Marissa and Julia have been friends since adolescence in Michigan. Their friendship has seen them through going to undergrad in separate states and now following their dreams of moving to New York and pursuing their dream jobs. Marissa now works for a magazine as a senior editor and Julia works at a ballet company. As it has always been, Julia is the alpha friend, calling the shots while Marissa obediently follows, ever the follower.
But when Julia gets hit by a cab and suffers a traumatic brain injury, Marissa must fill in the blanks. Julia has lost not only large chunks of her memory, but also much of what made her Julia. She can no longer recognize Marissa, often calling her the wrong name, and she is prone to outbursts of anger. But the most upsetting thing is when she starts dredging up painful memories from the past.
Julia's parents move her back home to Michigan, where she begins to visit with Marissa's ex-boyfriend Nathan, the very man Julia once forced Marissa to dump, stating that he was coming between the two best friends. Marissa is at once confused by Julia's betrayal and also begins wondering what might have been had she stayed with Nathan. Would she be happier with him than with her current beau, Dave?
It is only when Marissa begins coaching an after-school running group for young girls that she begins to realize her own inner strength and that she finds some peace within to quiet the chaos in her mind.
While seeing the relationship between Marissa and Julia evolve was interesting, I was equally interested in watching Marissa's relationships with her assistant, her boyfriend and her friend Naomi, who got her involved with the running group. These relationships evolved, as well, but without the frustration that I felt toward Julia.
The author's writing style is utterly beautiful, and I'd love to read something else by her, but I hope it would be something that left me feeling a little less frustrated by the ending. As strong as I felt that Marissa had grown by the end, I felt that she had still showed weakness in how she left things with Julia.
Marissa Rogers never wanted to be an
alpha; beta suited her just fine. Taking charge without
taking credit had always paid off: vaulting her to senior
editor at a glossy magazine; keeping the peace with her
critical, weight-obsessed mother; and enjoying the benefits
of being best friends with gorgeous, charismatic, absolutely
alpha Julia Ferrar.
And then Julia gets hit by a cab.
She survives with minor obvious injuries, but brain damage
steals her memory and alters her personality, possibly
forever. Suddenly, Marissa is thrown into the role of alpha
friend. As Julia struggles to regain her memory- dredging up
issues Marissa would rather forget, including the fact that
Julia asked her to abandon the love of her life ten years
ago- Marissa's own equilibrium is shaken.
With the
help of a dozen girls, she reluctantly agrees to coach in an
after-school running program. There, Marissa uncovers her
inner confidence and finds the courage to reexamine her past
and take control of her future.
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