Review and Giveaway - Forgotten by Cat Patrick

Forgotten
~Cat Patrick

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publish Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN-10: 0316094617
ISBN-13: 978-0316094610

From the publisher's website:
What if every day when you woke up, you had no recollection of the days before?

Each night at precisely 4:33 am, while sixteen-year-old London Lane is asleep, her memory of that day is erased. In the morning, all she can “remember” are events from her future. London is used to relying on reminder notes and a trusted friend to get through the day, but things get complicated when a new boy at school enters the picture. Luke Henry is not someone you’d easily forget, but try as she might, London can’t find him in her memories of things to come.

When London starts experiencing disturbing flashbacks, or flash-forwards, as the case may be, she realizes it’s time to learn about the past she keeps forgetting – before it destroys her future.

Forgotten has a very unique and interesting premise:  a teenage girl who "remembers" events in the future but can't recall past events from even a day before.  Every night she leaves herself notes in a journal - what she'll wear the next day, who she talked to, if she has a test coming up.  For someone with such a difficult "condition", she seems like a pretty well-balanced kid.  She's got a best friend  and seems social enough in school.  London has a great sense of humor and is a genuinely likeable heroine.

When she meets Luke, a cute new boy in school, it's instant attraction.  I liked the way she'd write about him in her journal so she knew about him and expected to see him, but every day was like seeing him for the first time.  I really liked Luke's character, he was considerate and seemed to be a sweet kid, not some obnoxious kid looking for sex or an ego stroke.  He's keeping a secret that is kind of surprising, and I loved him all the more for it, even if London didn't.

London's friendship with her BFF Jamie takes a bit of a rough turn when Jamie gets involved in an adult situation, and I didn't like the way the author let London maneuver things so that someone else handled the problem for her.  I felt that for a young adult book there could have been a better course of action that London should have taken.

As if the normal teenage drama with friends and boyfriends isn't enough, London is having weird repeating dreams about a funeral and trying to hunt down clues about it's significance.  I had a couple of nagging questions while reading the book, and once London was able to figure out the dream,  many of the questions I'd had while reading were answered when the mystery was solved.

Forgotten is a sweet, sometimes sad but always hopeful journey through a short period in one girl's unusual life.  As I read along, I found myself wondering what I would write every night if it was me who would lose my memory - What were the important happenings of the day I'd feel were important to remember and what would be okay to let go forever?  The ending is happy but a bit open ended; I think there could easily be enough of London's story left for a sequel.  I'd certainly like to know what the future has in store for her.

My Rating:

  Thanks to Little, Brown and Company Teens, I have two copies of Forgotten to give away!  To enter, leave a comment and a way to reach you. Following is not required but is always appreciated.  Giveaway ends July 1.  US addresses only.

Watch one of London's video diaries:

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.