I had to cleanse my Christmas reading palate, and I don’t know what made me pick up Don’t You Forget About Me, but I am so happy that I did!

Georgina is 30 years old, has just lost her job as a waitress, and found her boyfriend caught in the act of cheating on her. She finds a new job working in a pub, only to find that the owner is none other than her high school sweetheart, Lucas. Things didn’t end so well for them, and to top it all off, he doesn’t seem to remember her.

What Kept Me Turning the Pages

I liked reading about Georgina, as she felt like someone I know, even across the pond. Not everyone has their lives figured out by 30. And some people do get by paycheck to paycheck. I am *cough cough* heading to 40 and there are many days I do not have it figured out. It’s refreshing to read a story where not everything is so easy or solved right away.

I enjoyed reading the parts of the book where Georgina was at work and was interacting with Lucas. When Lucas was saying that he did not remember Georgina from school, I thought for sure the book was going to turn into amnesia-lit given the title. Spoiler: It was not amnesia-lit! I loved reading about the other girl that worked at the bar, Kitty. She made me laugh a few times!

I found myself rooting for Georgina throughout the story. Live your best life George! You don’t need a man Gina! Ignore your family Gog!

There were not only silly rom-com style parts to this book. There were also some serious plot lines about her family, her ex-boyfriend gaslighting her, and what happened in her past. Trigger warning: there are scenes of sexual assault in this book. Reading about Georgina balancing the troubling aspects of her life with her day to day obligations made her feel all the more real to me.

What Made Me Scratch My Head

This book had quite a few storylines running at the same time. Georgina’s ex-boyfriend had a vendetta against her. A stripper had a vendetta against her. A storyline about her therapy. About Lucas and his past. About Georgina’s past. About her mom and stepfather. Coming to grips with her father dying and how they ended things. About her job. Connecting with her friends. Sometimes it felt as though some of these were rushed just to close out the storyline. I know people have complex lives, but it’s hard to address so much in 300-400 pages.

The other thing that left me scratching my head was her best friend from school, Jo. She never told anyone about her relationship with Lucas, including Jo. I thought that was weird. Why was Lucas ok with that? And her best friend really never noticed how much time Georgina was disappearing and with who? There’s only so much schoolwork you can blame it on, especially since she was in the same class. I would have wondered, but years later Jo was shocked when she found out about them. Ummm…did you not care enough to know what was going on with your “best friend”? It’s one thing to not ask Georgina about it, but to be completely surprised? Hmmmm…

Final Thoughts

All in all, I found the story to be enjoyable, and a great escape from my life. I highly recommend this for fans of romance and women’s fiction, and if you want to read a true-to-life story that doesn’t always end with every storyline being wrapped in a nice little bow.

Fun Fact: Simple Minds are from Scotland. I love The Breakfast Club, and love this song by default. Whenever it comes on the radio, my husband proudly declares that they are Scottish! HEY HEY HEY HEY!