specifically Sia's, didn’t feel real. Here is an example of what I’m talking about: when Sia woke up and realized that she didn’t know where she was or who she was, she freaked out a little, but even in her position she stayed calm. If I has just woken up, and I had no idea what I was doing there I would have freaked out extremely! I mean, I would have been crying hysterically like a crazy woman! Wouldn’t you?
Anyway, even though I had a hard time believing some situations, I ended up liking Sia’s character. She used to be a cruel person (I would have liked seeing some of her bad-girl personality), but after the whole amnesia thing, she was different. I like her because she was trying to make amends. What I liked about her character was that when she was trying to come clean, it wasn’t easy for her! People didn’t believe her, they were incredulous. People marginalize her. But even when she was alone, she did not give up. She wanted to be better, she was better. She had her flaws, but she wasn’t like how she used to be before.
One thing that keeps me exciting about this book was Kyle. He is a typical no-one kind of teenager, something like a geek (a sexy one *wink*). He is one of the things that made this novel exhilarating. He was smart, grumpy and with a heart as big as the sky. I like how he was involved with helping other people. What I liked most was his relationship with Sia. It was the few things that seemed real to me; he was cautious not to fall for her, and with every time they spent together Sia’s attraction for Kyle began to grown increasingly. I could perfectly see this happening in real life; it didn’t happen out of the blue, they took their time, and several pages after starting the book (much more than half the book) I finally had what I was looking for: A real and beautiful romance.
There were other characters, and I didn’t like almost any of them, like Amber (Sia’s best friend). I would be more than glad to tell you why I didn’t like her, but I want you to meet her and decide by yourselves.

Did you think it was over? Not even close, well yes... it is over, I ended SIA. The end wasn't unexpected at all. But I liked it, tough. It was romantic and it had its beautiful parts. It is a happily-ever-after kind of end (which is what we were expecting right? Otherwise I will be complaining about not having my happy ending! *frowning*). Now, I know you think I’m bipolar, but I want to clarify that I am NOT complaining about the end. As I have said, it was beautiful!

So guys, after reading my thoughts about Josh Grayson’s debut novel, I hope, if you haven’t thought about it yet, you want to read SIA. I’m sure you will have a nice time reading SIA, and you sure will find it an entertaining read. That’s why, dearies, I’m giving SIA three gorjuss doll. Why three, then? Because I expected some surprise and unexpected turns, however it was a great story!

“True friendship is when two friends can walk in opposite directions, yet remain side by side.”

"He and I exchange a glare, but before we can object she pushes us onto the dance floor. Suddenly I feel shy; I can tell from Kyle’s expression that he feels the same way. He looks almost apologetic when he puts his hand on my waist, but I like the feel of it there. I slide in closer and rest my chin on his shoulder. I loop my arms around his neck. His embrace tightness, and my pulse begins to race.”

[Steffie Zuroff Clark · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book too predictable, full of one dimensional stereotypical characters (the poor motherly homeless black woman, the Mexican maid, the heartless beautiful popular kids, the exotic foreign model, the unpopular but hottie baker’s son with a heart of gold), and blandly written (“Alyz moves like a cat, but a very hot cat...” What?). Sometimes I have to see a book through to the end, even if I am not enjoying it, in the hopes that it will get better... this one never redeemed itself.

[Dee/ bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sia was a good novel. It let you identify with Sia through her memory loss and grow with her through the book as she discovers who she really is and what is important. I like that she is worried about modesty and family. Both qualities that are almost frowned upon in todays society. Well written and intriguing.

[Mills · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNFing @ 37% due to very lacklustre writing and the fact I haven't picked it up in over two weeks and have no desire to. It's a shame, because a popular girl exploring what it's like to be homeless or labelled a reject could've been rather good, in the hands of a skilful author.

[AK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sia surprised me, in more ways than one. This book has a lot of depth to it and some magical (figuratively) moments.

Sia's story begins when she wakes up on a park bench. She spends the next week homeless on the streets. Although gritty, I thought that this part of the novel was definitely necessary and acted as an eyeopener, not only to Sia but to readers. The novel gives you an in depth experience of life on the streets, explicit and realistic experiences and scenes included. I honestly think that it was my favourite part of the novel because it was a recreation of Sia. It changed her even though she didn't know it at the time and that experience brought on the change later in the novel.

This novel is very much about Sia's reinvention. Once immersed in her old world once more, she approaches the situations, present previous to her memory loss, in a different manner. While some of her friends hate her for it, others embrace it, embrace her, the new her, and she creates a new life for herself. Throughout the novel, Sia struggles with people's preconception of her from how she was before. Although she had changed, it takes more than words to prove to everyone its legitimacy.

The character development in this novel was great. We get to see Sia change, but we also got to witness the Kyle and his friend's slow acceptance for the new her.

I can honestly say I'm intrigued by the type of amnesia Sia experiences in the novel. I had never heard of it, and this book led me to looking it up. I love books that spark my curiosity beyond the pages in the novel. Learning something from what I read is just as important as the characters, plots, and writing. Novels that can teach me something always remain more memorable for me and I love Sia for being one of those novels.

Something else I liked about this novel is that even though there is romance present, it takes a backseat to the main plot. There are few books that do this, and I say this every time one presents itself to me. While I love a good romance, I hate it when the romance overshadows the plot. This book kept the balance perfectly, and I appreciate that.

One thing I wish was different about this book was the end. SPOILERS (ISH). I had hoped that after Sia had regained her memories she would've flashed through them more. I mean, like seventeen years of memories rushing through you at once is a lot to take in. I wish there had been more glimpses into the old her, so we could make the comparison between the past and the present to see the difference and to feel the impact and how much that one bout of amnesia had changed her life for the better. Also, I would've loved to see her reflect on some of her past actions. SPOILERS DONE. Aside from that, I enjoyed the ending and I loved that the epilogue opened up Sia's future for us, showing how far she made it.

Overall, I was extremely impressed with this book. This novel proved that changing your life around is harder than it seems. Sia was presented with an easy way out, those of us without amnesia have to try a little harder unfortunately. Filled with depth and new beginnings, Sia is truly about reinventing yourself and making something of the opportunities presented. Captivating and refreshing, I couldn't put this book down (even though it was like 4 AM and I really should have gone to sleep at 12....). This novel was definitely a stunning debut for Josh Grayson~

Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Cover: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
GoodReads Rating: 4.05/5

An eARC of this book was provided by Josh Grayson, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

-review by Between Printed Pages