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ir_sharp2's review against another edition
3.0
Decent. Took quite a while to get started. Kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Glad for the plot twist 100ish pages from the end that hooked me and kept me up late.
chasrotramel2024's review against another edition
5.0
Set in South Texas, this book paints an indelible picture of a family torn apart by a missing child and then creates a page-turner mystery midway through. Well written, different, interesting, compelling.
lucidstyle's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it, but... 2-1/2 stars
The reasons I really liked the first 90% of this book: Raw, real. Johnston captured the agonizingly slow plodding of a family (think the Joads in Grapes of Wrath) in mourning and searching for "normal" after an unbelievable trauma. There are so many eloquent phrasings that perfectly reflect what family members must feel at different times on their journey. The author has given such painful accounts from each of the family members save Justin. The moments of confusion, disorientation, and disconnection, the aimlessness and wandering of the soul, each moment reflected upon rings true and personal.
The reasons I hated the ending of the book (***POSSIBLE SPOILER***): Happily ever after should be reserved for Hollywood. Such an ending can diminish the authenticity felt in the first portion of the novel. What a letdown, really. Other than of course we want everything, all the pain and frustration for the family to be over!! But, is that life? Healing can happen, yes, but it ain't no magic. I guess I would have preferred Mr. Johnston to invoke some Steinbeck (I admit the bias) and end authentically, truthfully, but with a clear note of hope. Not everyone who suffers a trauma will be the star celebrity of their community in the end. Seriously.
The reasons I really liked the first 90% of this book: Raw, real. Johnston captured the agonizingly slow plodding of a family (think the Joads in Grapes of Wrath) in mourning and searching for "normal" after an unbelievable trauma. There are so many eloquent phrasings that perfectly reflect what family members must feel at different times on their journey. The author has given such painful accounts from each of the family members save Justin. The moments of confusion, disorientation, and disconnection, the aimlessness and wandering of the soul, each moment reflected upon rings true and personal.
The reasons I hated the ending of the book (***POSSIBLE SPOILER***): Happily ever after should be reserved for Hollywood. Such an ending can diminish the authenticity felt in the first portion of the novel. What a letdown, really. Other than of course we want everything, all the pain and frustration for the family to be over!! But, is that life? Healing can happen, yes, but it ain't no magic. I guess I would have preferred Mr. Johnston to invoke some Steinbeck (I admit the bias) and end authentically, truthfully, but with a clear note of hope. Not everyone who suffers a trauma will be the star celebrity of their community in the end. Seriously.
carolpk's review against another edition
5.0
The Hook - Have you ever played that trust game called Fall Back? You know the one where you fall backwards into empty space and trust that someone will catch you or you could say “has your back”. That’s how I felt when I chose Remember Me Like This. Two of my trusted friends, Jill S. & Elyse W. both raved so much about this that I had faith they wouldn’t drop me into the pages of a book that was not good.
The Line – ”When she’d last seen Justin, girls were strange, prissy creatures to be avoided—a flash of memory: hadn’t he, one evening, Asked her to marry him?—so the fact that he’d returned having had a girlfriend was the sorriest, most irrefutable proof of how long he’d been gone.”
The Sinker – I’d consider Remember Me Like This to be one of the most real fiction books I’ve ever read. Many books have explored the theme and horror of a missing child. Few have done it as well as Bret Anthony Johnston. If I hadn’t known he was a man, I’d have thought he was a woman, as he captured the emotion and deep pain of the mother of the missing teen, while not losing the torment, helplessness or guilt felt by Justin’s father, brother and grandfather.
There you have it, simple yet so complex. Justin Campbell disappears from his coastal Texas town. As you’d expect everyone rallies, parents, friends, police and townspeople search for the missing youth. As time passes, it’s difficult to keep the momentum up but his parents Eric and Laura do their best to keep Justin’s photo and case in people’s minds. When they receive a postcard in Justin’s writing telling them Don’t Stop Looking”it strengthen their belief their son is alive. Then one afternoon, the impossible happens.” Four years had gone by, four years of searching, of wondering, of spiraling hope, of prayers, of tears, of the most agonizing pain one could bear. Justin’s return seems a miracle, a cause for joy and it is, but it is also a time of questions, struggle, guilt, love, hate, a myriad of emotional fervor as this family tries to heal.
Johnston has bared a family’s soul in every way you can imagine in this excruciatingly written, tightly plotted book.
It is difficult not to share any passages confirming the truth of the excellence of Johnston’s writing. Fall back, trust me, I’ll catch you.
The Line – ”When she’d last seen Justin, girls were strange, prissy creatures to be avoided—a flash of memory: hadn’t he, one evening, Asked her to marry him?—so the fact that he’d returned having had a girlfriend was the sorriest, most irrefutable proof of how long he’d been gone.”
The Sinker – I’d consider Remember Me Like This to be one of the most real fiction books I’ve ever read. Many books have explored the theme and horror of a missing child. Few have done it as well as Bret Anthony Johnston. If I hadn’t known he was a man, I’d have thought he was a woman, as he captured the emotion and deep pain of the mother of the missing teen, while not losing the torment, helplessness or guilt felt by Justin’s father, brother and grandfather.
There you have it, simple yet so complex. Justin Campbell disappears from his coastal Texas town. As you’d expect everyone rallies, parents, friends, police and townspeople search for the missing youth. As time passes, it’s difficult to keep the momentum up but his parents Eric and Laura do their best to keep Justin’s photo and case in people’s minds. When they receive a postcard in Justin’s writing telling them Don’t Stop Looking”it strengthen their belief their son is alive. Then one afternoon, the impossible happens.” Four years had gone by, four years of searching, of wondering, of spiraling hope, of prayers, of tears, of the most agonizing pain one could bear. Justin’s return seems a miracle, a cause for joy and it is, but it is also a time of questions, struggle, guilt, love, hate, a myriad of emotional fervor as this family tries to heal.
Johnston has bared a family’s soul in every way you can imagine in this excruciatingly written, tightly plotted book.
It is difficult not to share any passages confirming the truth of the excellence of Johnston’s writing. Fall back, trust me, I’ll catch you.
vkshiro's review against another edition
3.0
I'd give this a 2.5. I liked it at first but then it got boring because it was bogged down by every character's innermost thoughts. And the by the end I really just didn't care that much and it was anticlimactic.
emvaughters's review against another edition
3.0
This was a pretty good book - I was expecting more from it, though. Very intriguing premise about a kidnapping victim who is found after four years and returned to his family. I enjoyed seeing all the characters' perspectives about this return and the effects on the family. But then the ending was just wrapped up so nice and neat, it left me a little cold. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.
princeeskeleton's review against another edition
3.0
* 3.5 star review
This book follows the story of one family after their son, Justin, returns home after being kidnapped four years earlier. It's a multi-perspective book that shows how the family is reacting to Justin's return, the trauma that happened to him, and the years of turmoil that occurred after Justin's kidnapping.
Although I did enjoy this book immensely I found parts to be too slow, and that the novel had a lot of lose ends that left me feeling like their should be some more closure.
What I liked about this novel:
- The writing was beautiful, especially the character writing. The characters were written like actual human beings. The author avoided any cliches when it came to writing these characters, and instead wrote them as flawed and messy, but still admirable to an extent of some.
- The overall premise was very interesting. I've read my fair share of books about abduction/murder cases, and a lot of times it ends either happy or bad. With this book we get neither a happy or bad ending, instead we get an ending that is real and raw. This book also focus on the kidnapping of a young boy, which i've hardly ever seen. Usually books like these seem to have young girls being kidnapped, murdered, etc..
- The book explores trauma, and how trauma can affect the whole family very well and compassionately.
What I didn't like about this novel:
- This is very slow paced, which most of the time I don't mind, but with this book I felt that it was too slow at points and wanted the author to get to the point already.
- Didn't feel I got any closure from this novel. I felt that their was still more to explore with the story, and that more ends needed to be tied.
- The dialogue between teenagers seemed really unnatural. Griff and Justin simultaneously seemed to be written with dialogue that was too young and too old for their age group. I also felt that some of the slang, and overall dialogue between teenagers used was a bit dated.
- I kind of wished the author wrote Justin's perspective as well, but you know.
Although I did enjoy "Remember Me Like This" I felt that the book could have offered me a bit more, and I craved some more closure and engage in the overall story. Instead it fell a bit flat for me.
This book follows the story of one family after their son, Justin, returns home after being kidnapped four years earlier. It's a multi-perspective book that shows how the family is reacting to Justin's return, the trauma that happened to him, and the years of turmoil that occurred after Justin's kidnapping.
Although I did enjoy this book immensely I found parts to be too slow, and that the novel had a lot of lose ends that left me feeling like their should be some more closure.
What I liked about this novel:
- The writing was beautiful, especially the character writing. The characters were written like actual human beings. The author avoided any cliches when it came to writing these characters, and instead wrote them as flawed and messy, but still admirable to an extent of some.
- The overall premise was very interesting. I've read my fair share of books about abduction/murder cases, and a lot of times it ends either happy or bad. With this book we get neither a happy or bad ending, instead we get an ending that is real and raw. This book also focus on the kidnapping of a young boy, which i've hardly ever seen. Usually books like these seem to have young girls being kidnapped, murdered, etc..
- The book explores trauma, and how trauma can affect the whole family very well and compassionately.
What I didn't like about this novel:
- This is very slow paced, which most of the time I don't mind, but with this book I felt that it was too slow at points and wanted the author to get to the point already.
- Didn't feel I got any closure from this novel. I felt that their was still more to explore with the story, and that more ends needed to be tied.
- The dialogue between teenagers seemed really unnatural. Griff and Justin simultaneously seemed to be written with dialogue that was too young and too old for their age group. I also felt that some of the slang, and overall dialogue between teenagers used was a bit dated.
- I kind of wished the author wrote Justin's perspective as well, but you know.
Although I did enjoy "Remember Me Like This" I felt that the book could have offered me a bit more, and I craved some more closure and engage in the overall story. Instead it fell a bit flat for me.
jeremypmeyers's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book, despite the dark subject matter.
I was impressed with how the author pulled off frequent shifts in perspective among various members of a family responding to a missing child. I was impressed with the specificity of the characters, and the way that their responses evolved and revealed more about them as their conditions changed.
It was both a suspenseful page turner and a detailed character study of a family haunted by tragedy. Highly recommended.
I was impressed with how the author pulled off frequent shifts in perspective among various members of a family responding to a missing child. I was impressed with the specificity of the characters, and the way that their responses evolved and revealed more about them as their conditions changed.
It was both a suspenseful page turner and a detailed character study of a family haunted by tragedy. Highly recommended.
greyt_things's review against another edition
4.0
There were no less than 4 problematic/unrealistic plot points in this novel which ordinarily would mean I should have loathed it...and yet I still really enjoyed Remember Me Like This and would even rate it 4/5. What's wrong with me?!
bofrazer's review against another edition
5.0
Dark story, extremely well told. This guy has a beautiful facility with language, I will be watching for more from him.