We Came Here to Forget has quite a few story lines, and yet they all come together perfectly. Katie/Liz has been through a horrific life experience, though it takes awhile before you find out what actually happened. It leads her to life as an expat in Buenos Aires, which makes the perfect backdrop for this novel.

There is a mysterious aspect to the tragedy in her past that kept be rapidly turning the digital pages, all while still becoming engrossed in her current expat life. The supporting cast of characters also adds a layer of intrigue and left me wanting more of their lives, even after the book was over.

Oh my goodness was this book so heartbreakingly emotional and beautiful!

I had NO Idea how much I would end up loving this story. I'm so glad that I took a chance on this book and fell in love with Andrea Dunlop's writing.

We Came Here to Forget is a story that presents how we all have inner demons and a past that we want to forget. Andrea interweaves a story of heartache with such grace and beauty among these characters leaving me with tears upon the last page.

It took me multiple sittings to finish this book because I wanted to savor every emotional detail and page. There is a certain darkness in Dunlop's tone that makes this book so much more beautiful. It has a sense of magic with the darkness.

I highly recommend this book. It was a journey I wouldn't have ever wanted to miss! Such a beautiful storyteller Andrea is and respect her thoroughly for taking her readers on this journey of heartache.

Overall, 4.5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for the arc via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 7/2/19
Published to GR: 6/16/19

Katie is a young Olympic skier until her life falls apart. She runs away to Buenos Aires where she meets a group of expats and friendships quickly grow.

I really enjoyed this book. In full disclosure, I’m at a super intense two weeks of training for my new job, so this book took me a while to read, but I really liked it. My heart broke for Katie and her family, but I also was dying to know what Penny had done.

This novel took me on a completely unexpected ride through one woman's journey of triumph, tragedy, pain, and resilience. I've not before read an Andrea Dunlop story but plan to remedy that fact. She explores a very dark side of human nature in this book through eyes of a woman who bears witness to a great collapse in her family and eventually her own personal life as a result of the actions of others of which she can not understand. Through a series of toggling chapters between past and present we see where she came from with a slow build to how that came crashing down juxtaposed to something unfamiliar and new that seems doomed for the same fate.

I loved this book because it was a unique story with a deeply troubled and emotional heroine and while her story doesn't match my own in the details her fragile emotions, wavering mental state, and intense need for understanding completely hit home. This book is mysterious in a subtle way that keeps you guessing as what this tragedy is exactly but explosive in the emotions that tether you to this woman's life both in real time and in her recounting of how it all came to this. There's a certain magic in the setting that keeps the darkness from completely creeping in. I was charmed completely by new relationships with people who share those same emotions and are looking for a form of escapism. I was memorized by old friendships and how those change so drastically. I was moved as much as I was horrified. I was conflicted as much as I was resolute in my belief of this character and her actions. I sympathize with her needs in this story and the choices she makes in her quest for clarity and peace. I find her journey and those characters her play direct roles in it grossly compelling.

Andrea Dunlop's storytelling is wonderful and keeps you engaged the entire time. It took me several sittings to read this book because I wanted to savor the details and the twisted emotions. It's more than romance even though there are different threads of it throughout. The only thing I wish for would be a little more conclusive epilogue but I think that's just personal preference because the way it ended enhanced the unique and engaging parts of the story. One that terrified me and engaged me fully. A truly great read.

"We Came Here to Forget" centers around "Liz" who has escaped her life and headed to Buenos Aires. At first, we don't know the reason Liz wanted to get away but we quickly learn through flashbacks of her childhood and teenage years. We learn that Liz is not infact Liz but Katie Clearly, an Olympic medalist skiier and she has experienced some family trauma that led her to leave her life and skiing career behind.

The book is laid out as one chapter is a flashback, one is present day in Buenos Aires, and we flip flop back and forth. Personally, I found the backstory of Katie/Liz more interesting than the Buenos Aires chapters but I think that's because where the meat of the book was. That's where you learned what was going on with Katie and her family and how we ended up here. The Buenos Aires chapters felt jam packed with details and characters that didn't seem important.

Despite that, "We Came Here to Forget" was a really great book. It was super well written, really well developed characters and honestly, wasn't too long. I think that's important when you want to read a book, well written book -- sometimes the books are too long and too confusing.

I found myself obsessively reading this book every night for a week straight (it took me probably 5-6 days to finish it) because I found myself needing to know what happened next; I was addicted to the interesting story and the twist at the end, when you finally find out why Liz/Katie had to leave her life behind is something stripped straight from real-life headlines.

As the book goes on you see Liz/Katie really grow, come to terms with what happened to her and end up where she was always meant to. I am just really obsessed with the character development in this story because it is so inspiring to be able to make you feel the character's growth. I almost can't explain it!

I think I ended up liking this story more than "She Regrets Nothing" but both books show Dunlop's talent as a writer.

If you're someone who likes a typical nonfiction book mixed with a bit of mystery, you'll love this "We Came Here to Forget"

This is the first book I’ve read by Andrea Dunlop and needless to say, it won’t be my last. The story itself but mainly the author’s writing totally blew me away here. I read this one in roughly a day, because it was just that unputdownable.

Told in a gripping back and forth between past and present day, in a nutshell, this story is about Katie, a competitive US Olympic skier who experiences a family tragedy that leads her life into a downhill path. She goes to Buenos Aires and reinvents herself as Liz, becoming friends with expats also running away from life’s tragedies. But it’s also so much more. It’s a story about resilience, losing and finding ourselves, friendship and family, mental illness and recovery.

This one captured my emotions and attention from page one and didn’t let go. Oh how hauntingly beautiful the storytelling and writing was. I was left holding by breath through the little glimpses of what this unfolding tragedy was going to turn out to be. The flawed characters were surprisingly very likable and real, and I loved coming alongside them... as well as being swept away to Buenos Aires and how atmospheric this setting was. The parties, the tango, the history, I so enjoyed it all.

What more can I say than this is a must-read. Highly recommend and will definitely be going back to pick up Dunlop’s precious books!

This book was a treat. It was told in dual timelines which is my favorite. I loved this book.

I will feature this book in the Summer Reading Guide this month.

We Came Here to Forget is the perfect beach read for this scorching summer. Katie seeks an escape to Buenos Aires after her life is completely blown apart. The only thing she knows is that she wants to be far away from anybody who might know her or the drama and scandal that ruined her high profile career. When she signs up for a class to learn the tango she is surprised to find a group of people just like her who came to Buenos Aires to escape their own demons and tragedies. Andrea Dunlop writes an inspiring story in We Came Here to Forget that teaches all how to rise above the ashes and learn how to put the pieces of our lives back together and that no matter what we are going through, there are people just like us who would love to just forget, but in the end have to do the work to heal. I highly recommend this fun yet touching story of adventure and life lessons.

Who hasn't run away from problems only to land in more trouble? Main character Katie (aka Liz) travels all the way from Utah to Argentina only to discover that she can't escape grief over her recent losses: career, boyfriend, sister, self-identity. This entertaining novel swept me away to the neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, alive with tango parties, quirky characters, and shadowy history. I love how the author braids the legacy of los desaparecidos (thousands who vanished during Argentina's military dictatorship 1970s-80s) with other ways that personal identity is shattered or hidden. A great travel read for a long train, plane, or bus ride. No easy answers here. Dunlop explores essential themes: friendship, romantic triangles, body image, mental illness, travel, recovery from tragedy, family ties, sisterhood, competitive sports. One of my top picks for summer Women's Fiction reads.

A beautifully told story of Katie who has a thriving career that is being destroyed by her sister . She takes what she has and moved to reinvent herself as Liz Sullivan. Is it possible to start over after everything she has been thru?

When I closed the last page of Dunlop's She Regrets Nothing, I knew she had become an auto-buy author for me. When she revealed the cover of We Came Here to Forget alongside the synopsis, I was over the moon. Happily, We Came Here to Forget does not disappoint. I want to preface this by saying that We Came Here to Forget is a totally different kind of book than SRN. WCHTF deals with mental health issues and the impact on families and sometimes, the need to escape as a result. While exactly what happened is revealed slowly and in dual timelines, I would NOT categorize this as a mystery or thriller - just a well paced work of fiction that reveals the truth piece by piece.

Told in Dunlop's signature flair for fun and excess - Olympic skiers and impromptu relocation to Buenos Aires, WCHTF is really a different and interesting novel. I recommend adding this one to your TBR for when it is released in July.

Thank you to Atria for providing an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Although I found some of the pacing to be a bit slow at times, I actually really enjoyed this book. I have my own mental health issues, and I was glad to see.some sensitive subject matter being handled with care. The story is told in dual timelines, which I am not typically a fan of, but I didn't find distracting in this case.. I've never read a book by this author before, but I do intend to seek her novels out in the future. Absolutely a compelling, interesting read.

I love Andrea Dunlop. She never disappoints and I feel like I can always count on her to give me a story unlike anything she's written before. Her book is also perfect timing because Munchausen Syndrome by proxy is a becoming a lot more to the forefront of society's mind when it comes to mental illness because of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. There is another book called Saving Meghan that's coming out that is also about the disease however, Andrea does it in such a tasteful way where the purpose of the book is centered around Katie's journey, not about Penny's mental illness even though this does play an important role. Andrea's style of of writing is also easy to read and flows so nicely. This book was at risk of becoming choppy due to the flashbacks but it was wonderful. This will certainly be a book I recommend to people to read this summer. And on that point, it is the perfect summer read!

After Katie, a competitive skier, experiences a family tragedy that puts her in a mental and physical downward spiral she flees to Buenos Aires to take a break from her old life. After giving herself a new name, she befriends a group of expats who are also running from their home drama. Katie (now remade into Liz) slowly comes to terms with her past and learns that there is an after.

Bouncing back and forth between present day and her past drama, this story keeps you on the edge of your seat. I loved how Andrea Dunlop slowly peeled back the layers of the story that caused Katie to leave her old life behind. It constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat; I kept thinking I had knew what was going to happen only to be thrown for a loop. The characters are extremely likable and all-in-all this was a fun read. We Came Here to Forget will be published in July, I highly recommend any contemporary fiction lovers to add this to their summer TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books .

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A celebrated woman runs from family tragedy to Buenos Aires. The novel tells the story of her life as an expat while revealing her reasons for becoming one.

Good story line.

I have zero interest in tango or in ski racing and yet I found this book to be compulsively readable - it was suspenseful, the protagonist was an incredibly sympathetic character, and the ending was satisfying,. The subject matter/pivotal event could have felt exploitative or insensitive but I thought the author really deftly straddled the line between entertainment and respect.

We Came Here To Forget is my first book by Andrea Dunlap. It’s told in dual timelines, and I really loved the past storyline. The present was a little slow for me, but still enjoyable overall.

Thanks to a NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot, but was more blown away by what happened to Penny than Katie's journey. No spoilers here, but it was a really interesting plot and I found myself craving every small detail about it. I did love how Katie chose the beautiful, exotic setting of Buenos Aires to reinvent herself as Liz, and the characters she befriended along the way were interesting, friendly, and unique.

Many of the characters were flawed, but the flaws of some were more human and understandable than others. Katie/Liz was incredibly strong and my favorite character, besides Blair. I couldn't stand Luke, but I can understand why Katie had such strong feelings for him. I almost cried at a few points, which is pretty rare.

The only times I didn't enjoy the dual timeline were when I wanted more detail in one section before switching to the other, but I liked how much that added to the suspenseful arc of the story. I was very impressed with this book and really enjoyed the story, but I felt that it was missing something that could have made it a five-star read for me.

Thank you very much to Atria Books and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've never read Andrea Dunlop before, and am glad that I have now because she is a brilliant author that I will definitely read again. I enjoyed her writing style, and her storytelling abilities.

The novel followed Katie Cleary, a ski champion and affectionate sister. Between flashbacks throughout Katie's ubringing, leading to a crucial moment in her life that shattered her relationship with her sister, and present day, where Katie has created an alternate life in Buenos Aires where she goes by Liz. 

As her story unravels, we find empathy for her and her tragic experiences, but also grow to encourage her individual growth.
There's not a whole lot of dialogue, and the most interesting aspects of the stories are in the flashbacks. I found myself rushing through the current chapters just to get to the drama between Katie and her sister. 

I enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more from this author!

A talented athlete, secrets and romance. This book had so much going on that you wouldn't be able to put it down even if you wanted to. I loved the intrigue of the characters. The beginning of the book jumped right into the action of the main character so it was quick moving.
Katie’s elite skiing career is on an upward trajectory, a terrifying truth about her sister becomes impossible to ignore—one that will lay ruin not only to Katie’s career but to her family and her relationship with Luke and Blair, her closest friends. I love the alternating chapters between the here and now. And the travel! So many exotic and loving places that you get to "See" in this book! There is mystery, love and over all great fiction all wrapped up in this one book.