Now I See You by Nicole C. Kear

Title : Now I See You

Author : Nicole C. Kear

Series : N/A, Standalone

Genre : Autobiography/Memoir

Number of Pages : 288

Publication Date : June 24, 2014 (expected)

Publisher : St. Martin's Press

Rating :

I received this book as a free copy from NetGalley. These books are given to me as review copies to read and evaluate. I am not obligated to write a review for any of the books I receive, but it is an encouraged practice. I choose which books I review on my blog and on my Goodreads profile. I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews. My reviews are always honest...I never lie about books. My opinions are my own and may be positive or negative depending on my feelings about a specific piece. Keep in mind, just because I may like or not like a book may not mean that you will feel the same way.

At nineteen years old, Nicole C. Kear's biggest concern is choosing a major--until she walks into a doctor's office in midtown Manhattan and gets a life-changing diagnosis. She is going blind, courtesy of an eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa, and has only a decade or so before Lights Out. Instead of making preparations as the doctor suggests, Kear decides to carpe diem and make the most of the vision she has left. She joins circus school, tears through boyfriends, travels the world, and through all these hijinks, she keeps her vision loss a secret.

When Kear becomes a mother, just a few years shy of her vision's expiration date, she amends her carpe diem strategy, giving up recklessness in order to relish every moment with her kids. Her secret, though, is harder to surrender - and as her vision deteriorates, harder to keep hidden. As her world grows blurred, one thing becomes clear: no matter how hard she fights, she won't win the battle against blindness. But if she comes clean with her secret, and comes to term with the loss, she can still win her happy ending.
                                                                                                                     - Abbreviated from Goodreads

Okay. So here's the long and the short of it. I loved this book. This is in no way a boo-hoo, feel-sorry-for-me type of memoir. This woman is awesome. Seriously. She is funny and real. She is self-deprecating without becoming whiny or pathetic. I did not want to put this book down and she had me laughing out loud...a lot. I was totally thrilled with her irreverent humor. I'm pretty sure we could be best buds. 

I've mentioned before that memoirs can be tricky things. I was totally tentative when I started this book. But by page three, all of my fears were erased. She was entertaining right off the bat. This woman does not mess around. And she is really good at putting a story on a page. It's not just that she has funny one-liners. Don't get me wrong...her analogies and quips are hilarious and imaginative. But it doesn't end there. That's the great part. 

She writes a freaking good book. Her narrative feels like talking to a friend. See...told you that we could be best buds. She keeps the funny, but she doesn't lose the realness. Though the journey of her illness is the primary focus, there are so many other parts to the story. Her life is truly an open book. She is a real person, with moments in her life that I could identify with. And her life isn't all rosy on the pages either, despite her humor. There are total crap moments included in here. Her life has not been perfect. Obviously. And she faces those horrible moments head on. She doesn't shy away from them. 

She is honest about her own reluctance to accept her disease and it's increasing limitations. But she doesn't make you pity her. She takes responsibility for her life and for actually living it. I love that she just doesn't back down. It proves to be a bad idea on one or two occasions, but she keeps that persistence for living as normal a life as possible and I liked that.

I read this book all in one sitting. That should tell you something. The only time I stopped was to take a break to make and eat dinner. Because I needs me some food. Always. Other than that, I was totally immersed. It was fantastic. This book is a total win. If you're terrified of reading a memoir, this is the one to get your feet wet with. This is how to turn memories into a book. I could read this one over and over again. I want to hug it. And I want to hug her. No kidding.

This book gave me all the right feels. It gets two thumbs way, way up. Obviously, it had to be given 5 out of 5 stars.