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bekks's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to like this book. The pacing was great, the characters alive, the suspense built beautifully, but I just couldn't seem to find a connection to anything. I actually DNF it near halfway through, but please don't let my review keep you from trying it yourself! It has some amazing moments of genius, but overall, just didn't click with me.
ignitereads's review against another edition
5.0
→ 5 stars
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
tw: death, grief, mental illness, su*cide mention
i have SO many feelings about this book that i won’t be able to express them all in this review, but here we go.
immediately i was intrigued by the plot, which unique and genuinely thought provoking! if i could choose to remove painful memories, would i?? the synopsis of the book gives away the first part of the story, and since you know what happened before Blue does, it was interesting to see how she finds out for herself. the second part of the book is Blue reliving her memories through flashbacks in her head to retrieve them. i really enjoyed the way this part of the story was laid out and how everything slowly fell into place.
i think the characters of this story were SO well written, and i really liked the inclusion of a non-binary main character. Turtle, Jack, and Blue’s friendship was definitely one of my favorite parts of this book (also LOVED Dr. Sweet). and obviously another favorite part of mine was Adam and Blue’s relationship. getting to see them fall and in love was so sweet, seeing the trauma they each went through and how it effected their relationship was heartbreaking.
the ending was honestly pretty satisfying. Blue is dealing with her trauma in a normal way, her and Adam have reconnected, and finally her mother. I really enjoyed the open ending aspect. overall this was an amazing and emotional book that i totally recommend.
thank you to the publisher, netgalley, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
tw: death, grief, mental illness, su*cide mention
i have SO many feelings about this book that i won’t be able to express them all in this review, but here we go.
immediately i was intrigued by the plot, which unique and genuinely thought provoking! if i could choose to remove painful memories, would i?? the synopsis of the book gives away the first part of the story, and since you know what happened before Blue does, it was interesting to see how she finds out for herself. the second part of the book is Blue reliving her memories through flashbacks in her head to retrieve them. i really enjoyed the way this part of the story was laid out and how everything slowly fell into place.
i think the characters of this story were SO well written, and i really liked the inclusion of a non-binary main character. Turtle, Jack, and Blue’s friendship was definitely one of my favorite parts of this book (also LOVED Dr. Sweet). and obviously another favorite part of mine was Adam and Blue’s relationship. getting to see them fall and in love was so sweet, seeing the trauma they each went through and how it effected their relationship was heartbreaking.
the ending was honestly pretty satisfying. Blue is dealing with her trauma in a normal way, her and Adam have reconnected, and finally her mother. I really enjoyed the open ending aspect. overall this was an amazing and emotional book that i totally recommend.
thank you to the publisher, netgalley, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
tessa_talks_books's review against another edition
3.0
What's it about (in a nutshell):
Remember Me by Estelle Laure is an in-depth exploration of the consequences of being able to forget about those things that cause us pain – big and small.
What I Enjoyed:
What I enjoyed most about Remember Me was the intriguing messages at the end of the story. The main one is," what would we be without our pain?" The story answers that question through a few characters dotted within the story. Their reasons were different, but the outcome was the same. Grief and depression are essential to forming the people we are and have relevance ultimately toward love and life. Other questions also come up, and I think they would be great to explore in book clubs and other discussion opportunities.
I also liked that the big twist made the whole story make sense, even though it was the wrong way to go. I honestly didn't see it coming, but I loved that it made the entire story come together and make perfect sense. That also helped me to be able to empathize with all the characters, as I then understood what they were reacting to, whereas before the twist, their reactions seemed totally out of proportion for the situation.
The story is a fascinating exploration into the effectiveness of erasing those things in our life that cause us pain. It brings up such thought-provoking situations and scenarios that create the base for exploring more and contemplating the ramifications of the role of grief and depression in each of our lives. I always enjoy a story that makes me think even if I don't want to do so.
The 1st-person narration is just right for this story because that narration style made it an intensely personal narrative. I don't think it would have been nearly as effective if written in 3rd-person, putting distance between the reader and the story. As told by her, Blue's story is compelling, frightening, heart-wrenching, and understandable.
Characters:
Blue is an 11th grader who decided to have some of her memories erased. Learning her story is the story.
Gran (Gina Bellini) is Blue's guardian, and her concern for her granddaughter always rings true and paramount.
Alex is a guy that Blue meets on the bus early in the story.
Turtle is Blue's best friend. Her real name is Tatiana Tuttle, but everyone calls her Turtle. She loves musical theater and skipped a grade, so she is now a senior on her way to college the following year.
Jack is Turtle's partner who identifies as non-binary and goes by the pronouns they/them.
What I Wish:
From a counseling perspective, there are so many issues concerning experimenting on teens and the procedure itself for dealing with grief, depression, suicide, etc. This story is fiction and based on a science fiction concept, so I tried to put my feelings as a counselor aside, but it still caused me a bit of concern, especially when I thought about teens reading it. It definitely can trigger people in terms of death and suicide, and the ethical questions should be discussed with any teens who read the story.
To Read or Not to Read:
If you are looking for a thought-provoking reflection of the role of pain in our lives, Remember Me is just the story you should pick up.
Remember Me by Estelle Laure is an in-depth exploration of the consequences of being able to forget about those things that cause us pain – big and small.
What I Enjoyed:
What I enjoyed most about Remember Me was the intriguing messages at the end of the story. The main one is," what would we be without our pain?" The story answers that question through a few characters dotted within the story. Their reasons were different, but the outcome was the same. Grief and depression are essential to forming the people we are and have relevance ultimately toward love and life. Other questions also come up, and I think they would be great to explore in book clubs and other discussion opportunities.
I also liked that the big twist made the whole story make sense, even though it was the wrong way to go. I honestly didn't see it coming, but I loved that it made the entire story come together and make perfect sense. That also helped me to be able to empathize with all the characters, as I then understood what they were reacting to, whereas before the twist, their reactions seemed totally out of proportion for the situation.
The story is a fascinating exploration into the effectiveness of erasing those things in our life that cause us pain. It brings up such thought-provoking situations and scenarios that create the base for exploring more and contemplating the ramifications of the role of grief and depression in each of our lives. I always enjoy a story that makes me think even if I don't want to do so.
The 1st-person narration is just right for this story because that narration style made it an intensely personal narrative. I don't think it would have been nearly as effective if written in 3rd-person, putting distance between the reader and the story. As told by her, Blue's story is compelling, frightening, heart-wrenching, and understandable.
Characters:
Blue is an 11th grader who decided to have some of her memories erased. Learning her story is the story.
Gran (Gina Bellini) is Blue's guardian, and her concern for her granddaughter always rings true and paramount.
Alex is a guy that Blue meets on the bus early in the story.
Turtle is Blue's best friend. Her real name is Tatiana Tuttle, but everyone calls her Turtle. She loves musical theater and skipped a grade, so she is now a senior on her way to college the following year.
Jack is Turtle's partner who identifies as non-binary and goes by the pronouns they/them.
What I Wish:
From a counseling perspective, there are so many issues concerning experimenting on teens and the procedure itself for dealing with grief, depression, suicide, etc. This story is fiction and based on a science fiction concept, so I tried to put my feelings as a counselor aside, but it still caused me a bit of concern, especially when I thought about teens reading it. It definitely can trigger people in terms of death and suicide, and the ethical questions should be discussed with any teens who read the story.
To Read or Not to Read:
If you are looking for a thought-provoking reflection of the role of pain in our lives, Remember Me is just the story you should pick up.
llax11's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bookishciara's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
If you could have your memories taken away would you do it? As I was reading the book I just kept asking myself if this was something I would do. I've had my share of bad things happen...would I want to forget it?
I liked the story, but I didn't love it. I think it being a teenager was hard for me. I thought the author did such a great job though. It really makes you think about your own life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books for the book in exchange for my honest review.
I liked the story, but I didn't love it. I think it being a teenager was hard for me. I thought the author did such a great job though. It really makes you think about your own life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books for the book in exchange for my honest review.
rubyloo___'s review against another edition
2.0
cons:
timeline doesn’t quite work for me (it’s only 2032?)
font changes back to normal before it goes back to normal life
just felt like an over complicated way to tell a story about loss. like most of the book just felt like the story about losing her sister. it doesn’t really add anything to have the whole memory loss thing, that just feels like a side point
the reveal just didn’t make sense because it wasn’t spelled out what had happened
at the end there’s a whole “here’s what the story means, all this inspirational stuff” and i just didn’t like that
overall it just felt like it was trying too hard
pros:
i read it all the way through
i do feel for a lot of the characters
mikaelarose's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
sofitzgibbons's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
h3rondales's review against another edition
3.0
I went into this book with no good or bad opinions from other readers, so I was able to read it on a clear slate (or should I say Tabula Rasa?). I am grateful that I was able to receive Remember Me as an ARC by NetGalley and bring exposure to this upcoming release! I'd like to note that I'm not rating the book 3 stars, but actually 3.5 stars.
Suppressing memories in order to forget one's pain. Blue Owens paid to have specific memories erased, but doesn't know the reason for doing so. I liked the idea that Blue feels as if she's missing something and how we see the people around her living in the present while she is trying to figure out her past. Remember Me shows how being stuck in the past whether it is good or bad affects the people in your life because now they have to visit the past as well.
I enjoyed reading this book because there are times in my own life where I wonder how better my life would be if I could erase some memories. Blue shows us that covering up memories you don't wanna face or remember anymore does not have a long-lasting positive effect. The only way to overcome such memories is to realize life goes on with or without you. (Of course, everyone handles pain differently and there's not one way to tackle it.)
The reason I gave this book 3.5 stars instead of 5 is because it wasn't a book I could call a favorite and would wanna reread (maybe once every few years). There are points in the book where I just wasn't a fan of and I didn't like how the diversity in terms of sexuality and race/ethnicity was mentioned, but was then pushed to the back. Kind of like it was there, but it also wasn't? I like how the author wanted the book to be inclusive because this book is more diverse than some books out there. It was a great fast-paced read and I am so happy to have been given the chance to read Remember Me!
Suppressing memories in order to forget one's pain. Blue Owens paid to have specific memories erased, but doesn't know the reason for doing so. I liked the idea that Blue feels as if she's missing something and how we see the people around her living in the present while she is trying to figure out her past. Remember Me shows how being stuck in the past whether it is good or bad affects the people in your life because now they have to visit the past as well.
I enjoyed reading this book because there are times in my own life where I wonder how better my life would be if I could erase some memories. Blue shows us that covering up memories you don't wanna face or remember anymore does not have a long-lasting positive effect. The only way to overcome such memories is to realize life goes on with or without you. (Of course, everyone handles pain differently and there's not one way to tackle it.)
The reason I gave this book 3.5 stars instead of 5 is because it wasn't a book I could call a favorite and would wanna reread (maybe once every few years). There are points in the book where I just wasn't a fan of and I didn't like how the diversity in terms of sexuality and race/ethnicity was mentioned, but was then pushed to the back. Kind of like it was there, but it also wasn't? I like how the author wanted the book to be inclusive because this book is more diverse than some books out there. It was a great fast-paced read and I am so happy to have been given the chance to read Remember Me!