The The Forgetting (Other Fiction) Paperback – 27 June 2017

A very well thought out dystopian Sci Fi novel. A most enjoyable read and no love triangle! Hurrah! I loved the ideas put forwards and the characters are really plausible. I don't want to say to much more as I don't want to spoil the book for other people. Well worth a read!

The story was excellent but there were chapters missing from the book and duplicated very poor quality

This was one of the many (MANY) September releases that I was really excited for. I ended up taking awhile to get to it because soon after its release, I started seeing quite a few negative reviews for it and got nervous about reading it, haha. However, I eventually did pick it up and I’m really glad I did. Although The Forgetting had a bit of a slow start, the action through the second half of the book more than made up for it and the book ended up being really enjoyable.There are a lot of things about this book that I enjoyed. First of all, our main character, Nadia, goes through great character development. She starts off as being very guarded, not letting anyone in because she’s afraid of how much it will hurt her when others forget her since she’s the only one in the city who doesn’t forget everything every 12 years. I really liked seeing her grow and become less afraid and guarded as the story progresses.I thought the love interest, Gray, was a pretty good character as well. I would’ve liked to see more of him and his background (which I realize is difficult since he forgets things every 12 years like everyone else) because when we did get glimpses into who he is, I really enjoyed it. Generally, he was a great character and I liked how stubborn and charming he was and how willing he was to risk things to help Nadia.There were some potentially triggering things that came up in this book that kind of caught me off guard. Nadia’s mother self-harms and deals with other mental health issues kind of similar to depression and PTSD. I wasn’t expecting this going in and so the first time it came up, it surprised me. There was one scene with some sexual harassment/attempted assault that kind of came out of nowhere, too. If any of this might be triggering for you, this is definitely something to keep in mind.I appreciated that Nadia’s family actually plays a pretty big role in this book, although their role still wasn’t quite as big as I would’ve liked. I’ll take what I can get, though, haha. Nadia is really close with her younger sister, Genivee, and I loved seeing the relationship between the two of them. Nadia’s older sister pretty much hates her, but she was still a big influencing character on the story and I thought she was an incredibly interesting character. As I already mentioned, Nadia’s mother is struggling with mental health issues and this causes some problems between the sisters. Mostly they try to work together to help their mom, but it also causes tension between the sisters, especially between Nadia and her older sister who blames Nadia for their mother’s mental health problems.The dystopian elements of this book were incredibly interesting to me. The very opening scene shows us some of the corruption in the government, but more and more corruption is unfolded as the book goes on and the final scenes uncover so much. I loved watching Nadia and Gray discover all of the information that’s been hidden from everyone in the city and struggle with fighting back against their corrupt and manipulative government.Although it took me awhile to really get into The Forgetting, I ended up really enjoying it. There’s plenty of dystopian elements that were fun to uncover as well as interesting family dynamics and impressive character development. This is definitely something that I think a lot of readers will enjoy as long as they can get past a bit of a boring beginning.

It seems like this is a stand-alone novel (for those looking for a series). This was a good book. I found the premise interesting- that every 12 years everyone is essentially reset because they forget entirely who they are. You explore this world and the culture with the heroine and I really, really liked her. I wrote another review about Burning Glass and the difficulty I had with that heroine, so this one was a nice change. She's introspective and self-aware and brave but not fearless and not the prettiest girl. She's quiet and makes people uncomfortable with her silence, but I found her to be relatable and real (if you can't tell, I'm very character-driven).It's the small touches, I think, that helps build a new society in your mind- the traditions, how they break the rules, what the rules are, and I think the author did a good job of adding these. There was some other information I would have like to have seen added to make it a bit more logical for me, but I won't get into because spoilers. However, if you're into your dystopian novels, this is a good one to pick up.

“The past is never really gone. It only lies in wait for you, remembered or forgotten.”I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this new novel from Sharon Cameron! Dystopian novels are very hit or miss for me (there's very few that are anywhere inbetween), and this one turned out to be a hit in my book! It's suspenseful, dark, and filled with twists that you'll never see coming. The beauty of this book is that Sharon Cameron drops hints throughout the entire book, but you never actually realize they're hints until the big reveal (which is also the major plot twist and take this book in an entirely different direction). After this reveal, you look back and realize it was in front of your face the entire time, and personally, that's my favorite type of thing while reading. The world-building is excellent, and there's just something that urges you to keep reading. Although I wasn't a fan of Ms. Cameron's first novel, I was a big fan of another novel of hers (Rook). I can honestly say that I am incredibly happy I gave her another chance because her storytelling keeps getting better and better!“It's my choice that determines what I will become. Not the memories of the past.”Nadia, our main character, is a unique heroine to follow. She is a quiet rebel...literally. Nadia is a person of few words, and I think this is one of the things I liked about her, because I could relate to her a great deal. The only thing I liked about her is her inquisitive nature and how she's always on the hunt to learn. She's clever, quick-witted, and determined to figure out what actually is going on with The Forgetting. Nadia is just so different from current YA female leads, which made her POV very refreshing to read from. As you can tell from the synopsis, Nadia also has many secrets, and Gray (our romantic lead) is desperate to learn more. However, despite Nadia's quietness, they forge a bond that grows into something more. They have an excellent banter and their relationship is extremely believable. I honestly loved Nadia and Gray together simply because they helped each other grow and accomplish what the other wanted.“We are supposed to write the truth, for no one to see but ourselves. But how easily that truth can be twisted. Bend a little here, omit a little there, make yourself into the person you wish you were instead of the person you are. How easy to cut the truth away, to throw it in a fire, open your eyes, and have the whole world remember nothing of who you are. Nothing of what you’ve done. When you will not remember who you are or what you’ve done.”As I said, the world-building is absolutely fantastic, and you know right away that there's more going on than originally appears. That underlying mystery is what keeps you wanting to read, and when the big reveal goes down...it's definitely mind-blowing! I had plenty of theories while reading, but I certainly never guessed the truth. And after that plot twist, things slowly sink in...why characters are the way they are, who other characters are, and what's coming. The Forgetting is a mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and dystopian, and it all came alive through Ms. Cameron's writing. She weaves the story expertly, and there are many sub-plots that you don't think are important at first, but in the end...everything is important (remember that while reading).I think the direction that Ms. Cameron took was extremely creative and makes this book stand apart from the other dystopian novels out there currently.“Knowing the truth makes me alone. I wrote that once, but I think I was wrong. Fear of pain is what has made me alone. But today I realized that pain and love have a balance. I can feel so much of one only because I feel so much of the other.”The conclusion of this novel is incredibly fast-paced and you'll be glued to the page. I honestly couldn't put the book down because I had to find out how everything would end. I highly recommend checking this book out if you're a fan of dystopian or sci-fi novels. Sharon Cameron spins a story that definitely will not disappoint, and emphasizes the importance of relationships and standing up for what you want. As a side note, I think this would make an excellent movie or TV show, but then again I don't know if I would actually want that for fear that they would mess it up! But this is a must-read, so add it to your TBR right now!Happy reading :)