{Review & Giveaway} The Parts I Remember by AK Mills

The Parts I Remember 
by AK Mills
Source: Purchased
Available as of March 1, 2013
Amazon 

Act first. Think never. Remember nothing.

Welcome to Kelly Rockport’s existence at Haysville University, where responsibility is just an elective. After all, fake IDs, alter egos, and one-night stands are all part of the college experience, right? So what if she blacks out from time to time? Memory is overrated.

When freshman year lasts about as long as a one-night stand and is quickly followed by the Year of the Blackout, Kelly projects junior year to be nothing shy of amazing. But as shots, beer, cocaine and men mesh together in an intoxicating haze, Kelly’s reckless ways get her into serious trouble. The only problem is, she can't remember what happened.

As she hovers along the edge of consciousness, Kelly forces herself to think past her pain to piece together the shards of her life. This is her story, told in her words: The Parts I Remember.

Throughout my time in college I met a lot of people like Kelly. I'm friends with a few and I've always wondered how exactly their life got to where they are now. AK Mills tells one intense story of how drinking isn't always fun and games.

This isn't your typical college story. This is the story of a girl who went to college and thought she was invincible because she got away with it so many times before. The girl who only cared about herself and having the time of her life. The girl who enjoyed trying to piece together her night the next morning. This is the story of a girl who lost everything one drunken night. The girl who doesn't remember.

I wholeheartedly enjoyed reading Kelly's story. She is this self-centered brat who is enabled by her sister, her friends, and the "randoms" in her life. Every time she gets away with one night of drunken debauchery she categorizes it as a win and it reinforces her belief that she doesn't have a problem.

In The Parts I Remember Kelly takes you through her life from high school to New Years Eve of her Junior year of college while flashing to the present, to the accident that lands her in the hospital. As always, I enjoyed the flashes because they worked really well to build the intensity. I wanted to know what happened, what caused the accident and, in a way, everything she's done, including things in high school, brought her to where she is now. We get to see how she has changed over time, how she became more self-centered and drank more. While I don't hate Kelly or think poorly of her because of her choices, I can't pity or feel bad for what life throws at her. I love that at some point a lesson had to be learned and it came in one fell swoop and took everything from her.

Overall, The Parts I Remember was an insightful read that had me wanting more. While this story had more adult themes, the content was more PG-13 and acceptable for a younger audience.