Remember Me by Estelle Laure

Hey book lovers! I’m here with a new YA romance sci-fi book by Estelle Laure called Remember Me that reminded me of the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

About The Book 📚

Title: Remember Me

Author: Estelle Laure

Publication Date: March 22, 2022

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Suggested Reader Age: 16+

Genre: Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, LGBT

About The Author

“Estelle Laure is a Vonnegut worshipper who believes in love and magic and the power of facing hard truths. She has a BA in Theater Arts from New Mexico State University and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and thinks everyone should have to wait tables or work in a kitchen at least once in their lives. She lives in Taos, New Mexico with her children.” https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8301727.Estelle_Laure
Author Of: This Raging Light, Mayhem, City of Villains
https://www.estellelaure.com/

My Review

“Wouldn’t you like to forget every bad thing that ever happened to you?”

› 7:45 am May 18, 2032: Blue wakes up on her 17th birthday to find a note in her pocket that says “MEET ME ON THE LITTLE BLUE BUS”. She has no idea how it got there, no idea who wrote it, and no idea what the “Little Blue Bus” is. Blue lives in a town called Owl Nook, New Mexico with her Gran. Blue’s parents used to ski all over the world until her mother died in a skiing accident and her father left her with Blue’s Gran. Her friend, Turtle, loves everything about saving the environment – wearing used clothes, recycling, reusing, repurposing. Turtle’s non-binary partner is the always-sensible, practical Jack. Watching Turtle and Jack together makes her wish she knew what that kind of love felt like…then she wonders if she really never had a boyfriend, and questions why that doesn’t quite feel true.

After finding the “Little Blue Bus” Blue meets Adam. She’s convinced they’ve met before, but can’t remember where. She eventually starts to piece missing things together and discovers she went to a company called Tabula Rasa (Latin term for clean slate) to delete some of her painful memories – including Adam. For the rest of the book, we’re given flashbacks and we learn the truth right along with Blue.

› I use the CAWPILE method to rate books.
0-3 Really bad
4-6 Mediocre
7-9 Really good
10 Outstanding

› Characters: 6
I loved the inclusion of a non-binary character. The trio friend group Turtle, Blue and Jack is my favourite part of the book. However, most of the characters lacked strengths, flaws, conflict and backstory.

› Atmosphere: 5
There is a lack of setting description and emotion. Other reviewers were moved to tears – so don’t take my word for it!

› Writing Style: 7
Good quality writing. Readability is okay, but confusing in parts.

› Plot: 6
The beginning is great, it sucked me in and motivated me to keep reading. The middle was muddy and I felt bored. The ending was mediocre and disappointing.

› Intrigue: 7

› Logic: 7
Blue’s mother is quickly forgiven for a horrible decision she made that I just can’t wrap my head around.

› Enjoyment: 7
The experimenting on children/teens premise made me feel really yucky. I’m not sure how I feel about how the topic of suicide is dealt with.

Average 6.4

1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating ★★★

› Final Thoughts
• Remember Me is a dark, quirky story about grief, trauma, mental health and Amor Fati – “translated from Latin as ‘a love of one’s fate’, or as we might put it, a resolute, enthusiastic acceptance of everything that has happened in one’s life“.