Siri, Who Am I?

Cute, light, and fluffy! This book is a perfect summer beach read. I loved being able to guess who Mia really was, and the commentary on how social media really shapes our lives.

Siri, Who Am I? by Sam TschidaBook publication date: May 5, 2020

When a young woman wakes up in the hospital with amnesia, she only knows there's a head wound under her very trendy haircut, and that her phone addresses her as both "Mia" and "hello gorgeous." While perusing her phone, she discovers that Mia is the kind of person who does not have her mother's phone number, but does have a massive amount of followers on Instagram.  As she follows her digital footprint around southern California like Sherlock in Chanel lipstick, she uncovers a woman leading a troubled life. Matchmaker, Instagram Influencer, victim of foul play? Who is Mia, really? 

Fans of Alexa Martin's Playbook series may enjoy the hashtagged sass that runs through Mia's brain. However, I think this book has more in common with  California noir than a sunny romance. Mia is a little like Veronica Mars--a shallow, more manipulative Veronica Mars--and her investigation turns up a satisfying amount of grime behind her curated online persona. 

This review is based on an ARC via Netgalley. This review is also available at the Eisenhower Library blog (https://eisenhowerlibrary.org/tag/book-review/ ) and Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3213059133).

This is a light, fun, current novel. A young lady, Mia, finds herself in the hospital after having suffered major brain trauma and has no idea who she is. However, physically, she is well and must leave the hospital. She pieces her life together using her social media posts and basically uses these pictures and posts to lead to the clues of herself, where she lives, who she knows, and what she does for a living. Is this, perhaps, a reason to make frequent social media posts? Her story progresses rapidly as Mia discovers her name and who she thinks she is and what she has done with her life. This well-crafted, quick moving story takes several twists and turns before it reaches the end and Mia really discovers who she is.

I usually do not like memory loss trope but this book had a different plot than the mainstream. I did not realise that I was up for a soft mystery read when I started this book. Mia has no idea who she is before Siri tells her name to her but unfortunately not her surname. And she has to go to great lengths to know her surname. Heck, she even got the address to her home through Instagram photos and hashtags!! This is different than the normal soppy Amnesia romances that you might have read, I thoroughly enjoyed this book though I didn't expect myself to enjoy as much as I did. This book is a journey of Mia discovering herself and starting a new life after waking up from coma and doing the right thing instead of doing things right.
But I think the title is a bit misleading. The title made me feel like she gets to know everything from Siri but instead she gets to know most of the things from Instagram. It was more like " #whoamI Instagram ".

Nonetheless, I loved this book. I cannot say how realistic it is in its many scenarios but I do know that the Amnesia part was realistic. Mia is a strong character who does not feel pity for herself and instead tries to get her life back. None of her actions will make you feel like 'this is nonsense' because you would be able to relate with her in all her actions and decisions.

I was so surprised that I loved this book, and can safely say that I've never read another one like this. The main character, Mia, wakes up from a coma in a hospital, with a head injury and amnesia. The hospital practically shoves her out the door (which I found very strange). She only discovers her name by asking the Siri assistant on her cell phone, hence the title. Mia discovers that she has apparently recorded her entire life on Instagram, and begins working her way backward trying to find out little things like where she lives, what she does for a living, if she has friends or a boyfriend, etc.

She finally makes it back to the house of the man who is her boyfriend, only to discover from the house sitter that he is on a trip overseas. The house sitter is a post-doctoral student named Max. She and Max drive all over Los Angeles (with frequent stops for tacos), looking for clues to Mia's life. It turns out that Mia has a foot in two very different worlds. I'll say no more because this journey is far too much fun to spoil.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. All opinions expressed here are mine.

Mia wakes up in a hospital with no memories and no clues about who she is. Based on Instagram photos, her Uber driver drops her at a luxurious apartment and she opens the door to find Max, a neuroscientist house sitter for a wealthy man named JP, who Mia hopes is her husband/boyfriend. Max agrees to help Mia recover her memories and find out who she is! Fast paced, inventive, and funny, this book is a must read for rom-com and mystery lovers!

This started soooo strong for me. I loved the writing style, I loved the main character’s voice, I loved the dialogue with the love interest. I was very excited for a deliciously fun rom-com.
Then things veered sharply into semi-gritty thriller territory and floundered in and out of there for the rest of the book. None of this was indicated in the marketing or the tone of the first part of the book, so I was pretty surprised and a little stressed out. Nothing wrong with a thriller, but I was not emotionally prepared to read about abusive drug lords, exploitation of sex workers, or death by giant snake.
I will probably read more by this writer because I did really love the writing, I think that’s the best thing about the book and I couldn’t stop laughing out loud (during the less anxiety-inducing scenes, anyway), but it’s not something I would seek out when I really want a light, fun, stress-relieving read.

Cute book that you don’t have to concentrate too much on just a quick escape from reality. I read it quite quickly with very little thought to things going on around me. I love a book that draws you in and keeps your attention

Ever wonder what it is like to wake up and have no idea what happened, who you are and why you are in a hospital room? Using her phone you ask Siri, who am I? an find out your name is Mia. Your social media doesn't give you a good enough clue but can hopefully point you in the right direction. That is what happens to Mia, trying to figure out why you have staples in your head and have no memory of what happened. She is trying to put the pieces together but as she does, is her life really want she wants?

Siri, Who Am I is an amnesia trope mystery with a side of romance.

Mia wakes up in a hospital, not knowing who she is or how got there. Her purse has no ID, just a phone and a couple of keys.

Using her phone, she for clues about her identity. Siri tells her that her name is Mia. Her haircut (minus the staples from her head wound) is trendy, her dress is Prada - is she rich?

Mia's constant inner monologue is #hilarious. Such a fast, entertaining read that really drew me in as Mia slowly puts the pieces together, discovering who she is and how she ended up with a head injury. Mia doesn't just discover her identity, she also finds out who she wants to be.

This feels spot-on for our current Instagram-or-it-didn't-happen reality. Very reflective of how we curate our reality.

If someone was asked to say who you are by what's on your smart phone and/or social media presence, what would they say about you? What if you couldn't remember who you are and these are the only clues? That's what happens to Mia. Smart, snarky, and a little suspect, this book grabbed me and didn't let go! Just good plain fun with a little romance to boot.