6 July 2011

REVIEW: FORGOTTEN

Forgotten
Author: Cat Patrick
UK Release date: June 2011
UK Publisher: Egmont Books Ltd
Genre: YA

Summary: When sixteen year old London Lane wakes up every morning it is like starting life over again, because at 4.33am her brain resets and she can’t remember what happened yesterday or the day before.
London can however ‘remember’ snippets of the future – like which of her classmates will get pregnant before graduating. The one person she can’t see in her future is Luke Henry, the boy she likes and has to fall for and meet new every day.

Review: London Lane has a memory condition where she doesn’t remember the boy she likes or what she wore the day before. I really love this concept, including the notes that she has to write for herself every night ready to read the next morning. It reminds me a little of the film 50 First Dates, where Drew Barrymore can’t remember anything when she wakes up.

What makes this story so good though is the flawless writing as well as the characters. It is such an interesting read you will really want to finish it in one sitting.

London’s condition must be stressful, exhausting and slightly terrifying. Only her best friend and her mum know about her condition and can help her remember things that happened in the past. I started the story slightly confused, wondering what the notes were and so on, but it just put me straight in London’s shoes of how she must feel every morning waking up knowing only the future and not the past. She handles the uncertainty of her past and the pressure of knowing the future really well, even when her best friend refuses to hear what might happen in the future and she discovers her mum has been hiding things from the past.

Luke Henry meets London on his first day at school, and instantly she falls for him. Every day London falls for him over again, which is so sweet, endearing and romantic. I still don’t feel I know enough about Luke, however you instantly like him as a thoughtful, caring and romantic kinda guy.

I thought I had figured out what would happen at the end, so I wasn’t expecting the unpredictable twists that the story took. Forgotten touches on love, friendship and whether we can control our own fate - a really addictive and endearing read! 

Rating: 4*

6 comments:

kaye (paper reader) said...

There are so many covers for this one. I don't think my library has it yet but when it does it will be instantly added to the queue.

serendipity_viv said...

I wanted more from the end! I want to know what happens next.

Hannah Mariska said...

Kaye, this is my favourite cover version - I love the colours.

Vivienne - I quite like the mystery of not knowing, but I can see what you mean!

Felicia said...

This book really reminds me of Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, in some ways at least. I love the idea of London falling only for one guy, ALWAYS. It's so "aww" inducing! :)

Thanks for the review, I'll be sure to read Forgotten soon!

Felicia
A Novel Paradise

Hannah Mariska said...

Thanks Felicia for recommending Before I Fall - haven't read it, but will put it on my to-read list.

And I agree it is really sweet that she falls for him every time!

Jamie Gibbs said...

Sounds pretty cool. Reminds me a lot of Memento. Nice touch adding in the precognition as means of compensating for the amnesia too :)