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alyssa_olaf's review against another edition
4.0
Forget This Ever Happened is a subtle sci-fi novel that shares the peculiar experiences of Claire, who is spending the summer of 1993 taking care of her ill grandmother in Indianola, Texas. This was such a fun read! I loved the eeriness of Indianola, the "monsters" paroozing the town, and a wholesome summer romance! If you're looking for a queer and less intense Stranger Things, then you'll enjoy this novel.
lasa's review against another edition
4.0
Quick read, good writing, cute romance. is it weird if i find the first monster kind of adorable? my only real gripe is that the motivation of the final villain seemed forced and silly.
caehryn162's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
ndxmedina's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
bookgeek25's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book because of the mystery town that's easily forgotten once you leave its boundary. I mean, there's a story there already. So if you haven't read this book, beware, very spoilery info are coming up, so shield your eyes, people.
So first of all, I loved the queer representation in this book. Young readers who might be struggling with that conflict within themselves might like to explore in this book.
But...that was the only thing I liked. Literally. Everything else was just blah and not felt like there was a legit reason for anything that happened in the town.
I did not connect as I expected to this book. Everything felt like flimsy-connected. There was barely any explanation for any of the "strange things" that went on in the town.
First, let's get started with the characters. The only character I feel like I could relate to some level was Julie (one of the MC's) But even she couldn't save this book. Julie is a 17 year old girl who happens to be lesbian and has an interest in the new girl that just came into town, Claire, to take care of her grandmother.
Julie is a monster hunter. Yes, you read that right. She is a monster hunter, but not really by choice. She wants to work in a video store (this book is set in 1993--and not seem like there's a real reason why it's set in 1993 other than aesthetic reasons) but her dad basically says that being a video store cashier is not challenging enough for Julie, and for some reason, being a monster hunter is just fine, even though she could get harmed. Reasonable.
Claire is the other main character (she is supposedly the main-main character as she is the one we meet first in the book) but she was barely there. She didn't do anything other than whine and complain about how she wouldn't be able to see Josh, her boy crush back in Houston, who is soon forgotten as she meets Julie. Claire is also considered bisexual but, this is only touched upon very briefly and nor really expanded on. She is supposed to take care of her grandmother for the summer, as demanded by her grandmother and mother (we don't ever find out why her mother treats her as she does in the book nor do we know why her father does as well).
The monsters. Yep, they're a set of characters that constantly comes into town from the country and wants to say the same thing on repeat. "Yo girl" or "the astronaut is commminnnggg" with Claire. There's a strange scene where it seems to imply that they're from the past that somehow ends up in 1993.
Do not get me started on how the villain of the book was exposed, and yet we know nothing about them other than the fact they're the bad guy? The villains (there's two, one that was very obviously referred throughout the book, and the other one is thrown at the reader in the couple last pages). I have a lot of problems with how those were characterized and how they were revealed. The obvious villain seemed to be implied that they're an alien who needs to come to that town every 100 years. But that's all really we get to know what's going on in the town.
I'm not trying to bash this book, despite how it sounds in my review, but I am simply just not understanding how this book got published without someone saying, "wait how are those things connected?"
So that's my review, yeah. My honest review. Cassandra seems to have a lot of books, and they seem to be successes from what I can see; it just didn't happen for me with this book.
But don't let my review deter you from reading this book and forming your own opinion. Happy reading!
So first of all, I loved the queer representation in this book. Young readers who might be struggling with that conflict within themselves might like to explore in this book.
But...that was the only thing I liked. Literally. Everything else was just blah and not felt like there was a legit reason for anything that happened in the town.
I did not connect as I expected to this book. Everything felt like flimsy-connected. There was barely any explanation for any of the "strange things" that went on in the town.
First, let's get started with the characters. The only character I feel like I could relate to some level was Julie (one of the MC's) But even she couldn't save this book. Julie is a 17 year old girl who happens to be lesbian and has an interest in the new girl that just came into town, Claire, to take care of her grandmother.
Julie is a monster hunter. Yes, you read that right. She is a monster hunter, but not really by choice. She wants to work in a video store (this book is set in 1993--and not seem like there's a real reason why it's set in 1993 other than aesthetic reasons) but her dad basically says that being a video store cashier is not challenging enough for Julie, and for some reason, being a monster hunter is just fine, even though she could get harmed. Reasonable.
Claire is the other main character (she is supposedly the main-main character as she is the one we meet first in the book) but she was barely there. She didn't do anything other than whine and complain about how she wouldn't be able to see Josh, her boy crush back in Houston, who is soon forgotten as she meets Julie. Claire is also considered bisexual but, this is only touched upon very briefly and nor really expanded on. She is supposed to take care of her grandmother for the summer, as demanded by her grandmother and mother (we don't ever find out why her mother treats her as she does in the book nor do we know why her father does as well).
The monsters. Yep, they're a set of characters that constantly comes into town from the country and wants to say the same thing on repeat. "Yo girl" or "the astronaut is commminnnggg" with Claire. There's a strange scene where it seems to imply that they're from the past that somehow ends up in 1993.
Do not get me started on how the villain of the book was exposed, and yet we know nothing about them other than the fact they're the bad guy? The villains (there's two, one that was very obviously referred throughout the book, and the other one is thrown at the reader in the couple last pages). I have a lot of problems with how those were characterized and how they were revealed. The obvious villain seemed to be implied that they're an alien who needs to come to that town every 100 years. But that's all really we get to know what's going on in the town.
I'm not trying to bash this book, despite how it sounds in my review, but I am simply just not understanding how this book got published without someone saying, "wait how are those things connected?"
So that's my review, yeah. My honest review. Cassandra seems to have a lot of books, and they seem to be successes from what I can see; it just didn't happen for me with this book.
But don't let my review deter you from reading this book and forming your own opinion. Happy reading!
oscarhp's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
leila_reads_too_much's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
fox_thorne's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
tantrumbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
theorysloth's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0