Blue wakes up to find that people are treating her strangely, and to find a backpack full of orange juice, a mysterious note telling her to take a bus the next day at 7:45am, and a photograph taped to the inside of her closet. When she gets on the bus mentioned in the note, Adam Mendoza joins her, and she quickly learns that he was a part of her life. She can’t remember him at all.

In a near-future YA novel reminiscent of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Blue wastes pretty much no time in seeing if there's a way for her to retrieve her memories. And in doing so, she learns that it's not just Adam she erased, and that some of the things she's believed about herself and her history aren't true.

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this one. The pacing was great, I loved the fragmentation and focus on sensory input during the parts of the book related to Blue's memories. I appreciated the portrayal of the impact of grief/loss/trauma, and how it varied for different characters. I also really appreciated that, unlike Eternal Sunshine, this was not just about the relationship. There's an incidentally nonbinary side character, and incidental (though minor) Jewish representation.

On the other hand, there were a few things in this book that didn't work quite so well for me. The way that the narration discusses race and ethnic identity felt oddly...patronizing? Micoraggresive? in a few places. I also found development of the relationship between Blue and Turtle lacking, and wished there was a little bit more there. I think because so much of the story is framed within the context of memory, I wished I'd had a little bit more present orientation before we got to that point.

I think this book will appeal to young adult readers, and to readers who like near future, Black Mirror-esque Sci-Fi.

Wow! Starts a little slow, but just keeps getting better! A fantastic book - really enjoyed the story, and by the middle couldn’t put it down until I saw how it ended! Great read!!!!

Not the right time for me for this one but I think some people will really enjoy it!!! The premise really drew me in & I’m hoping to revisit in the future when I’m more in the mood to give it my full attention

Remember Me was a captivating and interesting read. I wasn't sure where things were going but enjoyed the first half where you figure out what is going on, and the second half where you learn all that Blue forgot as she starts to remember.

Blue wakes up and realizes that something's not quite right in her life and finds a note telling her to meet them the next day (her birthday). She meets Adam, a guy she has an instant connection with. After spending a little time together she realizes that she knows Adam already but isn't sure how as she had all her memories of him erased. This causes a big ruckus and Blue goes back to the facility to reverse what she's done. Trusting the reversal procedure, Blue goes to find out what could have possibly been so bad for her to want to forget.

The novel is sad, but not in a devastating way. I loved the idea behind this book but it was a little confusing to start off with.

Blue Owens, a high schooler, wakes up one morning and senses that something strange is going on, Everyone is acting strangely toward her and she is having a hard time remembering things. She finds a note in her room that says meet me on the little blue bus at 7:45 and she also finds a picture of herself with some children that she doesn't remember. After much thought, she decides to get on the blue bus and runs into a young man that seems to know her. Even though she doesn't know who he is, he seems very familiar. She decides to take a chance and agrees to spend some time with him. They are discovered by both their parents, and the truth is revealed. Blue has had her memories erased on purpose and Adam Mendoza is one of those memories, as he was her boyfriend.

Blue decides to find out what led her to make this drastic choice and to try to get her memories returned to her by finding the doctor that did the procedure.

This was a great story, although I am not fond of one of the characters in the story using they/them pronouns, as it is very hard to read and it is unnecessary to the story. Otherwise I really enjoyed reading it.

I really tried with this, but I just couldn’t stay invested or interested. I think the writing was amazing and the concept was super interesting to me, but somewhere along the way, something was lacking to keep me involved.

I really wanted to like this book. The pacing was great, the characters alive, the suspense built beautifully, but I just couldn't seem to find a connection to anything. I actually DNF it near halfway through, but please don't let my review keep you from trying it yourself! It has some amazing moments of genius, but overall, just didn't click with me.

I want to start this off by saying I am a HUGE HUGE Estelle Laure fan. When I saw her latest was up for request on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance. However I didn't love this book as much as I have loved her other ones. I think the main reason why is because of its similiarities to Suzanne Young's "The Program", the biggest one being a memory wipe. I liked this better than the Program. I thought it was more personalized and there was much more back story to why Blue had her memory wiped where as in Young's book it seems to be the parents decision and not the teens.
The only thing I was torn with how I felt was the handling of the grief aspect. Spoiler warnings: The two MCs Blue and Adam had both suffered devasting losses. Adam lost his father. Blue lost her sister. Adam's father died from cancer with his family by his side. Blue's sister V drowned, and was all alone. Adam's last words to his father were filled with love. Blue's last words were full of anger. Adam's father had lived a full life. Blue's sister was 12.
It made me angry how many people reacted to Blue and her grieve process. Blue believed she was responsible, in fact her mother said as much. So I was hoping that adults would be a little more understanding of what she was going through instead of going off on her. I'm not even talking about her immediate adult family, but rather her best friend's mother. Her boyfriends mother etc.
I did however adore ADORE the relationship between Blue and Adam and also Blue, Turtle and Jack.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book, but it was not what I was expecting. I though it would be more about the ability to erase memories, but it was more of a story about grief and how we process that. I thought the character development was wonderful and realistic.

Honestly I gave this a big try. At about 30% in I just gave up. I felt like I was looking at words on a page. Constantly asking myself if I even comprehended any of it and the answer was NO. I couldn't grasp any of it. This not getting it baffled me and the plot were not for me. I read the description and it seemed like a great escape for me. I gave up and it is a big DNF

I loved the idea behind this book. It was a really interesting and easy read, managed to finish within a day. It was a little confusing to start off with but I loved how the author brought the reader back through the life of the MC through memories.
Very emotive.

Full review will be on my blog. Thanks for the opportunity to read tgus, really enjoyed it.

The parallels between this and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind are clear throughout the reading of this book. I will say that I truly loved the Jim Carey movie of that name and have watched it numerous times.

To say I wanted to read this based of the blurb given would be an understatement. I was excited to have a story seeming so much like that. To say I am angry with this book is also an understatement.

This book is problematic and borders on unethical. As a mom of a teen with mental illness who has attempted suicide I was infuriated with the way the subject was handled in this book. But, that is not the only issue I have here so though I prove my bias opinion in this understand that is only a portion of my dislike.

The fact that this book glorifies psychological experimentation on children and teens is disturbing. I don’t know what I was expecting but I did hope the teens in the book would be older somehow. Though it would not have made this any better.

The inclusion of an LGBTQ character to me was seemingly an afterthought of the author or editor to give more to a story that was clearly problematic as well. I can’t help but wonder if the addition was not to celebrate a under celebrated community but, instead to exploit it for their own gain.

Remember Me starts off strong and compelling from the first page. Blue wakes up and realizes that something's not quite right in her life. Her friends act a little weird, she's got orange juice in her backpack, and she's remembering things wrong. Then she finds a note for her to meet someone the next day (her birthday), and she trusts it. She meets Adam, a guy she has an instant connection with, but feels weird about. After spending a little time together she realizes that she knows Adam already-but has had all her memories of him erased. Since it's the 2030s, this is a normal procedure people have done to erase bad memories. This causes a big ruckus and Blue goes back to the facility to reverse what she's done, but the head doctor won't comply-but the other doctor wants to help. Trusting in this other doctor who has only ever used the reversal tech on herself, Blue goes to find out what could have possibly been so bad for her to want to forget.

This was a captivating and interesting read. I really didn't have any clue where things were going, and I enjoyed the half and half of the book-the first half where you figure out what is going on, and the second half where you learn all that Blue forgot as she remembers as well. It's sad, but not in a totally devastating way. Even though it was intense, I wish it went even further into some of it-the doctors, a little more of an epilogue, etc. But in a way some of the vagueness kept it entertaining.

If you're a little bit emo and enjoyed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but young adult style, this could be for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A quiet brilliant mash up of Suzanne Young’s Program and Kaufman’s brilliant screenplay “ESOSM”!

Charlie Kaufman’s “Eternal
sunshine of spotless mind “is Oscar awarded story on 2005 from best writing-original screenplay category: when a relationship gets sour, the couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories.

I always admired this creative idea of the story and “Meet me at Montauk” is still one of my favorite lines. But I also thought the story suffered from lack of emotional level. It was a little mechanic, dark, obsessive love story!

When I read the blurb about Blue Owens’ story ( her name also reminded me of Kate Winslet’s vivid blue hair color in the movie! ) I get so excited about different approach to this original concept! And I must admit this book brought out the sentimental level I was looking for.

Blue feels restless. There is something extremely bothers her but she cannot put her finger on. She feels like so pieces inside of her are missing. She suffers from emptiness. As she keeps questioning the reason behind her awkward feelings, she finds a note from someone tells her to meet with him at a bus! She never heard of the specific bus and its schedule.

But when she rides in, she meets with Adam and the driver seems like he knows both of them and he seems like he’s happy to see them together. What is going on?

But she gets an answer quickly when she stops by the hospital and she realizes she had a procedure to get rid of specific memories in her mind! Why did she decide to do something so extreme?

I’m not giving away more. You need to read to learn more about Blue and how her story will conclude!

But this book makes you question so many things in your lives. If you had a chance to stop the pain when your grief hits so hard and you hardly breathe, feel dropping tears wash away your face, what would you do? Would you let your memories leave your mind or would you try harder to embrace your pain and get thicker skin, wearing your big girl pants!

Because the pain scratches your heart also is a part of yourself! It hurts like but it also teaches you important lessons. It helps you to understand your priorities in your life!

I loved the author’s execution of this brilliant idea and her approach to the grief!

I enjoyed the heartbreaking adventure of Blue Owens!

This is exhilarating, intense, smart, heartfelt reading journey I highly recommend!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books For sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I went into this book with no good or bad opinions from other readers, so I was able to read it on a clear slate (or should I say <i>Tabula Rasa</i>?). I am grateful that I was able to receive Remember Me as an ARC by NetGalley and bring exposure to this upcoming release! I'd like to note that I'm not rating the book 3 stars, but actually 3.5 stars.

Suppressing memories in order to forget one's pain. Blue Owens paid to have specific memories erased, but doesn't know the reason for doing so. I liked the idea that Blue feels as if she's missing something and how we see the people around her living in the present while she is trying to figure out her past. Remember Me shows how being stuck in the past whether it is good or bad affects the people in your life because now they have to visit the past as well.

I enjoyed reading this book because there are times in my own life where I wonder how better my life would be if I could erase some memories. Blue shows us that covering up memories you don't wanna face or remember anymore does not have a long-lasting positive effect. The only way to overcome such memories is to realize life goes on with or without you. (Of course, everyone handles pain differently and there's not one way to tackle it.)

The reason I gave this book 3.5 stars instead of 5 is because it wasn't a book I could call a favorite and would wanna reread (maybe once every few years). There are points in the book where I just wasn't a fan of and I didn't like how the diversity in terms of sexuality and race/ethnicity was mentioned, but was then pushed to the back. Kind of like it was there, but it also wasn't? I like how the author wanted the book to be inclusive because this book is more diverse than some books out there. It was a great fast-paced read and I am so happy to have been given the chance to read Remember Me!

When life can bring you lots of hardship, we tend to want to escape the past. But our memories and our journey in life is what makes us who we are. Blues life has been hard and the only good thing in her life is Adam but she can see her grief and pain is destroy their love for each other. Blue decides to undergo a new treatment to take away painful memories. But the heart knows the ones we love. Will Blue be able to find Adam again?
Thank you Netgalley for complimentary copy.

It is similar to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Would you want to erase your memories and start over? Blue wakes up one morning, feeling like something is missing. She finds a photo of herself with other people she doesn't remember in her closet and a note to ride a particular bus at a certain time in her pocket. When she sees Adam on the bus, the driver says something about it's good to see them together but she doesn't remember Adam although something tells her to trust him. The book follows Blue as she tries to piece together her past to figure out why she wanted her memory erased. At first I was annoyed she went through all this just for a boyfriend but Blue actually has a lot of trauma in her life that got her to this point.

This story was so good! I didn’t fully appreciate it until nearly the end, but it all came together and showed all of the human condition. I loved the quirky characters (extra kudos for the non-binary Jack!) and felt like I was there with them. They were complete people, and the story definitely showed off the good and bad of them all. The author made an unfamiliar concept become crystal clear and turned it into a lovely story. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc in exchange for my honest opinion. Definitely recommend!

When I started reading Remember Me, it brought to mind a movie that I won't name here, because this novel was so much better than that movie. Blue Owens wakes up one morning feeling off and can't quite put a finger on what exactly is off. She finds a note telling her to meet someone on the bus, but she has no idea who wrote her this note and what that person might want. She decides to get on the bus and that's when she discovers that her feeling off has a definite cause, she made the decision to have her memories removed. When Blue starts to try to figure out why she would do this, she finds herself back at the doctor's office searching for help. What is most powerful about the novel is that it shows clearly and truthfully how pain, grief, loss, joy, desire, and fun are the essential parts of who we are and who we become through the lessons each of those emotions teaches us. While it may seem to be a good choice to remove from our memories the things that have caused us pain, we learn from Blue that pain helps us grow and in the end, she embraces pain and loss in her life and so should we.

If you’re old enough to know who Jim Carrey is then this book might feel a bit familiar. It’s kind of like his movie ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ only with teenagers and a whole lot of ethical issues that would have the APA (American Psychological Association) and AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) along with their global counterparts angrier than Republicans on the day Biden got elected.

Throughout my lifetime I’ve read thousands of books and publicly reviewed hundreds. Out of all those I can count very few that caused the visceral reaction I had with this one.

Rarely have I felt so angry at a book I wanted to throw my iPad. In trying to explain myself to my bestfriend I couldn’t even stick to English as my outrage caused neural pathways to cross and just sputter into chaos trying to decipher my emotions so I ended up splitting into Spanglish with a bit of Gaelic mixed in.

Before I go on I will admit to some biases that more than likely colored my experience that others won’t have so they won’t have the same issues I did.

1. My degree is in Psychology and the idea of ‘Informed Consent’ plus the ethical issues of experimenting on children-young adults has been drilled into me making the flaunting violations of these principles part of the story line (and the fact that only 2 people with just 1 of them being an adult seeing that and trying to do something about it) an issue for me.

2. I’m a suicide survivor and have a major problem with how the subject was treated in relation to what they would do about it

3. I have also been gaslighted and as part of that had my memories, sense of self, sense of what is true/fake, etc messed with and know how incredibly damaging it can be. The fact that didn’t seem to be taken into account or that the story was set up to make it seem like it was for the greater good angered me to no end

I’ve been working in mental health for a long time, I do a lot of community mental health initiatives and particularly under covid mental health became a major hot button topic but this book to me treated the entire subject so cavalierly and disrespectfully.

I can see though teenagers/young adults finding certain aspects romantic and some wishing memory erasing procedures were a thing but for me I just can’t get over the damage and as the book proved possibility for abuse. There was no good pay off at the end to be able to say yeah this stuff happened but everyone realized the consequences so they learned something making the journey worthwhile and necessary – though at least 2 characters came closest to that realization.

I do think there needs to be some kind of trigger warning for those who have had various mental health struggles so they know going in what they could be facing and decide if they’re in a strong enough place to handle it.

One positive though – the author did a good job incorporating a character from the LGBTQ community and addressing the proper pronouns.