Forget Me Not
FORGET ME NOT by Allison Whitmore
Received from Booktrope Publishing
Synopsis Theodora “Teddi” Donovan and Calvin Wynne have always hated each other. They didn’t have a choice after Teddi’s bootlegger father killed Calvin’s and left them both orphaned. The scandal has fueled gossip in quiet, quaint Brookhurst, New York, for over a decade. When a friendship develops between them as teenagers, they are ridiculed and shunned by the strict society that dictates life in their town. As they grow older, friendship turns into love, and Teddi and Calvin have to choose between their future and the scepter of their past. Spanning continents and decades, Forget Me Not is a coming-of-age story about truth, self-reliance, and the freeing power of love.
Review All I can say is that Allison Whitmore understands us, the readers. She knows that we don’t want another echo of Romeo and Juliet. She recognizes our need to find an intricate plot within the classics. And this is exactly what Forget Me Not portrays by intertwining history, love and the journey for the truth with a concept we are all familiar with.
“Falling in love is the most natural thing in the world. At least, that’s what I think.”
The characters in the story are engrossing. They make me fall deeper in love with the book. I’ll start off with Teddi’s character which is both admirable and relatable. Her sweet yet feisty character never fails to leave a raised brow on my face—in an Oh really? way. What stands out the most for me, however, is her desire to pursue the truth. She does not tolerate ignorance even when everything is working in her favor. I enjoyed reading Teddi stand firm on her convictions as well as watching the trait grow as an essential ground in the story.
“Funny thing about trains. Sometimes they take you where you need to go. Sometimes they take you far away from it. People are always the same. Putting others in categories to make themselves less miserable. Not everyone gets to live in the same place or see the same things.”
Calvin—Oh wow! Need I say more? He is the sweetest and most understanding character I have ever met. I’ve often read about how boyfriends internally wish the girl’s friends to evaporate into the air the moment they meet but Calvin? He sees the best in Teddi’s friends. He puts into perspective the opinion of Laura and the others and he recognizes the positive in them. Even when he faced Mrs. Donovan which had the most character development, if you ask me. She went from a zero to ninety in my scale. I think she’s the epitome of a degree of love, willing to be the villain for her beloved grandchild.
“The world is an odd place of exclusion rather than inclusion. She wanted out of its twisted knots sometimes so badly she was ready to scream. Most people were not opinionated like Chessie, even she had to admit to spending most of her life acting as if these things were not odd. It was easier to shut your eyes and believe things without thinking even if they hurt you.”
Throughout my reading, I felt a certain disconnection with the story, perhaps brought about by the third person point of view while discussing a topic close to the heart. It is indeed uncommon to find a love story in this point of view but I loved how it reveals insights to the deepest thoughts of the characters as well as a new paradigm brought about by these. Forget Me Not will surely be a book you won’t be able to keep out of your reach.
Clarissa 💫