Forgetting August by J.L. Berg

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Pages: 384

Published: December 1st 2015 by Grand Central Publishing

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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 Thoughts

I went on a contemporary romance kick, found myself binging on CoHo and when my friend sent me the blurb to this I thought it sounded interesting. We opted to read it as a buddy-read and together we embarked on a rather tumultuous experience.

Anyone who has watched a soap opera can probably guess how the story goes. August can’t remember who he is and Everly has been trying to forget the monster of an ex. She’s set to marry her loving fiance and when August wakes up she is pulled back into the drama that is August.

He has been in this coma for years, Everly has been broken by him and in the time he has been in a coma she has endured therapy sessions. She is depicted as fragile, moody and snappy. In spite of her hatred and animosity toward the man who imprisoned her she finds herself conflicted in his company and even winds up desiring him. This made me feel disconnected from the characters and I distanced myself. I didn’t feel as though this was an appropriate reaction. Everly went from being ice cold to hot – to ice cold to hot again.

The premise was to get over August, to forget him and who he was, but the vulnerable ghost of August reels her in and Everly comes across as a weak female, who falls prey to old nasty habits. She even goes so far as to snap at the friends and loved ones who have her best interest in mind.

We are able to take a glimpse into August’s mind, his point of view and how he is perceiving this as it all transpires. While it was a nice thing to be able to see this it didn’t serve to connect me to him anymore or Everly.

Although the overall story didn’t work for me I do want to make it clear that J.L. Berg can write. The ending did leave me shocked if not a little displeased, but if you’re a fan of contemporary romance then I really do suggest this read.

I’ll be looking into some other titles by Berg!