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labunnywtf's review against another edition
5.0
I'm confused about two things.
1. Why is no one talking about this book? I don't understand why I'm not hearing about it endlessly. I don't understand the negative reviews. I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
2. Why is everyone saying this starts out slow? What? Where? When? What?
Seriously, why aren't we talking about this book?
I heard about this because it was in a subscription box, possibly OwlCrate. I saw an unboxing video of it, and was intrigued by the premise, so when I saw the audiobook available, I figured I'd give it a shot. I was ill prepared for how much of my ass this kicked.
The blurbed plot is simple enough. This is YA dystopia, something I haven't read in almost a year (the world is a little too dystopian for it, at the moment). Your basic "world behind a wall" trope, with the added twist of the entire population forgetting everything about their lives every 12 years.
The idea itself is pretty horrifying, but the details are even worse. Forgetting your children, your spouses, your friendships. Having to believe a book that appears to be in your handwriting, but names and descriptions that make no sense to you. The book says you love this person. The book says this is your family. This is your life.
Nadia doesn't forget, though. Nadia knows who her family is. She knows who is supposed to be her family, who is supposed to be her friend. She knows the damage the forgetting does, the things people do because they can. And she will do everything in her power not to let The Forgetting destroy everything.
I do not find this slow at all. I think the world building is so well done, so brilliantly put together. I don't have questions about how this happened. I don't have questions about what came first. When the twists started, and oh how they started, I wasn't confused. I got even more into this story, had my breath catch so many times I felt asthmatic.
This is not your average "behind the wall" trope. Far, far from it. This takes that idea and just chucks it straight out the window.
I like all of the characters. I like characters we don't get to meet. I like characters who have forgotten that they are that character. I don't understand why we aren't talking about this book.
Another confusing thing is why there's a sequel. But it appears it's same world, different time frame. Maybe future time frame? I'm very interested in that one, as well.
Seriously, this is top ten of the books I've read this year. So good.
1. Why is no one talking about this book? I don't understand why I'm not hearing about it endlessly. I don't understand the negative reviews. I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
2. Why is everyone saying this starts out slow? What? Where? When? What?
Seriously, why aren't we talking about this book?
I heard about this because it was in a subscription box, possibly OwlCrate. I saw an unboxing video of it, and was intrigued by the premise, so when I saw the audiobook available, I figured I'd give it a shot. I was ill prepared for how much of my ass this kicked.
The blurbed plot is simple enough. This is YA dystopia, something I haven't read in almost a year (the world is a little too dystopian for it, at the moment). Your basic "world behind a wall" trope, with the added twist of the entire population forgetting everything about their lives every 12 years.
The idea itself is pretty horrifying, but the details are even worse. Forgetting your children, your spouses, your friendships. Having to believe a book that appears to be in your handwriting, but names and descriptions that make no sense to you. The book says you love this person. The book says this is your family. This is your life.
Nadia doesn't forget, though. Nadia knows who her family is. She knows who is supposed to be her family, who is supposed to be her friend. She knows the damage the forgetting does, the things people do because they can. And she will do everything in her power not to let The Forgetting destroy everything.
I do not find this slow at all. I think the world building is so well done, so brilliantly put together. I don't have questions about how this happened. I don't have questions about what came first. When the twists started, and oh how they started, I wasn't confused. I got even more into this story, had my breath catch so many times I felt asthmatic.
This is not your average "behind the wall" trope. Far, far from it. This takes that idea and just chucks it straight out the window.
I like all of the characters. I like characters we don't get to meet. I like characters who have forgotten that they are that character. I don't understand why we aren't talking about this book.
Another confusing thing is why there's a sequel. But it appears it's same world, different time frame. Maybe future time frame? I'm very interested in that one, as well.
Seriously, this is top ten of the books I've read this year. So good.
littlewhiterabbitreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
4.75
lsparrow's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this story - felt like a combination of other stories - distopian/sci fi/amnesia.
duncnjacksmom's review
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
spope1527's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Solid sci-fi.
jaykayreads's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Great read. A bit slow at times. But the ending was unexpected.
roguepyre's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This book. I LOVED this book! I was in a serious reading funk when I started reading The Forgetting—not a slump because I had actually read a couple of really good books, but nothing that truly excited me. Nothing that gripped me from the very beginning and made me super eager to pick up my book anytime I was forced to put it down. The Forgetting was that book for me.
What Fed My Addiction:
The concept.
I was hooked right from the very start of this book because I was so intrigued by the concept. A whole town that forgets absolutely everything every twelve years? Sign me up! (Well, not for the town—I don’t want to live it, but I definitely want to read it.) I hadn’t read the blurb again right before reading the book, so I’d forgotten that Nadia was the only person in the town who remembers. Her struggles with this were fascinating to me. Imagine living in a family that has completely forgotten you. Worse, imagine that you know secrets about your family: things you weren’t supposed to remember and that no one else does.
The mysteries.
The mystery of why everyone forgets combined with wondering what the people who run the town are up to (it’s obvious something isn’t right about the way that the town is run) kept me turning the pages furiously. And the more the story unfolded, the more shocked I was—I honestly didn’t see almost any of the answers coming and each new revelation made me want more, more, MORE!
Painful relationships.
Before all of those answers are revealed, the plot centered quite a bit around Nadia’s relationships with the people around her. She’s tried to distance herself from most people, in anticipation of the next time they will forget her. Her family relationships are the most complicated. Her little sister (who was an infant for the last Forgetting) adores her, but her older sister seems to think that Nadia is the source of all of their mother’s problems (their mother is more than a little unstable and gets especially upset when she finds Nadia missing after the Resting—the time that they sleep, since they live somewhere where it’s light for two months and then dark for two months—which happens occasionally since Nadia often spends the Resting over the wall). Nadia’s complex relationship with her family members is a central focus of the book, and I was fascinated to find out how it would all end up.
The romance.
Nadia certainly isn’t looking for romance, especially not right before the Forgetting. The idea of falling in love with someone who will simply forget you in a month or two is pretty unappealing. So when Gray worms his way into Nadia’s life and her heart she’s understandably hesitant. But Gray is sort of irresistible—I adored him, so I can understand why Nadia falls for him so hard and why, in the end, she’s desperate to keep his memories intact. I was shipping these two hard!
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Ummmm …
I’m wracking my brain here, but I can’t really come up with anything. The only thing I can think to say is that I’m actually sad this is a standalone because I want MORE!! (But I’m actually really happy it’s a standalone because we got the complete story and I don’t need to wait a year to find out what’s going to happen.)
So, in case you haven’t figured this out yet, I adored this book. It’s the most unique, creative story I’ve read in a very long time and I easily give it 5/5 stars. This is a new All-Time Favorite!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via #BEA16 in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This book. I LOVED this book! I was in a serious reading funk when I started reading The Forgetting—not a slump because I had actually read a couple of really good books, but nothing that truly excited me. Nothing that gripped me from the very beginning and made me super eager to pick up my book anytime I was forced to put it down. The Forgetting was that book for me.
What Fed My Addiction:
The concept.
I was hooked right from the very start of this book because I was so intrigued by the concept. A whole town that forgets absolutely everything every twelve years? Sign me up! (Well, not for the town—I don’t want to live it, but I definitely want to read it.) I hadn’t read the blurb again right before reading the book, so I’d forgotten that Nadia was the only person in the town who remembers. Her struggles with this were fascinating to me. Imagine living in a family that has completely forgotten you. Worse, imagine that you know secrets about your family: things you weren’t supposed to remember and that no one else does.
The mysteries.
The mystery of why everyone forgets combined with wondering what the people who run the town are up to (it’s obvious something isn’t right about the way that the town is run) kept me turning the pages furiously. And the more the story unfolded, the more shocked I was—I honestly didn’t see almost any of the answers coming and each new revelation made me want more, more, MORE!
Painful relationships.
Before all of those answers are revealed, the plot centered quite a bit around Nadia’s relationships with the people around her. She’s tried to distance herself from most people, in anticipation of the next time they will forget her. Her family relationships are the most complicated. Her little sister (who was an infant for the last Forgetting) adores her, but her older sister seems to think that Nadia is the source of all of their mother’s problems (their mother is more than a little unstable and gets especially upset when she finds Nadia missing after the Resting—the time that they sleep, since they live somewhere where it’s light for two months and then dark for two months—which happens occasionally since Nadia often spends the Resting over the wall). Nadia’s complex relationship with her family members is a central focus of the book, and I was fascinated to find out how it would all end up.
The romance.
Nadia certainly isn’t looking for romance, especially not right before the Forgetting. The idea of falling in love with someone who will simply forget you in a month or two is pretty unappealing. So when Gray worms his way into Nadia’s life and her heart she’s understandably hesitant. But Gray is sort of irresistible—I adored him, so I can understand why Nadia falls for him so hard and why, in the end, she’s desperate to keep his memories intact. I was shipping these two hard!
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Ummmm …
I’m wracking my brain here, but I can’t really come up with anything. The only thing I can think to say is that I’m actually sad this is a standalone because I want MORE!! (But I’m actually really happy it’s a standalone because we got the complete story and I don’t need to wait a year to find out what’s going to happen.)
So, in case you haven’t figured this out yet, I adored this book. It’s the most unique, creative story I’ve read in a very long time and I easily give it 5/5 stars. This is a new All-Time Favorite!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via #BEA16 in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
jazminrose's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a really pleasant surprise! It wasn’t quite what I was expecting and I enjoyed it a good deal more than I had anticipated. A fun read for fans of YA sci-fi.
thelibraryofklee's review against another edition
5.0
Way too much smirking (lol) but I can’t fault it - love me a good YA dystopian piece