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thisgrrlreads's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastically well developed characters, despite the fact that they were such good examples of teenage boys that they got on my nerves once in awhile. I think Jake and Ramiro may live in my head for a long while. I also loved the author's writing style, it fit very well with how I think about stories in my head.
ejderwood's review against another edition
3.0
A good, solid read but not quite as emotionally compelling as the previous two I read by the same author.
harukoreads's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of Sáenz's earlier works, so I was very curious to see how it would compare to his other two books I've read, [b:Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe|12000020|Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, #1)|Benjamin Alire Sáenz|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328320260s/12000020.jpg|16964419] and [b:The Inexplicable Logic of My Life|23447923|The Inexplicable Logic of My Life|Benjamin Alire Sáenz|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465572387s/23447923.jpg|43010768]. If He Forgot to Say Goodbye is an older relative to these other books, than I would say Aristotle and Dante is a distant cousin, but Inexplicable Logic could be a son. Both books focus on friendship and loss, although I think Inexplicable Logic is a bit more successful.
Sáenz has always had a lyrical, poetic writing style, and it's still just as strong in this early work of his. Where I think you can see his growth is in his pacing - this book is a bit clumsy compared to the other two books of his I've read, and it doesn't quite wrap things up in as satisfying a way. Also, I wish his two leads had gotten more time to interact in this book. The summary makes it sound like the two of them bond over their missing fathers, but in the book itself they don't even mention each other until about 30% in, and they don't have any serious conversations until the last 80% or so.
Sáenz writes very thoughtful character studies, and I fell in love with these characters just as much as with his others. I just wish they had had more time to love each other too.
Sáenz has always had a lyrical, poetic writing style, and it's still just as strong in this early work of his. Where I think you can see his growth is in his pacing - this book is a bit clumsy compared to the other two books of his I've read, and it doesn't quite wrap things up in as satisfying a way. Also, I wish his two leads had gotten more time to interact in this book. The summary makes it sound like the two of them bond over their missing fathers, but in the book itself they don't even mention each other until about 30% in, and they don't have any serious conversations until the last 80% or so.
Sáenz writes very thoughtful character studies, and I fell in love with these characters just as much as with his others. I just wish they had had more time to love each other too.
jdbracknell's review against another edition
3.0
Both of the narrators here have interesting parallel stories to tell about family distance and abandonment. Jake’s misanthropic nature appealed to me immediately and he’s a nice contrast for Ram, who thinks himself uncool, Jake convinced he’s not a good person and Ram convinced he’s failed his troubled brother. However it takes so long for them to meet, by the time they do, there’s little chance for them to really impact each other’s lives, other than Ram introducing Jake to Alejandra.
Speaking of, would have been interesting to hear from Alejandra in her own POV since she’s also missing a mother and comes to be pivotal, but we only see her from the outside, where she’s deified by Jake and demonised (at least at first) by Ram. It felt like a missed opportunity.
Always love the way Benjamin describes places, El Paso and its surroundings really pop out of the backdrop, and as usual there are passages which are so brilliant they make you catch your breath.
Speaking of, would have been interesting to hear from Alejandra in her own POV since she’s also missing a mother and comes to be pivotal, but we only see her from the outside, where she’s deified by Jake and demonised (at least at first) by Ram. It felt like a missed opportunity.
Always love the way Benjamin describes places, El Paso and its surroundings really pop out of the backdrop, and as usual there are passages which are so brilliant they make you catch your breath.
jamesflint's review against another edition
4.0
Rep: Latino characters
to quote jake upthegrove: i'm destroyed
to quote jake upthegrove: i'm destroyed
dizzyiz's review against another edition
5.0
He Forgot To Say Goodbye is a story told from the alternating perspectives of Ramiro Lopez and Jake Upthegrove. On the surface, their lives seem very different; Ramiro is a poor Mexican-American boy who is trying to hold his life together with his brother in a coma, while Jake is a rich white boy with anger management issues. But when you delve deeper, the two are much more similar than you would think. Both were abandoned by their fathers when they were young, and both are angry at the world for being the way it is.
I loved this book. The characters are extremely real. I often have trouble relating to characters in young adult novels, because they can feel so fake. Perfection is such an unrealistic view of teenagers, since they are far from it, and this book does a good job of peeling away the layers and revealing the characters’ true selves. Teenagers aren't stoic heroes, they have thoughts and feelings and deep-down insecurities, and this book represented them as such.
I think my favorite part of the whole book is Ramiro’s friendship with Alejandra, because it wasn't some fake-cute thing where they made promises to always be there for each other, and they didn't end up in a romantic relationship. They were always there for each other-a shoulder to cry on, and an open hand in hard times-but they also made bad jokes, forced each other out into the real world, and laughed while surfing the Internet. The interactions between them were the most palpable part of this book.
The one frustrating thing about this book is the way the chapters are styled. The titles of the chapters are very confusing, and it's difficult to tell when the chapters have switched perspectives. However, it's not a problem after the first few chapters.
All in all, I give this book five out of five stars. If you're looking for a good read with a twisting, turning plot and relatable characters, this is the book for you.
I loved this book. The characters are extremely real. I often have trouble relating to characters in young adult novels, because they can feel so fake. Perfection is such an unrealistic view of teenagers, since they are far from it, and this book does a good job of peeling away the layers and revealing the characters’ true selves. Teenagers aren't stoic heroes, they have thoughts and feelings and deep-down insecurities, and this book represented them as such.
I think my favorite part of the whole book is Ramiro’s friendship with Alejandra, because it wasn't some fake-cute thing where they made promises to always be there for each other, and they didn't end up in a romantic relationship. They were always there for each other-a shoulder to cry on, and an open hand in hard times-but they also made bad jokes, forced each other out into the real world, and laughed while surfing the Internet. The interactions between them were the most palpable part of this book.
The one frustrating thing about this book is the way the chapters are styled. The titles of the chapters are very confusing, and it's difficult to tell when the chapters have switched perspectives. However, it's not a problem after the first few chapters.
All in all, I give this book five out of five stars. If you're looking for a good read with a twisting, turning plot and relatable characters, this is the book for you.
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