Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Review: Forget Me Not by Carolee Dean


Title: Forget Me Not by Carolee Deen
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: October 2nd, 2014
Genres: Poetry, Drama, Romance, Contemporary
Medium: Hardcover, Bought

Forget Me Not was an amazing fresh take on the touchy topic of suicide, peer pressure, and more. Forget Me Not shows the real problems real teenagers face in today's world, and shows them in a new light. Written in prose, this novel is a unique take on today's problems and shows how we deal with them, both mentally and physically. It proves that sometimes you have to be at the very end before you realize what you've got, and that you can always start over.

From the author of Take Me There, a fast-paced novel in verse about a girl caught between life and death—and the boy who will do anything to save her.

Ally is devastated when a scandalous photo of her is texted around school. With her reputation in shambles and her life essentially over, she hides out in a back hallway, trying to figure out where everything went wrong.

Elijah has spent time in that hallway too. He landed there after taking a whole bottle of sleeping pills. Now he can see ghosts, and he knows what Ally has yet to suspect—that she’s already half dead, and one choice away from never coming back. Elijah has loved Ally for years and would do anything to save her from the in-between place. But if she’s going to live, Ally must face her inner demons and find the will to save herself.

Told in interwoven verse narratives, this crushingly honest and poetic “blend of fantasy and potent reality succeeds” -Kirkus Reviews

The plot of this novel is fantastic. Amidst being popular and accomplished, all Ally wants is to be loved. And after spending the night in her best friend's brother's bed, only to wake up as someone takes a picture of them in bed together,  Ally's life seems to spin out of control as the picture makes its way around the school. Ally loses her friends, boyfriend, and popularity, and falls into depression. Then falls of a roof one night, only to realize she hasn't moved on. Caught between life and death, the only one who can bring her back is Elijah, who has a past all of his own. With drama, romance, ghosts, and the terror of being caught in between what she wants, she is forced to make choices as she must remember everything that has happened and face it before she can make it back to being alive.

This plot is electrifying, original, and definitely one of the best page turners I have ever read. It was so good, I read it all in one sitting, less than 2 hours. I haven't flipped pages that fast in a long time. But because the plot was so enchanting and dramatic, so unexpected, and the characters all so detailed and perfectly imperfect, I fell in love from page one and couldn't stop until the end. It was a perfect mix of elements- drama, romance, trauma, contemporary, and fantasy.

I absolutely fell in love with Ally and Elijah's characters. They were both interesting, realistic, and both had their share of flaws. Not only were the two main characters great, but all of the supporting characters were as well. They were all perfectly written into their realistic, interesting roles, and all played important parts in the plot. Each and every one of them was crafted carefully and skillfully, and all were unique and charming in their own way. Some you loved and some you loved to hate. But all were crucial to the unique and life-like plot line, making this story a definite novel everyone needs to read.

The writing was also magnificent. Of course, like I said above, this terrific novel was written in prose, and written with such beautiful craftsmanship and skill, that this novel easily became one of my favorites. It is both realistic and foreign in the way that this could all happen (and does happen everyday,) and that possibility of a halfway-there mark, though it could exist, is fictional, just like the characters she meets there, like the Hangman. It also puts an interesting spin on the controversial topic of suicides and is sure to make you think.

An a amazing and emotional Tour de Force, this novel is sure to impact any pone who reads it, and will interest readers of all genres. And even though the fact that it is written in prose may make some readers cautious, it is really no need for concern. Some prose novels are confusing to read and do not flow, but that is definitely not the case with this novel. It flows, has good speed, and with an amazing plot line and unbelievable characters, this novel is sure to impress readers like myself. Five stars.

No comments:

Post a Comment