Forgotten - Cat Patrick

With the intrigue of Memento and the romance of The Time-Traveller's Wife, Forgotten is the perfect YA novel. Here's the thing about me: I can see the future in flashes, like memories. But my past is a blank. I remember what I'll wear tomorrow, and an argument that won't happen until this afternoon. But I don't know what I ate for dinner last night. I get by with the help of notes, my mom and my best friend Jamie, and the system works ...Until now. Everything's falling apart. Jamie's going of the rails. My mom is lying to me. And I can't see the boy I adore in my future. But today, I love him. And I never want to forget how much ...

Forgotten is the story of a girl for whom yesterday is lost, today is an adventure, and tomorrow is a memory. An unforgettable read.

Wow, well what can I say after reading this book- finishing it at 1:30am earlier this morning I was gobsmacked/lost for words. Yes I guess most books have that affect on me, but trust me when I say you can not give this book a miss. 

It was the beautiful cover that first drew me to the book and then the blurb convinced me to buy it and the book, well the book lives up to the beautiful cover.

Cat found a perfect storyline to show from an original angle a teenager struggling through life. Of course when we learn the extent of her 'normal day' life I felt myself sympathizing for her. Her condition and way of life makes you realize how -even though sometimes we may wish we want to forget a day- our memories are a big part of our lives which we take for granted. London takes notes to help with her condition reminding me of my own personal fear of barely being able to remember my life as I know it now when I am older. I stopped writing a diary a long time ago, but now and then I find myself typing a document on my computer to remind me of things- after all we do not remember days we remember moments. Which Cat Patrick showed very well in this story as London remembers moments of the future. But soon as I read on it also became normal to me and I was starting to accept her fate, as I became apart of her life with the further I read into the book. 

And even though she had her problems with her mother, her best friend and Luke it was pretty much things that could be handled. Then everything started to unravel, and due to her condition she doesn't get very far and it takes her a while. Then she discovers the truth of her brother and why she is the way she is. That making it on of the saddest books I’ve ever read, I was almost crying plus may I add the grave yard/kidnapper part not the best to read while lying in a bed with a silent house at 1 in the morning with semi-transparent curtains so you feel like someone is looking at you- especially when your the most paranoid person on earth like me. 

I think that London's condition to not remember yesterday sounds perfectly normal but the fact that she remembers flashes of the future is slightly unrealistic but Cat Patrick surprised me when she found the perfect way to explain why this happens to her.

The only fault too this book is London.

No, don’t get me wrong, I love London’s character. I just can’t seem to accept London is her name, to me the name doesn’t seem right. Maybe its just a personal thing, maybe because I watched Suit Life of Zach and Cody as a child and didn’t particularly like the character London from there, or maybe it was because to me names like London and Paris have the complete opposite kind of personality than the character in this book, or maybe it was just because my head was still in the world of ‘Passion’ which I recently read and became Luce in her world.

Their characters are kind of similar if you think about it. Both trying to discover who they are, what there past is, what’s in the future, who they can trust, having no one at some point in time but actually having people there to support and love you. I don’t know, sorry Cat I just don’t like the name London for London’s character. 

I think it would be good to read about Luke's feelings throughout this because he seems to have major mood swings and is a slightly strange boy, I mean ears? Really- but I find that kind of fascinating and wonder why drives him to draw/paint ears. I love Luke's characters because he is so genuine and real and although I have never met a boy like that who doesn't really mind driving a 'mom soccer van' or doesn't actually care about popularity and certain types of girls- he seems more real than those type of boys. 

The relationship between Luke and London is heartwarming. You would think that Luke would freak out about her condition but the truth is he has always been a part of her and he always knew. The shoe thing is so little but so romantic that although she did not remember him, he left an impact on her. 

This book is so sad, in a way that has such an impact on you it changes a small part of you- teaches you to appreciate your memories and your non ability to see the future. Although to London it is almost a gift because she can not remember backwards but to us it wouldn't be as then our life wouldn't be a surprise and we would constantly be fearing the future instead of just living in the moment right there.

I think that the book has an almost perfect ending all that I found missing was Luke, I know it said that she can change anything, but I still feel like his fate is death. I also would have loved the reunion of their family and meeting Jonas, I think that it could be a wonderful thing for two siblings who have lived traumatic dreadful lives to come together after years from the day that tore them apart and then have someone to lean on. But I've heard Cat is not writing a sequel to this book, but that's fine because I think that another book would need more obstacles and London has been through enough. 

Overall an amazing book- really. 

I definatly rate this book 5/5!

Cat Patrick's reply to my review on twitter-

@MazzNixon Thanks so much! Love the review...even with the not liking London's name. :)