2 1/2 ⭐️‘s
I struggled all the way through this one hoping I would find something to connect with, unfortunately, I did not. Set in the near distant future, this book had a big gaming presence, something I have zero interest in. I found the overall book to be quite slow and frankly on the boring side. The best part of the book for me was that we were on the other side of the pandemic!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The premise of this book instantly had me hooked. me. A clone who was raised in isolation now in the "real world". I always love to read books that are set in the PNW since that's where I live, and because it's interesting to see what places the author decides to use. I liked the premise but it was fairly slow moving up until it got nearer to the end. I was wondering the whole book if the narrator was unreliable because half of what she said just didn't make sense to me. I wish this book explored the morality of cloning more instead of becoming a typical thriller. Still, it was fairly good but not as different than the average book in the thriller genre as I was hoping.

The author is excellent at creating stark dread & terror. This was a disturbing tale that I will confess could not get through but feel the author should get all accolades for paralyzing me to the point that by the time I was ready to go further it already was knocked out of my reading queue

The writing was well done. I enjoyed the Twists and turns of this story. The near future setting was nicely fleshed out.

this was a interesting take on the scifi genre, the characters were what I was looking for and the plot worked out great. I had a fun time reading this book.

Forget Me Not has a great premise and I have seen some reader friends really enjoy it. Unfortunately it just didn't click with me. I wasn't very interested in the gaming aspect and the writing, while it was done well enough, did not ultimately work for me. I found it difficult to pick back up after I walked away and as a busy mom and teacher, this is usually a sign that something isn't jiving.

I really enjoyed Alexandra Oliva's debut novel, The Last One. Oliva isn't afraid to go new ways and use recent technology in her stories. This time, she uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality technology for the main character, the hermit Linda Russell, to dive into her past. But her past is not a super healthy place for her to go back to, as her mom used her to replace her dead sister. Her getting to know Anvi - a newcomer to her apartment building - opens new ways to discover her past.
Oliva's storytelling is so interesting, and the reader never really knows whether or not to trust the narrator, which is quite unsettling - at least it was for me. The story is well crafted, and Oliva adds layer upon layer to the story and Linda's recollections, ending up in an exciting climax. Four big stars.

This was really good. I was hesitant about the virtual reality aspect but I did enjoy it.

It held my attention throughout and I was thoroughly entertained. Linda was a great character that went through A LOT!

It was fast-paced and I would recommend it.

Setting: Urban Seattle, sometime during the next ten years.

Superficially, the future looks pretty much the same as today—same clothes, hair, pastimes. However, zooming in shows that technology has become even more integrated into daily life. Driverless cars transport people from here to there; smartphones have been replaced by even smarter phones (an audio ear cuff combined with a flexible screen that straps to your forearm); and the wealthy wear “augments,” eyeglasses or contacts that provide contextual information about the area.

On the street there is a moving pod, which I figured was an ultra cool podular vehicle. Nope, it’s just one of those gigantic boxes you pack your stuff into when you move. I am overly literal and get easily confused without context: It’s for Anvi, a cosmopolitan young adult moving her stuff into an apartment building while a chaotic frenzy of people streams past her.

We discover someone else has disrupted the flow. There’s another young woman living in this apartment building. Yes, she has this updated phone and knows how to use it, but even menial aspects of civilization are utterly foreign to her—like <i>shoes</i>! (And like me, she probably was initially confused by the moving pod, too, but for hopefully for different reasons.)

This super uncomfortable young woman doesn’t fit in. She’s lonely, depressed, agoraphobiac, paranoid about multiple people seeking her online, (I just learned the name for this phenomenon is “gang stalking”) and even her name doesn’t feel comfortable to her. Her background is a bit of a mystery, but we discover she grew up in a old house, isolated in the woods. With short cryptic glimpses into her background, we can start piecing together where she’s been.

The view we see shows her odd, maladaptive behavior in her apartment. She lives, eats, sleeps in a nest she made in a living room chair. We watch her intentionally allow a succulent plant to die—a mysterious murderous behavior that pains my heart. No explanation, no animosity towards the plant. By choice, she survives on instant cup-a-soup ramen crap, which also pains my heart. Girl, you need some nutritional, tasty food for your brain and body to work right! Take care of yourself!

So how did she manage to grow up in wooded isolation? How did she end up in town, and who is helping her? Does she have friends or family? How does she fit into this environment? What does she remember of her past?

To help us fill in her place in this world, the author slowly weaves in information about her “social network.” Her style is as opposite of info dumping as I’ve ever seen. In bits and pieces, we gradually learn about her father, Arthur, an <<i>n</i>>illionaire, living somewhere else in the city who oversees all of her financial needs … from afar. We learn her mother Lorali has abandoned her but not how, why, or when. Emmer, her sister and only childhood friend, the darling daughter with whom her her mother has been obsessed—to the detriment and neglect of our main character—has gone missing. Then there’s Dr Tambour overseeing her mental health and has been serving as her filter of objectivity. Can we use Dr Tambours observations to sift out which of the MC’s memories are fiction and which are real? And finally, and most importantly, there’s Anvi, her friend-to-be new neighbor, who along with her dog Nibbler is moving in at the novel’s beginning.

The story kicks into gear when Anvi introduces the girl to virtual reality where ironically, she can conjure up the woods and nature she misses. Throughout the story (just like in real life) news feeds incessantly interrupt Anvi with interesting tidbits, and in particular there is news about a super intelligence singularity. Like Edwin Abbott Abbott’s <i>Flatland</i>, that old, old classic SF social satire of victorian life, this book cleverly works on two levels, which I won’t spoil with hints.

The story about the girl is grim. The technology is cool. The title, well that’s just perfection. The writing is clever and compelling, smoothly playing on emotion without becoming maudlin. It spans experiences—from the visceral, tangible of isolation in the woods, muddy bare feet, climbing trees—to the mediated flood of social media, social engineering, uncanny valley of virtual reality, science, and technology. The story engenders philosophic thought without feeling clunky or preachy.

I definitely want to read this again, and I see I had already added this author’s first novel to my TBR list.

Thank you NetGalley. I want this book.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what happened. The author has a good writing style. The pacing of this book is good. This is the first book by this author that I have read and guys I will read more books by this author. I enjoyed Linda's characters. I would recommend reading this book to anyone and everyone. It is in stores now for $28.00 (USD).

Forget Me Not by Alexandra Oliva is part mystery/thriller, but also touted as and part Sci-Fi/Fantasy...which I don't really agree with, other than the fact that it took place in a near-distant time-frame where technology is a little more advanced.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Ballantine Books (Random House) - particularly Kathleen Quinlan for sending me a widget, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Linda Russell was raised in a rather strange environment.  No father around, and a mother who only wanted Linda to replace another daughter who died in an accident years before.  Unfortunately, Linda was not anything like the sister she was meant to replace.  Once her mother figured that out, Linda basically ran wild in the woods within their walled-off property.  Her mother did not show her much attention.

When she is twelve, her mother totally abandons her, and Linda climbs the wall and escapes her prison.  Unfortunately, she is ill-prepared for life outside the wall.  Her father (who up til this point was unaware of Linda's existence) steps up,  and raises her as best he can.  But the stigma of having lived that other life follows her.  Publicity over the poor child who was born under strange circumstances goes viral, and even though it is untrue, people call her the Clone Girl.

Linda is now 24,  living on her own, but rarely leaving her apartment.  She is closely monitored by her father.  When she meets a new neighbour, Linda sees the possibility of having her first friend.  So, when a fire starts at her infamous childhood home, she asks Anvi if she will take her to see it.  From this point on, a chain of events starts Linda on a roller-coaster ride that has her learn the truth about her childhood.


My Opinions:
This was a lot better than I thought it would be.  It started a little slow, and took me a little bit to get into the story.  I wasn't that fond of the Virtual Reality segments in the book, but overall, the plot was quite interesting, and the suspense build-up was good.

I really liked the characters. Linda was a very shy, introverted young woman, who is just learning to trust in herself.  From her background, the character rang true.  As did that of Anvi, who came across as rather "loud", but she too, was just learning her way in a new place, away from family and friends.  I loved their friendship, and the fact that Anvi was not trying to take advantage of Linda, even though her new job would lend itself to that quite easily.

Overall, it was an entertaining read!

Being a replacement is a interesting concept in this book. I think this book was very written and I enjoyed it. I wanted this book to grab me in right away but for me, it was a slow grab. Linda was a likable character and futuristic aspect of the book was great. I am not much of a sci-fi reader but I do like it once in a while and this book caught my eye. I am glad I tried it! *This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review.*

This book starts out very slow and scattered but stick with it because the pay off is GOOOOD. I enjoyed the novel over all once the plot started moving. There are quite a few twists that I did not see coming, which is all we can ask for in terms of a thriller/mystery/suspense novel. There is a scienc-y edge to this that I found very interesting, but its not large enough that it will confuse anyone who is not interested in science.

I know it's more personal preference than writing ability but I could not get interested in this story. I play video games, I like the idea of alternate realities but I felt lost from the first page. More like I walked into a movie that had already begun. Just not my cup of tea. Thanks to @Netgalley for the chance to read this and five my honest and unbiased opinion.

As a child, Linda Russell was left to raise herself in a twenty-acre walled-off property in rural Washington. The woods were her home, and for twelve years she lived oblivious to a stark and terrible truth: Her mother had birthed her only to replace another daughter who died in a tragic accident years before.

Then one day Linda witnesses something she wasn’t meant to see. Terrified and alone, she climbs the wall and abandons her home, but her escape becomes a different kind of trap when she is thrust into the modern world—a world for which she is not only entirely unprepared, but which is unprepared to accept her.


The book for me was slow to start. I had a very hard time connecting with the characters. I think it’s a good book for a dark psychological thriller / suspense book. I wouldn’t recommend it to my reading group. But I’d recommend it to a friend.

Suspense with a layer of sci-fi built in. Enjoyable unique read!
Linda raised herself in the woods outside her family’s mansion after her mother abandoned her. She was created for the sole purpose of replicating her deceased sister but no two people are alike and her mother soon realizes this and leaves her on her own. She is rescued and brought into a new world
with her father, living in secret as those who don’t understand or agree with her existence continue to try and track her down. She takes time to adjust to the outside world and it’s new technology. As a young adult, she soon meets her neighbor who introduces her to a whole new virtual online world where she can be anything she wants,
She lives alone but is supported by her famous wealthy father who was not immediately aware of her existence and who is still unsure about her. He is, however very protective of her and her secret. He tracks her on a device called a sheath, which everyone has in this time, it seems to resemble a wearable cell phone with all the technology and information at your fingertips.
When a fire is set at the mansion that she calls home, she is insistent on returning and seeing what remains. This puts her in danger and unlocks long held secrets and has her fighting to survive.
Linda is naive and I wanted nothing more than for her to find her way and become accepted. It was difficult to understand why so many people were against her existence by way of cloning. She was her own person and despite her mother‘s insistence, she was not like her sister.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Forget Me Not by Alexandra Oliva is a science fiction thriller set in the near future. The main character in the story is an unreliable narrator who as a child knew she was only meant to replace her sister.

Linda Russell practically raised herself in rural Washington on a property with no modern conveniences. The woods were more Linda’s home as her mother ignored her and letting her know she was not a suitable replacement for the daughter she had lost.

At twelve Linda escaped her woodsy imprisonment and now as an adult is living in Seattle mostly in fear of the modern world around her. One day Linda meets a new neighbor who introduces her to virtual reality where Linda finds herself more at ease but then Linda finds that there was a fire at the place she spent her childhood so she begins to seek answers about herself and her past.

Forget Me Not by Alexandra Oliva was a book that seemed to get off to a slow start for me and had it’s ups and downs along the way. I think that the world building could have been a little bit better in the story to better help navigate this future world. The main character was also one that was a bit hard to connect to but the story inside was one I wanted to know more about as it went along. In the end I’d say this one landed in the middle of the road overall leaving me at three stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Slightly futuristic, this story is compulsively readable. I kept turning pages way into the night.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

To say I was blown away by FORGET ME NOT sounds cliché, but is true. Like the cover image of the woman's head disintegrating, this book is chapter after chapter of important clues into the real life of Linda Russell.

Allow me to begin with Trigger Warnings: parent/child abuse, neglect, abandonment leading to complex trauma; also death of a child.

Throughout the book the narrator lets readers know that Linda doesn't feel attachment to her name. As it climaxes, we learn what an unreliable main character she is (third person omniscient). Readers do spend most of the time "in" Linda's head alongside her as she wonders what the hell life is about, why her parents neglected her and abandoned her, and what happened to her sisters Madeline and Emmer. Due to her tragic circumstances of being raised by a single mother who is deep in mental illness from mourning the death of her first daughter, Linda is never good enough. She's never like Madeline enough. She's simply not Madeline.

Linda's early years are explained in rich detail. Her mother walled in their property so Linda could never leave and to keep the real/outside world separate. Linda's youth went from supportive to trashy to full on neglect and finally abandonment which led her into a life of a feral state. She survived on her own even after the running water and electricity stopped. Then she escapes over the wall and is "rescued." Yet, like Tarzan of Greystoke, Linda doesn't fit into modern society. She doesn't know how to behave. She doesn't trust. She doesn't understand any of the basics like why she has to wear shoes when her feet have always been in the dirt.

What makes this feral child story stand apart is the unraveling of why her mother did this to her. A woman driven into total madness and taking science and god powers into her own hands to replace her dead Madeline. Not really a spoiler: Lorelei, the mother, had fertilized embryos frozen and she bribed people to assist her in getting pregnant again when she was supposed to destroy the embryos per her divorce.

Linda's father, Arthur Niequist, is a man of unspeakable obscene wealth. The kind of wealth like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. He can literally afford anything, but money can't buy sanity for his ex-wife nor can it heal all the trauma Linda suffered. Arthur is still her knight in shining armor in that he does take in this daughter he never wanted for a while and gets her help. Eventually he supports her to live on her own with an allowance that would allow Linda to live more comfortably than most people. But, Linda, this tragically traumatized woman chooses small apartments, only enough furniture so that questions aren't raised, and eats canned pasta.

Linda meets a new neighbor in her building, Anvi, an Indian-American woman who knows that this neighbor of hers is the infamous "Clone Girl," the feral girl child who was created to replace a dead child. Linda had been all over the news and given the trending and inaccurate nickname of #CloneGirl. Anvi and her dog Nibbler become important figures in Linda's life as she finally accepts friendship. It's not an easy road and Linda constantly questions (internally) Anvi's motives in socializing with her. Anvi introduces Linda to the virtual reality world of a fantasy game. The roleplaying is a perfect and addicting escape for Linda. It's a place where she can be something other than human. She can choose her own identity and she can run through the forests of an imaginary land.

Lorelei comes back onto the scene through a partner named Percival Hunter. Percy was Madeline's first and only boyfriend. Why a young man would never move on from taking care of his deceased girlfriend's mother is a point I don't entirely understand. He made a huge mistake when Madeline was dying and despite his EMT training, he made it impossible for her to be saved. The penance he places on himself is to be at the beck and call and provide shelter and food for Lorelei while she ages and sinks into obsessive plans to re-birth Madeline again.

Names and identity are the core themes of Forget Me Not. Needless to say it was not lost on me that the named Percival and Arthur appear together in a non-Arthurian legend book. I'm not a Holy Grail scholar, so I didn't see any connection between Lorelei, Anvi, and Linda and King Arthur's knights. Yet, Percival was the knight or one of the knights who did find the Holy Grail and keep it safe. Now, if Alexandra Oliva wants readers to think of Lorelei as the grail, that's a stretch. She's inhumane, destructive, and selfish -- all the characteristics that oppose the Holy Grail itself which can restore life and can be found only by the most worthy as Sir Percival was believed to be. With a name like Percival Hunter, it's hard not believe the author knows something deep about the grail legend that wasn't covered in Indiana Jones 3, Excalibur or The DaVinci Code.

The near future life in the Pacific Northwest of the US allows the characters to have incredible technological gadgets like Sheaths (wearable computers); Earcuffs (new cell phone style); Augments (eyeglasses that give you information on anything and anyone you look at); and self-driving cars but one still needs a driver's license. The pandemic is mentioned as being over and something these characters lived through. The advanced technology would be inconsequential if not for the B-plot where a couple of programmers claim that they have created a VR so advanced, it is indistinguishable from the real world. This plot had me going until it's final reveal.

Small Spoiler about this theory:

I kept wondering if Linda's life was all a simulation like if she was a playable character or something. I was happy that was not the case. I feel like it would have tricked the readers into caring for someone without all the information.

Summary:

Like Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Forget Me Not is a feral child trying to fit into the real world is a phenomenal case study about trauma victims and all the ways that they are different. From false memories implanted, abusive parents, and quests for identity through unspeakable struggles -- these are the stories that make readers think hard about how their actions could affect the life of someone else whether it's perpetuating a trolling hashtag or having well-intentioned interactions go wrong.

Rating: 5 stars

This was a dark, psychological thriller that I really expected to grab me from the start. It didn't end up doing that unfortunately. I did really enjoy that this was set in the "near future" so it was fascinating hearing about the pandemic and virtual reality in a book. However, I really struggled to connect to this book and even as I'm writing this review 2 days after finishing the book, I'm having a hard time recalling details so this one won't be one to stick with me. I will say that there was not a dull moment and this was quite fast paced. I just did not particularly like or connect with any of the characters or their journeys. I would definitely read another from Alexandra Oliva though because she definitely has talent as a writer. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.