Forgotten by Cat Patrick

Title: Forgotten
Author: Cat Patrick
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Rating: ★★

Each night at precisely 4:33 am, while sixteen-year-old London Lane is asleep, her memory of that day is erased. In the morning, all she can "remember" are events from her future. London is used to relying on reminder notes and a trusted friend to get through the day, but things get complicated when a new boy at school enters the picture. Luke Henry is not someone you'd easily forget, yet try as she might, London can't find him in her memories of things to come. 

When London starts experiencing disturbing flashbacks, or flash-forwards, as the case may be, she realizes it's time to learn about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future.

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The beginning of this book was one of the most confusing I have ever read.


Apparently, this girl, London, can "remember" the future. After she lives each day, she forgets the events of that day at 4:33 am. She is able to function by writing herself notes to remind herself of important past events that she has to read about every morning when she wakes up.


The part that bugged me the most was that her problem was referred to as "remembering" or having memories of the future, instead of something like future telling or seeing the future. So London would always say something like "I know, because I remembered it" referring to something that hasn't happened yet. It just sounds weird and is very confusing at the beginning because the author just dives into her life with no explanations or set-ups.


I did enjoy the 50 First Dates scenario that took place between London and Luke. She wouldn't remember him except from her notes everyday, yet when she sees him she instantly falls in love again. It is kind of cute, but mostly ridiculous. The second-half took a fairly dark turn when she has "memories" of someone dying and she can't seem to figure out who and how. At the same time, she attempts tracking down her father and her grandmother that she saw in her memory, but doesn't have any recollection of from her past.


You, later, do find out a potential reason for London's condition but it is sort of just thrown in there and then forgotten about. I had high hopes for the premise, but I don't feel like it was executed well. That's how I feel about most YA novels these days.

★★