180 reviews for:

We Came Here to Forget: A Novel

Andrea Dunlop

3.81 AVERAGE

ndgrad98's review against another edition

2.0

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I really struggled with this one. It's an alternating story past/present leading up to the events that caused Katie to leave her life and start over anonymously in Argentina.

The past stories were written very clinically. "I did this." "Then this happened." "Then I did this." I was never really grasped by what was going on. It's obvious early on that whatever happened with Katie's sister Penny sparked her anonymous relocation, but the teasers were too frequent and too annoying. The past chapters were too short and too many and droned on. They could have been combined for a better effect. The present part of the book was written a bit better since you're experiencing it and working through her emotions with Katie. Still, the many characters including Katie were underdeveloped. Will all the build-up, I was expecting a shocking, crazy thing to have sparked all this drama but it was not the case at all.

I read this for a book club and would not have picked it up otherwise. I'm proud of myself for branching out though! And I have another tick against my 2020 reading list. ;)

SPOILERS

The overall storyline was a bit predictable. If I had a dollar for every Munchausen by proxy TV show, movie, or book that's out there I could probably retire. Oh surprise, Katie gets pregnant by her fling and finds out that running from your problems doesn't solve them. And Blair? From the start, I knew his feelings about Katie and guessed something would come out of that. It was so obvious. Katie judges Luke for being self-centered, but she's totally narcissistic herself. She's such a great skier and her sister ruined HER life and everyone judges HER for what her sister did etc. It was nauseating. If she had been a bit more lovable things maybe could have been different for me with this one.

bookmarklit's review against another edition

2.0

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This was a relatively fascinating novel but I think it relies pretty heavily on cliches and other basic plot points I saw coming from a mile away. I was really curious to learn what had happened with her sister and family, what led her to Argentina, but I predicted it early on. There was an underdeveloped love triangle, stereotypical Argentinian love interest that teaches her to ~open up,~ and not a lot of characterization. The group of ex-pats were really interesting and it was cool to learn all of their reasons for escaping to Argentina. Didn’t like the ending or care about anything though.

stephaniefore's review against another edition

3.5

mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jcschaubach's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

juliaspence422's review against another edition

3.0

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We Came Here To Forget is my first book by Andrea Dunlap. It’s told in dual timelines, and I really loved the past storyline. The present was a little slow for me, but still enjoyable overall.

Thanks to a NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

andreabrown's review against another edition

3.75

emotional mysterious reflective medium-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

anniepoferl's review against another edition

3.0

dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

bookshelvish's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

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We Came Here to Forget is a part-thriller, part-literary fic about an Olympic skier at the top of her game who faces some tragic family drama and as a result, is spiraling in all ways possible - emotional, professional, and relational. She escapes to Buenos Aires on a limb and gets enmeshed with a group of friends, united by their love for each other and tango, who ultimately are all hiding something too. 

This book started off a big slow for me while I was still getting a feel for the main character, Katie Cleary. However, as the story picked up, I found myself being drawn in by the dual timelines - one follows the "before" of the tragedy, and one follows Katie's time in Buenos Aires, the after. The thriller-esque, mysterious, I-have-to-know elements of the events leading up to the incident gripped me, while the magic and joy and friendship of the Buenos Aires portions enthralled me. Andrea Dunlop's writing is fantastic, and it's rare that I love characters from first-person POVs, but Katie's narration and personality really grew on me. 

Also, no spoilers still, but Blair can get it, if you know what I mean. 

 

abbiesbooknook's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

elisabethspidle's review against another edition

3.75

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes