Forget Me Not is the debut of Julie Soto and this is the story of Ama and Elliot.
 
Ama works as a wedding planner and she recently founded her own business. I loved seeing the entrepreneur spirit and how hard she worked. She gets the opportunity to plan the wedding of a famous influencer and that was really cool to follow. Ama is a lovely person, but she has committed issues as her mother doesn’t value marriage and just gets remarried constantly.
 
Elliot used to hate flowers, but he slowly fell in love with them and even has some tattoos. He continued his dad‘s flower shop and also finished his architecture degree. Elliot now combines these two aspects in building unique floral pieces and that was really cool to see. At first, he seemed rather grumpy, but over the course of the book I totally fell in love with him.
 
Ama and Elliot had a relationship in the past, but that didn’t end well. And now, they must work together to create a stunning wedding and this forced proximity situation is the perfect opportunity for a second chance. I really liked how both characters had to overcome a hurdle and it showed that relationships don’t just come easy, but both must be committed and work on growing together. The story also had really great spicy scenes and I just adored this book.
 
Overall, I highly recommend checking out this beautiful book. 4,5 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

I really enjoyed this book.

It's a grumpy/sunshine trope, which I love!
Although I did find Elliot's grumpiness to be a bit unbelievable given his profession.

The dual pov/dual timeline was unique (hers for present day and his for the past) and showed the evolution of their relationship.

I do wish the emotional connection between the two characters was a bit more developed earlier on, because their strong feelings didn’t seem to fit with what we were shown. But the chemistry was excellent.

But those small issues didn’t take away from my enjoyment. I loved this book and I loved reading it. And the ending was perfection.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Forget Me Not releases July 11, 2023

Forget Me Not is set in Sacramento, told in dual pov, then/now timeline, and features a second chance between two people in a workplace environment.

Ama is a wedding planner, and Elliot is a florist, both with their own independent businesses.

Some would say that Ama’s greatest struggle would be finding that healthy balance between personal and professionalism in the sense of becoming too attached or involved with a client — but sometimes you just can’t help but to care.
Personally I think she had good intentions and she’s clearly great at what she does. Her ability to connect with every couple allows for her passion to greater reflect in her work, and I’d say it’s a win-win for all parties involved.

Elliot is a slightly grumpy man that’s tatted. He’s not a man of many words, which makes all of his interactions at the start of the book that much more interesting and elusive, though I did find that he could come across pretty rude at times.

After a rocky parting a couple years ago, these two are brought back together when an influencer with millions of followers hires Ama as their wedding planner, and Elliot as their florist since he’s a family friend, and one of five individuals that are cleared to work on the grounds of the historical venue they’ve booked.
Throughout the next several months of collaborating and close proximity, Jackie and Hazel get a sense that there’s some chemistry between Ama and Elliot, but will they be able to work through what happened in the past?

This debut started out really good, but as it progressed, it lost it’s flow and I wasn’t as motivated to pick it up.

I was pretty disappointed to find out that Ama and Elliot weren’t much more than fuck buddies. It’s clear that Ama has some things to work out personally before she’s able to give part of herself to someone else in a relationship, but there wasn’t much discussion in that route. Part of Ama’s reluctance of never wanting marriage for herself stems from the example her mother set, by marrying and divorcing 16+ times and going from man to man, which really took away the value of a lasting commitment.
Instead of tip-toeing around “are we or are we not dating” they should have just communicated, especially when lines were blurred and businesses were being merged. Her mouth was saying one thing, but her actions were saying another and that wasn’t fair.

There were some things I really loved, like the parallels between Ama (short for Amaryllis) and Elliot, and the Greek myth of Amaryllis who fell in love with a man that had a passion for flowers.

Other things I didn’t love, like when Ama and Elliot were being physical for the first time and he was still hung up on a sexual experience with a girl from when he was a freshman… so not the time or place to be mentioning that.
Additionally, the donuts. Who in their right mind would consistently get a box of assorted donuts, daily, yet allow them to give you one containing peanut butter, to which you’re highly allergic? Make it make sense. Cross contamination is a thing.
I’ve seen others referring to this scene as funny, but she could have died from the anaphylactic shock. In what world is that funny?

Ultimately I wanted more growth from the characters, but if you really like weddings and donuts are your love language, you might like this.

“I want you to look debauched when I’m debauching you.”

“I want to love what you love, even if it’s extinct.”
“It’s… it was never about extinction. The tattoos… they’re the ones that I—that I can’t have. Ones that are likely to disappear before I can love them.”

4.5 stars.

Okay, so, I didn't really know what to expect from this one because the cover is so different from your typical contemporary romance novel. After reading the book's acknowledgements, though, it sounds like the author got her start in fan fiction and the cover artist primarily illustrates fan fiction. I don't dislike the cover, but it did make me dubious as to whether I'd like the book.

And I did like it! A lot. I got pretty strong Luke/Lorelai from Gilmore Girls vibes from the grumpy/sunshine main characters: Ama is a donut–obsessed small business owner who talks a mile a minute and who everyone loves; Elliott has a gruff and often rude exterior hiding a cinnamon roll / completely lost for the heroine interior. And it turns out that kind of Luke Danes character is apparently one of my favorites?

Plot-wise, this was fairly similar to Emily Henry's latest, Happy Place — but I actually liked this one a lot more: Elliott and Ama previously dated but broke up, and now secondary characters who are getting married have thrown our main characters back into each other's orbit and are trying to get them together. The book is dual POV told in dual timelines: Ama for the present and Elliott for the past. I love this narrative structure because you get to see the characters fall for each other twice, and getting inside grumpy Elliott's head to see him fall for Ama against his better judgment is just *chef's kiss*.

The story avoided a lot of tropes I've come to hate in romances: major angst, anxiety-ridden heroines, miscommunication/lack of communication being the primary obstacle, and super annoying side characters. There's one villain in the story but their role is minimal and definitely a subplot.

There are a couple small things that bumped this down to 4.5 instead of a full 5 stars: Ama's mother has been married 16 times, and the psychological aspects of that for both her mom and on Ama growing up (besides Ama's resistance to marriage) are never explored. Presumably Ama has some sort of trust fund if her mom is so loaded, but in the book Ama acts like she doesn't have a huge amount of money and it's never made clear why that is. Neither Elliott nor Ama seem to have any friends (aside from Ama's ex-stepsiblings), which is another romance theme that annoys me because it's so unrealistic but it's a lesser annoyance. And Elliott's 180 at the end doesn't really seem in character to me (and it's never explained if he'll change his mind).

Overall, I enjoyed this a ton and will absolutely be on the lookout for Soto's future books!

Forget Me Not was such a fun, entertaining read!

Ama Torres is a wedding planner, and she is fantastic at her job. She truly bonds with her couples and gets to know them so that she can plan the wedding of their dreams. When she is approached by a social media star to plan her wedding, she is nervous but excited that this might be the event to get her name out there to millions of people. The only hitch? The brides have requested to use florist Elliot Bloom, and there is some major history between AMA and Elliot. They often collaborated on events, fell into a romance, and then fell back out with plenty of heartbreak. Can the exes work together to create the perfect event?

This was a definite grumpy/sunshine couple, and Elliot’s obvious dislike for most people made me cackle. I loved the dual POV and how uniquely it was done- present day in Ama’s POV, and the past in Elliot’s. This kept you guessing how the other person was really feeling during the events being described, and I really enjoyed this method!

I adored the stories behind Elliot’s tattoos and the way that Ama obsessed over them. The chemistry between the pair was electric, and the spicy scenes were perfectly placed in the story.

Ama’s job as a wedding planner was fun to read about, and I liked the little peek into such a giant industry and everything that goes into this job.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Forget Me Not is a beautiful story filled with life. Our main characters have a second chance at love, whilst we as readers find out what made them break up the first time around. It was very sweet with the right amount of tension.

The past and present was done very well. Julie Soto knocked it out for a debut.

I have been a fan of Julie Soto for many years, and I have been waiting on the edge of my seat to read Forget Me Not!

But this is her debut? How could you know you’re a fan? Alas, dear reader, for let me introduce you to the world of Ao3 and fanfics. I’ve been reading Julie’s work since The Auction was still a WIP (iykyk). Her fics are not just some of my favorite fics, but are some of my favorite written works in general.

Clearly, I’m a fan, and I am even a bigger fan after reading this novel. Forget Me Not felt like stepping into a spicy Hallmark movie. It was so easy to get absorbed into Ama and Elliot’s orbit. Their connection was palpable, and I loved the dual timeline and POV. The plot was so interesting and different than anything I’ve ever read before! Even with my allergies, I feel like I need to go visit a flower shop and invest in some heels after finishing the novel.

All in all, if you are a fan of second chance romance, steamy scenes, and a well-rounded plot, I highly recommend this one. Thank you to Netgalley, Julie Soto, and Forever for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

wow this book drew me in! I was looking for a quick read and this was perfect. I love second chance romance and this one was sweet. II loved the flashbacks between past and present to see how their relationship developed and fell apart. The ending was sweet and I loved the MCs.

I just want to pause for a moment and admire this absolutely gorgeous cover. I’ve spent entirely too much time swooning over Ama and Elliot, and I have no regrets because I could stare at that stunner all day! It is the perfect cover for this entertaining, funny, and heartwarming contemporary romance.

Forget Me Not is told in two timelines and from two different perspectives with the present from Ama’s point of view, and the past from Elliot’s point of view. I thought this worked really well in the story. You get to see the relationship from both of their perspectives, which adds so much depth and breadth to the characters.

Ama is fabulous. Driven and married to her job as a wedding planner, Ama is averse to marriage in her own life. She is bubbly and a little chaotic and messy, and she sends a lot of mixed signals, mainly because she is afraid. With a mother who has married more than a dozen times, Ama’s views on marriage are very different from Elliot’s, and you see how her subconscious fear of commitment seeps into her career and relationships. The irony of a commitment-phobe who doesn’t believe in marriage working as a wedding planner? I love it.

And then we have the grumpy florist who uses his architectural background to create original and awe-inspiring pieces. Elliot is kind of a jerk to Ama, which I understood better as their past is revealed and his rejection becomes more visceral. But Elliot is prickly and standoffish with others too, which is so unprofessional! I found him tough to like at the start, though I figured there were reasons for his grumpy, dismissive, and rude attitude. I have to say, Soto is so good at creating characters because I can remember the exact scene where I changed my mind about Elliot completely. I fell in love with him in an instant and wanted to shake Ama and force her to see what was right in front of her because all of that prickliness was hiding a man who was deeply in love and deeply wounded. And the tattoos? Sa-woon!!! I totally understand Ama’s obsession with them.

I think what I like about both characters is that they’re real. Imperfect, flawed, impossible, and amazing all at once, they’ve both done good and bad things, they both made mistakes and have regrets, and they both have successes and failures in life and love. Plus, they have some sizzling chemistry, and the steamy scenes may have fogged up my glasses a little bit. lol

The wedding planning is another aspect of the story I enjoyed. It is definitely an ironic and fantastic backdrop for the story. The engaged couple and the wedding being planned juxtapose the frosty and awkward relationship between Ama and Elliot. It also forces the pair to work together, which in turn pushes them to revisit what happened between them.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. It was moving and steamy, and the characters and plot are original and entertaining. I would definitely recommend the book to contemporary romance and rom-com fans who like slow-burn, second chance, or grumpy/sunshine love stories. Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

4.25/5. Releases 7/11/2023.

For when you're vibing with... a Julia Roberts-era romcom, wedding planner romance, gruff but swoonworthy, lovely heroes, and messy bitches who can't do emotion right.

Workaholic Ama has booked a celebrity wedding that will skyrocket her notoriety as a planner. The only problem? The florist is her ex, quiet, grumpy Elliot Bloom...who is none too happy to see her after she broke his heart. Determined to make the situation work, Ama and Elliot try to avoid one another as much as possible--but there's unfinished business between them, and it could push Ama to question everything she believed about herself.

Oh, this is a good one. Emotional and reminiscent of the 90s/early 2000s romcoms I love, this book wears it heart on its sleeve. The Reylos know how to do a romance novel, dude.

Quick Takes:

--I love a wedding backdrop for romantic stories, and this book milks it. It gave me My Best Friend's Wedding and The Wedding Planner energy; there's the high emotion that comes with wedding planning, plus the drama and the inherent wistfulness that occurs when you're not the bride but maybe, just maybe, you really want to be a bride. Forget Me Not nails that energy, and it's also just a lot of fun in that sense. Plus, I really believed that Ama loved her job, and that's kind of a lynchpin of the plot.

--Our leads were a great match. Like I said, Ama is all about work; whereas Elliot is very good at his job, but it's more about family legacy. She lives to work, whereas he works to live. It's a good conflict. But at the same time, they give each other something. She pushes him out of his shell, he gives her a safe place to land. They fuck like rabbits and hold each other sweetly. There's a real sense of "oh they are in looooove" in this book, and it made my heart warm.

--I mentioned this author is a Reylo. For me, that's not something I actively seek (I have nothing against the ship, I've read really good Reylo fic, I disagree with some interpretations of the ship and agree with other, darker takes, I love Adam Driver as an actor and Daisy Ridley does nothing for me--I'm very "middle of the road" on it) but I'm also happy to see it. And let me tell you, I could seeeee the "things we project onto Adam Driver as a man who wishes to not be perceived on the internet" vibe to Elliot, in the best way. He's shy in a way that comes off as stern, he's struck by Ama but doesn't know what the fuck to say, he'll put her on her hands and knees in his car and then, when he realizes she's been knowingly driving a car about to fall apart for months, glare at her and competently take care of it. God... he really does it. He does it. The competency, the suppressed emotion, the floral tattoos! Damn.

--I feel like Ama might be a heroine some don't respond well to, because she is unabashedly forthright about her wants and needs--or at least, what she thinks she wants and needs. At the same time, she clearly pushes for things with Elliot without being willing to follow through, sending him mixed signals. To me, she was extremely relatable and human. I love a commitment-phobic heroine, and I sure would love to see more of them. To me, both Ama and Elliot make mistakes in this novel, but never because they want to hurt each other. They're just... people.

--We have a classic romcom-type villain in this book, and that is something I personally love.

--I will say, the format is unusual--sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Ama's POV is largely in the present, nearly three years after she and Elliot broke up. Elliot's POV is largely in the past, during their relationship. The timeline for both eras is relatively short-ish, and you see a lot more of Elliot and Ama interacting romantically in the past than you do the present, because the present is about like... working towards a reunion. It's realistic, in a sense, because these two really just should be together and their conflicts are internal. But I did wish that we could've seen them interact a bit earlier in the novel, and it did take some getting used to. It's interesting, I just think there could've been a bit more flexibility in the structure. I will say, it did add to the MAX ANGST of the present in Ama's POV.

The Sex Stuff:

Oh, it's hot. We bemoan the state of sex in many traditionally published contemporaries at the moment, but this one is really sexy. I was pleasantly surprised by how their sexual relationship began--you don't see that vibe in a lot of contemporary trad romances. And Elliot is, again, kind of the ideal man: he's a lovely sweet baby who will fuck the absolute shit out of a woman. Also... they talk flowers during. Like, "recite these flowers until you come" kind of talk.

I'm excited to see what Julie Soto releases next, and honestly? I could totally see this as a movie. It's a really solid, truly romantic debut, and it did in fact... give me the feels.

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Forget Me Not reminded me so much of the movie The Wedding Planner and I loved it! I switched back and forth between the physical and audio book and really enjoyed the narration by Callie Dalton and Teddy Hamilton as well! I love Julie Soto’s writing style! I also really enjoyed the dual point of view and was really rooting for Ama and Elliot. There is some grumpy sunshine mixed with second chances and workplace romance that made this the perfect read! I can’t wait to read more from @juliesotowrites!

4.5 stars

This one releases July 11th and is the perfect summer read!

Thank you @prhaudio and @hachetteaudio for the early listening copy as well as @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the arc!

When Ama lands the biggest wedding of her solo career, she finds herself forced to work with Elliot, a local florist who she has more than just a work relationship history with. This story has a little bit of everything - second chance romance, forced proximity and a wedding most little girls dream of.

I loved Julie's writing style, giving us both past and present but also both main character's points of view which added depth not only to her characters, but her storyline as well. I thought having the story center around wedding planning was different and gave Julie the ability to truly paint a picture of what her readers should see while making their way through Ama and Elliot's story.

While not the main point of the story at all, I did enjoy watching Ama's career and success over her former mentor when she nailed the execution of the wedding. Ama got her cake and was able to eat it too! I definitely recommend picking up Julie's book when it's out on July 11th!

I loved this book! Ama and Elliot’s love story was perfect and kept me turning the (electronic) pages until the very end. I want to get married again just so I can recreate the amazing designs in this book! Also, Mar is #goals.

I am going to be completely honest, I was kicking my feet and giggling the entire book - I also read it within 12 hours of receiving this arc. I throughly enjoyed this book and I believe many people are going to also find something in this book to love.

Forget Me Not by Julie Soto is a beautiful book. To start, Ama is a very fleshed out character; we understand why she thinks and acts the way she does. She is a very dedicated wedding planner who doesn't believe in marriages. We also follow, Elliot a very grumpy florist who had his heart shattered by Ama. Two years later, they are reunited to work together again. Elliot shows us what happened in the past, while Ama's chapters take place in the present time. Both characters feel real and authentic as if they are people you may have stumbled across in your everyday life - you understand how the characters think and feel because of the dual POV, It was done very well by the author. This is definitely my new favourite romance novel and I will be recommending it to so many people.

Read this is you enjoy:
-Second chance romance
-He fell first and harder
-Grumpy x sunshine
-Dual POV
-Dual timeline

1. THIS COVER IS 🔥🔥🔥 now the review ...

“A wedding is not a marriage. Marriages will never be perfect. They’re always a work in progress. But weddings? Weddings are just a moment in time, striving to be perfect.” 💐

My first thought, was that I was not a fan of dual timelines. The whole going back and forth and getting invested in one timeline but not knowing what happens next until you get through the next part BUT, Julie Soto makes it WORK with this story. If I had simply read the “present” timeline for Ama, I probably would’ve disliked her character the whole way through. It made me appreciate her and the relationship she had with Elliot by getting that investment of the “past” timeline, which I guess plays into the whole second-chance trope for this book.

I love a good, strong, FMC and the author delivered with Ama. Ama would go after what she wanted and we see that all through the end with how the characters relationships intermingle. I got invested enough into this book that my last note made on the last line of the book was “OMFG. I could just hear this being narrated at the end of a movie script.” That should tell you enough to want to pick this book up, so go do that now!

I really loved the dual narrative, and how the present was mostly told from Ama's POV while Elliot's POV is from the past. This second chance romance had me rooting for Ama and Elliot to find their way back together romantically, while enjoying their current working relationship. Steamy, funny, and full of lovable side characters. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Forget Me Not - ARC Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
PUB DATE: July 11, 2023
.
FEATURES:
-Contemporary Romance
-Second Chance
-Then & Now Timelines
-Dual POV
-Jaded Wedding Planner meets Grumpy Florist
.
SYNOPSIS: Ama is a talented wedding planner, but she doesn't believe in marriage. Elliot is a florist and architect who prefers flowers to people. These two met during wedding season a few years ago, dated, and it did not end well. Now, during a high profile wedding, they are required to work together again.
.
WHY 5/5:
You know those rare times when you stumble upon a story that has never been done before? This is one of those.
.
You know those stories that are so well layered - pieces of the puzzle sprinkled here and there - and then suddenly they all come together beautifully? This is one of those.
.
These characters are so fresh - I haven’t ever read others quite like them. This author managed to do both then & now timelines and dual POV - pulling this off well means readers are privileged to see so many layers to both of these characters and to their relationship. This story is fresh. This story is messy. These characters are flawed. And, this story is so tender. The ending was unexpected and also perfect.
.
With a lead character as a wedding planner, I expected this to be a romcom - but this is not that. Instead, it is a deep dive into the lives of two people with pasts that wounded them, trying to find a way forward. And isn’t that the most beautiful, hopeful kind of story?
.
Thank you @netgalley and @readforeverpub for my eARC copy. I was given this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
.
And thank you @juliesotowrites , for this gorgeous book.

Okay this book got me!

I almost isn’t finish reading it, I’m a mood reading and about 20% in I just wasn’t invested. (More of a me thing than the book itself) but last night I was in bed and decided to pick it back up and you guys it sucked me in! Like I’m not kidding when I tell you I was googling every single flower that was mentioned because I wanted to know more about Elliot and why he choose those certain flowers. They were all beautiful btw and I have gone on an absolute trip researching all these flowers!

But back to the book. I love the flashback to the past and present alternating chapters. This author did it perfectly.

Ana and Elliot were such unique characters. I mean yes Elliot was the brooding hot guy with tattoos, but he’s a FLORIST! I mean how hot is that. And Ama is wedding planner, so cute. I loved their story, I loved Ama story in particular. She was the way she was because of her mom and it was 100% understandable. And Elliot my heart broke for him, I wanted to just give him a hug! Im so glad I finished this book and didn’t DNF it

If you’re looking for a unique story about love, acceptance, and all things flowers, wedding, and drama. THIS ONE IS FOR YOU!

This is not a book about vampires in love. Which was fine by me because I loved Ama and Elliot's human love story.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Ama is an ambitious wedding planner who does not believe in marriage, and you wouldn't either if your mother was married 14+ times. But weddings and proposals, Ama loves those and she loves designing the perfect wedding for a couple. It doesn't matter if the couple lasts forever or for only a few days.
Ama gets her big break to design and plan a celebrity wedding. The only catch, she has to work with her ex-lover, Elliot, a floral designer. Throw in a sabotaging ex-boss, reality TV, and a peanut allergy and this is recipe for drama.

I loved the dual point of view told in different timelines, and I really loved how Soto pulled the timelines together, in the end. Forget Me Not was good. I recommend.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for an ARC of Forget Me Not*

What a heartbreakingly beautiful book with an equally stunning cover. Forget Me Not is a subtly Reylo-inspired second-chance romance starring a wedding planner and a master florist. It's also very much a grumpy-sunshine story with plenty of flowery (literally) prose and a touch of rom-com shenanigans.

But unlike other contemporary romances, these characters - and the side characters - feel much more authentic and relatable. Ama is the overly optimistic wedding planner who's struggling to get out from under the shadow of her previous employer. She's also dealing with the emotional trauma of her mother constantly getting married and divorced (16 times!!). Ama definitely, under no circumstances, wants to get married. Ever.

Elliot is the grumpy guy who never wanted to be a florist but ended up running the shop founded by his late father. He's a bit of a jerk sometimes, hates social media, and uses flowers to send subtle messages about his feelings. He's also covered in tattoos of his favorite flowers. Elliot gained a following in the wedding planning industry by putting his architectural skills to use with elaborate, gravity-defying floral displays.

When a beautiful, love-filled moment between the two of them turns sour, Ama runs off and doesn't speak to Elliot for over two years. But then a career-changing celebrity wedding forces the two of them together again.

I devoured this book. I did not want to put it down, staying up past midnight to finish it. I was immediately invested in the story, especially with Ama's drive for perfection and to grow her reputation. I was rooting for her from page 1, and the end of the book has a VERY satisfying conclusion to her relationship with her ex-boss.

I can't wait to see more fanfic-inspired stories from Julie Soto.