Forgetting August by J.L. Berg Series: Lost & Found #1
Published by Forever on April 5th 2016
Pages: 384
Amazon
She can forgive, but can she forget?
Some days, Everly still thinks she sees him. In the food court at the mall, or in a car speeding past as the light changes. It only lasts a second, but when it happens, she slips back to a time when she was ruled-and nearly ruined-by August Kincaid. And it doesn't matter that she's moved on, that she's about to marry another man. In those moments the only thing she can do to regain control is take a deep breath and remind herself that August can't hurt her-because he's in a coma. Except that he's not anymore.
August is awake. With no memories, he sets out to solve the mystery of his lost life. He unearths a photograph of a beautiful redhead named Everly and knows instinctively that she's the key. But when he finds her, the August she describes is more monster than man.
Tortured by the thought of having hurt her, August wants only to become the man Everly deserves. As the new August emerges, Everly glimpses the person she first fell in love with. But can she trust that this August is real? When the final secret of their shared past is revealed, one of them will make a choice that changes their future forever . . .
It’s amazing how two chapters can ruin a book for me. I had some issues with the story, but Forgetting August was on its way to being a 4-star read. It’s an interesting second-chance romance that not only tells of a second chance at love, but a second chance at life as well.
August awakens from a two-year coma with no recollection of his past. He has no idea who he is, what caused him to be hospitalized, or where he lives. The only person who seems to know him is his emergency contact, Everly, a woman with whom he apparently had a long-term relationship prior to his accident.
Everly has moved on and is now engaged to Ryan. The man has to be the Gandhi of all saints because he is so patient and understanding as Everly comes to terms with the return of August, who was once the love over her life, but also caused her great pain. She’s hostile towards August and tells him over and over again what a “monster” he was. What’s frustrating is that August tries to respect Everly’s request to stay out of her life. It’s Everly who keeps turning up on his doorstep. She is torn between being angry at him for waking up, and feeling sympathetic about his loneliness and confusion. Ultimately, she’s still drawn to August despite their tumultuous past and the fear that she’ll get burned again. She reluctantly decides to help fill in the blanks of his past.
This story is a true love triangle where perhaps it’s unclear who the heroine should choose. There’s Ryan who is sweet and easygoing. Then there’s August who was once a scary and overpowering man, but is now lighthearted and kind. You don’t have the impression that either one is a villain, so theoretically Everly has a difficult choice to make. She has a good thing going with Ryan though, so I didn’t want her to rock the boat. Other readers may feel differently.
August is very appealing. He accepts that he was every bit the horrible person Everly says he was, even though he doesn’t remember or understand his previous actions. Pre-coma August seems like a foreigner to him. However, he doesn’t wallow in self-pity for long, and I admired his determination to start over—without Everly. Part of that involves learning the “new” August’s likes and dislikes, including his funny experiments into discovering his favorite foods.
As the story goes on, I became less and less sympathetic towards Everly. I didn’t like how she uses Ryan as a doormat while she flip flops between her feelings for both men. Despite the walks down memory lane, I just didn’t feel the connection between Everly and August. I never sensed they were destined to be together.
Everything—and I do mean everything—changes instantaneously in the last two chapters. It’s extremely rushed and the couple’s actions are rather dumbfounding. I was left more confused than anxious to read the next book.
Recommended for fans of:
Second chance romance
Love triangles
Amnesia stories
Coffee
**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.**
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