The Forgetting

December 22, 2014
Seventeen-year-old Georgie wakes up from an emergency heart transplant to find that she is somehow experiencing memories from the heart’s former owner, a Jane Doe who apparently committed suicide. But each new memory costs Georgie one of her own. When she meets Nate, a boy eager to help her find the truth about the girl he knew as Annabel, Georgie loses the memory of her past crush to discover that Annabel was in love with Nate—making it difficult for Georgie to untangle her own feelings for him. The more she learns of her heart’s former owner, including that she was a victim of sex trafficking, the more Georgie becomes ensconced in a bleak, dangerous world foreign to her prep-school existence. Maggi’s (Winter Falls) supernatural premise can be difficult to swallow at first, but her passion comes through in the honest portrayal of a privileged girl facing horrors and abuse that exist under her very nose. Readers will watch in suspense as Georgie decides how much she’s willing to sacrifice to see justice done. Ages 14–up. Agent: Irene Goodman, Irene Goodman Literary Agency.

December 15, 2014
After receiving a heart transplant, 17-year-old Georgie finds that the rhythm of her heartbeat is not the only thing that is different.Following the surgery, Georgie's memories begin to disappear, replaced by other memories that are not her own. At first the memories are of eating strawberries and falling in love, but they quickly darken. In order to find the identity of the girl whose heart she carries around inside her and the circumstances of her death, Georgie must step away from her life of privilege and walk in Jane Doe's shoes. The memories draw Georgie into a dangerous world filled with drugs, violence and sexual exploitation. But they also lead her to Nate, someone trying to make a difference and someone Georgie might be able to love. Inspired by FAIR Girls, an organization dedicated to stopping sex trafficking, this story is a powerful call to action. Yet even with its obvious motivation, it is never preachy. Strong characters, a well-developed mystery and a budding romance all come together to make this a story worth reading. Admirably and appropriately, Maggi refuses to shy away from what Georgie uncovers, including drug use and graphic scenes of sexual violence against children. Dark reality for sturdy readers. (Suspense. 14 & up)

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January 1, 2015

Gr 10 Up-Upon awakening from a heart transplant, Georgie Kendrick feels strange. Her heartbeat has an out-of-sync "catch" to it. She begins remembering parts of someone's past that isn't hers, and forgetting some of her own memories. Then Georgie learns that her new heart came from a Jane Doe who authorities believe committed suicide. Determined to stop the invasion of her memories, Georgie traces her heart's previous owner to a rough neighborhood where sex trafficking is the norm. There she meets a young man named Nate who volunteers with FAIR Girls, an organization that helps trafficked and abused children. Georgie's heart remembers and loves Nate, which makes untangling her own feelings for him tricky. With further investigation, Georgie becomes convinced that her heart's previous owner did not commit suicide, and she embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the truth. Before her time with FAIR Girls begins to transform Georgie into a more socially aware, empathic person, her "spoiled rich kid" family circumstances are exaggerated to the extreme. Some readers may feel alienated as a result, but her family's abundant wealth does highlight the conscious choice Georgie makes to spend her time fighting sex trafficking. As long as teens buy into the book's premise, they will be drawn into its suspenseful, exciting story that sheds light on an important social justice issue not often addressed in YA fiction. This book is a solid purchase for its innovative subject matter.-Sara White, Seminole County Public Library, Casselberry, FL

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