Friday, May 2, 2014

Forget Me Not (Flowering #1.1) by Sarah Daltry - Ashley's Review

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Title: Forget Me Not (Flowering #1.1)
Author: Sarah Daltry
Year Published: 2013

Orange Blossom Cover & Trailer Reveal

Synopsis: 
This isn't a sweet and innocent coming of age story. If dirty talk, bedroom toys, and threesomes offend you... this is not your book. There are also no billionaires, strippers, or anything like that. This is just the story of typical college kids trying to connect to each other. 


"No one tells you when you start school just how homesick you will be, or how hard it will be to start life over with no direction and no friends or family. No one says that becoming your own person is terrifying." 

had a crush on her brother's best friend, Derek, for years - which led to their steamy night ten months ago in her bedroom. Now, she's off to college and she and Derek are still going strong. However, when school starts, Lily realizes it's hard to maintain a relationship, while also trying to live her own life. She and Derek find themselves falling apart and she has no idea where to turn.

Enter Jack. Everything about him is wrong for Lily and she knows it, but she can't stop herself from being attracted to him. When things implode with Derek, it's Jack who's there to pick up the pieces - and to show Lily an entirely new set of experiences she didn't know she was missing.
Of course, Jack has his own problems and once Lily gets to know him better, she starts to wonder if she can handle all of Jack. 

When Derek reappears on the scene, Lily is forced to decide between two guys and herself. Can she find herself without losing the people who matter in the process?

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Review: Forget Me Not is not the type of book I normally read. New Adult Romances have just never really appealed to me, and while I don't actively avoid them, I don't seek them out. But guys, I'm actually really glad that I read this book. It's definitely for the 18+ crowd, but it was so much more than just another contemporary romance. 

Lily is such a complicated girl. Sure, her life might seem perfect to an outsider looking in, but she's totally out of her element when she goes to college away from all of her friends and family. Most of this book is about Lily discovering herself and trying to become a person who can stand on her own instead of one of those girls who always has to be someone's girlfriend. I really enjoyed watching her transformation from "Derek's girlfriend" to just Lily, and I was actually really proud of her for taking time to find out what she likes, who she wants to be, and how her friends/boyfriends should and will fit into her life. 

I wasn't always Lily's biggest cheerleader though - I thought she made some bad decisions and jumped into things too easily, and sometimes I felt like she was being a real brat. But all of those things are learning experiences, and I ended up liking her most of the time. She's very real, and I really appreciated that. Jack also felt very real, although his circumstances are very extraordinary. It was nice to learn about him as Lily did, but I'm actually pretty excited to read about his side of the story in Lily of the Valley. 

The book takes place over Lily's first semester at college, and there were times when I felt like it was a whirlwind of a semester. Unless it was stated at some point, I couldn't really judge the passage of time very well, but I think it works in this book because even when I was working on my undergrad degrees I often felt like I had no idea what day it was or how much time had passed. College is very much a whirlwind experience, and I think Sarah captured that very well. 

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of NA Contemporary Romance books, especially if you don't mind when things get graphic and intense. If you're looking for a sweet, cute, summer romance, then this is not the book for you. The sex scenes are there, and they are important, but they don't take up the entire book. There's still a story and character development and all of that jazz, and I think that's what really sets this book apart. I'll definitely be continuing this series! I can't wait to learn more about Jack and Alana, and continue Jack & Lily's story. A 4/5! 


--Ashley

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