* POPSUGAR’s “New Thrillers That Should Be on Your Radar This Year” * Women.com’s “12 New September Books Worth Canceling Plans For” In New York Times bestselling author Nevada Barr’s gripping standalone, a grandmother in her sixties emerges from a mental fog to find she’s trapped in her worst nightmare Rose Dennis wakes up in a hospital gown, her brain in a fog, only to discover that she’s been … fog, only to discover that she’s been committed to an Alzheimer’s Unit in a nursing home. With no memory of how she ended up in this position, Rose is sure that something is very wrong. When she overhears one of the administrators saying about her that she’s “not making it through the week,” Rose is convinced that if she’s to survive, she has to get out of the nursing home. She avoids taking her medication, putting on a show for the aides, then stages her escape.
The only problem is–how does she convince anyone that she’s not actually demented? Her relatives were the ones to commit her, all the legal papers were drawn up, the authorities are on the side of the nursing home, and even she isn’t sure she sounds completely sane. But any lingering doubt Rose herself might have had is erased when a would-be killer shows up in her house in the middle of the night. Now Rose knows that someone is determined to get rid of her.
With the help of her computer hacker/recluse sister Marion, thirteen-year old granddaughter Mel, and Mel’s friend Royal, Rose begins to gather her strength and fight back–to find out who is after her and take back control of her own life. But someone out there is still determined to kill Rose, and they’re holding all the cards.
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I borrowed this book from the library and thought it would be a good book. Turns out it was, it was fast paced, humourous at times, scary at times, and took me no time to read. I finished it in less than a day.
Rose Dennis wakes up in a field clad only in a hospital gown. This is not life as she remembers it, but then she remembers very little. Aided by two young teenage boys (who were probably scarred for life!) she is given water, picked up by the police, and returned to her Memory Care Unit in a fancy-schmancy care center. When she overhears someone in the hall say, “…she won’t last a week…”, Rose, who is only 68 , takes exception and stirs herself from her comatose state. Game On becomes World War III when Rose escapes and is joined by her granddaughter Melanie to find out what is going on, and more important, why. Then someone comes after her and the game gets deadly. Nevada Barr does an excellent job with this novel. It is action-packed, thrilling, and even hilarious in spots–although the predicament facing Rose is not funny. Let this book be a lesson to anyone who think women of a certain age don’t have what it takes to be superheroes. I loved it! Thanks to Minotaur and Netgalley for an advanced review copy of the ebook.
I was on the fence if I wanted to read What Rose Forgot. The blurb didn’t give me any insight into the book. What made up my mind was reading other reviews. Either people loved it, or they didn’t. I am glad that I read What Rose Forgot. It was an exciting, action-packed book.
What Rose Forgot plotline was fast. There were a couple of times where the book did lag. The author was able to get the book back on track after the first time it lagged. The second time, though, it didn’t. Weirdly enough, the lag came at almost the very end of the book.
I loved Rose!! I did wonder, for the first half of the book, if she was having issues with her memory. I did think to myself, “Does she have Alzheimer’s?” My question was answered in the second half of the book. I will say that Rose is a tough cookie, too. She took several beatings during the book that would have broken a lesser woman.
I loved Rose’s relationship with Mel. Their exchanges made me smile and added some much-needed humor into the book. I liked that Rose treated Mel with respect. She listened to what she had to say and, most importantly, she didn’t treat her like a kid. She treated her like an equal, and I loved it!!
I was saddened by how her stepsons treated Rose. Unfortunately, it is an accurate reflection of how our elderly get treated today. Put in nursing homes and forgotten about by their family.
The mystery angle of the book was wonderfully written. I thought I had everything worked out, only to have my theory thrown out the window. I wasn’t shocked at who was behind everything, though. There were some significant clues dropped throughout the book. It was the other half of what happened that surprised me.
I wasn’t a fan of the ending of What Rose Forgot. It seemed rushed to me. I can’t get into much without spoiling the ending. So, I will leave it at that.
“What Rose Forgot” by Nevada Barr is a stand-alone book; it is a departure from her Anna Pigeon series. Readers have not had a new book from Barr in a while, and this new book is a reminder of her incredible writing skill and her ability to create a compelling plot with interesting new characters.
The story takes place in North Carolina, starting out in an unusual place, the Memory Care Unit of a nursing home; not a place where readers would expect to find a charming and funny character such as 68 year-old, wealthy widow Rose, but charming and funny she is. She practices Yoga and has a unique outlook on life. Rose also finds herself in quite a dilemma, knows neither how she got into this place nor how she will get out. But get out she does, and along Roses’s journey readers encounter a variety of other interesting characters and family members including one sure to be a reader favorite, her endearing thirteen-year old granddaughter, Mel.
In rose, Barr created a character that readers love as she tackles thought-provoking topics that no one loves, including ageism and complicated family relationships. Rose may at times feel like she has “been trampled by a herd of gnus,” her journey is captivating, riveting, touching, insightful, gutsy and memorable. The story is well written and fast paced, although some events stray from reality just a bit.
“What Rose Forgot” is a book with edge-of-the-seat suspense and humor on every page. The suspense and drama gain momentum until the almost emotionally exhausting end. I received a review copy of “What Rose forgot” from Nevada Barr, St Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books. It is enjoyable, entertaining, and compelling. When I picked up a signed hard copy at a recent book signing, Barr shared that while this book will not develop into an ongoing series, there may be just one more book hovering on the horizon for Rose and friends. I cannot wait.
What Rose Forgot by author Nevada Barr is a mystery with comic scenes which had me laughing. Rose Dennis wakes up in a strange place and with lots of missing time in her memory. As she looks at her arms, legs, and body, she wonders what has happened to her, how much time has passed and even what is her age? Is she sixty-eight or has she slept until the age of one hundred and three?! As she becomes more aware of her surroundings she is terrified and then angry to realize she has been placed in a memory care unit of a nursing care facility.
I could so totally understand the beginning of the story which explains Rose’s reactions to recovering parts of her memory and her wanting to escape. She is trying to determine if her memory problems are from age-related dementia or over medication. I cheered Rose along as she and Mel tried to find answers as to why Rose had such severe memory problems. Who would want her out of her home and possibly dead?
Nevada Barr has captured and expressed the fear, anger, and lack of ability to concentrate and focus whether a person’s memory is clouded from age-related dementia or medication.
Publication Date: September 17, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
What Rose forgot was a wonderful standalone novel with action, suspense and a little bit humor in the mix. This was the first novel I have read from Nevada Barr. I have heard some good things about her other books as well. So, I’ll be looking into reading some more of Nevada Barr. I was surprised how fast this book took hold of me. The next thing I knew I was finished with the whole book. So, if you are looking for a book with some mystery and a little bit of laughs along the way this book is definitely for you. Happy reading everyone!!
What Rose Forgot isn’t what I expected, but I was still delighted with it. Rose Dennis comes to us heavily drugged like a zombie. Rose isn’t able to fight through the fog in her head due to the medications, but she does hear conversation outside her door stating she was not going to live through the week. She is able to figure out that she needs to leave this facility, and this isn’t the first time she has tried leaving the facility, she later finds out. Rose indeed manages her escape from the memory care facility, and without the medications, she is able to think again and quickly realizes this whole commitment has been organized by someone wanting something. We are introduced to Rose’s granddaughter, Melanie, and Mel’s friend, Royal. It strikes me as Mel and Royal have a lot of unsupervised time available to assist Rose with her mystery. Rose’s antics are humorous, and Nevada Barr has created Rose to be a physically once strong woman with a sharp mind. The book was fun, but too far fetched to leave a lasting impression for me.
This is a fantastic book for all of us baby boomers. Not entirely realistic, but funny and heart-warming. A departure for Nevada Barr from her excellent mystery series, but I’d love to hear more from Rose.
What Rose Forgot by Nevada Barr
Quick, good read. Good sense of humor throughout the book, can’t help but get a laugh out of “Gigi”, Grandma Rose. Some political nonsense thrown in for humor that for some will fall flat in my opinion. Overall though a funny read. Thank you Netgalley and the Publishers for this book.
I found this to be one of Barr’s very best books. I have enjoyed all but for those if us of a certain age, can fantasize along with Rose and hope that this in our real world, is just a fiction.
This was a fun-filled read (listen). It was a mystery that was not so mysterious, but fun. This was my first Nevada Barr book, and I enjoyed listening to it.
This was a great story, is Rose crazy, or not. This story really makes you think about what happens when we get old. I really enjoyed the audio version.
I always like Nevada Barr’s books, and this one was great too! One line in the book was really funny once Rose starts getting her wits back was “I was 40 before I realized that when I ask a Man what was on his mind and he said ‘nothing’, that he wasn’t lying”. That one tickled my funny bone. Thanks Ms. Barr for another exciting, all too real scenario with a satisfying ending.
This book was cleverly written. The story was very realistic and quite entertaining. I felt that this could really happen or something like it in real life. I was impressed with the main character and her determination. I love how this author writes. It was a great story to read and listen to.
love Nevada Barr
Honestly I was a bit confused through the entire book until the end and I’m still not 100% sure I understand the ending. I think that was probably the intent since the story is of an elderly lady put in a memory care unit against what she believes her will.
I love the Anna Pigeon series by Nevada Barr but I did not love this book. Personally, I won’t be jumping at the chance to recommend but if it sounds interesting to you please give it a read. It could be the next best book for you.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.
3.5 Stars
This book was pretty good. You kind of already know who is behind everything so you are reading to find out the details. There is a lot of enlightenment/Buddhism stuff in the book that I thought was unnecessary. This was my 1st book by this author and it was okay but I’m not sure I will read anymore from her.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my free copy in exchange for this honest review.
I love Rose, and Mel, and Marion. I loved all of the endearing, zany characters in What Rose Forgot. This is a story of Rose, who finds herself locked up in a home, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She realizes something is wrong and that she has to get out. And then the fun begins.
I can’t believe the predicaments that Rose finds herself in. I totally admire her resourcefulness and spunk as she gets the better of her would-be murderer and learns the truth behind all of her troubles. She counts on her quirky sister and her independent granddaughter to help her figure out who’s behind all of this. I laughed at Rose’s antics while also feeling her stress and pain as she worked through the mess of her life.
I absolutely loved What Rose Forgot and love this other side of Nevada Barr’s writing. I’ve been a huge fan of her Anna Pigeon series and this one is a complete departure from those books. I would love it if this became a series because I’m not ready to let Rose and her family go just yet.
Never thought it would be so funny! I loved the book and highly recommend it to other “crazy old ladies” as I expect you’ll laugh too. I have read Nevada Barr’s series about the woman who works in national parks. I’ve enjoyed them too. But this book is much different. I Loved the suspense, relationship between a grandmother )and granddaughter, and the unexpected laughs. My husband said he had a hard time getting into this book but once there he couldn’t put it down either.
I loved this book, Rose is very set on doing whatever she needs to do. I love her character and her drive to save herself and her friend from danger. Everyone else thinks she is right where she needs to be. She has to rely on herself and one other person.
There is also humor and determination.
This book is not like Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon series, but just as good.
I would like to thank NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book. I am writing this honest reveiw and it is my opinion.