Painful memories - if you could erase them, would you?

I've read a few books on this topic and although I thought this one was interesting, I didn't find it unique. I liked the note and getting to know the characters but I did find myself not fully drawn in. I do love the cover and I liked imaging them in the story.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

In the futuristic landscape of 2031, memories hold a new power - they can be erased. Blue Owens finds herself thrust into a disconcerting world on the eve of her 17th birthday, where familiar faces and relationships seem distorted. A mysterious note leads her onto a shuttle bus in her New Mexico town of Owl Nook, where she encounters a captivating stranger who knows more about her than she could fathom.

As the layers of her reality unravel, Blue learns she's undergone a Memory Release procedure by Tabula Rasa, Inc., erasing all recollection of her boyfriend, Adam Mendoza, and the heartrending events that led her to choose such drastic measures. Despite the controversial ethics surrounding the procedure's creator, Dr. Vargas, it gains traction amidst a wave of mental health crises and suicides in Owl Nook.

With a determination born of desperation, Blue embarks on a journey to reclaim her lost memories, braving the painful truths buried within. Through poignant exploration of relationships and grief, John Searles crafts a tender narrative enriched with science-fiction elements. Amidst the turmoil, Blue's quest for connection and healing unfolds against a backdrop of diverse characters and thought-provoking themes. "Her Last Affair" is a compelling and emotionally resonant read, where the boundaries between memory and reality blur, leaving readers captivated until the last page.

"Remember Me" by Estelle Laure is an emotionally gripping novel that blends elements of mystery, romance, and magical realism. The story follows Mila, a teenager grappling with the aftermath of a traumatic event that has left her with amnesia. As she navigates her fragmented memories and tries to piece together the truth of what happened, Mila discovers startling secrets about her past and uncovers hidden connections to the enigmatic River, whose own mysterious past intertwines and parallels her own.

Laure is an extremely skilled writer who truly draws her readers into Mila's world of uncertainty and intrigue. The atmospheric setting of a small coastal town adds to the sense of foreboding and mystery that permeates the narrative. The characters are richly drawn and complex, each with their own motivations and secrets that add layers to the story. At its core, "Remember Me" is a poignant exploration of identity, memory, and the power of love to transcend even the darkest of secrets. I was immediately pulled into this book and captivated from the start, if you haven't read Estelle Laure, you should

This was such a sweet read and definitely the first of many I will be reading by this author. I found all the characters relatable in their own way. The romance aspect was written so well.

Remember Me is a tale that starts the day before Blue’s birthday. She wakes up with bottles of orange juice in her backpack, feeling slightly off the whole day. She doesn’t understand why, but she does have a strange note that says to meet on a little blue bus tomorrow. When she does, she meets a boy, and the gaps in her memory unfold.

But why would she decide to give up her memories in the first place?

Plot wise, not much happens throughout the book. Half of it takes place in the past as she slowly remembers what happened. But just because this book doesn’t have a grand adventure, doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hit you like a truck with feelings. I figured out what happened before the book said it, and it still got to me.

The characters felt real. I loved that one of them is non-binary. Turtle, Jack, and Blue are great. But I also felt like there could’ve been more development in other characters. In the last chapter, a few characters’ actions confused me because I thought they’d act a different way. I expected there to be something more going on to develop. I also felt that way with the flashbacks. There are many flashbacks back-to-back that present time doesn’t move forward, and I wanted that to develop more.

Overall though, I did enjoy the story and its message.

This was an interesting concept but I think it mishandles some of the mental health components and doesn’t recognize the ethical issues that the science in the story has. It also would definitely benefit from content warnings at the beginning for suicide, grief, loss of a loved one.

This one was definitely not for me. And apparently this isn't long enough as a review so I'll just add that everyone has things that they don't like in books and while this had the ingredients for everything I like in a book, this particular concoction did not suit my tastes.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me advance access to this title. I really enjoyed reading this story and look forward to reading more from this author. As a reader, I am really motivated by character driven stories and I found myself quickly becoming immersed in these characters’ lives. Full review to come.

Remember Me has a really great concept but it wound up just not being for me. I found the book a little bit slow and the pacing wasn't all that great for me personally. I felt like I kept wondering where exactly is this going and it could have gotten to the point a little bit sooner. But this is just me.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the characters or plot and will not be finishing this title.

Book Review: Remember Me by Estelle Laure

Remember Me is a young adult novel that takes place in 2032. It explores the topics of young love, grief and memory.
Blue Owens is an average teenager living in a New Mexico ski resort town when she finds a note in her pocket telling her to get on a particular bus on her birthday. She has no idea who wrote it or why they’d leave her a note. When she arrives on the bus she meets an attractive young guy that feels like familiar but is also a stranger. Blue will quickly discover that big pieces of her past are missing and it’s up to her to decide if they are worth bringing back.
This novel explores the ideas of memory and grief. If we erase the painful things are we still grieving? If we delete all the bad don’t we get rid of the good too? And how far do we have to go to feel better?
It isn’t easy to enjoy Blue as a character. She is a typical dramatic teen so she feels every emotion and when she falls she falls hard. She is obsessed with Adam throughout the book (one criticism I have is that a lot of their relationship feels one sided) and when she is filled with grief and guilt it consumes her as well. Although I understood the temptation of the memory erasing I was never quite convinced that she really wanted it to succeed which was a little confusing as the reader. I also wish I would have liked the supporting characters more but everyone from her family (except Gran), friends (specifically Turtle and Jack), Adam’s mother and the doctors in charge of her treatment are all kind of annoying and a few border on awful.
Overall, this is an interesting and entertaining young adult take on the “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” type of plot. Although, I had some small issues with the characters and plot I found it a well-paced and a worthwhile read.
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It felt a bit flat and full of cliches and with nothing major that could make it different from the other books with the same story type. the author's writing style is fine and appealing but i think the story could have been a bit different

Ok so this book came together for me at the end of the book and it was great. I loved the author's writing style. This book is about love, loss, and trying to move on.

In my opinion, the book was not strong enough for the cliched plot, and it dominated the writing (which I found a bit weak). The characters were unrealistic to me and the storyline was dramatized too heavily.

It took me a long time to get to the 35% mark. But then I flew through the rest of the book. I had to know what it was that Blue forgot. This book will pull at your heartstrings and it won’t be for everyone as there are a number of content warnings. But, if you can handle the issues presented, you will be left pondering some ethical issues which would make for great book club discussion.

I can see where many readers would find this novel enjoyable, but if you've read Adam Silvera's More Happy Than Not, the similarities might be too much to continue this book.

That was my experience.

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book read way too young for me. It felt very childish and I really did not care for the storyline. I understand the reader is meant to feel confused from the beginning like the main character is, but I felt like there were way too many questions to process at one time. I lost track of the point of the story pretty often.

This book. I will literally swoon and cry repeatedly every time I think about it. I can't wait to see what else Estelle Laure has to bring, and what other amazing stories she'll write.

I found this plot fascinating. Probably because I’ve never read anything like it. Blue feels like she’s missing something, forgetting some important details. She later finds out she paid to have her negative memories erased by a local doctor with new memory eraser technology.

What I loved about this story was the larger conversation/analysis on how our positive and negative memories shape our personalities and identifies. If we remove one aspect of our memory, it creates a ripple effect. I found the larger topic to be quite reflective.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley, St Martins Press, & Wednesday Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.