Forget Me Not by Alexandra OlivaMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A near future book, that I enjoyed. At the center we have Linda who had a strange upbringing. She is known as Clone Girl to the public, born to replace her sister who died tragically as a teenager. Linda was made, probably manipulated, and implanted to her mother Lorelei, who was not fit to be a mother again. Linda’s life was one of abandonment, lacking love and completely confusing, as she was hidden away in the house compound, until she finally ran away and into the world.
During the book we see her trying to cope, but barely with the world. She tries to avoid people at all times, and is extremely vulnerable with feelings of being attacked when viewed and taunted by the public. A neighbor with a dog moves in and Linda is drawn to her, perhaps making a friend, who shows her the world of virtual reality games. A side story pops in are we living in a computer simulation. Is this story a computer simulation?
I enjoyed the book for the most part, wanted to give this book five stars but the book didn’t quite reach that far. There were moments, throughout the book, when the color of someone’s skin was mentioned and it was awkward and odd. Perhaps it was part of showing how Linda was isolated while growing up, but it felt out of place.
Around the mid-way or so the book ramped up the tension. I found it hard to put down. One weird aspect to the book is how it worked in the current pandemic into the narrative. It comes up a couple of times, which was a little weird reading while we’re still in it, dealing with it, and who knows how it will shape the future overall.
Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.
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