Review + Giveaway: Forgotten

Title: Forgotten
Author: Cat Patrick
Published: June 7th 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary: Each night at precisely 4:33 am, while sixteen-year-old London Lane is asleep, her memory of that day is erased. In the morning, all she can "remember" are events from her future. London is used to relying on reminder notes and a trusted friend to get through the day, but things get complicated when a new boy at school enters the picture. Luke Henry is not someone you'd easily forget, yet try as she might, London can't find him in her memories of things to come.

When London starts experiencing disturbing flashbacks, or flash-forwards, as the case may be, she realizes it's time to learn about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future.

Thoughts:I have been struggling to write this review for weeks now. How do I piece together a book that not only confused me, but also intrigued me with it's unconventional concept? Well, I guess I better give this a whirl!

Forgotten is a story about London, a girl who remembers the future instead of the past. Each night, she must make a list of the day's events, what she'll need to bring for school, and what she needs to remember because when morning comes, it will be like the day never happened. If anything, her condition is a curse. While it's fun to know where all her classmates and friends will end up in the future, she can't share it with anyone. In fact, her best friend Jamie tells her on several occasions not to share.

On top of all this, London begins having disturbing dreams of a funeral. The catch is, she doesn't know who's funeral it is. That's where the mystery factor comes in.

For the first 100 pages or so, I spent most of my time confused. While I had an idea of what was going on and know why the author was writing the way she was, the style still confused me. That's probably the point since London spends most of her time confused. While it added flare to the story, I think it also took away the emotional connection factor, since instead of book bonding with the main character, I spent most of my time wondering what the french was going on. Sa la vie!

When I was about to give up on the book, a dear friend told me to stick with it. "It will get better" she said. And she's right, it does. I honestly think that what made the book for me was Luke. The Luke scenes were my favorite scenes. His kindness and overall goodhearted nature is a breath of fresh air considering the book world is filled with brooding, standoffish, arrogant love interests. A nice guy? Really? They exist? You bet!

I recommend everyone giving Forgotten a try. It may not be my favorite book, but it's still an interesting one. And please, if you are like me, struggling with the first half of the book, I promise you that it does get better. Stick with it and a treat will be in store for you!

Rating: 3/5

GIVEAWAY TIME:
I am giving away a final hardback copy of Forgotten. Just comment below, leaving a way for me to contact you (i.e. email address).

This will be open to US participants only. If you are an international participant, but have a US address I can ship to, feel free to enter!

+1 for spreading the word.

And last but not least, the giveaway will end August 3rd. Go forth, enter, and may the odds be ever in your favor.