You Won’t Forget Me by Mazey Eddings

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t realize this when I started the book but this story is follow up to Tilly in Technicolor and while it’s a separate story and you do not have to read it first, Oliver and Tilly do make a brief appearance in this book.

Oh my goodness friends. I just finished this book and I’m just sitting here in all my feelings. You Won’t Forget Me hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting. I felt myself reading this book the same way I listen to a song that understands me better than I understand myself. Mazey Eddings writes with a kind of emotional rhythm that feels honest, raw, and deeply resonant.

We meet Cubby Clark and her dysfunctional band Tea Time Tantrum. They are trying to recover from their frontman and Cubby’s ex boyfriend Connor’s betrayal and departure from the band to further his solo career. Along the way Cubby’s fear and insecurity start to spiral as she becomes obsessed with her public persona and addicted to reading about herself on the internet as a heartbreaking attempt to control the narrative and avoid her confusion about her true identity.

While reading, I found myself pulled back into my teenage years, a time when I was trying to make sense of who I was while quietly carrying feelings of shame, guilt and anger that I didn’t know how to express. During this dark time I turned to music for comfort and solace. The way Eddings explores those tangled, vulnerable emotions and talked about the power of music felt incredibly familiar. The characters’ journeys—their uncertainty, their misdirected attempts to heal, their small steps toward understanding themselves and each other felt real to me.

I was pretty emotional by the end of this book. It reminded me that the healing process is always ongoing , we are constantly evolving and that even in pain and uncertainty, there can still be love and connection to be found.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!!

A masterpiece that cracked my chest wide open

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC!!! I’m two days post-read and still thinking about this book. Honestly? I don’t even know how to move on. You Won’t Forget Me is one of those heartbreakingly beautiful stories that settles into your bones and refuses to leave.

From page one, Mazey Eddings delivers writing so raw and intimate it almost hurt to keep reading—but I couldn’t stop. Cubby’s life is spiraling, her sense of self fracturing in real time, and it is absolutely devastating to witness. Her voice, her pain, her longing… it felt real. Like I was holding someone’s heart in my hands.

And the quotes?? I’m gonna be thinking about these forever:

“I would erase every song in the world if it meant bringing you back to me.” —Darcy

“She’s my muse and my torment and my best friend and the love of my life.” —Cubby

Tell me HOW I’m supposed to function after reading lines like that.

The whole band—Darcy, Harry, Kale, Skull—felt like a messy, fierce, found-family hug. But Cubby and Darcy? Ohhh my GOD. Their friends-to-lovers arc was absolute perfection. And listen, I normally hate this trope with my whole chest… but not here. Their softness, the history humming between them, the slow unraveling of something they were both too scared to name—it was flawless. And the rock-band setting? I didn’t think I’d care, but I ended up obsessed.

Eddings doesn’t shy away from the heavy stuff either. Depression, grief, alcoholism, shame, the brutal ache of trying to figure out who you are when the world has already labeled you—she handles it all with honesty and compassion. Cubby’s fixation on her public persona, the internet spiral, the desperate grip on a “narrative” she could never control… it hit way too close.

At times this book felt like the literary equivalent of that one song you listen to alone at night because it understands you better than you understand yourself. It took me back to my early twenties —to when I felt confused, angry, guilty, when I was trying so hard to make sense of myself but finding solace in music and art because nothing else felt safe.

By the end, I was a complete mess of emotions in the best possible way. You Won’t Forget Me is a reminder that healing isn’t linear, that identity is complicated, and that even in the darkest seasons, love and connection still find their way in.

A masterpiece I’ll be thinking about them for a long, long time.

Dang, this was good. A friends to lovers sapphic romance, yearning, fake dating (but not each other) and add in a rock band, this was bound to be a banger.

I adored the romance here. Cubby and Darcy were so deeply romantic. The yearning and the connection these two had was incredible. I really liked their friendship but their romance was even better. I liked their chemistry a lot. And the angst?! I was living for it! The love story here will steal your heart.

I also thought the rock band was a fun group and introduced an interesting commentary on the music industry.

You can tell Eddings is a fantastic writer. She is able to tackle complex issues without feeling preachy or overwritten. The way she can balance humor, complex characters and emotions is truly a feat to behold. Plus her writing just flows so you don't want to put the book down.

Would highly recommend and totally predict this being a hit.

This was a phenomenal read! There was so much tension between Cubby and Darcy, it was almost radiating off the page. I loved the yearning that went along with the tension, it was so well done. I loved the band and their antics. All of the characters here felt so real to me. If you like Daisy Jones & The Six and Long Live by Taylor Swift, you’ll love this book!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins for the advanced copy! All opinions are my own.

This was FUN! The yearning between Darcy and Cubby was SO good and I was fully invested in the whole band! This is a really fun read for any lover of romance, band drama, or some good old fashioned pining for a forbidden love.

What a fun book! This one had it all: romance, fake dating, yearning for each other & the seemingly impossible, a supporting cast of characters that was enjoyable, and surprise appearances from a previous story. Since the rock band was so fun, I’m giving this one the NetGalley version of a Grammy Award :-)

Mazey Eddings is back on her sapphic game!! You Won't Forget Me was sooooo good. I always love how well Eddings handles swoony romance mixed with real depth and real-world problems. Will be sharing this one with everyone!

First off, making me cry was so needed. But also, these characters? Amazing. I loved how much depth there was to them. I was begging for more and it DELIVERED. An absolutely amazing story and the love was so, SO good.

I’ll read all of Mazey Eddings queer contemporary romances at this point. The covers come off as bubbly and sweet, but what’s inside always dives into the emotional strife of living with such raw honesty that she’s brought me to tears many times.

Cubby Clark is the lead of her band (though she would never call herself that). After her toxic ex breaks things off, shoots to his own success, and heavily points his finger at her for leaving him broken-hearted through his music, Cubby is left reeling over what to do next. The obvious answer is for the band to make a new album and correct the narrative. Which would be easy if she didn’t feel her depression creeping back in. And if things didn’t get complicated with her best friend/bandmate Darcy after having a passionate night fueled by a long forgotten kiss shared when they were younger.

This story tackles so much. Coming to terms with an identity you never considered for yourself, but was so obvious once you connected the dots. Depression. Social media addiction. It’s easy to get annoyed with Cubby and her messiness - but that’s such a huge part of this character and her narrative. She IS messy. She IS stubborn. She IS her own worst enemy and constantly talks herself into scenarios where she’s not worth the room she takes up. It’s heartbreaking and relatable if you’ve ever suffered from depression and I just wanted to give her the biggest hug through the whole book. And the way Mazey wrote her SM addiction and how that led to a deeper spiral feeding her inner demons with negativity?!?! R-E-A-L and something many can take note from….

“It’s human nature to want to be known… I just don’t think we were meant to be known in such a curated, digital way.”

Oh, Darcy ❤️ I loved her character so much and absolutely loathed her bigoted parents. I want her and Cubby to live out their happiest lives after this book. I loved all the band mates as well as Cubby’s parents too! The conversation she had with them about her depression ripped by heart open. I can forgive a predictable ending when it’s as sweet as this one.

In short - I loved this sapphic love story and highly recommend if you want an emotional (also hilarious when it needs to be) read. You’ll find forced-proximity, fake dating, mental health rep, and coming out stories within.

***Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.***