I am never underwhelmed when it comes to Monica, her writing, or her storytelling capabilities. I knew from the first page that this book was going to be special. The mental imagery that she can paint is nothing short of fantastic. I could visualize myself sitting on that tree swing and smelling the lake air, feeling the breeze on my face, seeing the bright color saturation, and tasting the vibrancy of lemons.

Books that deal with amnesia can be a wild card. There usually is a reason as to why someone has lost their memory, but the scary part is what will they find in the process to get it back. In this instance, Peyton Lane has no recollection of her life prior to a car accident six months earlier. As much as people want to help, nothing feels right. She’s heard the stories and has seen pictures, but things are not clicking until she notices Cayden Coachman. Cayden is the first person where she’s felt a quivering in her belly. The problem is that she doesn’t know why.

Somebody Else’s Shadow is not your typical boy/girl/amnesia story. It is so much more. There are twists and turns, and then there are Monica James’s amnesiac twists and turns. Just when I thought I might have an inkling of where this story would go, it did a sharp right and splintered off further.

I highly recommend reading Somebody Else’s Shadow. It’s powerful, impactful, thrilling gut-wrenching, and cry-inducing. Hey, Monica, prime merch opportunity, a tissue box/tissues with ‘Monica James, creator of tears, and a shoulder to cry on’ printed on the side.’