Review: Forget You by Jennifer Echols

I would first like to thank Jessica over at Confessions of a Bookaholic for introducing me to Jennifer Echols; I had no idea what I was missing out on. All I know is, if I never got to read another book by Jennifer Echols ever again, I would be devastated. It's like if you have two empty cups, say cup A and cup B, and cup A has always been empty, but cup B was once full of water and then got poured out...cup B would seem so much more empty to you since you actually saw what it looked like full. OKAY, never again will I try metaphors after midnight.

Anyway, Jessica had told me that I needed to read Going Too Far. So, I ordered it at Barnes and Noble. When it finally came in, I was in the middle of reading As You Wish by Jackson Pearce. Then Jessica threw me off course. Our conversation went like this:

Me 8:00pm: "I picked up my copy of Going Too Far today!"
Jessica 8:01pm: "You HAVE to read it. It's so amazing!"
Me 8:02pm: "I have to finish As You Wish first. I can't just switch books, and I refuse to read two at once."
Jessica 8:03pm: "COME ON, you'll love it! I know it!"
Me 8:04pm: "I'll start tomorrow after I finish!"
Jessica 8:05pm: "I'll tell you what. Just read the first 10 pages of Going Too Far, and then you can go back to As You Wish if you want."
Me 8:06pm: "Fine..."

***

Me 6:02am: "OH MY GOSH! I JUST FINISHED GOING TOO FAR, *dies* IT WAS FREAKING AMAZING!!"

And that my friends, is when the Jennifer Echols obsession commenced. I immediately (well not immediately...Barnes and Noble doesn't even open until 9:00am) went and bought Endless Summer; it was so, so good. And now, her most recent brilliant book is Forget You. Did I mention it's brilliant?

Why can't you choose what you forget...and what you remember?

There's a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four year old girlfriend. Like Zoey's fear that the whole town will find out about her mom's nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she's the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon. But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there's one thing she can't remember at all--the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug--of all people--suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life--a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.

Holy Toledo Batman chocolate starfish! Forget You obviously had high expectations; we wanted a hot, sexy guy, a jealous-of-a-fictional-character inducing romance, and a storyline that would be bouncing around in our heads long after we finished it. We got so much more than that I thought my heart might explode, but in a totally good way...because we all know there are some people whose hearts can explode and they'll still be perfectly fine (just nod). Forget You is the second book in Jennifer Echols' romantic drama series. And even being warned by the aforementioned series name doesn't prepare you for how romantically dramatic this book is.

Zoey has got it pretty rough. Her dad knocked up his twenty-four year old employee, Ashley, and tells Zoey's mom that he's divorcing her. As a result, Zoey's mom becomes extremely depressed,and she tries to kill herself. Zoey can't tell anyone...not just because she's fearful of what the town might think, but also because her dad threatened that she would regret it if their secret got out. And Zoey's boyfriend, Brandon? TOTAL player. The thing is though, it's hard to hate him because he's sweet, and totally open with Zoey about seeing other people. The person you kind of find yourself hating is Zoey. She deserves someone so special, and totally committed to her *cough*Doug*cough*, yet she continues to stay with Brandon knowing that he sleeps with other people. That doesn't mean Zoey is an annoying character--she has her reasons for what she does--but she frustrates, that's for sure.

And Doug, amazing, beautiful Doug. Once I got over the initial urge to sing the What Do Tigers Dream of song from The Hangover every time I saw his name, there was no stopping my swooning. The only thing about him I know I can elaborate on without exclamatory run-on sentences is this: If even when he's being a total ass, you love him...think about how you're going to handle him being at his sweetest, and most passionate.

I have absolutely nothing negative to say about Forget You. Jennifer Echols, as always, does a beautiful job of developing real relationships and scenarios. The cover is gorgeous...and this may make me a nerd, but I've decided that Zoey's eyes being closed represents her trying to remember why she feels so happy with Doug, and Doug looking at her represents HIM hoping she remembers there's a reason she should feel that way. While I fear that last sentence was somewhat convoluted, I think you understand what I was trying to say. Basically, to quote my friend Courtney Rae, "Forget You is as wonderful as we all imagined."