Sia by Josh Grayson

SIA a novel

Josh Grayson

Release Date: November 20th, 2013

Rate: Average

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.”