Isis Blake hasn’t fallen in love in three years, forty-three weeks, and two days. Or so she thinks. The boy she maybe-sort-of-definitely loved and sort-of-maybe-definitely hated has dropped off the face of the planet in the face of tragedy, leaving a Jack Hunter-shaped hole. Determined to be happy, Isis fills it in with lies and puts on a brave smile for her new life at Ohio State University. But … University.
But the smile lasts only until he shows up. The menace from her past–her darkest secret, Nameless–is attending OSU right alongside her. And he’s whispering that he has something Isis wants–something she needs to see to move forward. To move on.
Isis has always been able to pretend everything is okay. But not anymore.
Isis Blake might be good at putting herself back together.
But Jack Hunter is better.
The Lovely Vicious series is best enjoyed in order.
Reading Order:
Book #1 Love Me Never
Book #2 Forget Me Always
Book #3 Remember Me Forever
more
4.5/5 Stars
This review MAY contain spoilers.
This series definitely ended out on a high note. I very much enjoyed the first two books in this series, and this one even more so. As with the first two books, I finished this book in one sitting.
This book had an entirely different vibe from the first two books. And if I’m honest, it felt like the last book was more New Adult than Young Adult. The main characters have moved on from high school and are all going to college in this final installment. While there were many friendships, there was not a lot of family involvement in the characters lives.
Another thing that was different about this book from the other two books was the pacing of the story. The second book jumped right back into the story from where it had left off. This book starts out months after the close of the second book. And we get a recap from the main character’s point of view, which was more telling than showing. I am not usually a fan of this style, but it kind of works in the end. I honestly wasn’t jamming with it in the beginning, but once the story picked up from there things got better. It just made the beginning of the book feel too slow and boring.
I enjoyed the plot. It definitely heats up a bit compared to the first two books. It did feel like something out of left field at first. Basically, just really unbelievable in most parts. I could still enjoy the story though. It isn’t like these events couldn’t happen in real life, just highly unlikely to happen and sync the way they do in the book. But the story was definitely full of suspense. I honestly did not know what was going to happen next.
Like the first two books of this series, this book is also character driven. There is not a lot of world-building, but the book does not suffer for it. This series is a contemporary and it’s really about the characters. The setting could have been anywhere where there are traditional high schools and colleges. The characters are what drive the story and make it shine.
The character development for the two main characters really comes full circle. These characters have past traumas to confront, face, deal with, and then come back to feeling okay again. It’s really one of the main points of the series. Learning how to deal with the horrors of life, not running away from your problems, and learning to be okay with yourself in the end. I really felt connected to these characters throughout the series, but even more so after finishing this final book. I have so many feels!
This book, and this series as a whole, deals with a lot of sensitive issues that some may find triggering. I applaud the author for including them. They are issues that are quite real and many do not see the light of day in Young Adult literature. Off the top of my head, some of the issues are rape, abuse, self-harm, suicide, PTSD, mental illness, anxiety, underage prostitution, violence, miscarriage, teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, stalking, and more that I am probably forgetting at the moment.
Overall, this story is definitely one that will stick with me. I can see myself rereading it at some point in the future. This series is one the I would recommend to a mature Young Adult audience. I have no doubt that anyone that picks up these books will fall just as in love with the characters that I did!
Ahhh, this book!!! I just want to wrap my arms around my Kindle and hug it.
Remember Me Always is a book I won’t easily forget. Actually, this entire trilogy is one I won’t ever forget. It made me laugh and cry, it drove me a little crazy, it made me a little angry, and it broke my heart…and then put it all back together again, leaving me with the biggest smile on my face. Waiting in between release dates was the sweetest torture- I wanted, no needed, to know how things would be wrapped up and how finally, hopefully, Jack and Isis would end up together, as they were meant to be. But there was a sadness as well, because I knew it was going to be so hard to say goodbye to two of my favorite characters, and boy was it ever. But this book gave me everything I wanted and needed for closure to their story. It gave me more even than I could have imagined.
“Any love I could give her would hurt her more, when all I want to do is heal her. I want to build her back up, not tear her down with me. She is too important.”