Forget Me Not: The hottest rom-com of 2023

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Forget Me Not is not a story about fixing the past, it's a story of rediscovery. It's about rediscovering what it means to love someone, and how to have dreams and the will to pursue them. I know this is a book I will hold closer to my heart with each day that passes. I hope you let it enter yours. The amnesia trope is one of my favorites in fiction and up until recently, kind of a unicorn in sapphic stories. There’s a lot going on in this book which could have set up a mess of a narrative but the author does a good job of keeping it all together. The big moment of truth is great but it’s the little clues that make or break an amnesia story. Stevie has to rebuild her sense of self from the bits told to her by others. Lies, prejudices, hidden agendas, nobody is a reliable narrator she is learning. Meanwhile, Nora has to eat her own heart, watching and hoping that somehow she and Stevie can still be together. Okay. Good night, Stevie. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She pauses; then, ever so softly, she whispers, “I love you,” as if she’s saying it into my ear. She doesn’t just sling it around like she’s said it as many times as she actually has. She says it like she means it, each word encased in her whole heart.

I begin my journey in the south-west of England, where I take a short train and cycle ride to Bodmin Moor to see one of the UK's rarest species of butterfly, which is persisting deep in the heart of the Cornish mire despite unimaginable challenges.

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But then Stevie has a terrible fall and the last two years of her life are erased overnight. Suddenly Stevie finds herself in a life she doesn’t quite understand – she’s estranged from her parents, drifting away from her friends and dating a boy she can’t remember crushing on. She’s headed towards a future that isn’t at all what her fifteen-year-old self would have envisioned. Rep: both MCs read as lesbians although term isn't specifically used in the book (Stevie struggles to come to terms with that part of herself, let alone use the word "lesbian"), Stevie is also Korean-American.

In the first half, Oliva also begins establishing a number of plot threads as well as filling in the details of this futuristic world. On the one hand, this made the earlier parts of the novel feel rather slow, though on the other, I really enjoyed how the narrative was able to capture Linda’s state of mind in a way that felt genuine and believable. Some of the more fascinating moments involved the character’s exploration of technology, and her subsequent observations about the internet and social media had a slight feel of a cautionary tale. A highlight of this section was also Linda’s relationship with Anvi, not to mention how enlightening it was to view our protagonist through another’s eyes. I enjoyed this story, a mix of mystery, a tiny taste of the future, and the perils of social media and virtual reality.

Just a wonder of a book. Stevie and Nora are getting ready to ditch the small minds and the tiny aspirations of their small town. They’ve kept their love a secret but now it’s time to start the rest of their lives together. Unfortunately, an accident causes Stevie to lose memory of the last two years which means Nora is a stranger to her now. One thing I love about Nora is that she oozes passion. Pure unfiltered passion, for all kinds of things. It’s easy to get excited when you’re around her, even about stuff you never cared about before. The entire story is told mostly through Linda’s POV and sometimes her neighbor, and possible friend, Anvi. It is sometimes difficult to be in her head because it’s so hard to relate to her since she is so far removed from what we consider to be normal in our current society. But mostly you just feel really sorry for her and want to give her a hug and let her know it’s going to be ok. It was very compelling to be with her as she grows and learns more about the world and people around her and when you get to the climax of the story you’re really rooting for the hidden strength in her and want to see her come into her own.