Don't You Forget About Me

Starred review from July 22, 2019
McFarlane (Who’s That Girl?) strikes romantic comedy gold with this tale of reunited sweethearts who have to grapple with the past. During their last term of high school, popular Georgina Horspool and loner Lucas McCarthy fell in love. They planned to become each other’s first lover after the end-of-year party—but a traumatic event derailed that plan. Twelve years later, Georgina’s life is in a downward spiral. After being publicly fired from a dead-end waitressing job, catching her comedian boyfriend in bed with his assistant, and dealing with her critical family, she gets a job working for Lucas, who shows no signs of recognizing her. This is no standard lost-love-reunited tale; McFarlane builds it into a powerful exploration of grief and the way incomplete information can shape a narrative. As Georgina’s background is carefully revealed, readers will continually revise their ideas of who she is and gain a better understanding of her closest relationships, especially with her father and with Lucas. As a result, the ending, while not unexpected, is deeply satisfying on several levels, and Lucas’s final romantic speech is one for the ages. McFarlane strikes a beautiful balance of tenderness, wry humor, and deep emotion. Agent: Doug Kean, Gunn Media (U.K.).

Georgina is fired and comes home early to find her boyfriend in bed with someone else. It's a tired premise, but Madeline Gould is the perfect narrator for what follows--plenty of heart, comedy, and plot twists. Georgina's angry shouts give way to her witty and easy demeanor after a night out with friends, and Gould gives her a quick pace and an intimate tone among mates. Then, Georgina is offered another job, only to find that the co-owner is her first love. Instead of an awkward reunion, Georgina is shocked to find he doesn't remember her. Can she find closure with respect to the secret she's been carrying for years? Dialogue is vivid and passionate, thanks to Gould's smooth transitions between characters of different genders, ages, and accents. A.L.C. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine