Doesn’t matter who did it. Not anymore. I did the time. It’s over.”When Drix was convicted of a crime–one he didn’t commit–he thought his life was over. But opportunity came with the Second Chance Program, the governor’s newest pet project to get delinquents off the streets, rehabilitated and back into society. Drix knows this is his chance to get his life back on track, even if it means being … track, even if it means being paraded in front of reporters for a while.Elle knows she lives a life of privilege. As the governor’s daughter, she can open doors with her name alone. But the expectations and pressure to be someone she isn’t may be too much to handle. She wants to follow her own path, whatever that means.When Drix and Elle meet, their connection is immediate, but so are their problems. Drix is not the type of boy Elle’s parents have in mind for her, and Elle is not the kind of girl who can understand Drix’s messy life.But sometimes love can breach all barriers.Fighting against a society that can’t imagine them together, Drix and Elle must push themselves–Drix to confront the truth of the robbery, and Elle to assert her independence–and each other to finally get what they deserve.
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All of Katie McGarry books are fantastic and this is no different. Just read all of her books.
Say You’ll Remember Me is a fantastic, beautiful story of Hendrix and Ellison.
Ellison is the governor’s daughter, and Hendrix is the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. They meet so poetically and instantly feel that connection. It isn’t an instant-love, but you could feel that spark deep inside your heart. I love when I can really get to that level with characters. It’s everything.
I don’t want to give this story away. I’m not going to tell all the details, that would be a disservice to the reader. McGarry has a writing style that I love. Her words are beautiful. Some stories I’ve read, things will be said. I’ll just stop and think, ok well that wasn’t needed. This is a story has so much heart; it makes its way into your soul. And it does not let you go.
Say You’ll Remember me will forever have a place in my heart. I’m not sure I have even the right words to describe it. I loved it, and it defiantly is on my top for 2018.
Overall, Five Boundless Stars
I loved Elle and Drix. They were both such well defined and inspiring characters. A very believable story and a testament to honesty, compassion, and redemption. Of course the romance was breathtaking as well!
Katie McGarry writes great YA stories but, as always, I would rate these for reading only by older young adults.
The audible narration was excellent as well.
Say You’ll Remember Me is one of the most intense YA books I’ve read. And I’ve read plenty, including some of Katie McGarry’s books (if you haven’t read her Pushing the Limits series, you’re definitely missing out) but Drix’s story is absolutely amazing.
Drix has a second chance but he knows he needs to change his life, actually he’s realizing that maybe that’s not that hard because he knows he’s already different. During the year he lost, away from everyone he loves, he has changed. A lot. Still, he’s terrified of falling through the rabbit hole again, so he’s taking things slow.
Elle has an easy life. At least that’s what everyone thinks when they look at her social media and perfect pictures dressed in fancy dresses, smiling with her family and joining her father’s events while raising money to his campaign. But the truth is she’s not happy, no one really knows her or cares about what she thinks or feels except her cousin, and she’s struggling with her parents pressure and expectations.
Elle and Drix have an amazing connection and an insane chemistry. Even though they’re very much attracted to each other, Drix knows they can’t get involved: they’re too different, from two very different worlds, Elle is out of his league and she’s the governor’s daughter. But even though they have a mile long list of cons they seem to be inevitably thrown together all the time…
I loved Drix and Elle’s journey, there’s family drama, angst, self discovery, healing, second chances and twists that I didn’t see coming! It was so beautifully written, so emotional with such character growth that I couldn’t put my Kindle down (and I ugly cried at some moments), I really loved how their friendship started to grow and how they slowly fell in love not only with each other but also with the person they had the potential to become. They definitely brought the best in each other and that just made their story so much more. I’m also in love with Drix’s family, their moments together are not always perfect, but their loyalty and love for each other definitely shine through. Katie McGarry is my favorite YA author, she always tugs at my heartstrings and I love every second of it! Overall, an emotional story about self discovery, second chances, loyalty, love and family that will keep you captivated until the very last second and then you’ll be wishing there was more. Highly recommended and a must read! I won’t be missing Katie’s next book.
“…only Elle has the key to unravel the chains that keep me locked up in my past sins.”
What a sweet and frustratingly angsty tale this was!! From opposite sides of the tracks, both fighting to find themselves, unravel from very high expectations, and powerless against the pull each has over each other. My only gripe is Elle’s mother, I couldn’t like her even once, I know that was the point, but man she made me so annoyed. I always have a soft spot for unlikely attraction, characters that are so much more than they seem on the surface, and make you jump through so much to know how they will end up, and this one checks all those boxes!!
“Our shoulders still touching. Our chests centimeters apart. Magnetism pulling us in. A natural attraction that begs to be unleashed.”
~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog
This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased, honest opinion.
I think this book is on a deeper level than I anticipated. It’s not puppies and kittens, it’s real emotions and hardships. I think I thought it would be this lighthearted love story but it’s so much more than that. We have Ellison aka Elle who is the daughter of a Governor who has created a second chance program for teens who’ve previously been in some type of trouble. The program is there to help the teens get on the right path and not end up going straight from high school to jail. Enter Hendrix aka Drix. Hendrix pleaded guilty to a crime and served his time. Drix was selected to be the face of the second chance program. Drix and Elle met by accident and formed a connection. Later on they realized who each other were….there the story begins.
The background stories for most of these characters broke my heart. I wanted to reach out to help them only to realize….they’re fictional characters. The writing really made me feel for these kids. I seriously want to adopt them all. One of my favorite relationships were Drix and his brother Axle. I felt their bond so strongly while reading. It literally jumped off the pages and into my heart. I loved their connection and how they are always there for each other constantly, without hesitation. They had their ups and downs like all siblings do, but at the core they would do anything for each other.
One of the main characters was Elle. Elle was constantly pressured to be perfect and composed at all times. I felt mentally exhausted just reading about it, I can’t imagine actually living that life day in and day out. Elle struggled with keeping who she truly was and the perfect persona that she showed the world separately. Sometimes those lines would blur and it was really hard on her. We see this inward battle of her trying to please her parents and everyone else while also trying to stay true to herself. She really was a great character who will stay with me.
As far as the relationship between Elle and Drix goes….without spoiling anything……I loved how Drix encouraged Elle to be her true self. He didn’t want her to put on an act for anyone. Drix thought the true Elle was this amazing person who didn’t need to be perfect/on point at any given moment. Now Drix did have his moments where I wanted to punch him in the arm for pushing Elle away and feeling like he wasn’t good enough for anyone or anything. We all struggle with those inner demons who constantly tell us our greatest fears over and over. Sometimes we listen and sometimes we overcome them. It’s just something we all have to deal with.
My rating for this book was 3.5 stars because for the first half of the book, I felt like not much happened. I kept waiting and waiting but it seemed we were stuck story line wise. About half way through is when the story picked up and started to gain momentum. Perhaps we needed the first half to lay the ground work for us to understand the characters and why they are the way they are? I’m not sure. It just dragged a bit too much for my liking. Now the second half, I really enjoyed. It made me adore this story. The action really gave it that push that I needed and from then on, I couldn’t put down the book. I read from 50% to the finish in one sitting. So overall, I enjoyed the book but wish the pacing was a bit different in the first half.
Favorite Quotes:
He must believe there’s nothing in my skull beyond the beginnings of hair follicles.
It’s creepy hanging with you… It’s like you’re the Walking Dead. I’m half expecting someone to jump out with a samurai sword and slice out your heart.
“I don’t know how to get them to leave me alone.” I pause, then the bitterness leaks out as well as a grim grin. “At least not without a baseball and a well-placed throw. Some people shouldn’t be allowed to continue their genetics.”
What does being mature mean? Mature feels an awful lot like being tamed, and so far, I’m not caring for the view from my cage.
Andrew and I are barely friends, and most days I lean toward thinking he should be neutered.
Drix gives that dog anything he wants. I’m warning you in case you guys grow up, get married and have babies. When the zombie apocalypse happens, he’s saving the dog before he saves any of us.
My Review:
I was stunned and off-balance by how much I enjoyed this skillfully crafted, engrossing, and heart-squeezing tale. I was immediately sucked in by the engaging storytelling and quick to fall for these enticing and intriguing characters, although I occasionally wanted to give several of them a pop to the back of their head and lock the bratty sister in her room. I very rarely read YA since I don’t like being reminded of those claustrophobic and hopeless feelings due to being powerless to the forces of controlling and cruel adults. But I couldn’t seem to put this one down. Adulting may be hard but it’s ever so sweet to make your own choices once out from under a menacing or suffocating thumb, as was the case for these two diversely different teens. Both were miserable and under intense pressure and scrutiny but had completely dissimilar life experiences. Elle was a naïve and wealthy private school girl who had everything but freewill as she was little more than a trained monkey to her political parents’ dog and pony show. Hendrix was a cynically resigned, street-smart, and overly exposed delinquent fresh out juvenile detention. An unlikely pair who had been forbidden to interact while on the campaign trail, but of course, they meshed and became fast friends who eventually set off fireworks in their nether regions. I sighed with relief at the satisfying conclusion and certainly wouldn’t mind seeing the tale of this ragtag grouping further developed into a series.
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING BOOK by Katie McGarry!!!! This year has been amazing so far for new releases, and McGarry is the newest addition to my top reads of 2018!
Hendrix and Elle are complete opposites in every sense of the word. He has just been released from an experimental juvenile program that sends kids convicted of crimes to a facility that provides treatment and counseling and then an outdoor program instead of prison, the Second Chance Program. He comes a broken family with an absent mother and father. His brother Axle is the one constant in his life, along with his sister, Holiday. Elle is the governor’s daughter, the same governor who started the Second Chance Program. She has all the things that Hendrix and his family never had…two involved parents and safety. They are two people who would never travel in the same circles, yet when a chance encounter has a domino effect, they both discover they do have something in common…they need to find out who they really are and the freedom to pursue their dreams.
Hendrix and Elle fascinated me from the very beginning. The story is told in their own voices which illustrates what complex and multi-layered characters they were. Hendrix is the first to admit he was a jerk who only cared about himself before he was convicted of a crime and sent to the Second Chance Program. He has a chance to start with a “blank slate,” but he is unsure of what that is. He’s numb, cutting off all feelings and emotions, afraid if he allows them out, he will find himself right back where he started, except this time in a jail cell. He definitely wants to change his life and do something with it, so he’s extremely careful in what he does. When he sees Elle, he finally feels something. He knows she is something special.
“She was a cool breeze after a hot humid rain. She was that first ray of sunshine in the dark woods. She was the first d**n things that made me forget who I am and what I’ve gotten myself into over the past year. That means she was out of my league.”
He does his best to keep his distance, especially when he finds out she is the daughter of the governor, the man who has Hendrix’s fate in his very hands. But, circumstances will push these two very close.
Ellie was such strong young woman, even if those closest to her never realized so much. The only ones who do are her brother, Henry, and Hendrix. She is an instrument her family uses for their own political purposes. She feels the pressure to live up to her parents’ unrealistic expectations, always having to put aside her dreams for them. Hendrix allows her the ability to be herself and share with him her aspirations for the future. She lives with all sorts of chances others aren’t afforded, yet she is just as much a prisoner as Hendrix is. I loved the way their relationship was developed. They were friends first and then more, even though Hendrix was understandably hesitant at first. I just prayed these two could find their own way together.
Not only was this a book about romance and self-discovery, it took a hard and much needed look at the inequality in our legal system and access to education and the darker side of politics. Hendrix found a much deeper purpose in advocating for the program that changed his life and had the potential to change other at-risk kids’ lives. Through Elle’s father, I saw that wanting to make a positive change and becoming a politician are quite different. They can begin hand-in-hand, yet sacrifices and decisions are made that could well help a majority, but what about the individual. That was a hard question that I’m not sure will ever be answered. Not all politicians are evil, some are human who have very hard decisions to make, and not all of them are good.
With the added suspense and quest to prove Hendrix’s innocence just made the book that much better. I can’t end my review without highlighting the sense of family and friendship in the book. Hendrix’s brother, Axle, was one of the biggest heroes in the book, not with extravagant gestures of love but with simple gestures done daily that showed his family how much they were loved. If you are looking for a young adult romance with great depth and emotions, look no further than Say You’ll Remember Me.
***Read and Reviewed for Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews***
Anyone who knows me knows that Opposites Attract novels are my jam. And if the hero is a little rough around the edges and from the wrong side of the tracks I am sold!! I thoroughly enjoyed Hendrix and Elle and their connection. I enjoyed their easy banter, friendship and chemistry and thought that their story was great.
When Hendrix (“Drix”) and Ellison (“Elle”) meet they had no idea how their paths would intersect on so many levels. Chosen as the face of the Governor’s juvenile rehabilitation program after a crime he committed a year earlier, Drix is now faced with spending time with his dream girl – the governor’s daughter. But when chemistry and feelings develop, lines get crossed and a secret about that night reveals itself to put Drix and his loved ones in danger.
While I did enjoy this story, I felt there were parts that were extremely long winded. I got lost at times in the story as it seemed to be overtly detailed. Overall I enjoyed this story. I liked that both Drix and Elle were able to see past the facades they both wear. Him seeing past the perfect image she is forced to project as the “Governor’s daughter” while she sees past his stoic and detached “bad boy” persona as a result of his past. 4 stars! ~Ratula
Book Review: 5 Million Stars
Say You’ll Remember Me is P E R F E C T I O N ! ! !
I really don’t have words to describe my love for this book. So I decided to share three short quotes that represent my most favorite aspects in this against-all-odds love story.
The writing is flawless
“She was beautiful. She was poised. She was a cool breeze after a hot humid rain. She was that first ray of sunshine in the dark woods. She was the smell of honeysuckle in bloom. She was the first damn thing that made me forget who I am and what I’ve gotten myself into over the past year. That means she was out of my league.”
The characters are realistic, lovely and amazing
“Elle is a force of nature and the smartest, most articulate and compassionate person I know. Beyond my family, she’s one of the few people who fought for my future, and she’s honestly the only person who truly fought for my innocence. Ellison Monroe saved my life.”
The romance is heartwarming
“I gently kiss her lips one more time, then pull back. I don’t tell her I love her because my kiss said it all. She doesn’t say it back because the deep blue of her eyes tells me all I need to know.”
The plotting is original and the ending is everything but I won’t share quotes about them because… SPOILERS!! But let me tell you this, I read Say You’ll Remember Me in 24 hours, I barely slept, or ate, or breath during that period of time: I found myself crying at 3am with the intensity of the story in the end but I didn’t care I was going to be a zombie the next day at work, because, seriously, the ending was EVERYTHING!!!
I willing you to go and read this book. If you love YA and even if you don’t, you’ll need to read this book. I assure you’ll love it as much as I do.
I don’t read many YA Romances anymore…partially because it’s difficult to connect with the characters and the teenage angst that overwhelms them and partly because I teach high school freshman and have a freshman son of my own, so separating my reality from my reading world can be trying and let’s just say, it frightens me to think about my son experiencing some of the things that YA characters do:/
BUT, if there is one author who I would gladly delve into the hearts and minds of teenage characters, it’s Katie McGarry. She’s an amazing storyteller because she allows her characters’ stories to play out at their own speed, making most of them slow burn kind of reads, which is actually what I would expect from this age group.
What I also love about McGarry’s stories is that she constructs characters who are anything but stereotypical. Her heroes and heroines are unique in their struggles, their life experiences, and the way they look at their lives and learn to traverse through the ups and downs that make up their journey. Her characters are also relatable and realistically portrayed…even readers who are so beyond removed from this particular age group can acknowledge the truth behind the characters’ representations and all that they must confront at an age where it’s impossible to truly understand the magnitude of their experiences.
Elle and Drix appear to come from two completely different worlds – Elle seems to have a ‘golden’ life, living in luxury and reaping the benefits of her father’s government position while Drix struggles in life, not only because of his conviction for a crime he didn’t commit but also due to how he is viewed as a blight on society. But appearances can be deceiving, so even though everyone around them believes that Elle and Drix have no business being together, the bond that they form and that continually grows is one that refuses to remain idle simply because of people’s biases and misjudgments, and while building a relationship is difficult for them due to outside circumstances and interferences, it’s clear that they’ll fight for what they have, especially because it provides them with a calming presence in the maelstrom of their lives.
Drix epitomizes the tortured hero, and rightly so, because he has had to endure much more than the ordinary teenage boy and now that he’s finished paying, albeit somewhat, for a crime he didn’t commit, he now must assimilate back into society, knowing how people judge the young man that he is and struggling to find his footing in a world that has already let him down. McGarry does a fantastic job of allowing readers to clearly see the demons and darkness he struggles with…there is so much self-doubt and fear that affects Drix’s psyche, but when he’s with a certain girl, the negative thoughts quiet and he feels a sense of peace, even if his connection with her would not be well received by society, especially her father.
Elle is a strong heroine who looks beyond people’s appearances in order to judge them on their actual worth, and while she takes a few missteps when it comes to her asserting herself and her beliefs to her parents, she refuses to be told how to live her life and her connection with Drix is a lifeline to being the girl…the person she wants to be despite her meddling mother and father.
I always get so caught up in the world and characters that Katie McGarry creates, and Say You’ll Remember Be followed that same pattern. I adored Elle and Drix’s story…it was heartwarming, heartbreaking, angsty, at times, emotionally overwhelming in all of the best ways. The secondary characters were a great fit for the story line and the chemistry between the hero and heroine resonated off of the pages of the story. I truly didn’t want the story to end because I was completely immersed into the lives of the characters and the development of not only their love story but of the people they aspired to be despite what they had to battle against to do so.
4.5 Poison Apples (The Fairest of All Book Reviews)
*4 Stars*
This one took me a bit longer than normal for a Katie McGarry book to get into. It really ramped up for me towards the end, and I felt myself more invested at that point.
That being said though, this was a good book with a lot of hidden lessons. Drix and Elle were great characters, and the secondary characters, particularly Holiday, Axle and Marcus, were really cool too.
I found there were a lot of hidden lessons as we learned more about Drix and Elle and their lives. There is a lot of behind the scenes political nonsense for Elle, leaving her wondering who she really is, and if she can stand up to her parents and stand up for herself.
Drix is probably the more complicated one, and his life and lifestyle definitely highlight the unfortunate lives that some people are born into and how they find trouble being able to excel and the unfortunate situations they end up in. Obviously their own life choices play a part, and this determines who they are, but what they were born into certainly doesn’t help matters.
This book is about saving lives, and being given chances, and making your own way. I liked they way that Drix and Elle worked as a couple and how, even from totally different worlds, they were so well fit for each other and understood each other in their own ways.
Would recommend.