To say I was blown away by FORGET ME NOT sounds cliché, but is true. Like the cover image of the woman's head disintegrating, this book is chapter after chapter of important clues into the real life of Linda Russell.

Allow me to begin with Trigger Warnings: parent/child abuse, neglect, abandonment leading to complex trauma; also death of a child.

Throughout the book the narrator lets readers know that Linda doesn't feel attachment to her name. As it climaxes, we learn what an unreliable main character she is (third person omniscient). Readers do spend most of the time "in" Linda's head alongside her as she wonders what the hell life is about, why her parents neglected her and abandoned her, and what happened to her sisters Madeline and Emmer. Due to her tragic circumstances of being raised by a single mother who is deep in mental illness from mourning the death of her first daughter, Linda is never good enough. She's never like Madeline enough. She's simply not Madeline.

Linda's early years are explained in rich detail. Her mother walled in their property so Linda could never leave and to keep the real/outside world separate. Linda's youth went from supportive to trashy to full on neglect and finally abandonment which led her into a life of a feral state. She survived on her own even after the running water and electricity stopped. Then she escapes over the wall and is "rescued." Yet, like Tarzan of Greystoke, Linda doesn't fit into modern society. She doesn't know how to behave. She doesn't trust. She doesn't understand any of the basics like why she has to wear shoes when her feet have always been in the dirt.

What makes this feral child story stand apart is the unraveling of why her mother did this to her. A woman driven into total madness and taking science and god powers into her own hands to replace her dead Madeline. Not really a spoiler: Lorelei, the mother, had fertilized embryos frozen and she bribed people to assist her in getting pregnant again when she was supposed to destroy the embryos per her divorce.

Linda's father, Arthur Niequist, is a man of unspeakable obscene wealth. The kind of wealth like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. He can literally afford anything, but money can't buy sanity for his ex-wife nor can it heal all the trauma Linda suffered. Arthur is still her knight in shining armor in that he does take in this daughter he never wanted for a while and gets her help. Eventually he supports her to live on her own with an allowance that would allow Linda to live more comfortably than most people. But, Linda, this tragically traumatized woman chooses small apartments, only enough furniture so that questions aren't raised, and eats canned pasta.

Linda meets a new neighbor in her building, Anvi, an Indian-American woman who knows that this neighbor of hers is the infamous "Clone Girl," the feral girl child who was created to replace a dead child. Linda had been all over the news and given the trending and inaccurate nickname of #CloneGirl. Anvi and her dog Nibbler become important figures in Linda's life as she finally accepts friendship. It's not an easy road and Linda constantly questions (internally) Anvi's motives in socializing with her. Anvi introduces Linda to the virtual reality world of a fantasy game. The roleplaying is a perfect and addicting escape for Linda. It's a place where she can be something other than human. She can choose her own identity and she can run through the forests of an imaginary land.

Lorelei comes back onto the scene through a partner named Percival Hunter. Percy was Madeline's first and only boyfriend. Why a young man would never move on from taking care of his deceased girlfriend's mother is a point I don't entirely understand. He made a huge mistake when Madeline was dying and despite his EMT training, he made it impossible for her to be saved. The penance he places on himself is to be at the beck and call and provide shelter and food for Lorelei while she ages and sinks into obsessive plans to re-birth Madeline again.

Names and identity are the core themes of Forget Me Not. Needless to say it was not lost on me that the named Percival and Arthur appear together in a non-Arthurian legend book. I'm not a Holy Grail scholar, so I didn't see any connection between Lorelei, Anvi, and Linda and King Arthur's knights. Yet, Percival was the knight or one of the knights who did find the Holy Grail and keep it safe. Now, if Alexandra Oliva wants readers to think of Lorelei as the grail, that's a stretch. She's inhumane, destructive, and selfish -- all the characteristics that oppose the Holy Grail itself which can restore life and can be found only by the most worthy as Sir Percival was believed to be. With a name like Percival Hunter, it's hard not believe the author knows something deep about the grail legend that wasn't covered in Indiana Jones 3, Excalibur or The DaVinci Code.

The near future life in the Pacific Northwest of the US allows the characters to have incredible technological gadgets like Sheaths (wearable computers); Earcuffs (new cell phone style); Augments (eyeglasses that give you information on anything and anyone you look at); and self-driving cars but one still needs a driver's license. The pandemic is mentioned as being over and something these characters lived through. The advanced technology would be inconsequential if not for the B-plot where a couple of programmers claim that they have created a VR so advanced, it is indistinguishable from the real world. This plot had me going until it's final reveal.

Small Spoiler about this theory:

I kept wondering if Linda's life was all a simulation like if she was a playable character or something. I was happy that was not the case. I feel like it would have tricked the readers into caring for someone without all the information.

Summary:

Like Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Forget Me Not is a feral child trying to fit into the real world is a phenomenal case study about trauma victims and all the ways that they are different. From false memories implanted, abusive parents, and quests for identity through unspeakable struggles -- these are the stories that make readers think hard about how their actions could affect the life of someone else whether it's perpetuating a trolling hashtag or having well-intentioned interactions go wrong.

Rating: 5 stars

This was a dark, psychological thriller that I really expected to grab me from the start. It didn't end up doing that unfortunately. I did really enjoy that this was set in the "near future" so it was fascinating hearing about the pandemic and virtual reality in a book. However, I really struggled to connect to this book and even as I'm writing this review 2 days after finishing the book, I'm having a hard time recalling details so this one won't be one to stick with me. I will say that there was not a dull moment and this was quite fast paced. I just did not particularly like or connect with any of the characters or their journeys. I would definitely read another from Alexandra Oliva though because she definitely has talent as a writer. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book. I might bump it up to 3.5 stars. Strange story that I didn't really find gripping. Lead characters were interesting. Somewhat recommended

This was an interesting yet difficult book to get into (for me) as I'm not very versed in VR but I enjoy science fiction novels set in the future as I realize it's our reality. When "Linda" meets a new friend, she is reluctant to "bond" because she doesn't really know how...and part of the plot revolves around why this is. The premise is really fascinating and I wish I'd been more invested as I do love forward-thinking plots. Somehow, I just got lost in the past/present format (which I"m usually fine with). So don't take my word for it. There's a lot to be said for the author's writing and the plot which is fresh and unique. Other great reviews so enjoy!

Set in the not too distant future, Linda is birthed by her mother to replace a sister lost to tragedy using embryos frozen by her now divorced parents when they were married. Tucked away from the world on her mother’s acreage, Linda basically raises herself isolated and alone until one day she is startled by a stranger and flees the property. Her father is made aware of her existence and takes over her care. As long repressed memories arise, Linda isn’t sure who to trust or where to turn in this strange new world and finds herself in danger.

Forget Me Not isn’t in one of my normal comfort genres, but I enjoyed the science fiction aspect of the future, and the quick moving action of the story. Linda is a likable and interesting protagonist. I cheered for her to find out the truth and live a happy life.

In the opening of this novel, we see the main character Linda learning to live in our world rather than the one she lived as a child. She still finds life difficult . She isolates until a new neighbor Anvi with a dog named Nibbler. They become friends very slowly. Linda had a twin named Emmer. They are clones that their mother (Lorielei) had to replace her dead 4 yr. old daughter. However Lorelei finds that her “new” daughters are not satisfactory. The twins are left to take care of themselves with an occasional visit with Lorelei appearing and taking Emmer away for periods of time, seldom taking Linda. One time after Emmer has gone with Lorelei, she learns that her sister is not coming back. Why? What will she do? When Linda finds out that the family home has been burned, she decides to leave Seattle and goes back home. Why?

An unusual novel that starts out a little slow. It’s due I think that the story goes from the present to the past to the present time in different locations. It is science fiction in the sense that technology has advanced, no cell phones, just shields worn on your arm (replacement for cell phones plus). It’s a mystery as there are unexplained things that you don’t find out until much later in the book. I enjoyed the friendship developed between Anvi and Linda. It’s an unique novel that I will not forget reading.

I could not put this book down! So many twists and turns that I did not see coming. Compelling and well-written, would definitely recommend!

Linda climbed over a wall and out into the real world as a teenager. She was totally unprepared. But what happened to her? Why was she kept inside for so long? And what is still going on?

This is the story the book follows, and answering any of these would definitely be a spoiler because the fun is in the discovery. My personal favorite parts of this book were watching Linda continue to discover and try to interact with the world. I especially liked her interactions with her neighbor Anvi, who may have been my favorite character.

I also really enjoyed slowly uncovering what was happening and why.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book. I would recommend it to people who like the adventure of discovery and a twisty plot.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Set in the near future (cellphone are now on arm sleeves and VR is big) the timing was just odd. Raised, or not raised without interactions with many people, she now doesn't know how to interact and is constantly be chased because she is thought of as clonegirl. It was interesting but not super entertaining, and I felt it ended with a lot of questions left unanswered.

Gosh I struggled with this one unfortunately.

I liked the general idea of the story, but the devil was in the details. There seemed to be a lot of extraneous characters and storylines that didn't have a ton of relevance. Here are my brief thoughts:

-I thought the virtual reality (VR) component was intriguing but it never really reached its full potential. We spent a lot of time following Linda around her VR world learning about the development of her VR character, her VR puppy, fighting goblins, setting things on fire, etc. etc. and none of it really mattered. I honestly think the entire VR plotline could have been removed with very little impact to the overarching story.
-The author said the main character's name a distracting number of times. "Linda did this..." "Linda did that..." "The man spoke to Linda..." "The dog barked at Linda..." You get the idea here. For some reason I found the writing style, and particularly this stylistic choice, extremely distracting, and it caused the writing to feel a bit juvenile and unrefined.
-The story line about the therapist who was killed is a mass shooting.... what was the point? I don't get it.
-Also, the story line about GH and the social media post about the alternate world/simulation hypothesis... also irrelevant.
-Pacing was off for me. The first 50% of the book was pretty boring and slow moving. And then out of nowhere, the whole story flipped on its head and frankly transitioned to the unbelievable. The transition as pretty extreme and left me with a little bit of whiplash.

At the end of the day, I feel like the author tried to incorporate too many elements, and many of them were either confusing or didn't add substance. I would have enjoyed this story so much more if we just took a deep dive into a mother's struggle with mental illness and the repercussions on her daughter.

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Alexandra Oliva, and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to review.-

Forget Me Not, by Alexandra Oliva, is a strange, but compelling thriller set in the near future. The protagonist, Linda, has led a forlorn life, alone and deprived of normal human interaction. She is odd, scared, and with good reason. I didn’t come close to guessing the resolution of the many mysteries that lead to the ultimate reveal and resolution.

While this is an unusual novel in its setting and its unsettling vision of the future, it is the characters and their relationships that set this novel apart. Linda’s first true friendship with a neighbor and her developing relationship with her father are simultaneously tentative, heartbreaking and touching. However, it is Linda’s quirky courage that you will remember long after you close the book. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy a thriller that is a little off the beaten track.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity for an unexpected enjoyable read.

Forget Me Not by Alexandra Oliva
This story is a tale of mental illness and its ramifications. The main protagonist was a feral child who is struggling to integrate into society. Due to social media, she often finds herself trending in a negative way. Suspicious of any contact her life is a lonely hell.
The addition of a friend to Linda’s drab world starts to draw her out of her self-imposed isolation when she is suddenly the focus of negative social media posts again.
The author touches on a lot of psychological issues. She writes of aberrant behavior due to grief, false memories, paranoia, god complex, and more.
A simultaneous plot could have been provided a little more text but it still had an interesting impact.
I enjoyed the book.

Forget Me Not is an atmospheric novel that, though slow paced, grabbed my attention from start to finish. I guessed some of the twists and turns, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. Recommended!

Linda Russel grew up in a walled off property in rural Washington. She lived there with her twin sister Emmer, and their mother, Lorelei. One day, her mother took Emmer away. When Lorelei returned, she told Linda that Emmer would not be coming back. When Linda was 12 she saw something she was not supposed to see. Badly frightened, she scaled the wall around the property and was thrust into the modern world.

Social media seized upon her story and once they discovered that her mother had birthed her only to replace another daughter who died in a tragic accident years before, dubbed her Clone Girl. Many write hateful and frightening things. She had to move once, due to someone posting her address on the internet. Now, Linda lives in an apartment in Seattle. She only leaves the apartment when she absolutely has to, to get supplies. She avoids talking to anyone.

Then someone new moves in a few doors down from Linda.A vivacious girl who seems determined to be Linda's friend. She also introduces Linda to virtual reality games. Then an unexplained fire at her infamous childhood home jolts Linda back to reality. She must Go back there for the first time since she was 12. She ends up triggering a chain of events that will not only threaten her life but challenge her understanding of family, memory, and the world itself.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is an odd story which seems to address a story of “cloning”. The story is somewhat difficult to follow as it is a semi futuristic tale. The whole “clone girl” story becomes complicated to the point of feeling uneventful.

Linda Russell lives an extremely anxious existence under the watchful eye of her father Arthur Neiquist who is a wealthy man left to protect his daughter when his first wife dies. Through vague memories Linda’s past seems to reveal itself it her where she recalls her unconventional childhood. She remembers her mother, Lorelei, as a lively woman who raised her and her twin sister Emmer outdoors where they slept in trees. Some of her memories trouble her especially those that involve the disappearance of her twin sister Emmer.

As an adult, Linda lives an isolated but protected existence funded by her father. She wears a “sheath” on her arm as many people do in this time era. Her sheath is programmed to record her daily mandated activities, such as talk a walk outside everyday. It also provides a method for Arthur to check in on her to ensure she has everything she needs.

One day Linda is approached by a new neighbor in her building, Anvi Hendrickson, a purple haired woman 29 year old from New Jersey. Linda becomes intrigued by the woman and eventually learns that Anvi is older than her and a PhD student at Cornell. Although difficult to trust people, Linda starts to feel comfortable sharing and spending time with Anvi.

It’s only when Linda receives alarming news from Arthur that her childhood home was set on fire, that Linda is determined to fill in the blanks of her memory. Linda is astonished and confused with the story that is revealed to her about her childhood. It questions everything she thought she knew about her parents and childhood. It seems everyone else knew more about her than she did herself.

This was a sci-fi thriller set in the not too distant future. Social media is still highly prevalent and virtual reality video games are rising to popularity. Everyone wears a "sheath" which is some gadget that tracks their movement, can make calls, send text/email, provide GPS, etc. (similar to an Apple watch maybe?) Unfortunately I had a really hard time following this story and connecting to the characters, mainly Linda and Anvi.

The story has an interesting premise - Linda was cloned by her mother, Lorelei, after her beloved daughter Madeline dies. After her mother realizes Linda and Madeline are not the same, she abandons Linda at a young age, forcing her to survive on her own until one day she 'escapes' and then we find ourselves 12 years later with Linda learning to live on her own. Linda continues to battle with the demons of being a clone and being abandoned by her mother.

I think people that enjoy science-fiction and virtual reality gaming will connect to this book a lot more. For me, I felt a big disconnect and therefore was disinterested in most of this story.

I really enjoyed reading Forget Me Not by Alexandra Oliva. I read a lot of domestic & psychological thrillers, so it takes a lot to “wow” me, but this book did exactly that. The plot is original, the characters are intriguing, and there’s the perfect amount of suspense. I can’t wait to tell my friends & customers about this book!

Forget Me Not is a compelling and genre-bending thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Every time I thought I could predict where the author was taking the story, another plot twist would completely throw me off. Living alone in a near future Seattle, Linda Russell spends her days keeping to herself and only leaving the apartment long enough to please her over protective father. When a new neighbor seems to be oblivious to Linda's past, Linda feels like she may have a chance at friendship for the very first time. When her abandoned childhood home is a target for suspected arson, Linda finds the courage to return to the place where she spent the first twelve years of her life. This unexpected visit will trigger a chain of events that will force Linda to come to terms with her abusive mother, her distant relationship to her father, and the emotional trauma of learning you were only born to replace the daughter a mother couldn't bear to lose.
This is a stunning and fascinating take on the effects of isolation, trauma, and the power that science gives people over the lives of others. Highly recommend for fans of Blake Crouch, Alex North, and Sarah Gailey.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

I do love a good slow burn mystery! The characters are endearing, the narrator is unreliable, the story is creative...I branched out from my usual genres and I am so glad I did! I loved the nerdy nods - the definitely-not-Skyrim VR game, the "Nibbler" and lightning fast "Leela" reference, the wait-is-this-ACTUALLY-a-simulation moments. It skirts the edge of sci fi without ever making that leap, but it works for the story. It's lacking a bit of the shock factor that people seem to like in mysteries, so if you need a huge twist, this mystery probably isn't for you. The story unfolds with good pacing, and the added "extra" bits between chapters really do seem necessary. I can't tell you my favorite part without giving away some of the story, but....the author NAILED the mindset of a fifteen-year-old girl. The depth of understanding she gives to each character is wonderful. I can't say "Forget Me Not" makes my list of favorite reads of the year, but if you want a relevant, modern, interesting mystery, don't miss it!

This book is a tricky one - the first third of it is all over the place: narrators, style, place and time, but once the pieces start fitting together, it goes at a breakneck pace. I lost track of time and found myself reading for hours when I had only meant to take a little break - HA!

The story takes place in the near-future, so technology is a little more advanced than what we are using now, but not so far off that you can't believe they will be here soon. Linda is 24 years old and living on her own in a small apartment in the city. Her distant father is also very controlling - he has secured this place, keeps an eye on her bank account and all technology, even tracking her to make sure she goes outside once a day.

When a new neighbor (and her dog, Nibbler) move in, Linda starts up her first ever friendship.

Linda spent the first 12 years of her life being (not) raised by her mother in a cottage in the woods. She was born there, as a replacement for her first daughter who had died. But she could never be that daughter and was always doing the wrong thing. Her twin, though? She was perfect. And then one day, Emmer was gone and Linda climbed the fence and left the cottage and her mother. She became a sensation as a nearly feral girl and her father began taking care of her.

So what happened to her mother? Her twin? What is the truth and what is made up?

My thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.