Forget Me Not

I read this book 6 months ago and I realized I didn’t write a book review.
So here I am thinking about it 6 months later because I thought it was SO cute.
I think about these characters from time to time and how I felt the longing/grief from their breakup.
I loved the back and forth flashbacks that showed how they got to where they are now.
It was overall a great, touching read about rekindling lost love.

I ATE THIS BOOK UP

This was a slow burn but I enjoy them if they are done right. My girl Callie Dalton made this book so good! I loved Elliot, definitely a character Mariana Zapata would have written! Grumpy yet steadfast. There was something awkward yet endearing about how he dealt with Ama. I expected him to be more entitled because of his mom and connections but nope, he gave off pauper vibes. I’m here for a man not acting like he’s Gods gift because his family is known or rich. I took off a point for Ama’s HOT MESS of a mom and the fact the author didn’t use this opportunity to plug mental health therapy. But for real, I loved it.

It was sweet and fun i had fun reading.

Julie Soto’s debut novel, “Forget Me Not” is a second-chance romance told in dual narratives, alternating between past and present. Ama Torres has branched out in the wedding world to start her own wedding planning business. Despite her personal aversion to marriage—thanks to her mother’s sixteen and counting marriages—Ama loves weddings. “A wedding is not a marriage. Marriages will never be perfect. They’re always a work in progress. But weddings? Weddings are just a moment in time, striving to be perfect.” When a famous Instagram couple hires Ama to plan their over-the-top wedding, Ama stops at nothing to bring the couple a perfect evening (including working through the wedding with broken foot). There is just one problem: the couple has hired florist Elliot Bloom (not to be confused with florist Lily Bloom from Colleen Hoover’s “It Ends with Us”). Elliot’s dream was to become an architect, but when his father dies, Elliot inherits the flower boutique and uses his architectural prowess to build flower archers, walls, and chandeliers. Elliot wants to collect all the flowers that exist, and gets tattoos of the ones he is unable to find or keep due to their rarity. His most prized tattoo, an amaryllis, is on his neck. Elliot’s chapters are from told from his point of view and show readers the past portions of his and Ama’s relationship, and their break-up. The two met while Elliot helped with his father’s wedding events and when Ama was working as a wedding planner for Whitney’s company. When Elliot proposes, Ama’s fear of commitment and marriage lead her to reject the proposal and the two do not see each other for three years. The present-day chapters are told from Ama’s point of view. While against marriage, she is married to her job and her work life. Her life is chaotic and messy; she ignores basic car maintenance and plays Russian roulette with peanut donuts. When the two work together to create the epic wedding of the year—a boost for both of their businesses—the sexual tension in their interactions shines through. Anyone familiar with my reviews will know I don’t appreciate defining women by their obsession with food, especially a particular food item (see my review for “The Wedding Date” and “Maybe in Another Life”). Thanks to Kindle, I know that the word donut is mentioned precisely sixty-four times in this novel. Ama’s obsession is taken to extreme measures when she continuously disregards her severe peanut allergy and orders a peanut donut in her assorted box. The slightest smudge of peanut butter on a different donut could end her life and the scene is so farcical; no one would jeopardize their life over a donut. This was a stellar debut by Soto. I was fortunate to be able to zoom with her to learn about her influences for this novel and to hear about her creative process. I look forward to reading Soto’s next book, an enemies-to-lovers romance out July 2024. Rating 4/5