Title: Remember Me Always
Author: Renee Collins
Publication: October 3, 2017
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Teens, Young Adult
Pages: 320
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
Shelby is nervous to start her senior year after spending the whole summer away from home. After all, it’s hard to be carefree when you’re trying to protect a secret.
Shelby was in a devastating car accident, and everyone in town thinks that she was undergoing more physical therapy in Denver. Instead, Shelby’s mother enrolled her in a clinical program to stop the panic attacks that started after the crash. The treatment erased Shelby’s memory of the accident, but she can’t help feeling as if a piece of herself is missing, that the treatment took more than the doctors claimed.
So when Shelby starts hallucinating a boy with dark and mysterious eyes, she knows it must be a side-effect of the clinical program. Except you can’t kiss hallucinations. And this boy insists that they know each other and are in love…
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Imagine a treatment that would completely cure PTSD. No more panic attacks. No more breakdowns. Seems crazy, right? Renee Collins has created a story where that treatment is real and can be used to erase negative memories that trigger PTSD like symptoms. Intrigued? I was! I wanted to know how this treatment helped the lead character Shelby … or messed her life up. Shelby is a normal teenager that went through a horrible situation and was struggling after. After under going treatment she feels better, but in some ways she feels like part of her is missing.
I loved Collins’ way of writing that made me feel anxious when Shelby was anxious. I connected so well with Shelby that it drew me into how she was feeling. An author who is able to do that is a great writer. Every time I thought I knew what was coming next the story would take a turn and I’d be back to guessing. This kept me on my toes and guessing the whole way. Page by page the story built with flashes to back story and little puzzle pieces slowly coming together. Collins balanced the build of this story well to be perfectly paced from beginning to end. I never guessed the ending, which is a large bonus for my love and rating of a mystery/thriller novel and it didn’t come off as unbelievable.
Collins put together a fine piece of work with Remember Me Always. Well built characters with full and interesting back stories and a story that will keep you flipping pages until the very end. A true page turner. This book is good for all ages. I’ll be picking up the next book by Renee Collins!
STAR RATING: 5/5
You can pick up a copy of Remember Me Always by Renee Collins on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can also look for a copy at a book store near you. Make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback for the author when you are done.
