I keep saying I'm not a romance reader, but many of my favorite books do involve some romance. So, if you dig reading romance or it's not your thing, it doesn't matter. Here are 4 reasons you should read "Say You'll Remember Me".

1. Forgiveness, forgiveness, forgiveness.
This is a theme often missing from young adult/new adult novels. The freedom of forgiveness is the ultimate redemption in this book in every single relationship model. It's a notion that folks need more experience with in this harsh world: forgiveness doesn't "fix" things, but it does give you a place to go from there.

2. Healthy relationships vs. unhealthy relationships.
Both kinds of relationships abound in this book, with a stressor on the fact that there are no perfect relationships. Many relationship flaws are profiled as well as possible solutions or, in the case of habitual abuse, presenting the difficulties of walking away from unhealthy relationships. While Drix and Elle -the main characters- acknowledge that their relationship is not without its issues, they navigate a plethora of situations and model an overall healthy relationship. Familial relationships are also a point of focus - including that sometimes your family isn't the people you grew up in the same house with.

3. Steam but responsibly and with a side of consent. Yes, please!
I'm not normally a romance reader (someday, I will have to quit saying that!), but who doesn't enjoy a little steam now and again? This book was great for me because I could read it without feeling old and creepy and uncomfortable. It's also one I'd let my twelve year old daughter read. It's steamy and realistic and passionate while Elle makes if very clear that she doesn't want to go farther. Drix is exactly what a reader would hope. He understands and respects her decisions. He also makes it clear that, when they are both ready, it's on. It's a great example of a positive relationship and how to voice how far you want things to go.

4. It's just fun.
I know, it's not a deep takeaway. There were so many deep things to choose from in this book, but when I step back and look at the overall picture, what resonates and fills my reader soul is that it was really fun to read. I'm kind of sad it's over! I found myself excited to snuggle in my warm bed and open the book again.

"Say You'll Remember Me" was a bit of a dark horse for me. I'm normally exclusively fantasy and science fiction, but the popularity of Katie McGarry in my library had me curious. I'm glad I stepped away from my norm, and I'm insanely happy that I looooooved it.

I encourage you to take a chance and read something you normally wouldn't. Who knows? I may try a historical fiction next!

*Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Teen for an ARC in exchange for a fair review*

Expected publication: January, 30, 2018

Publisher's Summary: When Drix was convicted of a crime--one he didn't commit--he thought his life was over. But opportunity came with the new Second Chance Program, the governor's newest pet project to get delinquents off the streets, rehabilitated and back into society. Drix knows this is his chance to get his life back on track, even if it means being paraded in front of reporters for a while.

Elle knows she lives a life of privilege. As the governor's daughter, she can open doors with her name alone. But the expectations and pressure to be someone she isn't may be too much to handle. She wants to follow her own path, whatever that means.

When Drix and Elle meet, their connection is immediate, but so are their problems. Drix is not the type of boy Elle's parents have in mind for her, and Elle is not the kind of girl who can understand Drix's messy life.

But sometimes love can breach all barriers.

Fighting against a society that can't imagine them together, Drix and Elle must push themselves--Drix to confront the truth of the robbery, and Elle to assert her independence--and each other to finally get what they deserve.

__________

McGarry pens another fantastic realistic romance with plenty of depth. She excels at character development, introducing two teens who couldn't be more different. Drix, falsely convicted of a crime but determined to make the best of his second chance. Elle, the govenor's daughter, tired of being paraded around like a prize poodle, wanting more from her life than being the eye-candy on her father's political campaign. Fate brings them together and McGarry takes care of the rest. What I always love about her stories and characters is the realistic, polarizing attraction between characters that are an unlikely fit.

I loved the sheer experience of reading this narrative. I gobbled up every word. Shed some tears at the end and now count the days until the next McGarry release.

Final rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I consider myself an official Katie McGarry fangirl and am ALWAYS excited to read one of her books. McGarry consistently delivers a story that is equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking, and once again, she did not disappoint.

This book was packed with great characters.

Elle was a dutiful daughter, joining her parents on the campaign trail, wearing the clothes they wanted, styling her hair the way they wanted, keeping company with the boy they wanted, but she was desperate to blaze her own path. I felt very sympathetic towards Elle, because I felt like her parents didn't see HER. She was intelligent, fun, big hearted, loyal, and wanted to use her position to do the right thing, but her parents never saw that. They only saw the things she wasn't. I was really happy that Elle had her cousin on her side, because she needed someone who loved her just for being her and not for what she could do for them.

Drix was grateful for his second chance and was making a valiant effort not to return to his old ways. He grew a lot during his incarceration and made a lot of discoveries about himself. He realized he wanted more and formulated a plan to achieve that goal. I loved his determination and drive, but most of all, I love how loyal he was to his family. Drix really had a heart of gold, and I was immediately a fan. He didn't have much, but he had his family, and he treated them as his most precious possessions.

Speaking of "the family", this was probably one of my favorite aspects of this book. Drix's family was sort of non-traditional. His older half-brother was legal guardian to Drix and their half-sister. Dad was sort of a rolling stone, and all three mothers were MIA. The family was rounded out by their neighbors and one of Drix's friends from the program. We got to witness so many wonderful, fun, and emotional moments with this group. I would love to see more books from this world, because these characters are worth exploring further.

Besides being packed with great characters, this book featured a fabulous Romeo-and-Juliet-esq romance. Drix and Elle came from very different worlds. She had wealth, he was scraping by. She had a father in a position of power, he had two absent parents. She had a world of opportunities open to her, he was having doors slammed in his face. Yet, when their paths crossed on the midway, sparks flew. They tried to fight the attraction that was growing between them, and thank goodness attraction won, because I loved these two together. They just made the other person's world so much better. They cared for each other and supported each other. They provided comfort in times of pain and encouragement, when it seemed all was lost. Let's just say, I had no problem shipping these two.

Finally, there are the themes that run through this story. I am a firm believer and lover of second chances, and that was one of the major themes in this book. Drix came out of the program a different person than when he entered the program. He was focused and didn't want to revert to his old ways. It pained me to see him not being given that second chance that he had earned. I had to watch people judging him based on his past and slamming doors shut that could lead to his future. Thank goodness he had his family and Elle to believe in him and prop him up after each setback.

Drix's story really revealed McGarry's passion when it comes to teens. She tackles the school-to-prison pipeline issue in this book. It definitely gave me a lot of think about, and I really appreciated her spotlighting the issue.

You won't escape without me commenting on the ending, and surprise! I was very satisfied by this ending. It was happy and sad at the same time, which sort of surprised me. Lots of good things happened, some bad things happened, but overall, it was very hopeful.

Overall: Another solid McGarry book, filled with friends and family, love and hope.

Ellison “Elle” Monroe is the govenor’s daughter and with that comes a lot of expectations to be perfect and sacrifices of things that are important to her. But Elle doesn’t see it that way, she thinks she’s helping her father on the campaign trail.

Hendrix “Drix” Pierce is trying to see where he fits in now that he’s back from seven months of juvie and three months in an Outward Bound program for a crime he didn’t commit. He’s not the guy he used to be but he’s not sure who he is now either. For the next year he’ll be the governor’s dancing monkey pulled out at fundraisers to show that the governor’s pet project, a second chance program is working. What he didn’t expect was that the girl he meets on the midway at a carnival would turn out to be the governor’s daughter.

Nobody wants Elle and Drix together. It would be bad for Elle’s image, bad for the campaign, bad for the program, and bad for Drix’s future if things go south; yet together they find comfort, friendship, and then something more.

Do Elle and Drix have a shot at being together? Can Drix show the governor and the people that just see his record that he’s not that guy? Can he find out who really robbed the convenience store he was convicted of robbing?

I loved Say You’ll Remember Me. Most of Katie Mcagarry’s books that I’ve read seem to have the same theme, a girl from money and a guy from “the wrong side of the tracks” who fall in love. This one takes on a girl who is oblivious to her parents using her for her father’s political gain and a guy who’s had a hard life with no one in authority giving him a break.

I liked Drix more than Elle because at times I felt Elle was very naive. And Elle’s parents drove me nuts. It just shows you that politicians say they’re for the people they’re representing but when it comes right down to it they only care about themselves and their agendas. I loved the secondary characters, Dominic, Holiday, Marcus, Axle, and Henry and thought they made the story in a way.

I feel like this book is very relavent right now, especially with Elle’s interaction with the donor at one of her father’s fundraisers touching her inappropriately but feeling like she can’t do anything to make a scene because of his contribution to her father’s campaign. It’s very current with everything that’s been in the news lately even if I was screaming at the character to do something.

The ending of the book broke my heart a little but does have a happy, satisfying end. Overall, this may be one of my favorite Katie McGarry books and I definitely recommend it.

A modern-day Romeo and Juliet story, Katie McGarry's "Say You'll Remember Me" features young adults, Drix and Elle, who met by chance at an event hosted by Elle's politician father, a state governor. Drix was a juvenile delinquent "saved" by Elle's father's Second Chance program. Elle, on the other hand, is being groomed to be the perfect poster political and campaign child for her parents. Their immediate chemistry spark wildly, as Elle and Drix ride on a virtual and lively roller coaster battling their circumstances, their families, and themselves.

YA romance is not my usual cuppa tea, TBH. McGarry is a new author for me, though, and I thought I'd give her ARC gift a try. Yes, there is the expected teenage angst; the push-and-pull between parents and children; the ultimate bad boy persona; the good girl with angelic qualities, etc. With McGarry's writing style, though, the usual themes meshed well together and did not seem "forced," at least, not in my point of view. Her characters and their actions evoke real feelings from this reader, ranging from extreme hate to extreme love. While this was my first McGarry book, I doubt it'll be my last. I just have to pace my YA books carefully, as the struggle to get through the usual themes can drag this girl down.

Forever changed, paying the price for someone else's crime, Hendrix (Drix) is put into a 2nd chance program where meets Elle, the governers daughter.
I really loved Drix, he really is just so sweet (and dreamy!) I felt for Elle, I really did. She put all her trust in her parents, as you would, and they just treated her like someone they could model into another person. Safe to say I hated her parents!
Another thing I really liked was their relationship. They start out as friends and it slowly grows, it was so nice to read, so sweet and so beautiful.
The biggest thing I loved about this book was that it Drix and Elle discovered who they were and had the courage to stand up for what they wanted.
With all the feels this book pulled it really warmed my cockles!

I love a good YA romance every now and again and Say You'll Remember Me is a beautiful one. Katie McGarry's newest YA romance is a painstaking slow burn of a love story that built and evolved exquisitely, twisting and turning and pulling me right in.. I was captivated right away by the premise of an off-limits romance between the privileged daughter of a politician and a boy from the wrong side of the tracks with a criminal record. Katie McGarry writes such a smart story on these pages, a sweet and salty course of events layered with teen angst, tumultuous family drama, and parallel journeys of self discovery by characters each chained by their own difficult circumstances.

I fell in love in this book, truly. While my fall was more of a drift, a slow descent, as I followed Ellison and Hendrix into their complicated tangle of forbidden attraction and familial duty, the destination was the same. I. FELL. IN. LOVE. I felt so much on these pages, so much frustration and sadness, anger over all that had been robbed from Hendrix, all that Ellison sacrificed for her parents political aspirations. This is the story of two teenagers who are not only trapped by circumstances they didn't ask for and didn't deserve, but who've both been emotionally neglected by the people who should've put them first. They're kindred spirits, a girl with everything and a boy with nothing, brought together by a twist of fate that won't allow them to be together. It's a beautiful story of longing, a slow burning YA romance that i only loved more with each turn of the page.

This is as much a story of healing and second chances as it is a story of love. Hendrix and his family and the story of how he's been wronged guarantees the reader a relentless barrage of gut punches and heart squeezes all by itself. I ADORED this boy in all of his brokenness and his selflessness; his journey is an all consuming one that I couldn't help but become emotionally invested in straight out of the gate. I can't even explain how much I loved him. So, of course, bearing witness to the adorably sweet attraction that morphs into a blissfully romantic love story between my broken boy and his perfect girl was just icing on the cake. I love a slow burn and McGarry executes it just perfectly in this book, bringing these characters together just to tear them apart with the weight of their reality. It's so well done, so heartfelt, so bittersweet, so hopeful. I enjoyed this story from beginning to end and I fell in love with so many of these characters. I'm not so secretly hoping that Katie McGarry might have more in store for Hendrix and Ellison and whatever the future might see them through. But I'm equally hopeful for more on Holiday and Axle and Marcus and even Henry because this is a world I don't want to leave, a messy, emotional world I'd happily return to.

Katie McGarry is one of those authors that I don’t even read the blurb when a new book comes out. I went in blind upon starting ‘Say You’ll Remember me’ and I’m happy to say I wasn't disappointed with what I read. What you can always find in a McGarry novel are endearing characters, a cute and unique plot, and a gigantic case of what I like to call the feels. Every single one of her books are beyond amazing—you can always count on Katie to bring her A-game and make us fall in love.

Drix is home from a very long year in juvie, followed by extensive therapy for troubled kids out in the wilderness. He’s home and he’s changed. Then we have Elle—beautiful Elle. I think I loved her immediately. Mainly for the fact that she’s so down to earth, smart, and brave. The moment the hero and heroine meet, sparks fly. Here are these two insanely hot people that have no idea how their lives are about to intersect in such a beautiful way. Drix may not think he’s good enough; but he and Elle are more perfect for each other than either one realizes.

Elle is the daughter of the Governor—which entails perfection in the eyes of the media. The pressure to be that way can be crippling, especially when she just wants to do her own thing. With Drix, I had more of a connection with as a reader. My heart hurt for him and everything he’s had to go through. But he remained strong; a quality I love to read about in a character. Any kind of relationship between the two would never be able to make it past friendship seeing as how Elle’s father is running a campaign. It wouldn’t look good to the public if she were to date a convicted criminal.

Overall, I adored the book and I have no doubt that readers and fans will too. What I love most about reading a McGarry book, is the love I have for her secondary characters. She doesn’t just make you fall in love with the main characters but all of them as a whole—as a family. It’s what makes her books so real. I also think the story does good in bringing to light the social issues in today’s society, social status between wealth and poverty, and the way the justice system sometimes ends up failing. Best of all, the romance was playful and sexy all at once. Plus, Drix. Enough said.

There's just something about Katie McGarry's books that continue to attract me to them. I don't think I've read one book from her that I have disliked. With Say You'll Remember Me by good-luck streak with her book continues. Once again, she has written an addicting story with a wonderful cast of characters.

Like with most other Katie McGarry books, Say You'll Remember Me is told in the dual POVs of two characters who come from different worlds. Hendrix and Ellison could not be more different from each other, but they are both lovely characters who are easy to sympathize with. Out of the two, I do have to admit that I had a soft spot for Drix. His situation is very heartbreaking - he's been to juvie for a crime he did not commit, and is forced to be the face of the governor's new Second Chance Program aimed at helping juvenile delinquents. At the beginning of the book, Drix is reserved and quiet, understably so because of his entire situation, but there's a strength and bravery to him that shined through from the very start. He's a boy who is loyal to his very broken, but loving family, and would do anything to protect them. Even though he is thrust into the media spotlight, he takes on the Second Chance Program because he knows that it will be good for him. Despite everything, he's just a normal boy with a lot of passion, and his own dreams, which we slowly discover throughout the book.

Ellison, her, is the governor's daughter. She's lived a more or less luxurious life, but it's been a stifling and controlling one. Because of her dad's position, her entire life has been planned out and controlled by her parents. She's just waiting to break free with her own dreams of becoming a coder/programmer, but she does whatever her folks tell her to out of love and respect for them. When Elle and Drix might, there are sparks everywhere, but because of their differing backgrounds and the constant limelight shining on them, their relationship is a little bit forbidden. They somehow still find themselves falling into each others' paths, and slowly, a romance develops. I adored everything about these two as a couple. They made each other stronger, they were supportive of each other, and they were both incredibly sweet together. This is a romance that had my heart very happy. I also loved that Say You'll Remember Me was more than a romance. It also had great family and friendship dynamics. I enjoyed the roles that Drix's siblings and his friends played in the book despite how messy some of them were. You could tell though underneath everything, these were people that cared deeply about each other. I also adored Elle's cousin and almost wish we got to see more of him. The only thing I vehemently disliked about Say You'll Remember Me was the [spoiler]unnecessary death of a pet by gunshot wounds. I hate seeing animals killed in books, and this one really hurt.[/spoiler]

Katie McGarry is good at writing opposites attract romances, and she's good at writing books that truly make you feel all the feels. I can't recommend Say You'll Remember Me enough.

Normally I would not be placing a star rating on this book, (but netgalley is requiring me to,) because I didn't make it beyond 41%. I tried so hard to continue and finish this story, but I just couldn't do it. I wasn't connecting to this story or the characters.

I don't like leaving reviews like this especially for this author, because I have loved every one of her books and I was looking forward to reading this book. I don't know what it is, but this story just seemed to drag on for me. There was nothing to keep my attention or to keep me wanting to read.

Just because this wasn't a 5 star read for me doesn't mean others won't love this story.

It has been a while since I have read anything by Katie McGarry and Say You’ll Remember Me reminded me of why I love her books so much. On our last podcast with Swoony Boys, Kass mentioned how much she loved this book so I pushed it up on my TBR. Once I started, I found myself unwilling to put this down (unfortunately my work life didn’t really agree with me on this) and couldn’t wait to find out what happened with these characters, Elle and Drix, whose lives couldn’t have been more different.

Elle is the governor’s daughter and she knows she is lucky to have the things she has but sometimes she just wants to do what she wants without the expectations and pressure that comes along with being who she is. She would also like to be free to do the things she loves, not what her parents believe is right. I have to say I was frustrated with Elle sometimes and it was more around how much she let her parents control her and dictate almost everything in her life from her hair color and contact color to what classes she could take.

Drix on the other hand, doesn’t have much materially but he has his brother, sister, and friends. Drix spent most of his time drinking, getting high, making music, and chasing after girls but after having been convicted of a crime that he didn’t commit, he knows he needed to change and he takes this for the wakeup call he needed. Now that he is out, Drix is willing to do whatever he needs to in order to get his life back on track and that includes becoming the poster boy for the Second Chance Program. This program is the governor’s newest project to rehabilitate delinquents and Drix isn’t going to do anything to ruin his chance for a clean start. He completely changed who he was while he was away and if the program will help him get into the music school he wants to get into, he knows he can change his life.

When Elle and Drix meet, they have no clue who the other is, and I loved how McGarry introduced them to each other. I also loved how McGarry developed the friendship / relationship between them. It starts out with a chance meeting at a fair and slowly becomes more and it felt real. Of course, they are attracted to each other but because they are traveling together (with the governor) they start to spend time together and really get to know each other. I love that Drix specifically calls out that he likes the “real” Elle more than that perfect version her mother is creating and encourages her to wear her glasses and be who she wants to be.

The other part of this story that I really enjoyed was the tie to family. Drix obviously didn’t have the best role models with his parents and he has restructured his definition of family to revolve around his brother, sister, and friends. And they truly are a family – they care about each other and support each other in all the ways a family would/should. When Drix goes away, he knows someone in his circle let him take the fall and when he comes back, he has a hard time being ok and trusting those he isn’t sure of, and that includes his sister and his best friend.
On the other hand, Elle loves her parents and knows they love her, but they are super controlling and didn’t really support her in the things she wanted for herself…they just wanted her to be what they wanted her to be. Throughout the story I could feel her frustration, but she always fell back to the idea that they were doing the things they did out of love and protection. She trusted her parents to always do the right thing and unfortunately, she learns that they don’t.

In the end, this is more than just a good girl falls for the bad boy story. Elle’s optimism and desire to do what’s right is threaded throughout everything she does and Drix’s desire to be better than he was are what move this story forward and kept me turning the pages.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I think if you are a fan of McGarry’s other books, you will really like this one. She does a fantastic job of highlighting the challenges that the “have nots” face as well as showing that just because someone’s life looks perfect on the outside, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it truly is. If you are looking for a story that has well developed characters, a fantastic story, and of course, swoons, you should check this one out. As always, I am looking forward to whatever McGarry puts out next.

I loved this book. I liked Drix’s POV best. I think this is definitely an idealized view of how someone can change. But it was a sweet book. Elle’s parents were infuriating. I found that situation stressful. I really enjoyed this book!

This is about discovering who you are and standing up for what you believe in. It’s not easy, by any stretch of the imagination, but your life will be better once you realize this. It’s also about family and all the disfunction that goes along with it. But it’s also about how, no matter what you do, your family should stick by you.

I’ll admit, I was STRESSED as I was reading. This actually had a bit angst. But it was so worth it.

As I’ve said before, Katie is the queen of the YA/coming of age books. Brilliant and emotional. I loved every moment.

I really just need to start this review off with a sigh of disappointment... but also one of happiness because I finally got through this book. When I first read Katie McGarry’s series Pushing the Limits I was super confused and disappointed because I had heard nothing but good things about it and I hated 90% of it. After that, I did not plan to read any more of her books, but she had a new series (The Thunder Road series) and I thought I would at least give it a try, and if I didn’t like the first book, I wouldn’t continue. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad (not fantastic, but I at least enjoyed the series) so I figured that hey, Katie was growing as an author, and if the trend follows, Say You’ll Remember Me should be amazing. Well, that obviously was not the case.
I feel like I should have liked this book at least a little bit, but there was just something about the beginning that threw it off for me to the point where I was not enjoying it at all. It got to the point where I didn’t like any of the characters, and I just wanted to put the book down. In fact, I did end up putting it down so I could get to another book, and I did not want to pick it back up. I am really stubborn and just wanted to get through it, so I pushed myself to start it again where I left off and did my best to push my way through it. Going back in after separating myself for a while helped because I forgot most of the things that I didn’t like in the beginning, so that anger at me not liking the book was gone, but I also didn’t care about any of the characters when I went back in. I felt nothing for the book and nothing for the character, which sucks because I wanted to like this book.
Overall, I didn’t think it was horrible, in fact I think there are other people who will enjoy it if they liked her other series and, but it just did not do it for me, and I think this might be the last Katie McGarry book I give a chance to.

Katie McGarry is back! I loved the book and the push and pull of the characters. Sometimes I wish she would have just stood up to her parents instead of bending to their will so much...

As always Katie McGarry's books are wonderful and will be purchased for our collection.

Katie McGarry is one of my favorite contemporary romance author for young adults. Say You’ll Remember Me is pure Katie.

Quick easy read. The characters felt real and relatable. I found myself rooting for the 2 main characters throughout this book! Would definitely recommend!

I enjoyed this one a lot!!!! I love Katie McGarry's books and never feel disappointed by them. This one is no different! It's a quick read and an easy escape from reality. Cannot wait for her next release. A must-read!!!