I've read and loved Mhairi's books but unfortunately this one wasn't for me. I was expecting her usual clever rom-com but didn't find this one funny at all, and the plot wasn't plausible.

My favourite kind of 'chic lit'. A really enjoyable light read, that has a good amount of substance.

I love Georgina. I am particularly fond of characters that don;t quite have all of their ducks in a row...especially when they are happy enough to get on with it, while family members just want them to settle down, even if it means spending your days in a job that makes you miserable.

Fantastic content from a wonderful author. Mhairi McFarlane is a go-to author for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I know it’s not summer anymore (at least not in the southern hemisphere), but for anyone looking for their next beach or weekend couch read — this is it.

There’s something about Mhairi McFarlane’s writing that pulls me right in and doesn’t spit me out until I get to the end. I remember the first time I picked up Who’s That Girl, thinking ‘this will be an easy read, I’m not going to get too emotional surely’. I’m sure you know how the rest panned out.

Don’t You Forget About Me pulled at my heartstrings equally as much, perhaps even more than Who’s That Girl, as I absolutely adored the two main characters, Georgina and Lucas.

Following a double dumping on the same day, Georgina snatches at the next job that she is offered — as a barmaid at a new pub in her home town. Little does she know, the pub is co-owned and run by the boy that she fell in love with in high school — but the issue is, he’s completely wiped her from his memory because of that one fateful night before graduation. Everything is not as it seems and we follow Georgina on her journey in discovering herself as her past comes bubbling to the surface the more time she spends with ex-love Lucas McCarthy.

Mhairi’s characters and storylines are always beautifully fleshed out. And most importantly, they’re always so real. I would believe if she told me that Georgina and Lucas are based on real life people that she came across once upon a time because they really feel this way. It’s like I’m peaking into the lives of these people every time I read a Mhairi novel.

If you’re a fan of well developed characters and realistic storylines, definitely pick up Don’t You Forget About Me when it’s out in March 2019.

Don't You Forget About Me is the story of Georgina, who is sacked from her job at a crappy restaurant, and then finds her boyfriend inside someone else.

I found Georgina to be instantly likeable. She's 30, and people tend to expect you to have your shit together by this point. She's living with a difficult roommate, dropped out of university, has no boyfriend, working in restaurants and bars. Now, I for one have no problem with that (possibly because I relate in the whole bring single, dead end job, kinda thing). But they're things that "others" tend to have a problem one. Case in point: Georgina's family. By the time she's 30, they want her to have her life together.

But Georgina, she's still finding herself. And that is the crux of this story. It's labelled as a romance, and yes there is a romance, but it's more than that. It's Georgina finding who she is and where she belongs in the world, and most importantly, what makes her happy. It's her facing her past and finding a way to give herself a future.

There's just something special about this book that I find hard to put into words. I love the message it gives about loving yourself and being true to yourself. I love that the romance isn't just a case of alpha guy comes swinging in to save the day. I love that in Georgina we have this strong, sassy, awesome character.

The book is littered with amusing little anecdotes, and whilst I didn't find them laugh out loud funny I can see they would have that appeal to others.

The narrative pace is a little slower than I'm used to and I did take a little while to get into the grove of things. I can appreciate that is because it's more internal character driven though, rather than a race to a specific definiation. And in all honesty, it was probably good for me to slow things down for a bit!

This was my first Mhairi McFarlane book, and it definitely won't be my last.

TW: Sexual Assault, Parent Death (prior to current events), PTSD

Bechdel Test: Passes

Accurate portrayal of coping with trauma: Yes
___

This is my first book that I’ve read by Mhairi McFarlane, but after finishing this one – it won’t be the last.

The true English slang and mannerisms was incredibly heartwarming and enjoyable to read. My family is from England and so I’ve grown up with this way of talking so it was like reading about a long lost family member. To those that aren’t familiar with this type of speak, it could be quite jarring – however I feel that it suits the characters incredibly well.

Georgina is a woman who has hit the big three-oh with very little materially to show for it, much to the dismay of her stepfather (and seemingly her family for most of the book). She is a sweet, kindhearted woman who takes no bullshit – as is evidenced by her reactions to events throughout the book. This ‘all-in-control’ front that she gives off is a definite protection barrier between herself and feelings in the real world.

Lucas is a dark, serious and laconic Irish boy – who is described and written as a man you would have no questions about falling in love with, either then or now. The slow-burn is real and well worth it.

I know this is a romance book, so the romance should be the thing that I’m gushing about, however this book really is about Georgina falling in love with herself and learning about being kind and accepting of herself. The mental health portrayal within this book was really well done.

There is talk of going to a counsellor and discussing what happened in these sessions and what a benefit they were. There is talk about the real and damaging effects of trauma, sometimes in the most unlikely times. One of her best friends is a counsellor and he gives pearls of wisdom to the group of best friends (which is a fabulous and supportive group of friends!).

“There are always those worse off than you. Your problems are not invalid as a result, or needing to be measured against an internationally recognised pain scale before we decide if your condition is severe enough to treat.”

Going into this book I was expecting a fluffy, cute romance that was quick and easy to read but what I was given was a thoughtful, real, adult experience. There is romance in this book (and it’s a really nice one), but it is so much more!

*thank you to HarperCollins Publishers Australia and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Don’t You Forget About Me is a super cute, first-love romance that made me smile.

It was full of amazing British humor which made me laugh out loud and had characters I just wanted to cuddle. The characters are realistic, flawed and go through a lot of growth and self realization.

Initially I found it hard to like Georgina, our main character but her dry wit and individuality quickly won me over. My favourite character was Lucas, her old teen boyfriend and first romance. He grew into such a gentleman and sweet man it was a joy to read his character.

Basically we learn a bit of history about Georgina and Lucas falling in love as teens in their final year of high school. Their romance was so adorable to read and I loved it. Late at a party something happens that splits them apart for many years. This is the story of them coming together again and navigating life as adults who used to love each other as teens.

The story both lifted me up and dragged me down. I felt many emotions, some heartbreaking and others completely joyous. I love when a book can do that.

The only issue I had with this book was the scenes with Georgina and her family drama, I found them all extremely tedious and tended to skim read these.

Otherwise this book was a quick, easy to read, witty romance that I would recommend if you wanted something completely heartwarming and slightly sexy.

Thank you HarperCollins Publishers Australia amd Netgalley for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

This was the first time I had heard of this author and it won’t be the last book of hers that I read. This was an enjoyable, funny feel good romcom which was just what I needed after reading a string of memoirs.

Highly recommended for an enjoyable, easy read.

4.5 Stars

I didn’t know if I would be here for this, BUT I AM SO HERE FOR THIS.
I haven’t read much adult fiction in my time, but this is a great reminder for why I should! With Sophie Kinsella and Graeme Simsion pretty much being my only references, this was right up there with those two amazing humans.
I don’t know what I was expecting when I requested this ARC, but I am unbelievably happy that I did. I was expecting a total romantic-comedy, and although I didn’t really get the comedy, I was in LOVE.
The storytelling was brilliant, with well-thought out characters (shoutout to my favs Clem and Karen 😘) and really well-paced plot. I was a sucker for this story the moment my eyes hit the page.
I look forward to reading everything Mhairi McFarlane has ever written - I definitely see this happening in the near-future.
Another great read that I recommend getting a copy of (and reading!)

Mhairi McFarlane is one of my all time favourite romcom authors and she never dissappoints! Her wit and humour are second to none, her stories (and her heroines) are superbly clever, warm, hilarious, heartfelt and real. And they’ve only grown increasingly so over the years. (The woman herself must be the most magnificent human being!) I *loved* this story. It’s brimming with brilliant insight, some unapologetically hard-hitting home truths, heart-swelling moments and loads of laughs. Just wonderful.

Reeling from being fired and finding her boyfriend in bed with someone else, Georgina snatches at the next job that she’s offered – barmaid in a newly opened pub, which just so happens to run by the boy she fell in love with at school: Lucas McCarthy. And whereas Georgina, who was in high school considered as having a very bright future has done nothing but dead-end jobs, Lucas has not only grown into a handsome man, but also has turned into an actual grown-up with a business and a dog along the way.
Meeting Lucas again makes Georgina begin to question her present, while bringing up secrets from her past.

FOUR STARS!
Firstly, I really enjoyed this book, and I already own all of Mhairi's work in paperback so I was so excited to recieve this arc! It feels like it's been forever since Who's That Girl? came out!
Secondly, this is probably my favourite book of hers so far and let me tell you why:

1. Georgina.
I was a little worried going into this, because I've read a few stories with a decades long separation before reunion and usually the heroine is either (a) kind of a b-word or (b) basically a huge push over so I was so excited as the story unfolded and Georgina was neither! She was really likeable and funny without being mean and I really liked how she developed as a character over the course of the book.
2. The actual premise of the book.
I was already so excited for this because I love the 'former lovers' trope (even if our mains were never technically lovers) and Mhairi's use of flashbacks were actually really lovely and didn't detract from the present plot line (which I feel happens too often sometimes). They were brief and served their intended purpose without boring me or eclipsing anything else going on. I really loved the Wuthering Heights theme here and am forever obsessed with moody broody heroes so this was right up my alley!
3. There was a dog named Keith.
Animals with people names make me so happy!

So this wasn't quite a 5 star read for me (which sucks because it's just these few things that could have made it so) and here's why:
- There was quite a lot of book used up by the whole That's Amore! plot and I didn't really feel like it was necessary. It didn't really add value to the plot line and sort of fizzled out across the rest of the book.
- There weren't really any scenes between Georgina and Lucas that showed us why they would be a good couple in the present or any interactions that happened between them outside of other scenes. They had good chemistry but I suppose I wanted to see a bit more about how their personalities would compliment each others and I felt like sometimes it relied a bit too heavily on their former relationship for it.
- Georgina wasn't treated very well by her family and though there were some resolutions I didn't feel like it was enough for the years of snide comments about her life.

Would I read again? Yes :)
Would I recommend to a friend? Yes :)

This review is based on the ARC provided by the author and/or the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I’ve read and enjoyed three other previous books by Mhairi McFarlane. Here’s looking at you, It’s not me, it’s you and Who’s that girl?
Don’t You Forget about Me is now probably my favourite. It’s got all of the elements of a great story. A story that isn’t about a single moment, but about a lifetime of choices and decisions. Some more tragic than others.
You have the supportive friends and (when it counts) family, who are reflective of the main character.
There are lots of laugh out loud moments along the way, with exes and employment situations, however the main draw is how Lucas and Georgina get to know each other again. Without giving too much away, it feels like how love is supposed to feel; discovering the one person who makes you feel special, the way no one else can.
Thank you so much for the ARC, I rate it 4.5 stars.