I Remember You by Cathleen Davitt Bell
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 10th 2015
Rate: 4 out of 5 stars
Juliet doesn’t know whether to be afraid for herself or for Lucas. As Lucas’s memories occur more frequently, they also grow more ominous. All Juliet wants is to keep Lucas safe with her. But how do you hold on to someone you love in the present when they’ve begun slipping away from you in the future?
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
I found the concept of this book to be a particularly intriguing one. It was good to meet Juliet as a character and I found it really easy to empathise with her.
For a lot of the book, I wasn’t sure what was going on with Lucas. I had a few theories (that were mostly that there was probably something wrong with Lucas’ brain, like a tumor or something) and I’m still not entirely sure I had all of my questions answered by the end of the book. But with this kind of plot, it’s probably more diffiicult to wrap everything up with a neat little bow.
I have to be honest… I spent a lot of the book with a feeling of strong dislike towards Rosemary. I couldn’t really understand why someone like Juliet (who was actually a nice person) was best friends with her. But towards the end, things kind of became a bit less like Juliet consistently making excuses for her.
It was interesting to see Juliet’s relationship with her mother. I didn’t see a lot of her father in the book, but I was disappointed that Juliet and her mother seemed to grow apart the more… almost dependent Juliet became on Lucas. (I did feel that there were some aspects of Juliet and Lucas’ relationship that were unhealthy. On both of their sides and throughout most of the book).
It was good to see that Lucas was clearly affected by his ‘memories’ of the future. I felt that I could understand his desperation when it came to trying to stop the headaches that were getting progressively worse. And it was also understandable, to an extent, how he started using alcohol to dull the pain.
I did feel that there were many things in the book that were glossed over. That made sense towards the end, but I did feel there was too much where I was waiting for the other shoe to drop – constant references to regrets about something/something bad happening.
The book itself was well-written and engaging. I read it fast and in the way that means I enjoyed it, rather than because I was trying to get it over with. But I do wish the book hadn’t ended where it had. There was so much more of the story I felt could have been expanded upon. But I would check out other books by this author in the future.
A unique romance about a girl who is solidly rooted in the present and a boy who “remembers the future” as if he’s already experienced it. Is it possible to alter the future and, if so, how? – Lois Duncan, author of Stranger with My Face and Locked in Time
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