Review: Forget Me Not by Carolee Dean

Forget Me Not by Carolee Dean

Publication Date: October 2, 2012
Page Count: 384
Format: Hardcover
Published by: Simon Pulse
Source: Borrowed from library

Synopsis From Goodreads:

From the author of Take Me There, a fast-paced novel in verse about a girl caught between life and death—and the boy who will do anything to save her. Ally is devastated when a scandalous photo of her is texted around school. With her reputation in shambles and her life essentially over, she hides out in a back hallway, trying to figure out where everything went wrong.

Elijah has spent time in that hallway too. He landed there after taking a whole bottle of sleeping pills. Now he can see ghosts, and he knows what Ally has yet to suspect—that she’s already half dead, and one choice away from never coming back. Elijah has loved Ally for years and would do anything to save her from the in-between place. But if she’s going to live, Ally must face her inner demons and find the will to save herself.

Told in interwoven verse narratives, this crushingly honest and poetic exploration of pain and redemption will appeal to fans of Ellen Hopkins.

I must admit that as soon as I read the synopsis for Forget Me Not I immediately added it to my tbr. I love novels told in verse, and this one really blew me away. It was so beautiful and creative. I absolutely loved the variety in the forms of poetry that the author used. Different forms were used for each of the characters, which really helped express the mood and feeling in that particular scene.

At first, Forget Me Not seems like a contemporary story, but it quickly turns more towards the paranormal. The dual POV really allows the reader to get to know both main characters, Ally and Elijah, and I think teenagers will be able to identify with them. Since it is written in verse, it is very fast paced. I couldn't read it fast enough. I just had to find out what was happening next!

The synopsis is pretty spot-on, so I won't go into details about the plot. The abandoned hallway that no one goes into anymore is symbolic of the characters feelings of being forgotten or invisible. Ally must uncover the truth about the choices she made that caused her to be stuck in the hallway. It's a painful lesson for her to learn, and it was hard to read about the turmoil she went through. Elijah can help Ally escape the hallway, but she will have to decide if she can truly live with her painful reality or if she will let it defeat her.

This story is difficult to read because it is so very sad. I really felt sorry for Ally after reading about the difficult situations she found herself in. High school was a long time ago for me, but I still remember the angst of trying to be yourself while trying to fit in. I was never a social climber myself, but I can certainly sympathize with Ally's determination to be someone. Ally went about it all wrong, but mistakes are a part of growing up. Ultimately, Ally must decide to accept her mistakes and learn from them. I highly recommend this book, but it's definitely for older or more mature teens (or adults, like me.)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars