Book Review: Forget You

There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four-year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. With her life about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon.

But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all—the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug—of all people—suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life—a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.

–From Goodreads

Cover Inspection:

Is it just me, or does that couple look a lot older than the kids in the book are supposed to be?

First Thoughts:

Hmmmm…..

***

My Review:

I’ve read that people were caught under a spell while reading this book, and I have to say that I can see where they are coming from. It is very easy to get deeply involved with this book without even really realizing it. Still, there were parts of the story that jolted me out of the peaceful reverie I was enjoying, and that definitely limited my delight with this book.

First let me talk about what I liked. Doug. Doug was one of those characters who has a harsh outer layer, and a super sweet inner layer. He is the type of guy that I enjoy reading about because it takes a bit of effort to crack his surface, but once that happens you can fall in love with him instantly. By far he was my favorite part of the entire story! Every scene he was in made me sigh with contentment.

I also really enjoyed the depiction of the characters on the swim team. Although I was never part of a swim team, I was part of the high school band. I know the camaraderie and silliness that comes along with a group of people who all love the same thing and I think Jennifer captured that perfectly! Reading about the antics of this group of characters made the story really enjoyable. A few times I even laughed out loud, which always makes me happy!

What I didn’t enjoy was Zoey, the female protagonist. The entire first half of the book I was frustrated with her lack of common sense. I kept reminding myself that she was under a lot of pressure, and people under that type of pressure often make bad decisions. However as those decisions flew by, one after the other, I wanted to reach in and shake some sense into her! We are the masters of our own destiny Zoey dear, that means you have choices. For a character who considered herself so intelligent, she had a hard time showing it. It was because of this in particular that I didn’t feel fully invested in the story. I’m thinking that maybe this book was aimed at those a bit younger than my group, and maybe others would feel more invested in Zoey than I was.

Overall, I can say that for the most part this was a sweet and interesting read. If you are lover of romance books, I can see you enjoying this story. It seems like a great summer read because it is a fast read through! At the points when I was immersed in the story, I read voraciously.

Book Details

Title: Forget You

Author: Jennifer Echols

Publisher: MTV

Pages: Paperback; 293

Source: Around the World Tours