Forgotten by Cat Patrick

Title: Forgotten
Author: Cat Patrick
Published: June 7, 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 288/Hardcover
Challenge: 2011 Debut Author Challenge
Source: bought


Summary: Each night when 16 year-old London Lane goes to sleep, her whole world disappears. In the morning, all that's left is a note telling her about a day she can't remember. The whole scenario doesn't exactly make high school or dating that hot guy whose name she can't seem to recall any easier. But when London starts experiencing disturbing visions she can't make sense of, she realizes it's time to learn a little more about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future. 

Part psychological drama, part romance, and part mystery, this thought-provoking novel will inspire readers to consider the what-if's in their own lives and recognize the power they have to control their destinies.

Review: For some reason I'm always interested in books that involve memory loss. I liked that London's memory loss was actually caused by something instead of just being some supernatural thing she was born with. I also liked that by the end she had found a way to work through her memory loss by confronting her past. 

This book was very original and most of the above is what made it so original. Another thing is that London had to write down what she did that day in order to remember what happened the next day. I thought this showed that London really did have a lot of control over her memories. She could choose to forget bad things that happened or twist situations to remember them a different way. The memory loss is explained in the end, but I never understood how London was able to get glimpses of the future. That's the one thing I wish had been explained a little more.

I liked reading the relationship between Luke and London mainly because London relied solely on her notes to remember him. Although I liked their relationship it seemed a little off t me. I don't see how their relationship could build the way it did if London is basically meeting Luke for the first time every day. Also, when everything happened with Luke he seemed too accepting with it. Sure there was the thing that happened at camp, but I still think he shouldn't have been that okay with everything. That leads me to the point that the relationship between Luke and London just seemed too easy. They didn't face very many challenges and that made it less realistic.

I thought the ending was good for the book, if not a bit Disney-esque. 

Forgotten is a surprisingly original novel by a debut author who won me over with a good plot and a sweet romance.