Amazon.com.au:Customer reviews: Don’t You Forget About Me

Top positive review

4 1/2 stars

Reviewed in Australia on 12 September 2019

I don’t think I’ve reviewed any of Mhairi McFarlane’s books before now, but I’ve read them all. And what’s more I’ve loved them all. I do get a little caught up in the “conversation” that would be the internal dialogue as well as the actual dialogue, I think it’s because I think and talk Australian and the author and characters are from the British Isles and speak British/Irish but it’s also the snark and wit that these fictional characters use to converse with each other. And they’re just so damn likeable! Fab story!

7 people found this helpful

Top critical review

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Gordon Ross

Yawn

Reviewed in Australia on 12 December 2021

Just could not connect with this one, although writing fluent. Maybe I am the wrong age group, gender or bored by relationships!

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From Australia

Gordon Ross

Yawn

Reviewed in Australia on 12 December 2021

Verified Purchase

Just could not connect with this one, although writing fluent. Maybe I am the wrong age group, gender or bored by relationships!

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Suad

Disappointing to say the least

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 July 2019

Verified Purchase

Oh boy. This was such a chore to read.
I am so disappointing, I can't even begin to describe it.
I had purchased 3 of Mhairi McFarlaine's books at once purely based on the reviews. Reviews that were all predominantly consistent! 4-4.5-5 star reviews! Reviews that promised I would absolutely fall in love with McFarlane if I was a fan of Sophie Kinsella.

I picked this one up first, because I liked the idea of a first love walking back into someone's life. The plot sounded interesting, the characters sounded funny and cute, so I went for it.

The first part that tells the story of Georgina and Lucas secretly dating and falling in love in high school was my first warning. It was written in a way that came off as clumsy, rushed, and almost like a badly described version of an 80s chick-flick. I cringed a little reading their make out scenes together, and their 18-year-old thoughts. I didn't think much of it thought, because I figured writing YA is not exactly McFarlane's forte and she only added this small section to set the groundwork for the rest of the story.

Then the actual story started, present day, 30 year old Georgina working at a really horrible Italian café/restaurant. In a series of unfortunate events (which, we'll soon learn is basically Georgina's whole life), she ends up being fired in front of a restaurant critic, and leaves in a huff. She decides to go straight to her boyfriend's house instead of going home, and oh my God, he's in bed with another girl.

So far, I'm really just trying to get to that point where she meets Lucas again. And let me tell you, it doesn't happen for a while. But then, when it DOES happen, he doesn't remember her, and she's crestfallen, because in her mind that means what they had meant nothing to him.

She starts working for him and his brother, and they somehow begin to get to know each other all over again, even though there remains that barrier that neither one of them seems able to break past. Does he really not remember her, or is he only pretending? I'll leave that for you to guess, but it's pretty obvious from the get-go.

I guessed very early on, when she had that little breakdown with the male entertainer, what had happened back in high school. I felt really sad. And was looking forward to see how this would be revealed and tackled in the book.

Unfortunately, this isn't revealed until the last 3 or 4 chapters of the book (this is a big book!), and it is revealed on stage, in front of an audience, which I felt was...not appropriate. The way it was tackled? It wasn't. Not really.

There was a lot of wasted time in this book. A huge book, filled with so many side characters, subplots, secondary character backgrounds and so on. Things I really wasn't interested to know or read about. You really want to get into a secondary character's story, write a sequel! But let's just focus on Georgina and Lucas here. They barely had any scenes together. They were few and numbered, and when they did, they never lasted too long. There was no sizzling romance. There were no butterflies in my stomach. Nothing. I mean, I picked up this book because I wanted to read a feel-good chicklit, and instead I got landed with a 400+ page book of constant babbling that in no way moved the story of the two protagonists forward.

Not to mention that Lucas was actually not likable at all. Regardless of what happened in the past. There were so many different moments where he would lash out, and the things he would say were in no way OK or forgivable. They said a lot about his character and I would not have looked past them so quickly the way Georgina has.

Disappointing to say the least.

One person found this helpful

Alma Matters

A decent read but doesn’t live up to the previous books

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 April 2019

Verified Purchase

I was looking forward to reading the latest offering from MM as I’d really enjoyed her previous books but unfortunately it just didn’t live up to the others. It lacked the humour of before which I was really surprised about as they were genuinely laugh out loud. This book however just dragged on and on until the last quarter when things finally started to happen. I liked Lucas’ character and it would’ve been good to get more from him. Similarly the sixth form flashbacks were good albeit fairly brief, but I found myself just frustrated with the main character. I really wanted that awful Geoffrey to get his comeuppance - I was willing her to *just do something* all the way through. Way too flaky a character for my liking! Also ridiculously unbelievable that he wouldn’t remember her (or that he could pretend not to) I mean come on! I’ll still read further books as I do like the author, hopefully this was just a minor blip.

2 people found this helpful

dolphin1974

Boring

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 July 2019

Verified Purchase

Sorry but this book bored me to sleep ... in the daytime! I ended up reading to the 50% mark then skipped to the last couple of chapters because I could not take any more of the 30 somethings sitting around drinking and sharing their woes.
I’m embarrassed to admit that I even recommended this book for my book club, I won’t be offended if the others skim read it as well.
The ending was predictable and I’m sure the 45% or so that I missed will only conclude the theories about the main character however with nothing “exciting” happening at all in the first half I was not gripped and this book was not for me.

One person found this helpful

Jacky N

Rubbish

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 January 2020

Verified Purchase

sorry not for me - did not find this funny, heart warming or romantic. same old same old, knew from the very start what was going to happen. lots of one liners which were meant to be funny but were not and I felt the author tried just that little bit too hard to be witty. not the best but ok if sitting by the pool and you don't want to concentrate too much.

Rosie M. Banks

Predictable and obvious

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 February 2019

Verified Purchase

I have read and enjoyed Mhairi McFarlane's earlier books so was pleased to find this one when searching my kindle. Unfortunately it left me feeling cross with all the stereotypes and particularly the portrayal of Georgina who came across as a real drip. It would also have benefited from some decent editing. I found myself re-reading certain passages to try to get the meaning, some words made no sense in their context and some were missing. I don't expect high literature from chick lit but I do hope for an enjoyable read.

2 people found this helpful

jennetttwo

Didn't find it hilarious

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 March 2019

Verified Purchase

I stopped reading half way through as I found my mind wandering. I found it a run of the mill sort of book- predictable and I didn't engage at all. But that is just my opinion.

Wendy Ford

Dull

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 August 2019

Verified Purchase

I read this book purely on the reviews that I read, as the author is unknown to me. How it got such good reviews is somewhat of a mystery, I Really wanted to give up on this book, but struggled on to the end in hope it would get better, but was disappointed. A dull boring book with a predictable ending, and certainly not hilarious.

julie

Disappointing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 May 2019

Verified Purchase

Very disappointing definitely didn’t do justice to its reviews struggled to get half way through it then gave up !

melanie pinamonti-hyde

Not funny at all

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 March 2019

Verified Purchase

Rubbish. Not funny at all. I gave up reading it as it was one of the most boring books I've ever laid my eyes on.

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3 star		13%
2 star		3%
1 star		1%

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