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rachel_23's review against another edition
1.0
The premise of this book sounded interesting: What if there was a procedure that allowed you to completely forget painful experiences and people? What if it didn't fully work? Unfortunately, it just wasn't well executed. The writing style was chaotic and hard to follow at times, but the main reason for my rating is that I don't think the mental health issues were handled well at all. Someone struggling with grief and trauma response is not being selfish, and I fear that putting that message in a young adult book could cause serious harm.
The publisher and NetGalley provided an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
The publisher and NetGalley provided an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
squirrelbrain3's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
I won this book in a giveaway and I'm so glad I did because I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. It was an interesting read and I only give it a 4 because the premise had the potential to be even better than this was.
booktrunks's review against another edition
1.0
Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was honestly just super messy to me. I had a hard time with the writing, and especially with the dialogue. I felt that one of the reveals was given way too early, and it wasn’t as big of a Ah-Ha as I was expecting, but really by the time I got to the bigger reveal, I didn’t understand what the point of anything that happened was. I also didn’t feel the chemistry between the main two. While I do think there’s some moments that leaned toward good commentary on grief in this book, it didn’t hit the mark for me. I haven’t watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but it sounds like a great movie, so I will hold out hope for that.
This book was honestly just super messy to me. I had a hard time with the writing, and especially with the dialogue. I felt that one of the reveals was given way too early, and it wasn’t as big of a Ah-Ha as I was expecting, but really by the time I got to the bigger reveal, I didn’t understand what the point of anything that happened was. I also didn’t feel the chemistry between the main two. While I do think there’s some moments that leaned toward good commentary on grief in this book, it didn’t hit the mark for me. I haven’t watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but it sounds like a great movie, so I will hold out hope for that.
kbfrantom's review against another edition
3.0
It is similar to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Would you want to erase your memories and start over? Blue wakes up one morning, feeling like something is missing. She finds a photo of herself with other people she doesn't remember in her closet and a note to ride a particular bus at a certain time in her pocket. When she sees Adam on the bus, the driver says something about it's good to see them together but she doesn't remember Adam although something tells her to trust him. The book follows Blue as she tries to piece together her past to figure out why she wanted her memory erased. At first I was annoyed she went through all this just for a boyfriend but Blue actually has a lot of trauma in her life that got her to this point. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
"Starting now is what matters, a whole new chance, a real new beginning."
"Starting now is what matters, a whole new chance, a real new beginning."
becks__reads's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read Remember Me by Estelle Laure in exchange for an honest review.
Let me just start by saying the concept of this book is incredible. A way to have your memories removed, to save you from reliving, or feeling, traumatic events. What could go wrong. This book explores what could go wrong when one young woman discovered that her body felt the old memories, but her brain wasn’t making the connections. She wanted it reversed, but is that even possible.
So I love the concept, however, the execution just wasn’t there. The story felt shallow, like it was missing something. It felt as if I was reading the very first draft, the one where you get the plot details down and plan to add the depth later. This book had the opportunity to be amazing, I still think it could be with some tweaking. But alas, it is what it is. I believe that this book will be amazing for some people, but for me it didn’t work out. I just couldn’t shake the feeling of wanting more.
Let me just start by saying the concept of this book is incredible. A way to have your memories removed, to save you from reliving, or feeling, traumatic events. What could go wrong. This book explores what could go wrong when one young woman discovered that her body felt the old memories, but her brain wasn’t making the connections. She wanted it reversed, but is that even possible.
So I love the concept, however, the execution just wasn’t there. The story felt shallow, like it was missing something. It felt as if I was reading the very first draft, the one where you get the plot details down and plan to add the depth later. This book had the opportunity to be amazing, I still think it could be with some tweaking. But alas, it is what it is. I believe that this book will be amazing for some people, but for me it didn’t work out. I just couldn’t shake the feeling of wanting more.
energyrae's review against another edition
2.0
Things in Blue’s life are off, and she can’t pinpoint exactly what is wrong. But when she finds a picture and a note hidden in her closet, she follows the note to see where it leads. Enter Adam. He’s incredibly charming, and they have an instant attraction. But he’s having a hard time with all of this. Why would Blue have gone through having her memories altered? He remembers everything.
I’m perplexed that people would request to review this before release day and then argue ethics when the blurb tells you what to expect. Of course it isn’t ethical, but it’s a dystopian-esque book set into the future, and you know what you’re getting into.
Remember Me is very much reminiscent of Alexander Pope’s Eloisa to Abelard, and subsequently, the movie made in its honor. After reading the blurb and having read another of Laure’s works, I expected to enjoy this. But for me, I didn’t love Blue. I can deal with unlikeable characters, but it wasn’t that Blue was unlikable. She was supposed to be feeling emotions, but we, as the reader, didn’t feel those emotions. She lacked depth and character. I loathe a decision her mother made, which made her absolute garbage. Some things in life are unforgivable, and I don’t think I would be so quick to forgive. Because of the lack of depth, I think this wasn’t wholly the right fit for me. Thank you, St. Martin’s, for sending this along.
I’m perplexed that people would request to review this before release day and then argue ethics when the blurb tells you what to expect. Of course it isn’t ethical, but it’s a dystopian-esque book set into the future, and you know what you’re getting into.
Remember Me is very much reminiscent of Alexander Pope’s Eloisa to Abelard, and subsequently, the movie made in its honor. After reading the blurb and having read another of Laure’s works, I expected to enjoy this. But for me, I didn’t love Blue. I can deal with unlikeable characters, but it wasn’t that Blue was unlikable. She was supposed to be feeling emotions, but we, as the reader, didn’t feel those emotions. She lacked depth and character. I loathe a decision her mother made, which made her absolute garbage. Some things in life are unforgivable, and I don’t think I would be so quick to forgive. Because of the lack of depth, I think this wasn’t wholly the right fit for me. Thank you, St. Martin’s, for sending this along.
lilibetbombshell's review against another edition
2.0
There has been an influx of YA novels in the past nine months or so that deal with the subject of memory loss by both organic and inorganic means and memories being tampered with, and had this book been able to throw something new to the mix (instead of relying on parallelism as a crutch for world-building and plot development) it might have had a good amount of potential.
But there’s the rub: It might have had a good amount of potential… if there weren’t also other distinct issues wrong with the book.
For instance: The blurb essentially gives away every single bit of the first half of the book without reticence. Also, it took until about 45 pages into a 269 page book (so, about 17% of the way through) to come even close to clearly introducing the conflict. As I once discussed with an author and creative writing professor: If it takes you more than about 30 pages into a book for readers to get a solid idea of the world you’ve built and to introduce the central conflict, then your book already has issues.
Think of it this way: A page of dialogue in a script takes up about one minute of screen time. A movie (just like almost every story since the plays of Ancient Greece) has three acts; and in a 2 hour movie, those acts end at the 30 minute mark, the 60 minute mark, and the 90 minute mark. By that 30 minute mark, you need to have established your world, introduced all your main characters, introduced the antagonist, and solidified the central conflict of the plot.
And yes, books are a different animal, but by 30 pages into this book I had no solid grip on the world the author had built, had no solid idea of who the main character was as a person, had no clue who or what the antagonist was, and had only a vague idea of what the central conflict was save that it sounded like the same central conflict as many other books in this genre.
Then, we have the second half of the book, which changes gears almost entirely from the first half and is rife with flashbacks. This narrative shift doesn’t come across as a genuine effort at trying something new–it feels like the author didn’t know what to do with all the exposition necessary for the book to end up making sense, so it all ended up in a second half full of telling us how the first half got to where it is. I didn’t like it.
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Book for allowing me early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review. As per personal policy, this review will not appear on any bookseller or social media site.
But there’s the rub: It might have had a good amount of potential… if there weren’t also other distinct issues wrong with the book.
For instance: The blurb essentially gives away every single bit of the first half of the book without reticence. Also, it took until about 45 pages into a 269 page book (so, about 17% of the way through) to come even close to clearly introducing the conflict. As I once discussed with an author and creative writing professor: If it takes you more than about 30 pages into a book for readers to get a solid idea of the world you’ve built and to introduce the central conflict, then your book already has issues.
Think of it this way: A page of dialogue in a script takes up about one minute of screen time. A movie (just like almost every story since the plays of Ancient Greece) has three acts; and in a 2 hour movie, those acts end at the 30 minute mark, the 60 minute mark, and the 90 minute mark. By that 30 minute mark, you need to have established your world, introduced all your main characters, introduced the antagonist, and solidified the central conflict of the plot.
And yes, books are a different animal, but by 30 pages into this book I had no solid grip on the world the author had built, had no solid idea of who the main character was as a person, had no clue who or what the antagonist was, and had only a vague idea of what the central conflict was save that it sounded like the same central conflict as many other books in this genre.
Then, we have the second half of the book, which changes gears almost entirely from the first half and is rife with flashbacks. This narrative shift doesn’t come across as a genuine effort at trying something new–it feels like the author didn’t know what to do with all the exposition necessary for the book to end up making sense, so it all ended up in a second half full of telling us how the first half got to where it is. I didn’t like it.
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Book for allowing me early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review. As per personal policy, this review will not appear on any bookseller or social media site.
lyddo's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mehva's review against another edition
4.0
There was much i liked about this book relatable characters, bits of awareness about lgbt and racism and class issues. there was moments of beautiful writing about love and grief. the story, being told backwards worked in some ways but in other ways it made it too detached and impersonal, so it felt a bit bogged down. It was an interesting premise