Forget Me Not

By: Alyson Derrick

Narrated by: Natalie Naudus

2023 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature Longlist

Perfect for fans of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Five Feet Apart, this tender solo debut by the coauthor of New York Times bestseller She Gets the Girl is a “punch to the gut in the best way” (Booklist, starred review) about the strength of love and the power of choosing each other, against odds and obstacles, again and again.

What would you do if you forgot the love of your life ever even existed?

Stevie and Nora had a love. A secret, epic, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. They also had a plan: to leave their small, ultra-conservative town and families behind after graduation and move to California, where they could finally stop hiding that love.

But then Stevie has a terrible fall. And when she comes to, she can remember nothing of the last two years—not California, not coming to terms with her sexuality, not even Nora. Suddenly, Stevie finds herself in a life she doesn’t quite understand, one where she’s estranged from her parents, drifting away from her friends, lying about the hours she works, and headed towards a future that isn’t at all what her fifteen-year-old self would have envisioned.

And Nora finds herself…forgotten. Can the two beat the odds a second time and find their way back together when “together” itself is just a lost memory?

Critic reviews

"Natalie Naudus captures Stevie’s playfulness and passion toward her secret girlfriend, Nora. The pair are excited about their plan to leave their homophobic Pennsylvania community to find acceptance in California. But an accident robs Stevie of two years of memory, including her feelings for Stevie and her sexuality. Naudus embraces Stevie’s confusion and desperate need to fill in the voids. She depicts Nora’s constancy before the accident and afterward reads Nora’s unsent letters to Stevie with sorrow. The distant tone she gives to Stevie’s conservative mother reflects the mystery that Stevie can’t understand. At the end, Naudus’s tender narration works well as Stevie rekindles her relationship with Nora, recalls her sexual orientation, and reconciles with her parents."

Great story

Great storyline with fantastic characters. Natalie did an excellent job narrating this book, the characters seem to come alive as I listened.

Can't forget this one

I've listened to this several times now. Its the perfect mix of angst, bittersweet, and uplifting. Ultimately the tale of a love so strong, the soul remembers even if the mind doesn't.

*spoiler*

It ends happy, very happy. And the hard journey to get there is really worth it.

I love this book and will certainly keep coming back to it over and over. (I've also ordered the physical copy of it even though I can't read physical books, just to have it as a talisman. Also gorgeous cover)

excuse me while I bawl my eyes out!

The way I bawled my eyes out!! I can’t remember the last time a book actually made do that. Stevie and Nora’s story is so raw and beautifully told. I wish I could step into their world and see what happens next.

The power of memory and the lack thereof

It’s amazing how Derrick shows how freeing losing a memory can be - even if discombobulating. I also loved how nearly losing someone might cause a shift in one’s thinking when they really know how much they could lose. Beautifully told story.

Beautiful!

This was not a romance, this was a pure, innocent love story, at an age where you feel that the world is yours, that you can do anything, and sometimes, that you found the love of your life.
So far it’s my favorite YA/coming of age book and I’m excited to listen more of this author.
Narration was perfection!