Review: Forgetting August

 

Title: Forgetting August
Author: J.L. Berg
Released: April 5, 2016

Synopsis:

She can forgive, but can she forget?
Some days, Everly still thinks she sees him. In the food court at the mall, or in a car speeding past as the light changes. It only lasts a second, but when it happens, she slips back to a time when she was ruled-and nearly ruined-by August Kincaid. And it doesn't matter that she's moved on, that she's about to marry another man. In those moments the only thing she can do to regain control is take a deep breath and remind herself that August can't hurt her-because he's in a coma. Except that he's not anymore.
August is awake. With no memories, he sets out to solve the mystery of his lost life. He unearths a photograph of a beautiful redhead named Everly and knows instinctively that she's the key. But when he finds her, the August she describes is more monster than man.

Tortured by the thought of having hurt her, August wants only to become the man Everly deserves. As the new August emerges, Everly glimpses the person she first fell in love with. But can she trust that this August is real? When the final secret of their shared past is revealed, one of them will make a choice that changes their future forever . . .

My Review:

Forgetting August was something else. I was not sure if I wanted to finish it once I began reading it, though I was happy that I did. The story held my interest even though the characters frustrated and annoyed the heck out of me, which sometimes makes the best type of stories.
One thing about the story that I did not enjoy was the fact that it confused me. The story seemed to just jump into the action without explaining much. There seemed to be details that were left out that left me wanting to know more. As the story progressed, somethings were discovered, but not much. The one question I had was why was August in a coma. It was never actually discussed. It was mentioned once or twice in passing, but as one sentence and not discussed more, as if the reader should already have the information when starting the book.
Other than a frustrating lack of detail, the story was really good. I was interested in the book and maybe that lack of detail made me continue reading. I really want the sequel though, because there was a terrible cliffhanger!! Grr those damn cliffhangers that leave you wanting more. I read the story quickly, about one day in total, and it was an easy read.
Everly was a runner. She liked to avoid things and that frustrated me to no end. I hate people who avoid things and can't face them head on. All I wanted to do throughout the whole story was shake her. She kept making decisions that pissed me off and I wanted to wake her up. She did grow as the story progressed. She became more confident and less scared, which made her a little better. In the end, she did make the best decisions for herself at the end and I was proud of her.
August was starting fresh. He could not remember anything and he was just trying to find his place in the world again. I felt so sorry for him. He had no one in the world anymore and had no memory to even try and make things better. He also pissed me off. Honestly all the characters in this book frustrated me to no end. I wanted to make August feel better, but I didn't know how. He also grew, but in a different way. He grew away from the person he used to be. And it made me love him so much more. Until the plot twist came up and ruined everything. But that's all I'll say.
I did enjoy Forgetting August. It was a good story and it talked about important issues and accepting yourself for who you are and moving on in life. J.L. Berg did not shy away from the hard topics and confronted them head on. There is meaning behind this story and I can't wait to see where it goes as the story progresses. I cannot wait for the sequel, even though I have a bit of a wait.