They had their summer of fun and when he got back to college Ben realized he loved Lucy, but as he was coming home to declare that love he and best friend Lucy’s brother Tony got in an argument about it on the way to pick Lucy up and there was a car accident – an accident that cost Tony his life. Obviously Ben’s fault, right? So he can’t ever face Lucy again.
Lucy’s take on that is a little different. If she hadn’t acted like the spoiled, bratty little sister and insisted Tony pick her up there would never have been an accident, would there? Obviously Lucy’s fault, right? So she doesn’t deserve a life or love or anything. Caring for her family is her priority. Anything else is frivolous and not to be allowed. And Ben? She needed him, really needed him. Except he wasn’t there – no words, no explanations, no nothing. And after what she did, she doesn’t deserve him anyway. So she needs to keep that door to her heart closed. The past is the past. But that’s not how it works in rom coms (or in life), is it?
All of Karen Grey’s books are my favorites but Forget About Me might just be the favorite favorite. Even more than the funniness and the sexiness there is the sweetness and the rightness: these two have so much history, are like two pieces of a puzzle that are meant to click together but are so confused and in so much pain . . . it’s hard to imagine how they can get past it. They are both so good: good intentions, good hearts, good gracious, can’t they see what we do? But of course we have a birds’ eye view so we can see the misunderstandings, the misplaced guilt they both feel, the insecurities, the land mines, and the heartache that could be eased with a few simple words. Talk, people, talk. But Lucy and Ben don’t have that view; they are down in the middle of it, feeling that overwhelming yearning rise up again but afraid to take a step because it might be the final misstep.
Seeing Ben and Lucy together again after all those years is a comedy of errors. Ben didn’t quite realize his dream of becoming a famous actor. He’s famous alright, but as a model. Women all over the country – the world maybe – dream about him. In her self-imposed-near-nun-like existence, however, Lucy has no clue about that. He does make it into her dreams anyway, though. When she sees women going speechless at the sight of him she’s even more sure he’s just that guy from the past; even if she didn’t have the guilt that can’t be erased, why would he even look at her. Well, they have a chance meeting over an injured dog and look at her he does. They spend more and more time together – friends, friends, be glad to be getting our friendship back, just friends – each trying to get up the courage to confess to being the cause of that accident. And along with this very serious stream of feelings and regrets and events we are treated to laugh out loud mishaps and mistakes, witty dialogue, funny people, pet antics, behind the scenes glimpses into the Boston Shakespeare theater scene and an undercurrent of sizzle that threatens to burst into flame. All written and described satisfyingly, enjoyable, perfectly as only author Grey can do. There’s a lot going on in Forget About Me: emotions, career decisions, family, friends, lovable pets all expertly balanced and wrapped up. You’ll need tissues and a fan as you read or listen. Tissues because even though your head says this will work out sometimes your heart hurts for Ben and Lucy, and a fan because when Ben and Lucy do hook up – or even think about it – it’s as scorching hot as a menopausal hot flash.
Amazing story, amazing characters, amazing series – and a fun trip down memory lane back to those weird and wild 80’s. Can’t just send off a text; you have to call or write – or whoa, talk in person. I read the book and also listened to an audiobook version. Excellent as a book, whatever is one step up from excellent to listen to. Narrators Emma Wilder and Brian Pallino are perfect – the pacing, the humor, the need, it’s all there. Get a copy of this book and everything else Karen Grey has written. You’ll be so glad you did. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.
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More like FORGET ABOUT ME: a nostalgic romantic comedy (Boston Classics)
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From the Publisher
Why set a Romance Novel in the 1980's?
For the Fun of it
Initially I chose to set the Boston Classics series in the 1980’s because I thought it would be fun for a reader to experience dating in a “simpler” time—whether she was alive in the era or not—and to explore looking for love before texting, before cell phones, before dating apps, before Googling. When answering machines and pagers were the latest thing and people still sent love letters and had to use pay phones.
TV shows set in the 80’s have surged in popularity over the past few years, evidence to me that others share a nostalgia for simpler times. It’s an era that we love to make fun of—the big hair, the neon fashion, the crocheted fingerless gloves—but for many of us, it was just when we grew up.
From the Nitty Gritty details
Once I started mining my memory, it became clear how much our daily lives have changed.
For instance, if you wanted to go somewhere new, you had to get a map and you had to plot your route before you left and write out the directions.
More important for romance, if you wanted to get in touch with someone you met, you had to hope they were listed in the phone book. If not, you were out of luck.
To the Big Picture
My big takeaways from my trips back in time?
- We got along just fine without the world at our fingertips and without being available 24/7
- We’ve come far in terms of things like gender equity—everywhere from the workplace to the bedroom—but we still have a long way to go.
- The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Five Fun Facts About the Boston Classics Series
- To the characters, “text” means typed words in a manuscript and “#” is the symbol for “number”
- The heroes' and heroines' careers are based on real-life experiences
- Each main character's name is a mashup of Shakespeare character names
- The dairy commercial Will shoots is based move-for-move on one the author shot IRL
- Falling in love hasn't changed much in the years since 1988 (Or 1588 for that matter)
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| What I'm Looking For | Forget About Me | Like It's 1999 | You Spin Me | |
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| Price | $5.99 | $5.99 | $2.99 | $5.99 |
| Standalone Read | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Trip Back in Time to the 1980's | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| HEA or HFN Promise | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Adorable Pets | Heroine's Cat Ralphie | Too Many to Name but one Dog who steals the show | (It's a novella, I couldn't fit any in!) | Hero's Dog Blondie & Cat Cash |
| Meddling Side Characters | Roommates | Families | The Wedding Party | Co-workers |
| Romance Tropes | Opposites Attract & Nerdy Hero/Heroine | Second Chance & Best Friend's Sister | Holiday, Marriage Promise & Friends to Lovers | Broken Hero/Heroine & Secret Identity |
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Reviews with images
Back to the 80's with one of my favorite tropes!
Forget About Me is the 2nd book in Karen Grey’s Boston Classics series set in the late 80s. You *could* start here as there aren’t any spoilers for Will & Kate’s story (other than they end up together – but this is romance, so yeah). However, I definitely recommend book 1, What I’m Looking For and the free prequel novella, Signed, Sealed, & Delivered.Insert small grumble here about the fact that this is labeled “Historical”. Seriously, I’m that old??? Anyway…I was so excited to get to read this!This incorporates one of my favorite tropes: Best Friend’s Sister/Brother’s Best Friend and the added bonus of an adorable dog. What I really enjoyed here is that while it’s a cohesive addition to the series – it’s definitely a unique story. Ben & Lucy were brought together in friendship as children by Lucy’s brother, Tony and then torn apart as young lovers by his death. Forget About Me has it’s fair share of grief and growing pains to go along with it’s hilarious RomCom status. Add in the constant stream of music referenced from Lucy’s obsession with mixtapes and this is a truly delightful story. (Have your Spotify or Amazon Music app ready!)I’ll admit, I am not a fan of flashbacks – the story regularly takes the main characters on trips down memory lane, mostly to 7 years earlier – but Grey weaves them in so well that instead of disrupting the flow they reveal bits of information and emotion at the perfect times. While there are numerous sexy scenes for Ben & Lucy, I truly enjoy romance where I get to know the characters individually and together as a couple. I want to believe that these people belong together and I’m thrilled that’s exactly what I get. In some respects, we get their love story twice – young love as new adults at 21 & 18 and again at 28 & 25 with more life experience and self-awareness.I am now eagerly awaiting the audiobook. Not only is this a story I can enjoy multiple times, after the fantastic job Joe Arden & Karen White did with What I’m Looking For – I can’t wait for this in my ears.Extra little note. Grey’s Pinterest for Ben. Wow!I received a free advanced copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
