Don’t Forget Me by Victoria Stevens
Release Date: February 13, 2018
*Um, hello? Pick this up and read it for Valentine’s Day. You won’t be disappointed.
I was given an advanced copy of this book from a friend. Thank you, Erin!
I stumbled upon this little gem on NetGalley, and while I was not approved for it there *sigh*, my sweet friend Erin sent it to me after receiving it herself. I’m so glad she did, as this was the perfect book to pull me out of my slump I’ve been in since October. October, y’all. I needed something good. Leave it to a contemporary to pull me out of my misery.
“Redleigh used to say that the stars are spy holes for heaven,” he said. “So the people we lose can still watch over us, even when they’re gone.”
The best thing about this book was the relationships. That, of course, also stems from great characters that fit together in special ways.
I was nervous at the beginning of this book, as it sounded a lot like Jenna Evans Welch’s Love & Gelato. Girl loses mom, girl moves in with *insert dad character here*. I was nervous about this because I didn’t love Linda, the main character in Love & Gelato. However, I absolutely adored Hazel. She was upset about moving and obviously about her mother, but she was never whiny. She carried her thoughts within her, and she barely let them show. When she began to open up – yeah, that’s where we get amazing relationships that make me so happy to read.
Hazel and Red’s relationship was a strong friendship that was just… right. It was a good balance of tough love and secret keeping. I also loved Hazel’s group of friends at school and they way they embraced her. Hazel and her father’s relationships was one of my favorite to read, to watch her love grow for him and who he is and to see his eyes open up to having a daughter in the house. Delightful!
But of course, there’s Luca. What a broody little stink pot! I wanted him to be on every page! Watching his loss define who he is, but also using his family to be pulled out of where he was made for a heart-wrenching and heartwarming story. The build up of Hazel and Luca was also very slow and realistic. So if you don’t like insta-love, read this book.
Ultimately, this book was a solid read that wasn’t something I necessarily flew through but instead read with a good pace so I could enjoy the writing, the characters, and the relationships that blossomed. I recommend this book to anyone who’s read Love & Gelato, as well as The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord. I hope you enjoy this book when it comes out in February, and for real – it’s a great Valentine’s Day read.
Thanks for reading!
Library of Colors 