Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Don't You Forget About Me

If the public declarations of love in romantic comedies make you cringe, then this is the book for you! I honestly think the cartoonish cover does a disservice to the weighty subjects this book explores (grief, sexual assault, abusive romantic relationships). But then again the main character in this story consistently struggles to be taken seriously despite her fluffy outward appearance (her trademark is a pink faux fur coat). The writing is so incredibly charming and the audiobook really took the reading experience to the next level. This was my first Mhairi McFarlane book and it certainly won’t be my last. I already have another queued up!

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kaydeedickins's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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spellygirl's review

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funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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lethaltea's review

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

Oh my. I have so many thoughts on this one. I listened to the audiobook and I think that’s the only reason i finished it - i zoned out for several hours and didn’t miss much.

First of all - this is not a romance novel. There isn’t even an iota of romantic plot until 85% of the way through the book. Even then, it’s hardly a plot.

Secondly, the first 85% of the book is just a bunch of pointless filler that doesn’t really advance the story. There all so many side characters that it gets confusing. I kept getting confused about who was Georgina’s family or her friends and honestly, it didn’t even make a bloody difference because they were so insignificant. The storyline with Robin made no sense - he’s super aloof one minute and then the next he’s trying to win Georgina back?? There was so consistent characterization and his motivation didn’t make sense.

There are also all these side plots -

Georgina’s mum and her abusive boyfriend, Keith the dog and Lucas’ wife

- that go nowhere. They occur, they are sort of resolved and then they have no impact on the central story line or romance.

FINALLY - what the hell was that whole romance?? Why does a 30 year-old grown ass man pretend to not recognize his high school sweetheart?? The whole “forgot who you are” plot felt like a gimmick the author used to make the book more interesting.

When we are finally told why Lucas and Georgina are so estranged, it’s because Georgina read aloud a story of her sexual assault in front of a room full of strangers. It was bizarre - it made no sense for her character and seemed to come out of nowhere.

1.5 ⭐️ because of the cute tortoise.

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