A cute romcom with a bit less romance than I expected. Overall, I enjoyed Georgina as a character. This is a great pick for a beach read.

While this one is billed as a rom-com, it’s really not. There is romance but it’s definitely not the focus and it doesn’t start until the last 25% of the book. Georgina goes through a lot of soul searching. I loved how bold she was and how much she stood up for herself. I feel like that’s not something you usually see. This also reminded me of Bridget Jone’s Diary, in the best way.

A charming addition to Mhairi McFarlane's engaging and humorous romances. Georgiana and Lucas's romance is one readers are sure to enjoy.

I was initially super excited for this read. Unfortunately, I am hooked by romance and well needless to say, I wasn't really feeling the love with this one. Really struggle to get into this one and would not keep reading just to read. From the looks of it, multiple others have loved this one and I hope many others do. DNF.

This was a great read and gave me alllll the girl power, strong female lead vibes! It's the first book I've read by Mhairi McFarlane, and I would love to read more by her. The plot was interesting and made me want to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

I just loved reading Don’s You Forget About Me. McFarlane did a great job in the storyline of this book.

Synopsis:
If there’s anything worse than being fired from the lousiest restaurant in town, it’s coming home early to find your boyfriend in bed with someone else. Reeling from the humiliation of a double dumping in one day, Georgina takes the next job that comes her way—bartender in a newly opened pub. There’s only one problem: it’s run by the guy she fell in love with years ago. And—make that two problems—he doesn’t remember her. At all. But she has fabulous friends and her signature hot pink fur coat... what more could a girl really need?

An enjoyable rom com, women's fiction novel! I enjoyed Mhairi McFarlane's writing style and cannot wait to read more of her books!

I'm not sure if I read this differently than everyone else seeing all the 4 and 5 star reviews. I like romance but this seemed like a dryer chick-lit to me.

The writer is funny and witty. I have never read one of her books before. If you like slow-burn romance, this is the book for you. It also has some women empowerment, if you like that in a book.

Georgina is a positive person. She tries to find something good out of everything. The problem is that this humor tends to be self-deprecating, and although most times it is not an issue, it seems to catch up with her in the long run. Her life, it seems, is trying to drown her and she is doing everything possible to stay afloat. It's a bit frustrating for me as a reader, I kept waiting for her to get her moment of victory, and what a sweet pleasure it was when it finally happened!

This is a book that will make you cry and laugh at the same time.

Definitely a fan of this book! The phrase "You always remember your first love... don’t you?" is so applicable. Hard not to be able to relate to the character in this book. It was funny and heartfelt. ENTERTAINING! thank you!

Took me a little while to get into this – I wasn't sure about the characters, especially the protagonist. This author has a way of making her leading ladies VERY down in the dumps – to the point that you don't even feel bad for them anymore – before they regain control of their lives and start making good decisions again. But the way that the author dealt with sexual assault, how it was portrayed, how it was talked about by the characters, it really made this whole book come together and be a 5-star review for me. Really well done.

This is not your average rom com - it deals with some hard issues including sexual assault and toxic relationships. Although I enjoyed the slow burn romance between Georgina and Lucas, it definitely felt secondary to Georgina’s overall story. In the end, this one felt more like women’s fiction than a romcom to me but I enjoyed this story of self discovery and it felt right that that should be the main focus.

Georgina isn’t having a great day. She’s been fired from the worst Italian restaurant in Sheffield only to walk in on her boyfriend having sex with his assistant. Puzzled by her lack of heart break and in need of cash, she quickly snatches up the next job she is offered. Only to realise that her new role as bar maid is in a pub owned by the her long lost, and secret, love Lucas. But, her love for Lucas isn’t the only secret she is keeping and seeing him again brings old feelings and memories to the surface.

This book took me by surprise. Although, I wasn’t sure what I expected when I picked Don’t You Forget About Me up; I have never read Mhairi McFarlane before and on top of that it’s a women’s fiction novel – not a genre I tend to read a lot of. But I do know I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did. Don’t you love it when a book ambushes you like that? For me, it’s one of the delights of being a bookworm.

Don’t You Forget About Me did a great job of mixing Georgina’s journey of self-discover with a big dose of humour. The pain of seeing Lucas again brings in sharp relief her life of serially underachieving. But rather then being depressing, Georgina’s voice smooths the edges with her brilliant sense of humour. This is also a book set in the UK and is a great example of British humour. So, if you ever want a taste of the dry self-depreciating wit that often marks British comedy, this is the perfect book.

But, although this book was funny, that didn’t take away from the emotional impact. Especially at the end where there’s one particular scene that I defy anyone to read and not cry at least a little. McFarlane has skilfully built Georgina’s journey of self-discovery with warmth, humour and a very light touch. This book leaves you with a clear message about accepting yourself and your strengths without bashing you around the head with it.

This is a women’s fiction novel though, not a contemporary romance, although there is a love story in here the main focus is Georgina and her life. So, I would advise you go into this book not expecting to see a full romance bloom; that way lies disappointment. However, the romance did have a satisfying conclusion; you just won’t see Georgina and Lucas on the page in the same way you would a contemporary romance.

I really enjoyed this book, it was my first time reading Mhairi McFarlane but I guarantee it’s not going to be my last.

I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.

What an awesome read for anyone who had a love who got away ( I didn't). But as each chapter flows you keep wondering if the characters will get together. Will they? Thank you to the publisher for my copy.

I had to cleanse my Christmas reading palate, and I don't know what made me pick up Don't You Forget About Me, but I am so happy that I did!

Georgina is 30 years old, has just lost her job as a waitress, and found her boyfriend caught in the act of cheating on her. She finds a new job working in a pub, only to find that the owner is none other than her high school sweetheart, Lucas. Things didn't end so well for them, and to top it all off, he doesn't seem to remember her.

I liked reading about Georgina, as she felt like someone I know, even across the pond. Not everyone has their lives figured out by 30. And some people do get by paycheck to paycheck. I am *cough cough* heading to 40 and there are many days I do not have it figured out. It's refreshing to read a story where not everything is so easy or solved right away.

I enjoyed reading the parts of the book where Georgina was at work and was interacting with Lucas. When Lucas was saying that he did not remember Georgina from school, I thought for sure the book was going to turn into amnesia-lit given the title. Spoiler: It was not amnesia-lit! I loved reading about the other girl that worked at the bar, Kitty. She made me laugh a few times!

I found myself rooting for Georgina throughout the story. Live your best life George! You don't need a man Gina! Ignore your family Gog!

There were not only silly rom-com style parts to this book. There were also some serious plot lines about her family, her ex-boyfriend gaslighting her, and what happened in her past. Trigger warning: there are scenes of sexual assault in this book. Reading about Georgina balancing the troubling aspects of her life with her day to day obligations made her feel all the more real to me.

This book had quite a few storylines running at the same time. Georgina's ex-boyfriend had a vendetta against her. A stripper had a vendetta against her. A storyline about her therapy. About Lucas and his past. About Georgina's past. About her mom and stepfather. Coming to grips with her father dying and how they ended things. About her job. Connecting with her friends. Sometimes it felt as though some of these were rushed just to close out the storyline. I know people have complex lives, but it's hard to address so much in 300-400 pages.

The other thing that left me scratching my head was her best friend from school, Jo. She never told anyone about her relationship with Lucas, including Jo. I thought that was weird. Why was Lucas ok with that? And her best friend really never noticed how much time Georgina was disappearing and with who? There's only so much schoolwork you can blame it on, especially since she was in the same class. I would have wondered, but years later Jo was shocked when she found out about them. Ummm...did you not care enough to know what was going on with your "best friend"? It's one thing to not ask Georgina about it, but to be completely surprised? Hmmmm...

All in all, I found the story to be enjoyable, and a great escape from my life. I highly recommend this for fans of romance and women's fiction, and if you want to read a true-to-life story that doesn't always end with every storyline being wrapped in a nice little bow.

This was an interesting story. I appreciated Georgina trying to come to grips with how she fails to make relationships work, unveiling her past with each passing scene. I liked the writing/public-reading contest she entered, which were cathartic for her. I was under the impression this was a Romance and not strictly Women's Fiction. While there was a romantic element, there wasn't enough Romance between the heroine and hero to qualify as a romance to me. Lovers of women's fiction/chick lit would definitely enjoy this story.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This book is about 2 characters who dated in school long ago. She feels like he was the one who got away & he doesn’t recall her. With each passing chapter you hope they will get back together. Perfect for the fans of a great love story. Thank you NetGalley for a great arc.

Don’t You Forget About Me
By Mhairi McFarlane
4*

Sometimes the timing of a book is everything. I had this book on my shelf for a year and nothing was compelling me to read it. When I finally picked it up, I was so glad that I did! I have never read any of McFarlane’s books, but I will surely put her on my list of authors to read when I want to laugh. Her writing is witty and charming, her observations are relevant and interesting, and her style is relatable. I loved her insightful comparisons, “They told me that a free lunch was a perk of my meager wage, and I soon discovered that’s an upside like getting a ride on an inflatable slide if your plane crashes.” There were a number of Scottish references that I missed, yet that didn’t detract from the story.

There were many characters in this book, all complementing the main character, Georgina, in interesting ways. Her sister and mother, her eclectic friends, and her hateful ex-boyfriend kept the story moving and kept me laughing out loud. Georgina was a flawed and likable character, who I found myself rooting for even when she had low hopes for herself. Lucas, however, irked me. There was NO way that he had no idea who Georgina was when the later met, and Georgina should have been smart enough to figure that out. At the end of the book, he redeemed himself and I found myself tearing up. I could see this as a really fun Rom Com!

A quote from the book nicely sums up how I felt when I was done reading it: “I’m hugely enjoying something I didn’t expect to enjoy whatsoever, so the sense of enjoyment is potent – two and half times the strength of a scheduled pleasure.” Agreed!

My thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in any way.

I have enjoyed several books by Mhairi McFarlane and while Don't You Forget About Me wasn't my favorite read by this author, I did enjoy it. A light read - great distraction from real life!