When you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, you’re bound to fall apart. Who will be there to help pick up the pieces?Nellie Campbell is a fixer. She’s selfless in her need to solve the problems of the people she loves. When her mom is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, she puts her own life on hold and dives head first into caretaker mode. Her days are spent consumed with the … with the troubles of others—her mom, her wayward sister, the neighborhood stray cat, the single mom next door. She tackles every issue as though it were her own, ignoring herself in the process.
Until she meets Jude Hargrove. After one brief encounter, he manages to awaken something inside of her that she had long left for dead. Herself.
But is it too late for Nellie? Can Jude help her see her own worth or will she be destined to see herself as a problem that just isn’t meant to be solved?
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This is just like what I expected; a deep meaningful story with a lot of positive messages and a lot of life lessons. It’s been awhile since I last read this type of book. Stories with this exact concept tend to be quite heavy and tearful. Also, it does have a lot of messages and lessons we can learn from. I like reading this kind of book because it does help me learn a lot more about life.
The story isn’t exactly a cheerful story, it was an emotional story with some happy parts on the side. I do enjoyed reading this book even though I shed a lot of tears reading it. The story struck deep, especially when it comes to seeing how emotionally sad Nellie was every time she spend her time with her mother. I can’t imagine being in Nellie’s shoes, it must’ve been hard, and seeing the situation she was in terrified me. It did teach me some lessons and I took notes of it.
Nellie is a tough and independent woman who loves taking care of other people and help them with their problems. She has a big heart and I do feel sorry for her that her situation stop her from living her life to the fullest. She deserves to have some freedom, to feel pure happiness, and to enjoy her life just as much as she want to. She was used to putting others first and when the opportunity came for her to put herself first, she was afraid and start to questioned everything which was really sad to me—sad at the fact that she thought she doesn’t deserve it and doesn’t deserve to have good things in her life.
I wouldn’t say she is perfect because she’s not. What I liked the most was knowing that her character is also flawed. She did something morally wrong in a few occasions and as much as I understood her reasoning, I didn’t support what she did. That was the only problem I had with her character. It only showed that she also made mistakes in her life even though it was just a small one. But she improved herself to be better later on and that improvement was part of her good character development.
Now…let’s talk about Jude Hargrove. Can this man be more perfect? Well, Jude is so much more than just a charming man who managed Starbucks. He surprised me a lot but in a good way. I didn’t expect him to be so kind, so understanding, so caring, and so helpful. It was rare to find this exact type of male character in a lot of books. It was a blessing to be introduced to this amazing man. Nellie wasn’t the only one who had to deal with emotional pain in the story, because Jude had to deal with his own emotional pain too. I was glad that he got his time to tell his story in this book even though Nellie is the focus, but at least the author gave Jude more room to talk about his past which will help readers understand him deeply.
I loved how he was just so calm since the beginning until the end of the story. He always have faith that things are going to be better one day, and that all of the struggles he and Nellie both face in their own lives are just temporary. I was like, “who is this man and where can I find him?” He does surprised me a lot, and I wasn’t even lying. Jude’s character is totally the opposite of Nellie. He always have positive thinking and just deal with what life throw at him so easily. I do enjoyed learning about his character and I find that he’s far more likable than Nellie in a lot of ways. There is no doubt that he literally is the best character in the book. I have to thank the author for introducing this character to the readers who read this book, and also for creating this character to help bring balance into Nellie’s life.
Nellie and Jude first meeting was a bit hilarious to me, but I loved how they don’t feel awkward with each other and just chat like they are normal friends. Their connection was pretty instant, but their feelings are slowly developing into something more. From strangers to lovers, well this is the kind of romance trope that is very rare to find. I loved the whole progress of their relationship.
Nellie and Jude may shared an instant connection, but it was undeniable that they have a strong chemistry that makes the closeness they feel to each other seem so natural. The portrayal of their romance is very realistic. I liked seeing Jude helps Nellie and seeing how both of them were honest to each other ever since they first met, like they never conceal the truth at all. Honesty is one of the main key to a successful relationship. I loved their beautiful romance, really warms my heart to see both of them happy after what they’ve been through in their lives.
If you’re into Women’s Fiction and love seeing the heroine’s good relationship with everyone and her wonderful romance with the hero, then you might want to read this one. Honestly, Women’s Fiction stories always made me feel emotionally sad at first and ended up making me feel happy. I truly appreciate this story and is grateful that story as emotional and beautiful as this one does exist.
This is my first book by Layne Deemer but it won’t be my last. For purely personal reasons this was a hard book for me to read because I’ve lived it not once but twice. I’ve never really spoke about my feelings about my experiences but it was like Layne had been inside my head. All the feelings of helplessness and pain she expressed them so well. I wanted to jump in the book and hug Nellie, she is an amazing character. A chance meeting brings some much needed joy into her life and I rejoiced at his perseverence. One thing I have learned from my issues with Alzheimers is celebrate the little things, love with all your heart and this is the message I hope people take from this book.
Five unforgotten stars!
Wow, this was a wonderful reading experience, this author writes such beautiful words.
Nellie has a lot going on in her life. After her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimers and put into care, she put her life on hold to make sure the rest of her mother’s life was as good as it could be. She thinks it’s the least she can do for a woman who spent her life caring for her daughters. Nellie is a giver and not only is she on call 24/7 for her mum, she also takes care of her neighbours and homeless cats.
She is one of those people that just gets up and keeps going, no matter what life throws at her. It is heartbreaking for her to visit this new version of her mum and to not be able to connect like they used to. There are some moments of lucidity and Nellie clings on to those because she knows how few and far between they are now.
‘To my mom, it must seem like I’ve systematically taken control over everything in her life. Her house is gone; her car is gone; her autonomy is gone. I’m her child and I’ve robbed her of her free will. I know Alzheimer’s is the thief, but buried way deep in my head is the worry that I’m not an innocent bystander, either.’
She has become so immersed in her new way of life that she has forgotten how to live, putting the needs of other people before her own. It’s like she hit the pause button and now it’s stuck. This all changes when she meets the lovely, charismatic Jude. What starts a casual flirtation with the barista from her coffee shop, turns into so much more for both of them.
Nellie had no idea how much she had been missing out on until Jude brings her back to life. For the first time in so long she has the support she had been missing in her life. Jude is lightening the load and it feels incredible to have someone on her side. Spending time with him, laughing with him makes her feel her age again, without the weight of responsibility weighing her down.
‘I’ve felt Jude’s presence in my life in ways I never could have imagined. Without hesitation, he’s lifted some of the burden from my shoulders and placed it on to his own. I never asked him for help, but that’s the thing about Jude, I never needed to.’
As much as she enjoys being with Jude, her mother is always at the forefront of her mind. Being available to her 24/7 comes over and above everything else. To her, indulging in herself could mean not being there when it counts. As much as Jude understands and accepts that, she can’t help thinking that he will tire of her one day. Jude is determined for Nellie to experience the life forgotten – to let go and trust that others will help her pick up the pieces.
I was completely blown away by how well written this story is and also, that this is only the second novel from Layne Deemer. If this is a sign of things to come from her I’m excited about her future in writing. I loved Jude, he was adorable, swoony and just perfect for Nellie 🙂
This is such an emotional and heartfelt read. So much so that it was honestly hard for me to read at times. The subject of Alzheimer’s is one that hits very close to home with me as someone who loves and helps care for someone with this disease. I occasionally had to sit the book down because I knew exactly what Nellie was feeling and I had to take a moment to put myself back together. Layne Deemer perfectly captures the wide range of emotion when it comes to loving someone with Alzheimer’s.
While Life Forgotten contains some heavy hitting emotion, it still manages to also be an incredibly sweet and uplifting read. Jude and Nellie’s blossoming romance acts as the perfect balance to the heavy. These two were so adorable together and Jude, that man was a dream. Supportive, sweet, funny and a total gentleman he was absolutely perfect for Nellie.
If you’re looking for a read that will really hit you in the feels and then leave your heart feeling full I highly recommend grabbing this one!
Boy was this one powerfully emotional read. It took me a bit to get into, but once I did I could’t put it down. Poor Nellie has the weight of the world on her shoulders and she looks out for everyone, but herself. That makes it all the more special when Jude comes into her life. She starts to live again. Will Jude get through to her that she has to take care of herself as well as everyone? This book shows you the daily struggles of families with Alzheimer’s. It shows the impact and how people react differently. It’s such a heartbreaking disease. After reading the author note you can definitely tell there was a personal touch to this one. The author did a amazing job writing this one. She pulls the emotion out of the characters that pours all over the pages.
This fall I read the authors debut novel; a thriller that ended up being one of my favorites of 2019. So naturally, I jumped at the chance to sign up to review this one. I am happy to report Layne Deemer writes heartwarming and emotional contemporaries just as well as she writes thrillers. I’m quite blown away by her beautiful writing in this story!
Life Forgotten follows Nellie who has put her entire life on hold, to care for her mother who is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. Nellie coasts though her day to day life, taking care of and fretting over everyone and everything, and manages to lose herself in the process. Until she meets Jude, a Starbucks barista who helps to awaken things inside Nellie she had long forgotten.
This was such a heartwarming read, that I truly enjoyed from start to finish. I loved watching the relationship between Nellie and Jude grow, and watching Nellie allow someone to take care of her for a change. I loved Jude so much, he was such a great character l, I loved that he kept reminding Nellie that she wasn’t alone anymore, and that she still had a life worth living!
This beautiful story hit me in all my feels, and managed to leave my heart feeling happy in the end.
A beautiful, heartfelt emotional story full of all the feels…
Nellie’s life is put on hold when her mother is diagnosed with alzheimer’s her world now revolves around making her mothers life the best she can give her which ultimately leads to her losing herself along the way…until jude , he breathes life back into Nellie and shows that she doesn’t need to do this alone.
I loved jude hes perfect for Nellie they really made me smile, a book with all the feels and so beautifully written you cant help but fall in love with the characters.