Things I Can't Forget Review

Things I Can't Forget (a companion novel to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker)
by Miranda Kenneally
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Format: ARC from Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for my honest opinion.
Expected Publication: 03.01.13
Midnight Minute: I can't sum this up in 1 cute, pithy sentence, but you probably need to read this book.  It made me feel a lot of things.
From Goodreads:

Companion to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker.

Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt…with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy…

Read an excerpt here.

Note: Mature themes, sexual situations, religious discussions.

Midnight Thoughts:

~ This is not a non-secular book, the main character just happens to be a Christian who is struggling with her recent actions and having trouble fitting in. 
~ I haven't read the previous companion books, which might have been a good idea since both Jordan and Parker make appearances (especially Parker), so be prepared to be spoiled a bit on their stories if you read this one first.  
~ Kate is a little... uptight?  And judgmental, even though she doesn't mean to be.  She's led a very sheltered life and her world is pretty small.  She's been teased and bullied in school for her beliefs and up until recently only hung out with her friend Emily.  And after an incident involving Emily, Kate feels the need to be perfect, as if in atonement for what she thinks she's responsible for. 
~ Matt, sigh.  Matt just might be the perfect YA Contemporary Romance boyfriend.  He's kind of perfect, but also very realistic. 
~ This book could be in the New Adult section, since Matt is about to be a junior in college, and Kate is a recent high school graduate. 
~The majority of the book takes place in a summer camp. In the beginning, when the counselor's are setting up the camp before the kids arrive, I kept expecting Jason to pop out and start hacking up teens.  
~ Kate's friendship with Emily was a tough one.  They once had been so close, almost co-dependant, but Emily changed and neither girl really acknowledged it.  I do think Emily put Kate in a completely unfair position, but Kate fails to see what Emily is going through either.  It was heartbreaking to both of them, but for very different reasons. 
~ I love that Kate does help her friend, even though she doesn't agree with her actions.  You do this for the people you love,  you be there for them.  But sometimes... sometimes friendships cost an awful lot.
~ This book is really about growing up and realizing the world is a lot bigger than the immediate area you grew up in, and about figuring yourself out. 
~  The camp counselors play Never Have I Ever for cash... which I have never done.   Can't remember who wins the pot- maybe whoever still has the most coins in the end?  Anyway, I have found our game for BEA!
~ I really liked Ian, and would not mind seeing him in future books.  He was a bit snarky.  I like snark.
~ Kate's love of sketching is inter-weaved into the story, and I really liked how she sketched out her problems.  Makes me wish that I could draw more than just horribly proportioned stick figures...
~ She also used to play soccer, but got a bad injury.  I love seeing soccer mentioned in books.  It makes me happy. 
~ Kate tries so hard to be a good person, but she often focuses so much on the rules, and not the spirit, of Christianity.  My friend pointed out that I would probably understand a lot more after I read Stealing Parker, since Kate and Parker attend the same church, and it's a very strict, very unforgiving establishment.  
~ Did I mention that Matt is amazing?  You know that whole "instant love" thing found in so many YA books?  It'd be 100% believable if every guy was like Matt!  Am I gushing?  Yup, but that's a problem for people like me who are stuffed full of awesomeness, it tends to leak out. 
~ Kate messes up, a lot, but I liked that she wasn't perfect.  I liked that her character growth was at a reasonable rate and not KABAM! 
~ Matt is a lit major and loves Dickens, John Grisham, John Green and Judy Blume.  I am in love with him.  
~ He also respects Kate's feelings and beliefs. 
~ Matt never wears shoes, like a Hobbit.  Somehow, I managed to find that sexy too. But hopefully his feet don't look like Hobbit feet.  
~ Random weird fact that has nothing to do with the book: Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was obsessed with his feet.  He was always buying (on stolen credit cards) socks.  He thought he had very handsome feet. 
~ Bonzo Ball- a game Matt invents.  Still kind of in the dark about it. 
~ Advice time: IF a boy sings you a song he wrote about a girl with your color eyes, don't get hung up on what exact shade of eye color he's singing about- the song is about you and you should jump him.  Immediately.  But if he's in a band, use at least 2 forms of protection. 
~ Another thing that I love: Kate's parents.  They are good parents.  They trust Kate, case in point: she has no curfew because they believe she'll make good decisions.  I am kind of impressed.  I'm also kind of sad, because I don't know that I'll be a good enough parent to trust any children I raise.  I'll probably have to inject them with tracking devices and hack into their cell phones.  
~ Because this is an ARC, I don't want to post any quotes, but the best one goes to Matt for referring to his hug as a "straightjacket of love".  I bet my husband can relate to that feeling. 
~ With this book, Miranda Kenneally pwned me.  Wait, do people say that anymore?

Timeless Characters:

Kate- she takes her coffee the same way I do, so that tells you how awesome she is.
Matt- if you don't want to rip him off the pages, then you may need a hottie intervention.
Emily- Kate's bff, she's struggling on her own after her parents kick her out.
Jacob- Emily's ex-boyfriend, he's great too.  
Jordan- from Catching Jordan, makes a guest appearance. Loved her!
At the Camp (other than Kate and Matt)
Will- Kate used to have a crush on him
Parker- from Stealing Parker, she and Kate know of each other but aren't friends
Megan- the camp director that you will want to slap.
Brad- games director
Andrea- pretty much the Anti-Kate
Ian- snarky boy I grew to love
Eric- he's very ironic
Carlie- Andrea's bff, has a history with Ian
 

Midnight Moment:

Pretty much every scene with Kate and Matt. 

The last 1/4th of the book made me cry- so be sure to have tissues within reach.

Stop The Clock:

This book tackles some pretty tough issues, and still manages to be romantic and adorable.  It has heart and soul, and the characters are so very human.  If religion isn't your thing, that's okay- this book is still for you. 


Miranda Kenneally— Website |

Things I Can't Forget gets a Midnight Book Rating of: 

Sundays In Bed With... Things I Can't Forget

 

 Welcome to my Sundays In Bed With... Meme! The meme that dares to ask, what book has been in your bed this morning?  Come share what book you've spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

This morning I'm reading:

Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally- although Alabama is more interested in staring down the dog, or getting her head rubbed. 

I don't know how much reading I'll get done today since the Hubs and I are taking down All The Christmas.  Very sad, but he's put up with the orange fairy lights that are still up in our bedroom from Halloween (which look awesome with our blue walls and orange bed throw), so I can take down the tree.

To get us going this morning, I made this:

Source:Pixbng.com

Okay, this is not my picture, but I am hoping that when I wake up this morning it will be to something that looks and tastes as good as this picture does.

See?  I don't always just pin and pin and pin on Pinterest, sometimes I actually make some of that shiz.  

Okay, maybe 1 thing for every 200 pins, but this has got to count big time. 

This recipe does not identify what kind of oatmeal you should use, but every other online oatmeal in a crockpot recipe called for Steel Cut Oats, otherwise you get a crappy, mushy mess.  

Hmm... does that look like they poured milk on it?  It doesn't say anything about milk...

So, that's my Sunday, not a whole lot of time to linger in bed and read, but I may feign an illness to get out of dismantling Christmas and stay in bed reading.

Honey, if you're reading this on your phone, I kid. 

 What are you reading (or wish you had time to read) this morning? How are the books of 2013 treating you so far?  Link up below!
  
 

Get Real: Contemps On Tour Book Signing

I love book signings, but I do not have the opportunity to go to as many as I would like.  So when Kim from On the Wings of Books asked if I wanted to take a 2 hour trip to Northern VA to a book signing, I was all over it... as long as she drove.  I don't to the Beltway, ya'll.

The book signing was in Arlington at One Page More Books- which is a fantastic book store, the kind of place that book lovers instantly recognize as being a home away from home.  Even the bathroom was full of awesomeness.  Here, I took a picture:

No, I do not normally take pictures of the insides of bathrooms. 

 The book signing was for Get Real: Contemps on Tour and featured 4 YA authors.  Here's a picture of all four authors and the One Page More Books people:

Back Row: Miranda Kenneally, Lisa Roecker, Laura Roecker and Janet Gurtler, Front Row: One Page More Books staff.

I have to admit that prior to this book signing I had not read any books by these authors, although Miranda Kenneally was on my must read soon radar, but I had heard of the other authors.  It's been my experience that once you meet and like an author it only adds to the book reading experience, so I can't wait to read the books I bought!

After a brief introduction, the authors took some questions.  I, of course, could not think of a single intelligent question to ask- although I did really want to ask what books they were currently reading, but chickened out because I worried that it would be rude to ask authors who were there to sign and sell their own books about other people's books that do not provide an income to them.  Luckily, there were people that don't lose their damn minds when they get around authors so that's how I got the material for this post.  Thank you, random book store signing attendees!

This is the book I bought for her to sign

Miranda Kenneally is the author of Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker and her third Source book Things I Can't Forget will be coming out in 2013. She summarized her books for us, and then said that her husband teased her about how all her stories go, "It's about a girl who..." so she made a point to say "It's about a person who...".  Kim and I got to speak quite a bit with Miranda after the author question period and she's funny and clever, and she got that I rock.  No, seriously, she did.  She wrote that I rock when she signed Stealing Parker for me.  Needless to say, she has my undying literary love forever.  And at the Phoenix stop of the tour she read out loud from Fifty Shades of Grey, and according to her fellow tour members, has Jedi mind skills. Since Kim had long ago convinced me that Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker were must reads, I required no Jedi mind tricks. Miranda and I would be friends in real life, if my fan girl worship didn't require a order of protection.

The book I bought for her to sign

Janet Gurtler is from Canada, which means she's magical like my friends Cindy and Kellie.  She's also the author of several Source books I'm Not Her, If I Tell, and her latest book Who I Kissed, which I picked up. The book is about a girl who kisses a boy at a party, not knowing he has a peanut allergy, and he dies.  Janet said she got the idea because her son has a peanut allergy.  There were many wonderful quotes from the night, but she gave my favorite.  After telling us what Who I Kissed Was About- which features not only death but cyber bullying- said that the book still "has hope in it, like most YA."  Kim and I had to explain to her about Canadian magic, which she didn't even know she possessed. Out of all her covers she's most excited over the one for next book to be published, How I Lost You, which I think is mainly due to the fact that her book's signature circle on the cover is going to be a lovely peach color.  She was adorable.

Picked up both of these!

Lisa Roecker, who was told by kids at a school they stopped by at that she looked like an "older Carly Rae Jepson" and her sister Laura Roecker are the authors of The Liar Society books.  The two of them have a great energy between them, and write by taking turns on each chapter.  When someone asked the panel to say which of their book covers they liked the best, there was a lot of groans from the authors, mostly because they have very little input on what appears on the covers.  Lisa and Laura had to change their main character's hair color because the model on the cover has pink hair, but it ended up working out for the better.  Not so good?  Learning from readers that the cover model has several nude pictures on the web, pink hair and private school clothes (although I guess a lot less of them).  The sisters were really funny and they completely sold me on their books.

I also got the authors to sign my Kindle cover and scored some jelly belly beans from Janet Gurtler and an exclusive early chapter reveals booklet that has the opening's of How I Lost You by Janet Gurtler, I'm With Stupid by Geoff Herbach and Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally.   There was also a raffle giveaway, in which I didn't win a thing, but Kim did win a Authors Are My Rockstar t-shirt.  If you can't be a winner, it's at least good to sit next to a winner and bask in the spotlight.