Forget Me Not by Carolee Dean

book cover of Forget Me Not by Carolee Dean

Title: Forget Me Not
Author: Carolee Dean
Release date: October 2, 2012
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 384
Source: ALA
Reading level: YA

Ally is devastated when a scandalous photo of her is texted around school. With her reputation in shambles and her life essentially over, she hides out in a back hallway, trying to figure out where everything went wrong.

Elijah has spent time in that hallway too. He landed there after taking a whole bottle of sleeping pills. Now he can see ghosts, and he knows what Ally has yet to suspect—that she’s already half dead, and one choice away from never coming back. Elijah has loved Ally for years and would do anything to save her from the in-between place. But if she’s going to live, Ally must face her inner demons and find the will to save herself.

Forget Me Not is a fabulous novel from Carolee Dean. With a mix of contemporary and hints of the paranormal, fans of both genres will greatly enjoy this one.
The summary for Forget Me Not was what originally drew me in. When I found out it was written in verse I was even more excited for it. I’m happy to say that this one definitely lived up to my expectations. Carolee Dean’s verse is beyond stunning. There are many different types of poetry used in Forget Me Not and I loved trying to figure out the patterns of the lines and everything. Forget Me Not definitely has one of the most creative types of writing that I have read, even in other verse novels. Also, parts of the story are written as a screenplay which showcases the main character, Ally’s, history with acting, as well as being a great way to get in dialogue. The writing style was definitely my favorite aspect of Forget Me Not.
Ally and Elijah are very different people with a lot in common. Ally is a very misguided girl who doesn’t really see who her real friends are until it’s too late. She’s rather selfish, kind of nasty, and a bit full of herself. Elijah is the complete opposite. He doesn’t care what people think of him, he cares so much about other people, and he’s a sweet guy. However, they have some things in common. They both tried to kill themselves and ended up on the hallway, the place where people go when they have to decide to finish the job or give life another shot. Elijah’s been there before but he didn’t give up. Now it’s Ally’s turn to decide whether the pain is worth it or if death would be the better option. This time spent on the hallway makes Ally reconsider her whole life and she starts to realize that maybe she has no one to blame for her situation but herself.
While the story is a bit depressing, it’s never too heavy. There were times when I felt like crying over all the bad things that happened not just to Ally and Elijah but to the rest of the characters, including the ghosts. Things were never quite what they seemed on the surface and Carolee Dean really explored how even some of the people that appear the happiest can be hiding quite a bit. It was an interesting look at all the different classes in high school.
Overall, Forget Me Not is a book not to be missed. After reading this one I will definitely have to check out Carolee Dean’s previous books and I really hope she writes some more books in verse!
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8 comments

  1. I have never heard of this one either, but it definitely sounds like a very beautiful novel! I love the synopsis and I bet it is excellent prose writing.

  2. oh wow, this one sounds awesome. I think I have the same reaction as you. I was drawn in by the description and got excited as soon as you mentioned it was written in verse. Can’t wait to check this one out.

  3. I so need to read more books in verse! I can’t wait to get a taste of Carolee’s exceptional verse writing that you loved. The synopsis does sound quite interesting, I like how Ally and Elijah have their similarities and differences. Lovely review, Katie! I’m so glad you enjoyed this one. 🙂

  4. I too LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! The characters were so easy to connect with and care for.

    I loved the style, how it wasn’t just in verse but some parts were like a script. It worked very well and the concept was perfect 🙂

    It should’ve gotten lots of awards, it was just so good.

    Lovely review 🙂