The Forgetting

The Forgetting #1

by Sharon Cameron

What isn't written, isn't remembered. Even your crimes.

Nadia lives in the city of Canaan, where life is safe and structured, hemmed in by white stone walls and no memory of what came before. But every twelve years the city descends into the bloody chaos of the Forgetting, a day of no remorse, when each person's memories – of parents, children, love, life, and self – are lost. Unless they have been written.

In Canaan, your book is your truth and your identity, and Nadia knows exactly who hasn't written the truth. Because Nadia is the only person in Canaan who has never forgotten.

But when Nadia begins to use her memories to solve the mysteries of Canaan, she discovers truths about herself and Gray, the handsome glassblower, that will change her world forever. As the anarchy of the Forgetting approaches, Nadia and Gray must stop an unseen enemy that threatens both their city and their own existence – before the people can forget the truth. And before Gray can forget her.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Audiobook

403 pages, Hardcover

First published September 13, 2016

About the author

Sharon Cameron was awarded the 2009 Sue Alexander Most Promising New Work Award by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators for her debut novel, The Dark Unwinding. When not writing Sharon can be found thumbing dusty tomes, shooting her longbow, or indulging in her lifelong search for secret passages.

Reviews

[s · Rating 1 out of 5]

WARNING: lots of f bombs coming your way.

What a waste of my fucking time.

For those of you looking for a short and simple review:
Boring as fuck and confusing as fuck with a disgusting romance.

Here's a longer review:
This book could have been good if it weren't so fucking confusing and long and boring and had some extremely let-me-drink-some-bleach worthy romance.

The whole idea of the Forgetting was really unique and new, but I didn't really understand it and was hella confused to it because it was so fucking boring.

The Plot:
What. the. fuck is. the. plot??? Was there even a plot?
If there was please let me know.
There was no fucking action until the last 7%???? part of the book. The entire book was either Gray fucking smirking or idek bc idgaf???

The Characters
I hated them all. And I want a sequel where Gray fucking dies tysm. I hate his fucking smirking so fucking much, words cannot describe my fucking hate. Literally 3/4 of the book was this little fucker either "smirking" or "grinning." Like can you not fucking smile bitch? Ty.

The Romance
What a horrible mother fucking romance. I'd rather cut my fucking organs out.
SIMPLY DISGUSTING

Overall:
I found myself wishing the love interest fucking died.

⊙※⊙
BR with my favs May the innocent child, The Dark Empress and Cutie Maggie.

[jv poore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine awaking with no knowledge of who you are. You don’t know your name, or age. None of your surroundings are familiar. The distraught children barricaded inside with you are strangers, but the look of terror covering each little face reflects how you feel. They, too, have Forgotten.

In the white-walled world of Canaan, you carry your life story with you in the most literal way: hand-written in a journal kept close (if not tethered) at all times. Every moment lived will be written down accurately and truthfully. When one journal is filled, it is maintained in the Archives. Histories—both individual and collective—are compiled and preserved here; a necessity based on an inexplicable, yet infallible, occurrence that robs the residents of their memories every twelve years.

Every rule has an exception and here, it is Nadia. Having been a child during her first Forgetting, she still realized how different she was. She did not Forget. Admirably altruistic, cunning and courageous, this character could carry the story. A grudging acceptance to partner with Gray, the Glassblower’s Son, subtly shows her softer side and adds a bit more urgency and suspense to an already captivating caper.

The real scoop is revealed like ripples in a pond. The grab-your-attention-splash of the impending Forgetting expands into a more complex mystery. Perhaps it is the limited memory, or maybe life without modern conveniences keeps people too busy to ponder, but; no one seems to question the wall around the city. Again, except for Nadia. She’s been over the wall and noted differences. In her city, stone is jagged—as if freshly broken or cut. The other side of wall has stone that has been worn smooth. She wonders, “…does the wall protect us, or keep us in?”

Already intrigued by the idea of a periodic, mass-memory-erase, I became completely captivated considering circumstances that could have resulted in the walled city. My wildest imagination is not even comparable to Ms. Cameron’s creative genius; I was astounded.

This review was written for Buried Under Books by jv poore.

[♛ may · Rating 1 out of 5]

Buddy read with the lovely Francesca, Sana, Empress, and Maggie


DNF @ 50%

So, I didn’t want to start the year so early with a DNF, cause that’s just unnecessarily rood, - especially for me – but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’d really like to figure out how to induce a forgetting (or a //selective// forgetting perhaps) so that I can FORGET the torture that is this book.

I tried so hard to like this book, to finish this book, to be remotely interested in this book but sometimes it just ain’t your problem.



If you wanna get a brief understanding at how this whole forgetting game works. . .

The Forgetting, explained:
At the first sunrising of the twelfth year, they will forget. They will lose their memories, and without their memories, they are lost. Their books will be their memories, their written past selves. They will write in their books. They will keep their books. They will write the truth, and the books will tell them who they have been. If a book is lost, then so are they Lost. I am made of my memories. Without memories, they are nothing.

Ughhhh.



Despite the beautiful cover and the very promising synopsis, in actuality, this book is a knock-off version of a successful dystopian ft. too much confusion and not enough action.

It’s basically just this special snowflake, dystopian girl who has the whole world against her and whose family wants to disown her, but she will singlehandedly save the world and restore humanity – with a hot smirking guy by her side, of course. OF. COURSE.

I think the era of dystopians have passed us.

#StopTheDystopiansPlz


But how easily that truth can be twisted. Bend a little here, omit a little there, make yourself into the person you wish you were instead of the person you are. How easy to cut the truth away,



1 star!

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: September 13, 2016
Rating: 5 stars
Source: ARC received from trade

Summary (from Goodreads):

What isn't written, isn't remembered. Even your crimes.

Nadia lives in the city of Canaan, where life is safe and structured, hemmed in by white stone walls and no memory of what came before. But every twelve years the city descends into the bloody chaos of the Forgetting, a day of no remorse, when each person's memories – of parents, children, love, life, and self – are lost. Unless they have been written.

In Canaan, your book is your truth and your identity, and Nadia knows exactly who hasn't written the truth. Because Nadia is the only person in Canaan who has never forgotten.

But when Nadia begins to use her memories to solve the mysteries of Canaan, she discovers truths about herself and Gray, the handsome glassblower, that will change her world forever. As the anarchy of the Forgetting approaches, Nadia and Gray must stop an unseen enemy that threatens both their city and their own existence – before the people can forget the truth. And before Gray can forget her.

What I Liked:

OH MY GOODNESS! I don't even know how I'm going to write a coherent review of this book! I'm no stranger to Cameron's books - I've been following her publications as they publish - and I feel like they get better and better as she writes more and more. This is quite possibly my favorite Cameron book! By rating, it must be (I've given her other three books four stars each), and I think I indeed like this one the most!

Every twelve years, the Forgetting occurs, in which one day, people forget everything. And so everyone must keep a book on them at all times, and write down everything, so that when the Forgetting occurs every twelve years, each person will know their lives by their memories. But Nadia the dyer's daughter remembers everything. She remembers when the last Forgetting occurred, when she was a little girl. She remembers the chaos that fell on Canaan. She remembers her life and she remembers that her book, after the Forgetting, was taken, and a forgery was left in its place. Now, on the eve of the next Forgetting, Nadia is determined to understand the Forgetting, and make this one different. She wants to know why Canaan is walled and no one is allowed out, why the Forgetting occurs, why her father left and her mother and sisters. She and Gray the glassblower's son uncover a history of truths that are nothing like what is told to the people of Canaan. Nadia only has so much time before everyone - including Gray - forgets everything.

What an incredible book! I'm going to be honest - I knew very little about this book before reading it. I didn't even read the synopsis. I saw that it was a Cameron book and I added it to my to-be-read list without a second thought. I loved The Dark Unwinding, A Spark Unseen, and Rook, and I knew I would like this book too. And I loved it!

Nadia is so different from the YA heroines of late! She's so quiet - literally. She just doesn't say much. When she and Gray first interact, you can see how it sometimes frustrates Gray, how Nadia is so tight-lipped. I love this quality of Nadia's. She has many secrets (because she remembers), and if she tells the wrong person, or misspeaks, she and her family would be in danger. Nadia is such a kickbutt girl, but not in a high-action way. She's a quiet rebel, who likes to climb the wall and go to the other side, and is never in bed before curfew. Nadia is inquisitive and intelligent, clever and determined. But she is subtle and quiet, a force you don't see coming until it's upon you. Nadia's character growth is subtle, but you can see the difference in her from start to finish.

Gray is someone Nadia did not expect to catch her climbing back from the other side of the wall. He demands that she take him with her next time, or he'll turn her in. There is something about Gray that doesn't add up to Nadia. He's always had a way of getting everyone to love him, and Nadia is determined not to be one of those people. Gray is charming and funny, charismatic and just as stubborn as Nadia. He's also just as clever, and protective in a way that isn't over the top. Add Gray to the list of Cameron heroes I adore. All three of them are the perfect book boyfriends.

When I said I knew nothing about this book before reading it, I meant that! I only knew that it had a vibe similar to that of The Purge - or so I thought. This book is not fantasy or paranormal or whatever I thought it was - it's science fiction! I love science fiction! YA does not see nearly enough science fiction, in my opinion.

I don't want to spoil things but guys, the science fiction aspect of the book (i.e. basically, the book) is SO cool. It's comes as a plot twist, hence why I don't want to spoil much, but it's awesome and a little mind-blowing. All of the answers are right in front of our faces and we don't know it! Neither did Nadia and Gray. Epic!

I love how Cameron weaves this story. There are so many sub-stories that tie back in to the main story, and everything meets at the climax. This book is told from Nadia's POV, in first person, but you get a clear sense of the subplots in this book. Nadia's older sister's dalliance, Nadia's crazy mother, Nadia's father's behavior, Rose's significance... there are so many little seeds that Cameron plants everywhere, that spring forth towards the climax of the book. Brilliant!

Have I said anything about the romance yet? In classic Cameron fashion, the romance is sweet and subtle, and yet powerful and strong. The romance was more present in this book than her other three - meaning, it has more of a presence, it impacts the story more. I didn't mind this! Gray and Nadia are great together. It's somewhat hate-to-love, with lots of banter (kind of? Nadia doesn't talk a ton, yet somehow, there is back-and-forth between her and Gray and it is great). And then the romance is also a tiny bit steamier than in Cameron's other books. Still not super steamy, but more so than her other books. I love the romance in this book!

Relationships are so important in this book, and not just the romance (which was lovely!). Nadia has two sisters, an older and a younger. The older sister suspects that Nadia is not her sister, since the last Forgetting jumbled everything (as they usually do). Nadia has a hard time connecting with that sister, even though she knows the truth (the sister doesn't). But Nadia has such a wonderful relationship with her younger sister. It's very positive and sisterly, and I loved seeing them interact! Nadia barely has one parent (her mother is a little lost in the brain), so her parental relationships aren't great. But Gray has a beautiful relationship with his parents. You'd have to read the book to see what I mean! It's very special and heart-warming.

The last one hundred pages or so seemed like truth after truth, reveal after reveal. I could not read fast enough! There was so much happening (not overwhelmingly so though), and several heartbreaking events occurred, and I was sure Cameron was going to break my heart. But then she didn't! I love how this book ended. It is an amazing ending and I could not have asked for more!

What I Did Not Like:

I don't think I have anything to say here!

Would I Recommend It:

I feel like I could gush about this book for days! And knowing me, I probably will. I highly recommend this book to science fiction fans, but I feel like anyone who likes YA books with a lot of depth would enjoy this story. Cameron has such great writing, and all of her stories are so perfectly woven and fashioned. I recommend all four books of Cameron's!

Rating:

5 stars. I rarely dish out the 5-star rating, but I couldn't not give this book 5 stars. How amazing was this? Very amazing! Definitely one of the most impressive YA books for the year.





Pre-read squees:

I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nastassja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

“The past is never really gone. It only lies in wait for you, remembered or forgotten.”

This book is not as simple as it might look in the beginning. At first, it reminds you of something you've read or seen before: A sheltered society, walled from the rest of the world. No one knows what's outside, no one dares to cross the wall. People live by the means of manual labor. The whole system is pretty simple and Middle Ages like. But there's one peculiarity about it: every 12 years there's a day - The Forgetting - when people forget who they are. Their memories just vanish and no one can remember what they were before, unless they have written that in their books to read and understand - understand, not remember - who they were. No one knows how long this cycle continues, no one remembers. No one but Nadia - MC of this book.

Nadia might seem as a special snowflake being the only one who remembers, but she's not. All she wants is to understand what happened to her family, why her father changed their books and vanished from their lives, why now he has a different family. Being the only one who remembers seems more like a curse than a blessing. Nadia feels lonely and isolated, she doesn't have friends and her family thinks she doesn't share the same blood with them. All that left for Nadia is to find the truth, and the more she begins to understand, the more secrets - buried deep in the dirty ground - she digs out.

We are supposed to write the truth, for no one to see but ourselves. But how easily that truth can be twisted. Bend a little here, omit a little there, make yourself into the person you wish you were instead of the person you are. How easy to cut the truth away, to throw it in a fire, open your eyes, and have the whole world remember nothing of who you are. Nothing of what you’ve done. When you will not remember who you are or what you’ve done.

The Forgetting is a complex mechanism. Every time you think you've opened one door, there's more. Every time you think you've understood the characters, they surprise you. This book is not a kind of book that will make you go crazy with emotions; it's slow-paced, it hurts on a deeper level that makes you want to crawl inside your bed, push a blanket above and forget that somewhere out there there's fear and pain.

I have lived my life so frightened of pain it’s been paralyzing. I hate pain, but I hate fear more, and I’ve eaten fear every day of my life because of the Forgetting.

Everyone in this book lies; some forget their lies, some don't, but for how long can they hide behind The Forgetting?

But who can find the truth in Canaan? Janis doesn’t tell it, the Learning Room doesn’t teach it. My father has twisted it, Mother half forgotten it, and the Forgetting is the thief that steals it.

One more thing I can't not mention is the romance. Somehow Sharon Cameron manages to create highly likable male characters, and Gray the Glassblower's son is not an exception. If you are into witty, cocky but kind type of heroes (yes, René Hasard from Rook, I am looking at you), Gray will definitely appeal to you. He and Nadia have such an amazing kind of chemistry and no unnecessary drama in the process. I think it's a rare thing in YA these days.

I am deliberately keeping most of the story's details to myself, because it's a kind of story you need to open page by page for yourself. I am sure that many of you starting this book will think that it's a fantasy novel, but it's not. The book hides its roots as masterly as the cover hides crucial answers to the story's mysteries. I must say, it was a pretty genius decision to hide the truth on the surface, because no matter how long you look at the cover or think you know what this book is about, you'll never guess the truth: you have forgotten the truth, and to remember it you need to look on the pages of The Forgetting.

[Tammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Forgetting was almost put on my DNF list but I seriously hate not finishing a book- especially one that I paid for and arrived signed in my book subscription box. The first half of the book was slow and I was utterly confused but the second half really picked up and got more interesting as I learned what The Forgetting was really all about. Overall- a really interesting book.

[Danielle (Love at First Page) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5-5 stars

Four letters: S-H-I-P.
Also, what a gripping story! Loved this book to pieces.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Today I found I’m not afraid of the unknown. Today I discovered that the unknown loved me, and that I loved it back.”

Wow! So this book turned out to be much, much better than I've ever anticipated going into it. I think it even became one of my favourite Dystopian/Sci-fi novels!
It's dark, gripping and suspenseful, all the secrets pulls you in until you have them figured out. At first, The Forgetting seems just like any other Dsytopian book, but I can assure you, it is not. It's intriguing, imaginative and amazingly different surprise of a story!

“When I was a child, wanting to know the truth was called curiosity.
Now that I am grown, the truth I want to know is called a crime.”

Not only is the world-building great and the plot intriguing (also keeps you constantly guessing), but the characters are also amazing. I could 100% connect to the fierce and silent main heroine Nadia, and the love interest - Gray, was just about completely swoon-worthy. He's just the right amount of charming, witty, and also kind guy. So yes, I ship it!

“Knowing the truth makes me alone. I wrote that once, but I think I was wrong. Fear of pain is what has made me alone. But today I realized that pain and love have a balance. I can feel so much of one only because I feel so much of the other.”

I wasn't really interested in the author's other Dystopian novel - Rook before, so I guess now I will need to get into that one asap.

Also, this is kind of irrelevant to this book and all, but I could not stop thinking about The 100 tv show while reading this. No idea why. (Either something about this book reminds me of it, or it's just me missing the show too much!)

“The past is never really gone. It only lies in wait for you, remembered or forgotten.”

**********************************************

Preview:

“I have forgotten.

When I first opened my eyes I saw a room of white stone, and the light was bright, too bright, coming into the room from two high windows. I have never been so afraid. I don’t know this room. I don’t know this girl who woke with me, or these children who cry, their faces streaked with black lines. They’ve forgotten, too. But this book was tied to my wrist, and the book says I have a family, and that my family will be marked with dye so I’ll know them. I think I have to believe the book.”

--------

“We are made of our memories. Now we are nothing. It feels like death.
What have we done to deserve this piece of hell?”

How ominous... I am intrigued already!

[Melissa (Mel’s Bookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a while since I read a YA book. I have gone off them a little bit to be honest - all the angst. However, this one sounded good and I was in the mood for something other than thrillers and sci-fi/fantasy for once. Happy to say it was a winner! I listened to the audio version.

All of the residents of Canaan live a sheltered life within the city walls, each resident learning a trade and enjoying their lives. Except for every 12 years when each person forgets everything, their lives, their families, and their identities. In a bloody rampage the forgetting occurs, and the only way that everyone knows who they are is if they have written it down in their books. Everyone except for Nadia that is. She remembers... Everything. And some people have not been writing down the truth, some are not who they think they are. Another 12 years is nearly over, and another forgetting is approaching. Can Nadia stop it from happening before everyone forgets again?

What an interesting premise! Even though it had the typical YA vibe to it, it kept me interested with its unique storyline and twists and turns.

It had a cute romance and NO LOVE TRIANGLE!!! WOOHOO!!! A decent YA that isn't centred around an annoying love triangle is hard to find because they are so bloody common! I thought that one was going to happen at the start but was happy when it fell flat! I really enjoyed the slow burn of the romance. It was perhaps slightly too slow, but I still enjoyed it.

What I didn't enjoy was that the plot itself moved quite slowly. A lot of things happened... Slowly... There were a few too many descriptions once the universe was already set out and a few too many interactions between characters that didn't really need to be there. I did find that it dragged on a little bit, so that brought the rating down a bit for me.

Still, I could look past these minor annoyances and still really enjoyed it. The twists and turns were great, loved the reveals along the way and I still can't get over the cool storyline.

A solid 4 stars!

Did I enjoy the narration?
Hmmm yes I did. Therese Plummer narrated the audio version, and she was really good, but at times I got a bit frustrated with the whispy theatrics. I wasn't a big fan of her male voice portrayal either but I think that's just me. There are very few female narrators that I really enjoy to be honest. I am not sure why.

Would I recommend The Forgetting?
Yes! If you are a fan of YA you will no doubt enjoy this one! Even though it was slow in parts I found it ultimately satisfying and I am glad that I read it!

And the cover!!!! Wow! Beautiful!

I purchased The Forgetting at my own expense on audible.com

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[Irene ➰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.6/5

“At the first sunrising of the twelfth year, they will forget. They will lose their memories, and without their memories, they are lost. Their books will be their memories, their written past selves. They will write in their books. They will keep their books. They will write the truth, and the books will tell them who they have been. If a book is lost, then so are they Lost. I am made of my memories. Without memories, they are nothing.”

I wanted to read this book since a very long time. I ended up enjoying it a lot, but unfortunately, my expectations where higher.
The idea and concept is SO good. I love books where memories are the main protagonists. I love to read the reaction of the characters and their behaviours and enter in the characters’ mind.

The beginning of this book is not one of my favorites. I was a little confused and in the general the first half is pretty slow.
The Forgetting is always the main subject but we live first a lot the lives of the people living in that place, Canaan.

The set of MAIN characters is very good though. They are well built and I really liked they main one, Nadia.
I had some problems with the side characters. There are a lot of names and sometimes it was hard for me to keep track of everyone.

The strength of this book is definitely the concept of the books being your only information about who you are after the Forgetting, what actually is the Forgetting, and the whole setting once we find out the story behind that city.
I enjoyed a lot the second half. Finally something interesting started to happen and things got a lot clearer and adventurous.
The whole discovering of what’s in fact that city and what happened before was very exciting and informative.
The whole finale then was full of action and twists and it really got my attention.
I appreciated a lot that before every chapter there’s a little extract from one of the books that people must keep, basically all of them are from Nadia’s.

The writing style was okay, it wasn’t neither excellent nor bad. It was somehow easy to follow the whole main story with some little problems regarding the side characters but overall I had a great time reading this very interesting story!

[Suzzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3*-3.5*

Interesting plot that kind of made me wonder how many people would want to go through a forgetting if given the opportunity. I will read the second for book that comes out in October for sure. I haven't read Rook yet by Sharon Cameron but have it on one of my living room bookshelves so thinking it is time to move it to my end table or nightstand for reading. She seems like a very creative author.

[AziaMinor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Wow. Wow.

[Vivianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoiler free mini review

The Forgetting: 4,00 stars
The Knowing: 3.75 stars

What I really enjoyed was the main character. I felt like she was a little different from the usual ya heroin. She was quiet, thoughtful, clever, made right choices. I really enjoyed following her as the main character. I was also not bothered by the romance and found them even cute at several points of this book (even though the romance was quite stereotypical). The other characters were also great, even though I wish I got a bit more from them.

This book was also written very well. There are some gorgeous quotes and inspiration in it. I loved every second of it. It just kept me engaged from the first until the last page and I had trouble putting it down. It is also a very fast read. Unraveling the mystery with the main character was so much fun.

I LOVED the plot, so much. I’ve always been very interested in the future and human colonizing on other planets. And I felt like this one was very well done for such a short book. I really liked reading about it. Another thing I liked was the concept of the forgetting and how people will deal with this. Very intriguing and cool to see. It really got me thinking about our live and what was better? Plus the writing in books and carrying them around was so interesting. The science aspect in this book was just so cool.

I was also quite surprised in the turn that this book took 2/3 of the way through. In the beginning I thought it would be probably a Maze Runner or Divergent reasoning behind the city. But it took a turn that was phenomenal. And I loved how all the subplots came together in the end and made everything tie together and made sense.

Now for the few let downs:
- I still felt like I missed something. I can’t put my finger on it exactly but since this book is a standalone (companion aside) and it was quite short, a lot was crammed into it.
- The other reason this book didn’t get 5 stars was that it was very YA-like, in the way that nothing really stood out from the other YA books I’ve read and that made some things a bit predictable e.g. the romance and character development.
- Furthermore I felt like I wanted a bit more explanation about everything! How is earth? What planet are they on? What is over the mountains? Etc.. I felt like the world could have been a bit delved into deeper, but that is just because I was very interested in it.
- And the final thing that was a bit of a mwhe for me was that in the end you still don’t find out why Nadia is the only one that doesn’t forget. That was a letdown for me.

But overall I did really like the ending and I am diving right into the companion book! The ending was very well done for a standalone and full of action and twists. It also doesn’t leave an empty hole in my chest. And to be honest it’s been a while after I have been so satisfied after a ya book.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Knowing the truth makes me alone. I wrote that once, but I think I was wrong. Fear of pain is what has made me alone. But today I realized that pain and love have a balance. I can feel so much of one only because I feel so much of the other"

*4.5

AHHHHHH THIS BOOK! I honestly loved it. The only reason why it's not a full 5 because this new year I decided I'm going to be much more particular about my 5 star ratings. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I DIDN'T ADORE THIS BOOK. And what's funny is that I can't really even put my finger on exactly what I liked about it so much. But I will attempt to pinpoint some things I really enjoyed =)

This book gave me The Giver by Lois Lowery and also Incarnate by Jodi Meadows vibes. It had this mysterious, dystopian feeling to it and I was honestly wondering the whole time what was going on. I will admit it wasn't the most original thing ever. But I was honestly surprised by what was actually going on. I went into this book having read some pretty negative reviews saying this book was slow and uninteresting. Idk if those people read the same book as I did because I personally thought the pacing was spot on. Yeah not everything happened right away, but the story needed time to develop and I was ready to kick some ass there at the end because it was building throughout. The whole concept of this world is FASCINATING. The basic summary is enough to grab your attention but it gets even more interesting as the story progresses. Overall, I thought the world and concept was just brilliant!

NOW TO THE CHARACTERS. I absolutely loved all of the characters. I did think Nadia was a bit immature at times but I honestly loved her and being inside her head. GRAY WAS PERFECTION CAN WE JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE HIM?! When he was first introduced, I did not trust that boy. But I grew to love him and Nadia so much. AH. AND THE ENDING! I also enjoyed Nadia's sisters. Even though it didn't focus much on them, I still really enjoyed their presence in the story. The main "villain" in this story is just horrible. Sorta your typical dystopian villain but I still thought they were nasty and self-righteous and man did I hate them by the end.

So, overall I just really loved this story. It was fun, quick, and interesting. The only thing I guess I would change is giving the side characters maybe a bit more light. I'm not sure whether there will be a sequel... but if there is I'm 100% for that =)

"Because I dare."

[lydia ‧ ia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing.

Sharon Cameron writes with a beautiful and crystal-bright voice. The Forgetting sucked me in from the first page to the last with its vibrant world, 3D characters, and gripping plot. I wholeheartedly wish that the sequel was about these same characters because I grew so emotionally attached to them throughout these 400-or-so pages. I can’t get enough!

Nadia was an incredible and unique main character and her character arc was amazing! Her slow-burn romance with Gray was adorable and I just love both of them so much 🥺❤️‍🔥 either Nadia, Gray, or Genivee was my favorite character but I loved them all 🥰

AND THE PLOT. It was just so complicated and well thought-out!! Ack!! HOW DID SHARON CAMERON THINK OF ALL THAT 😭😭 AND THE TWISTS 😳💀

My literal only complaint is that Gray grows a beard and I despise beards 🤧💩 I will continue picturing him beardless thank you very much 😂

Highly recommend for fantasy or sci-fi -and kind of dystopian?- readers or just ANY readers in general! You won’t regret reading it 😉

~God bless and Happy Reading ❤️~

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED!!

Every 12 years, everyone in the city of Canaan forgets their past. To never lose their memories, they write detailed accounts of their lives in books they keep with them all the time. Without their books, their past is lost. But Nadia has never forgotten, and as her city comes up to another Forgetting, she is determined to keep her family together and avoid getting caught in the chaos that will come with the event.

I knew very little about this book when I started it and the story went in some directions I didn't expect, which was awesome. It's impossible to talk about a lot of that without spoiling the story, but I loved discovering what this story turned out to be. I also adored the characters. Nadia's a quiet fighter - in that she doesn't talk much and doesn't open up easily, but she's fierce and has her reasons for why she is that way. Because Nadia remembers, she has a different perspective on her world than everyone else. Where they're all afraid of what is beyond the surrounding walls, she regularly sneaks out of the city. Nadia is very careful, until one day she's caught by Gray, the Glassblower's son. Gray seems at first to be your typical charming hero who's a bit of a player and an opportunist (not my favorite type), but I fell hard for him too, and he proved himself as well. Watching them slowly trust each other was lovely. They make a great team. I enjoyed watching them work together, plus their romance was goooood.

With time ticking down quickly to the next Forgetting and long held secrets begin to unravel, the intensity and danger of the story picks up. And Nadia fears that for a second time, she'll be the only one who remembers.

I liked ROOK a lot, but loved this MORE - this was a much quicker read too. Clearly, I need to get to reading THE DARK UNWINDING ASAP.

Love triangle factor: NONE
Cliffhanger scale: Standalone!!

[Angela Maria Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just received this novel in my Uppercase box and I am REALLY excited to read "The Forgetting."
My Unboxing Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYbtM...

[Jaime (Two Chicks on Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every once in a while a book comes out that surprises me with how fantastic it is! The Forgetting is one of those books! I love Sharon's books and knew I wanted to read this but I didn't expect it to be so damned good! This will definitely be on my top 10 favorite books list this year! I loved the world building, the romance, and the very "purge" like aspect to the book! I almost wish it weren't a stand alone! I'd love more Nadia and Gray!!!

[kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edit 9-29-19: Was going through my shelves and realized that I don't remember much about this book, and I think that if I were to re-read it at this point, I wouldn't love it as much as I did the first time. Therefore, I'm going to drop my rating to 4/5 just because I don't think this is a good representation of my current taste, favorite books, or 5/5 ratings. Would consider re-reading at some point, but for now I'm playing it safe and dropping it to a 4/5.
---

So. That was fantastic. All of the stars. 10/10. (5/5)

I found out about this book through Katytastic and immediately went to my public library and snatched it up because the premise really grabbed me.

The Forgetting takes place in a dystopian town called Canaan, where once every 12 years, the Forgetting happens. At the Forgetting, everyone forgets everything about themselves. Everyone's whole memories are completely wiped. Because of this, everyone keeps their journals with them at all times so that they can write everything about themselves down and read it once they've forgotten who they are. However, our main character, Nadia, has never forgotten. When The Forgetting came around, she retained all of her memories while everyone else around her lost theirs. Because of this, she knows that some people have not been entirely honest with themselves... or each other. As the next Forgetting quickly approaches, Nadia finds herself in the midst of the mystery surrounding The Forgetting, attempting to figure everything out before everyone she cares about forgets her.

As you can tell from my rating, I freakin' loved this book. I found the premise to be incredibly intriguing and was immediately engrossed into this fascinating society. I've seen several people mention that they found some of this novel to be slow, but I wholeheartedly disagree. I read this book in 2 sittings and found that it was a really hard book for me to put down. The world was incredibly fascinating to learn about. I found the characters to be really likable (tried not to love Gray & failed hardcore). The plot was really intriguing. Overall, I thought everything came together for a really awesome novel.

That being said, and despite my glowing rating, I do want to note that this is a YA novel and that it does contain some typical YA tropes. If that bothers you, maybe steer clear. I fully recognize that there are some tropey elements to this book, but they didn't bother me. I'll be honest, after finishing the book and reading some reviews where they mentioned the tropes, I considered lowering my rating because I thought, "You know, they're right-- those are some fairly familiar elements." But then I thought about it some more and reminded myself that this is my rating/review, not anyone else's and I'm 100% allowed to love whatever books that I find myself loving. SO. I give you that whole long-winded internal soliloquy to say that I loved this book, recognized the tropes within it, and didn't find them overbearing. BUT, if you're particularly sensitive to YA tropes, this may not be the best read for you... although I'd still say you should totally read it because it was awesome ;)

But seriously, overall it was a really interesting and unique read that I absolutely loved and highly recommend for fans of dystopia. This is definitely a new favorite for me.

Original note (10-22-16):
Not going to write a review *just* yet because I want to get everything mentally together so I'm not just gushing, but I wanted to quickly note that I didn't think this book was slow at all. Maybe it's because I was so intrigued by the story, but I started the book and got through 120 pages in that first sitting because of how interesting it was. And then I read the rest of it in a second sitting because I was obsessed. So TBH I'm really confused by all the people saying it was slow because I didn't find that to be the case in the slightest.

[nick (the infinite limits of love) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

Having loved Rook by this author, I was looking forward to reading The Forgetting, especially after it garnered great reviews from close blogging friends. I’m glad that I listened to them and read The Forgetting, because it’s one of my favorite YA reads of the year. It not only had a refreshingly original storyline, but it also had a cast that I loved from the start.

I’ve read two books by Sharon Cameron now, and it’s obvious that she’s a pro at her characterizations. I love how vastly different, yet subtly similar her heroine, Nadia, is from her heroine in Rook, Sophia. Nadia is a very quiet heroine throughout most of The Forgetting. Despite her quietness, she possessed an astounding amount of strength to her that made her very easy to root for. She’s a brilliant heroine in every way, but mostly I loved her determination, her resilience and her desire for wanting happiness for her loved ones. Everything she does, it’s for the sake of protecting her family. I don’t see how anyone could dislike her or not want to root for her success throughout The Forgetting.

Her love interest and ally, Gray was just as loveable. There was a very charming and endearing quality to him and the boy sure could make a girl swoon with just a few words. I love how he grew protective of Nadia and wanted more than just friendship with her, but he never impeded her goals. He allowed her to take the lead and that to me is a great romance in YA. This was seriously one of my favorite ships of the year. Together, Nadia and Gray were really sweet, but there was also an honesty to their relationship that made me root for their happiness.

The world building and plot in The Forgetting was also all-kinds of epic. I went into the book without reading the summary, so I was expecting much of anything, but Sharon Cameron’s play on memories, science fiction and dystopia easily impressed me. It’s a fascinating world, where people lose all their memories every 12 years and people write their memories down in books so they can find their families. It’s a complex world and the intricacies of the ethics of writing the memories, or even having the ability to change the memories, was fascinating. I loved that the book had the ability to surprise me with its turn of events. And the villains? I was never 100% sure if they were evil or good or even what their motivations were.

There were lots of great themes in this book, but I particularly enjoyed the relationships. Besides the romance, Nadia shared very complicated relationships with her sisters, one who seemed to hate her guts, and the other who loved her beyond reason. It was interesting being those different shades to a sibling relationship. Then there was the topic of Nadia’s mother’s mental health issues as well as her father’s abandonment of his family. I love it when a book can make me feel and think at the same time.

The Forgetting was an unforgettable (pun intended!) read. I enjoyed every minute of this highly creative and engaging story and going on this journey with this terrific cast. Part of me loves that this is a standalone, but the other part is sad because I would have loved to spend more time with them.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love love love.

This book took me completely by surprise. Starting out with a Hunger Games dystopian vibe to it, we meet Nadia who lives in a small primal town with walls surrounding it that no one is allowed to venture beyond. Of course Nadia does just this to try and find food for her family and answers about the forgetting. The forgetting is an event that occurs every 12 years in this town where all residents lose all memories. They are taught to have a book on their person at all times and to write down all truths about themselves so that when this forgetting happens they can read it and relearn who they are, who their family is and what they know about life. Nadia is the first person to go through forgetting and didn't forget.

This concept is what drew me to the book and as I was reading it brings up so many thought provoking ideas. Although it is highly frowned upon and illegal, you can essentially alter history and everyone's perception of you without even knowing you are doing it. We see the horrors of this life when we find out that you can not only rewrite your family's books without you in them and alter your own, you can do something horrible like abandoning your family without even experiencing the guilt of doing so because you won't remember you did it. Instances like this sparked so many thoughts in my own mind while reading this. I love books that introduce a concept that leave me questioning things well after I read it. This is one of those books.

This book was cruising along at an enjoyable pace for me until we hit about the halfway point and the mystery starts to be revealed and it does a 180. I was, of course, trying to figure out what the twist was going to be and to be honest it took me completely by surprise. Which I love when that happens. This book literally changed genres on me and I could not have been more pleased with the plot shift.

While this does have a bit of insta-love and some stereotypical dystopian tropes and cliches, this book stands out in my mind. I loved every second of it and have been singing its praises since I read it.

Read It!

[Keertana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I didn't expect The Forgetting to become by favorite of Sharon Cameron's works when I picked it up. It's a complete 180 from her typical brand of historical fiction, for one, and for another, this novel is much more mature and dark from the beginning. I loved it. I haven't read a sci-fi/dystopian thriller in what seems like years, but is almost definitely a few months. Cameron's launch back into the genre, with a fresh new twist, surprised me--after all, I was quite sure we, as YA consumers, had exhausted everything this genre had to offer. I'm glad the era of Hunger Games look-a-likes and love-triangle infused tropes are over, though, so that a novel like The Forgetting can hopefully set the tone for future sci-fi/dystopian reads.

Nadia's world revolves around The Forgetting, an event that happens every twelve years and wipes away the memories of every human in her village. As such, her society is protected by walls--because who knows what's outside when no one can remember?--and no one ever leaves the house without their books, where they have written everything they can remember about each day. Their books are their truth and without them, they are no one. It's a shocking, dark realm but Nadia is seemingly the only one who can remember. As threats of food shortages emerge from the Council who governs Canaan, Nadia begins to use her memories and her knowledge of the world outside Canaan to solve the mysteries behind her town--and hopefully save her family, too.

Nadia is the heart and soul of this story and I loved her narration. It's unflinching and honest, in a world where no one remembers and lives could very well be built on lies. I was with her every step of the way as she uncovered the layers to Canaan and the plot twists were not ones I saw coming in the least. Nadia's relationship with her family--her mother, on the brink of craziness, her older sister, who believes she's an imposter, and her younger sister, who loves her dearly--were impeccably written. Many of the secondary characters truly came alive and I loved the romance with Gray, the glassblower's son, who becomes central to both the plot and to Nadia's growth. It's the perfect slow-burn with plenty of development but it takes a back-seat when needed to the action and plot at the core of this story.

My only complaint with this novel is that the ending felt a little too Disney-like for me. Just one villain, just one hero, etc. There are so many gray layers to the secondary characters in this story that I was disappointed by the black-and-white treatment of the villain. I love this world, though, and am so curious to learn more about Nadia's future exploits that I hope Cameron writes a companion novel, or the very least a few novellas to satisfy my curiosity. For fans of Cameron, or even those who haven't been charmed by her historical fiction/steampunk works in the past, The Forgetting is a completely new venture from her and one I think older readers, in particular, will appreciate. Cameron's previous works definitely read on the side of naivety, when it came to her heroines, so I love that she holds back no punches with Nadia's fierce personality. Believe me, you won't be forgetting this story very easily; not even in twelve years.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading The Forgetting I was sure that I had read this book a million times. I thought it was going to be a rehash of Hunger Games, Divergent, & Matched but as I got into it I was pleasantly surprised. The Forgetting is a fresh & exciting fantasy/ dystopian page turner. I hope this book gets a sequel because I need to know more about this world. I recommend this book to people who love dystopian futures with controlling governments.

[Fafa's Book Corner]

DNF

Mini review:

I have read the authors standalone book Rook and was looking forward to reading this. Unfortunately this wasn't for me.

It was really brutal and very heartbreaking. It was also a little weird. Not my cup of tea.

Still recommend.

[Pili · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Forgetting is one of those books that starts a bit slow, with very few details and knowledge at first but not in frustrating way, given how forgetting and not knowing anything beyond the most recent 12 years before another Forgetting is the way people live in this world Sharon Cameron has created.

The writing was amazing and by going with Nadia's POV we both know what goes outside and inside of her head, because she's quite a silent one but there's so much going on in her head all the time! I loved how her bright self started poking out from the shell all through the book and she has a really fantastic character development!

She was so ready to fight for her family and to give them the best chance of being together and save in the next Forgetting and that plan changes and evolves as she finds out more about what's really going on on her partnetship with Gray.

Gray was also a very interesting character, one that at first is coloured by Nadia's memories and that seems to have two faces, depending on what memories Nadia focuses on. He really grew on me and I was glad that Nadia continued to keep him as an ally even when some revelations came up.

The world building was simply fantastic, starting with so little and making it grow and grow with little hints here and there and then finally more explanations and revelations, but they really did not shape the book so much as the choices the mains characters and the secondary ones had to make.

The biggest strenght of this book is not the amazing world building, the fantastic writing or the brilliant character development but the way all of it came together and shined when the hard questions were asked and how the book simply gives us so much to think on the choices made and what might have changed and which one would really be the right choice and if there's such a thing for everyone.

Science fiction with dystopian feelings, this brilliant standalone book will keep you guessing all through the pages and will leave you with plenty of food for thought for days after you've read it! 4.5 to 5 stars!!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Sooooo good, even after a slow start. I liked getting acclimated to their town/world. I loved the twists and turns in the second half; it totally kept me interested right when I thought I was losing interest. THE SHIP OH MY GOD. I loved Gray and Nadia so much. I can't wait to see what's coming up in the next book!!

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Holy sh** this book is boooooring af!

This book in a nutshell (for those who don't want to read ramblings):


What would have improved this story:


Okay, okay. I am a little biased.. I have made my distaste for dystopians known at this point, but I think this one is above and beyond terrible.

Things I did not care for:
- Boring and confusing... My faves **eye roll so hard my eyes are now stuck in the back of my skull**
- Generic/blah characters.
- Basically, everything expect the cover (that cover is stunning.)

And then there are gems like this:
"Who would have thought in forgetting we could lose so much."

Whhhhhhaaaaat?????

Literally anyone could tell you in forgetting everything every 12 years, you would lose a fuck ton of knowledge. How would you expect to retain anything?!

This story has virtually no action for the first 75% of this book. By the time action actually kicks off, who even cares anymore?! I sure as shit don't.

And how is this set up to have a sequel? Did I miss something? I must have missed something. Everything is basically wrapped up by the end.

Safe to say, I will not be carrying on with this.

[Daryna · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Якщо ти мене забудеш, то я пам'ятатиму за нас обох"

Жанр:
🌘роментезі
🌘антиутопія
🌘наукова фантастика

Рівень spicy: no smut

Тропи:
🌒від ненависті до кохання (і не треба мені казати, що там не було ненависті: вона вдарила його по писку! для мене це ненависть)
🌒він закохується перший
🌒сильна головна героїня (вона — моя ікона: і морально, і фізично)
🌒сонечко і буркотун (тільки от буркотун тут головна героїня, а не як зазвичай буває)
🌒"Торкнешся її — і ти труп" (фрази не було, але були дії, а це навіть краще)
🌒втрата пам'яті (ну, це очевидно з а��отації, тому не вважайте це спойлером)

Фентезійна складова:
🍃кожні 12 років настає Забуття, коли всі люди втрачають свої спогади

Дійові особи:
🌙Надя — головна героїня, на яку чомусь не діє Забуття, тому вона приречена все пам'ятати, коли всі близькі їй люди забувають її (ммм скло), а ще вона постійно лазить "за стіну", порушуючи головний закон Ханаану і ризикуючи тим, що її можуть упіймати й відшмагати за це (або й убити)
🌙Ґрей — хлопець, який одного разу помічає, як Надя лазить за стіну і починає її шантажувати (мовляв, або ти візьмеш мене з собою, або я тебе здам)
🌙Дженіві — молодша сестра Наді, яку я обожнюю всім серцем, бо вона просто найкраща дитина
🌙Лілія — старша сестра Наді, яка її відверто ненавидить і не натякає, а каже прямо, що хоче, аби Надя десь зникла
🌙моя відвалена щелепа і заплакані очі

За вайбом схоже на:
🪐підліткові антиутопії (Голодні ігри, Дивергент, Деліріум, Той, що біжить лабіринтом, Темні уми, Перезавантаження та Знищ мене)

Тип оповіді: від першої особи (Наді)

Насамперед скажу, що читала цю книжку вже вдруге (вперше я була в такому захваті, що моєму хлопцеві довелося слухати детальний переказ сюжету, бо мені треба було з кимось поділитися емоціями) і боялася, що друге прочитання зіпсує мені враження (знайду сюжетні діри чи відчуття будуть не ті), але я помилилася. Книжка сподобалася мені навіть більше, ніж уперше. Позаяк удруге я перечитувала вже повільніше (бо ж знала, чим усе закінчиться, тому не було потреби терміново дочитати) і стала помічати дрібні деталі, які вказували на те, якою ж буде розв'язка.
Любовна лінія знову розбила мене і змусила стати психічно неврівноваженою (ні про що не шкодую).

💜Сюжет💜
Не буду переказувати багато, але щоб вас заохотити до читання дечого все ж скажу.
Отже, у нас є таємниче місто, оточене високими стінами, в якому люди втрачають свої спогади кожні 12 років. Тому щоб допомогти їм повернутися до життя, вони змушені записувати все у свої книги, щоб після Забуття перечитати й згадати, хто вони й що відбувається взагалі.
Однак у нас є головна героїня — Надя, яка ніколи не забувала. Та про це ніхто не знає. А ще вона постійно лазить "за стіну", бо вона хоче покласти край Забуттю, бо їй боляче, що її знову забуде навіть сім'я. І от через те, що її приречені забути, Надя вирішила відгородитися від усіх: бути мовчазною і холодною. Щоб не було так боляче, коли настане Забуття. А до Забуття залишається всього 70 днів.
Але тут трапляється халепа: одного дня Ґрей помічає, як Надя повертається з-за стіни. Тож він висуває їй умови: або вона проведе його за стіну, або він її здасть. І хоч Надя погоджується провести його за стіну, їй зовсім цього не хочеться, бо цей хлопець славиться тим, що дурманить дівчатам голову, а Надя й узагалі ненавидить його ще зі школи. Та згодом Надя розуміє, що їй треба допомога Ґрея, тож вона веде його за стіну. Але там вона пізнає не те, на що сподівалася, але це однаково змінює її життя.
І тепер вони разом шукають спосіб запобігти настанню Забуття, а в процесі довідуються про своє місто стільки всього, що в це важко повірити.

Більше про сюжет нічого не буду казати, прочитайте і дізнайтеся, що ж там далі сталося!

Мушу ще додати, що я обожнюю цю книжку, тому абсолютно не сприймаю жодних негативних відгуків на неї. Я живу у своєму Делулуленді, де Ґрей — найкращий хлопець ever, а цей сюжет — витвір мистецтва. Не тривожте мене своїми намаганнями довести, що це не так. Я все сказала)

А нижче мій старий відгук від першого читання ⬇️

Випадково натрапила на цю книгу і привабила мене в ній саме обкладинка. Ні про авторку, ні про саму книгу я не чула зовсім ніде (що дуже сумно). Але яка ж я щаслива, що якимось дивом натрапила на неї та прочитавши анотацію, зрозуміла — це точно мені потрібно! І не прогадала.
В мене були такі великі очікування на цю книгу. І я вже налаштувалась на крутий сюжет. І очікування справдились.
Я не буду переповідати сюжет, чи розповідати про головних героїв, тому що деталей забагато, а слів для цього замало. Просто прочитайте! Серйозно, ви не пошкодуєте.
Замість цього я хотіла б розповісти свої враження від книги. Найперше, що мене захопило — це сама ідея та атмосфера книги. Перші 20-30 було складнувато, але за своїм "вайбом" книга нагадувала "Дивергент", "Той, що біжить лабіринтом" та іноді навіть "Деліріум". Погодьтесь, що це доволі відомі книги, і, як мінімум, це має мотивувати почитати "Забуття". Хоча по сюжету насправді ці книги й відрізняються, але спільне у них також є.
Вона настільки захопила мене, що я готова була читати не відриваючись. Давно в мене не було такого запалу та захоплення. Вона нагадала мені, чому я полюбила книги.
Ну і звичайно ж я в захваті від любовної лінії. Мені дуже подобається такий стиль — вона рухається паралельно сюжету, не заважаючи розвиватись іншим подіям, але разом з тим за нею хочеться спостерігати. Не знаю, як це описати, але вона якась приємна і ненав'язлива. Але як же хотілось плакати від всіх цих почуттів ближче до кінця книги. Я кілька разів змахувала сльози з очей.
І нарешті сюжет. Він просто неймовірний. Стільки неочікуваних поворотів. Читаючи виникає стільки запитань і ти вже пробуєш передбачити як авторка викрутиться з цією ситуації, яку відповідь дасть. А самі відповіді потім виявляються такими шокуючими, але разом з тим такими логічними, що мимоволі задумуєшся, як і сам до цього не дійшов? Саме це я вважаю майстерно побудованим сюжетом. Що й не дивно, адже наскільки я розумію, над книгою авторка працювала близько 10 років!
Тому я безмежно вдячна видавництву "Ранок" за таке чудове оформлення книги, яке й привабило мене до неї. А ще після прочитання книги я зрозуміла, чому обкладинка саме така і як це стосується самого сюжету. Прочитайте і ви також побачите це.
Дуже прикро, що книга не дуже популярна в ютубі, буктоці чи інстаграмі. Тому що я буквально горю бажанням з кимось її обговорити, але немає з ким(
Тому я буду без упину рекомендувати цю книгу всім, кому тільки можу!
Однозначно в топі найкращих книг прочитаних не лише за рік, а й за все життя!

[Vathna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

This book is incredible in many ways. It gave me a reading slump, stress, anxiety, pain, happiness, excitement, thrill and curiosity all at once. It isn't the typical dystopian meets science-fiction where the main protagonists are all heroic and too selfless (*cough* Tris *cough*) you usually read. Nadia is heroic, alright? But in a way that I like. Not too much. Not too little. She isn't the usual I-will-sacrifice-myself-to-save-the-world heroine, but the type that is wiling to save the world AND (*gasp*) her own happiness at the same time. That is a true optimism.

So our heroine, Nadia lived in a dystopian fictional city surrounded by walls, Canaan where its people's memories are erased once every twelve years but somehow, Nadia was the only one who remembers from the last Forgetting. Then we have Gray, the handsome and flirty glassblower who is suddenly involved in her life. I LOVED Gray. He could be annoying at times, but he is definitely a cutie.

Now let's talk about the romance. It was an unexpected one, at least in my point of view. I mean, obviously, the synopsis hints a romance between them, yet it still surprised me that they got together. Nevertheless, the romance went very smoothly in my opinion. I loved that it wasn't an insta-love. There was no rush or anything. That's one of the main reasons why I absolutely love Gray and Nadia's story.
"You have to remember... for us." Be right back. I'm just gonna go sob in the corner.

Just kidding.

Now let's move on to the plot. I have to admit that the progress in the beginning was horribly slow and it was very hard for me to finally get into the story and understand the world building. It was really a light one, yet complicated to me. But once it's finished, everything was amazing all of sudden. The writing style was a bit... umm... I don't know how to explain, but it gave me stress and made me my head spin sometimes. I kept reading for the plot, though so I was glad I never gave up on the book. The plot twists was mind-blowing for me. I don't want to give away any spoiler, so I won't specify anything. You'll have to read it yourself!

Overall, it was truly a good book, so it's really recommended if you're a fan of dystopian or science-fiction novels!

[Read Me Like… · Rating 4 out of 5]

*****My full review can be read here.*****

The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron is a pretty easy read, in my opinion. I wasn't really sure of where it was going; the only thing I knew about the plot was that people lost their memories, except for this one girl, so I knew it would be somewhat dystopian. It also ends up having some sci-fi qualities that make it stand out from other dystopian novels that I've read in the past. When it was all said and done, I was pleased with the book.

Honestly, the ending was the worst for me. The entire book builds up to this moment and then it just sort of fell short of what I would expect for humans.

But like previously stated, I love when an author brings a new plot to life before my eyes. In a world where everything is a re-write of Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games, among others, I love a fresh plot. It's not easy to do, and it's not easy to do well, but Sharon Cameron did a wonderful job at it and it definitely makes me want to read more by her.