A review by judeinthestars
Forget Me Not by Alyson Derrick

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I’m at a moment in my life where I’m not into coming out stories, I don’t want to read about homophobia or any queerphobia, not just for the sake of escapism but because I don’t need to be reminded. It never leaves my mind. I’ve also been reading a lot less YA and NA. For all these reasons, I didn’t really have this audiobook on my radar until fellow reviewer Marie Sotiriou convinced me to give it a chance. About a third in, I messaged her that it was killing me. In the best way, obviously.

When Stevie wakes up after an accident, she doesn’t remember the last two years of her life. She doesn’t remember finishing high school, she doesn’t remember why her best friends don’t really feel like friends at all, she doesn’t remember the boy they told her she was crushing on… She doesn’t remember, either, the girl she was in love with, nor the plans they had made to leave their close-minded town behind and move to California.

The story is told in first person from Stevie’s point of view and while I felt for her all along, my heart really broke for Nora. Being forgotten by the person you love most, with whom you planned to spend your life… I can’t even imagine nor do I want to. It will come as a surprise to absolutely no one that Natalie Naudus does a wonderful job. There are so many feelings, so many nuances in her narration. I’m sure I would have loved Forget Me Not even if I had read it but I’m grateful I listened.

There’s so much in this story. So much that enraged me—the racism Stevie and Ryan experience as the only Asian people in their town, Stevie’s callous friends, the way Ryan is used and hurt, through no fault of Stevie’s but with no thought towards his feelings (or hers) from her friends, the weight of mandatory heterosexuality, Nora’s mom’s treatment of her daughter—and so much that made my heart swell. I loved witnessing Stevie fall in love with Nora again, choose her again. I enjoyed every one of their scenes together, the heartbreaking ones as well as the joyful ones. I love Nora’s teasing side, her sensitivity, her strength. And I love Stevie’s determination, her sense of fairness, her will to fight.

Alyson Derrick, who drew inspiration from her own life and experience as a Korean American teen growing up Catholic in a small town, added another second chance love story to the obvious one, that of Stevie and her parents. I don’t want to spoil anything about it, but I appreciate the thoughtfulness and sensibility with which the author wrote this arc. This entire book is just beautiful on top of beautiful and I strongly recommend you follow Marie’s advice and listen to it ASAP.

Read all my reviews on my blog (and please buy from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars